Rogue Countess (21 page)

That damnable smile, for being so rare since his return, held immeasurable power over her sensory reactions.

“Do I torment you?” he asked in a dark and teasing tone as his gaze slid to the pulse that jumped at the base of her throat. He was most definitely in an unusual mood this evening. His amusement at her distress tempered her sensual reaction with a dose of annoyance.

“Just answer my question, Jude. Am I going to have to expect to find you around every turn I make?”

Jude’s eyes sparkled and he lifted one brow slightly. “Shouldn’t a husband be at his wife’s side? Devoted, attentive…”

“Ha!” The exclamation burst from beneath her breath. “I am amazed you even know how to pronounce those words.”

His lips twitched at her clever rejoinder.

“I know how to pronounce a few more,” he offered helpfully. The mischievous sparkle turned to a wicked gleam. “Stubborn. Secretive. Unexpected.”

Anna’s eyes narrowed warily as she caught on to the nature of the game.

“How about relentless, intrusive, underhanded and…baffling.”

The last adjective just sort of escaped from her mouth and she wished she could pull it back once she saw how much it pleased him.

He lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper before responding. “Intriguing. Beautiful. Desirable.”

The words were spoken in that deep and private timbre he had used that first night at the masquerade. The intimate tone and the suggestion in his voice brought up a new rush of desire and longing. Her spine stiffened in resistance. Just when things were already proving to be difficult, the man seemed to know how to up the ante.

“Don’t do that,” Anna muttered, glancing to the side, acutely aware of the fact that they stood in a room with dozens of other people.

“Why?” Jude asked in straightforward query. “I find you extremely attractive. It is not an issue I tend to prevaricate on. When I want something, or someone, I don’t hide it. And sweetheart, as I’ve said before, I want you.”

His voice was no longer teasing. The low tones held a serious undertone Anna found oddly stimulating. She met his gaze and felt the earnest truth of his words like a constricting band across her middle that made it difficult to breathe.

“For a temporary affair,” she clarified.

“Of course. There is no other kind.”

“But we are married.”

“You’re right,” Jude said, and his amusement returned in the curling of the corners of his mouth. “It does make things a little awkward, but I imagine we can get beyond that if we try.” He dipped his head in an attempt to see her face. “Are you blushing?” he asked incredulously.

“Of course not,” she denied, feeling turned around and suddenly at a disadvantage. She was determined not to be manipulated by his change in demeanor. “I just don’t appreciate such a tactic. You are intentionally trying to disturb me and throw me off balance with your bold suggestions. It is an unfair move. You know as well as I that we will never be lovers.”

“You don’t think so? My admission was not an attempt at manipulation, Anna. It is the honest truth. There is a passion between us that is far from commonplace.”

Anna didn’t answer for fear of saying something that would expose her own feelings. She eyed him with distrust, uncertain of his declaration.

Jude shook his head at her lack of response.

“Though that isn’t to say I don’t wonder at it. I suppose you don’t even realize what a frustrating and contrary creature you are,” he muttered under his breath.

“It doesn’t make sense, Jude. You distrust me. You dislike me. You want nothing more than to be rid of me. And yet you want me to believe that in spite of everything, you wish to take me to your bed.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied her for a moment before answering.

“Come now, Anna. You are surely experienced enough to know such things don’t need to go hand in hand. Desire and attraction are not dictated by anything other than a physical need created by the senses.”

She stared at his expression, trying to see past the distracting vividness of his eyes. Did he truly believe what he said? She couldn’t tell, but her heart grew heavy at the thought.

“Of course,” Anna answered dryly as she glanced away from him again.

Just as everyone else did, he thought her to be a woman of worldly sophistication. The assumptions people made about her private activities had never bothered her before. But with Jude, it was decidedly different. It irked her that he so easily believed she had been unfaithful to the vows she had uttered on her wedding day.

She was suddenly regretful of the frustrated comments she had made supporting that very opinion.

Their marriage had taken place under extreme duress, but she still believed in the vows she had spoken. Of course, she had made those promises to a man she loved. A man that still managed to shake her composure and rattle her confidence with the tender feelings he roused in spite of the time and distance and impenetrable distrust that lay between them.

“There you go again,” Jude murmured with a shake of his head. “Retreating into your secret thoughts.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Anna denied as she returned her gaze to meet his.

“Yes, you do.”

Anna stared back at him, instantly guarding herself against his intuitive perception. He must never discover she still loved him, that she had always loved him. Should he ever find out her true feelings, the power he could wield over her would be devastating. And she fully believed he would use such knowledge to his full advantage.

He may be telling the truth about his desire for her, but he had been equally up front about his intention to sever the marital ties that bound them.

“My Lord and Lady Blackbourne. What an exceptional delight it is to have you both with us this evening.”

This exclamation and effusive greeting was from Lady Terribury, a woman who was as devoted to the sensational as her husband was to the mundane. Having the Earl and Countess of Blackbourne attend her party was going to ensure the event would be talked about for days as people speculated over the unusual couple. She approached Anna and Jude with wide spread arms draped in jeweled bangles and an ostrich plume dyed a bright lime green waving above her head like an extra appendage. The woman positively adored drama.

Anna turned with a smile that she hoped didn’t reveal too much of her relief at the effective interruption.

“Lady Terribury, as always, your home is stunning and your hospitality exceeds expectation.”

The older woman twittered appreciatively, the ostrich plume waving in emphasis.

“Thank you, my dear, I do try.”

