The Sweetest Kiss (Brothers of Worthington Series) (7 page)

“You could not be more wrong.”

Her lips pursed and her jaw tightened. Even the veins in her neck rose ever so slightly. “I know more than you think I do, my lord.”

“I’m sure you do.”

She scowled. “You still do not believe me. Ask me a question about the dinner party.
Anything at all.”

Was he trying to provoke her? Of course he was. Even though making her upset and seeing the heat in her eyes was quite exciting, perhaps he should continue to charm her and become her friend. How else would he win?

“Judith my dear, don’t fret. I believe you. As I have mentioned before, this is just a trial run.”

“Whom shall I expect for the evening meal tonight?” she asked with a stiff upper lip as anger remained evident in her eyes. “Will the
Marquess
be escorting female company?”

“No.”

“Will you?”

He chuckled. “No. Why do you ask?”

“What? You don’t know?” She put on the dramatics by placing her hand at her neck and hitching a breath. “Why, my lord, are you not aware I will need to make a seating chart?”

“But of course.”

“Then I need to know all the guests arriving tonight.”

He rolled his eyes. She was impossible. “It will just be Hawthorne, you, and I.”

She glared at him for a quiet moment. To be sure, the wheels in her head had to be churning as fast as a runaway horse. He wished he knew what vindictive thoughts charged around in there.

“Might I ask what happened to our bargain?”

Her voice remained calm, although he knew she was far from it.

He nodded. “It’s still intact. You hold up your end, and I shall come through with mine.”

“I had assumed you would find my Alex before you put me through this torture.”

My Alex…
The words
rankled
him. “Then you assumed wrong.”

“Oh.” She stomped her foot, and her hands bunched into fists by her side. “You had every intention of misleading me, didn’t you?”

“My dear Judith, I have not the faintest notion of what you are talking about.” He stroked her chin, but she slapped his hand away. “Let me give you some advice, my dear Judith. Well-bred ladies don’t show their temper, and yours is mighty hot. To be quite blunt, it’s highly ill-mannered. Even your fiancé would want you to be a gracious hostess.”

She let out a loud grumble before spinning on her heels and marching back to the house. He grinned. He had her exactly where he wanted. Keeping her vexed with him was a good idea, also. The way she’d gazed at him in the gazebo—a moment more and he’d have been on his knees begging for her sweet kiss. He couldn’t allow that to happen again, which meant he must make her upset with him at every turn.

Yet, the challenge energized him, too.

~*~*~*~

Judith mumbled every curse she could think of as she hurried back to the house.
That dirty, rotten…scoundrel.
He’d swindled her into this, and now she was stuck. Her first instincts were correct. She shouldn’t have trusted him for one minute.

And to think she almost lost her composure while in the gazebo. What in heaven’s name caused her brain to stop functioning? She’d let her appreciation for Trey’s assistance in finding Alex sway her in the worst way.

Growling, she shook her head. She couldn’t let her curiosity get the better of her. Now she knew Trey’s game, she would
not
play. Instead, she’d make him grovel for her forgiveness one way or another. She’d show him just how
hot
her temper could get.

She flung open the door and strode into the entryway. Immediately she was hit with an intoxicating aroma that made her stomach growl and her mouth water. While visiting the
Worthingtons
’ as a child, she always thought they had the best food around—thanks to their very friendly cook.

One of the times her family visited, they were served a dish. Lobster tails. A delicacy Judith loved. This particular time, she couldn’t eat it because it burned her mouth. Nobody at the table could understand, but Judith couldn’t eat for two more meals afterward due to her burned tongue. It was later that Betsy, the cook, discovered her sauce had been tampered with, especially the one served to Judith.

She walked to the kitchen and peeked inside. Betsy was busy with the servants, hurrying to prepare a wonderful feast. On the counter lay Lobster tails. How convenient they would have this dish. However, this time it wouldn’t burn…

Judith puffed her chest as an idea sprang into her head. The day suddenly had meaning.

When Betsy saw her, she squealed and threw out her chubby arms, greeting Judith with an oversized hug. They chatted about the lost years, until Judith reminded her of the terrible meal that had caused Judith’s mouth to burn.

The cook’s eyes
widened,
and her pudgy cheeks grew dark pink. “Oh, Miss Faraday, I thought the
Worthingtons
’ would have dismissed me that night.”

Judith smiled and patted the older woman’s hands. “I’m relieved you discovered what happened.”

A gray lock of hair fell into the older woman’s eyes, and she blew it away before arching a brow. “I fear it was a certain
someone
who had tampered with my food. I cannot be certain, but I would put all my money on Lord Trey if I were a betting person. He was an extremely mischievous boy.”

A laugh bubbled from Judith. “And I would bet my money with you, as well.” She glanced down the hallway to make certain a particular person wasn’t eavesdropping before she continued. “Do you happen to remember what it was that burned my mouth so badly?”

“Yes, Miss Faraday. It was and excessive amount of pimento spice mixed with black pepper.”

“Would you like to help me get back at the person responsible for doing this to me?” she asked in a low voice.

Betsy glanced around as if she, too, wanted to keep their conversation private. The corners of her mouth lifted. “What do you have in mind?”

“The duchess will not be joining us for the evening meal, so I thought perhaps you could heat up dinner tonight for Lord Trey. We both know how he loves his food
hot
, like a woman’s temper.”

The cook laughed until tears formed in her eyes. “I must say, it’s a good thing the duchess will not be in attendance.”

“A very good thing.”
Judith smiled.

Judith left Betsy to go about her preparations and wandered into one of the drawing rooms. Music lifted from the harpsichord in the corner of the room, causing her to turn in the direction of the lovely sound. The man she knew as Hawthorne sat on the bench, creating the beautiful melody.

As she listened to the music, she filled her gaze with the large room. Large tapestries occupied one wall, while portrait paintings crowded the other. The oak paneled ceiling made the room look darker even though the windows were opened to the sunlight.

The sunlight made the man at the piano stand out. She stared in awe at his muscular frame, and the wavy thick length of his hair as it swept the tops of his shoulders. Indeed, he looked very dashing when she thought he was a thief, but dressed in gentleman’s clothing, he was spectacular.

Just like another man they knew.

She growled to herself. Why was she even thinking of Trey? Would thoughts of him ever leave her alone? Alex needed to replace Trey, but the longer she was away from the one she loved, the memory of his face faded. Trey had only kissed her once whilst Alex had kissed her a few times, yet it was Trey’s kiss not the kisses of the man she loved that remained permanently branded on her lips—curse the devil.

As quietly as she possibly could, she walked closer to the
marquess
. He concluded the piece with a dramatic ending. She clapped and he swung around on the bench in her direction. He quickly stood and bowed.

She curtsied. “My lord, I must compliment you on your