Lady Terribury turned to Jude and smiled brightly. The gleam in her eyes was sharp and greedy.

“And you, my lord, how lovely it is to have you once again gracing the ballrooms and drawing rooms of London.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Jude replied as he bowed elegantly over her hand. “You are as gracious as you are lovely.”

Lady Terribury tapped his arm and smiled in a way that made her appear almost girlish in her obvious delight over the compliment.

Anna almost rolled her eyes.

“You really shouldn’t have kept away from us for so long. I am sure your beautiful wife would agree,” she added with innocent boldness, casting a smile and a nod toward Anna, who smiled automatically in response. “And how surprised we all were to hear that our own Mrs. Locke was actually the Countess of Blackbourne. I declare we have all been breathless with curiosity over the whole mysterious matter. Please say you will take pity on me and tell me how this unusual little union came to be.”

“Ah, but that would ruin all the fun, wouldn’t it?” Jude answered with a wide sparkling grin that could undoubtedly charm the most resistant female. “I would hazard a guess to say the truth is probably not nearly as thrilling as what people may imagine. I would really hate to be the cause of anyone’s disappointment.”

Lady Terribury gave a little pout of annoyance but still responded with polite assurance. “Lord Blackbourne, I doubt you could be a disappointment to anyone.”

Anna resisted the urge to snort.

Catching sight of a particular guest passing nearby, their hostess suddenly brightened.

“Oh, there is that handsome Lord Rutherford. I must introduce him to my daughter, do excuse me, would you?” And with a smile filled with ambition, the lady swept away.

Anna released the heavy pent-up breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Lady Terribury’s inexhaustible efforts in procuring exceptional matches for her offspring were well known amongst the ton. Obviously, the lady was more concerned with her daughter’s future marital prospects than the still unknown history of the Blackbournes.

“You look as though you’ve been dragged behind a horse,” Jude commented in amusement. “It wasn’t all that bad. The lady was distracted quickly enough.”

Anna looked at him in irritation. “Easy for you to say. You haven’t been fielding such inquiries the entire evening. There are only so many ways to avoid answering when the same question is asked in so many different ways.”

“Have you tried telling people it is simply none of their damn business?”

“Oh yes, I can see that going over well.” She eyed Jude suspiciously. “It is obvious why I might want to keep the past hidden, but you could have just told the truth. You would likely gain everyone’s sympathy with a tale that so fully displays the scheming of a wicked female.”

“Are you wicked, Anna?” Jude asked unexpectedly. His piercing gaze searched for something to be revealed in her reaction.

Anna blinked and struggled to control the sudden tightness in her throat at the unexpected query. She was saved from having to answer as they were interrupted yet again.

This time, Rutherford stepped up with a scowl of deep vexation.

“I swear to God, that woman has tried to foist every one of her daughters off on me. This latest is the fourth and very likely the worst,” he muttered scathingly under his breath. “How many daughters can one ambitious mama have?”

He paused in his vent to look at Anna with a nod of acknowledgement. “My lady, looking lovely as always.” His compliment was given more out of social habit than true feeling.

“Thank you, my lord,” Anna replied just as automatically.

For as long as she had counted Rutherford as an acquaintance, she had never been able to fully decide whether or not she actually liked the man. His condescending attitude and the air of entitlement he wore like an expensive cologne always managed to put her off. The fact that he had been the one to call her out at the Fitzherbert soiree may have effectively tipped the scales against him.

“If you will both excuse me,” she said stiffly, seeing her chance to step away. Before she could make good her escape, Jude stopped her with a light touch at her elbow.

“The circumstances of our marriage are between us alone,” he said, picking up their conversation where it had left off. “I will not disclose the details of our past to anyone else. But on the same token, I will not accept more lies to be heaped upon those that already exist.”

Anna lifted her chin and slid a sideways glance at Rutherford. The odious man wasn’t even trying to hide his interest in their conversation.

She replied to Jude with a resigned undertone. “There is more than enough deception for me to consider adding to it, my lord. I promise you that.”

Then she turned to Rutherford, unable to resist adding, “Oh, and by the way, Lady Terribury has seven lovely daughters, three not yet out of the school room. Good luck,” she offered pertly and then walked away with a smile of satisfaction as she heard Rutherford’s deep groan of despair.

Chapter Seventeen

The familiar scents of horses, leather, hay and oats mingling in the cool mist greeted Anna as she entered the stables the next morning. She took a deep breath and the earthy aroma recalled her to a sense of comfort and certainty.

Disturbing memories had kept her awake through most of the night. Without a solid night of rest, she awoke feeling cranky and out of sorts, as if the world had tilted a bit beneath her and she couldn’t find a steady foothold.

She murmured soft greetings to her horses as she passed their stalls with her head slightly bent in thought. Usually, she stopped to give each of them a moment of personal attention, but this morning she was far too distracted by deeper concerns.

She would love to lay the fault on Jude and his shifting manner, but the heavy darkness she fought against came from within herself and demanded recognition. What she needed was time to think and sort through the concerns that continued to weigh on her mind.

Hearing something ahead, she realized she wasn’t alone in the stables and she lifted her head in alarm. No one else was ever with the horses so early in the morning. A thrill that was both excitement and trepidation raced along her nerves when she saw Jude settling a saddle atop his favored mount.

Time to think? Sure, if she could manage to turn around in her own home without running into her blasted husband.

Her surly mood grew surlier.

He turned as she came near and offered an easy grin that crinkled the corners of his eyes and caused her breath to catch uncomfortably in her lungs.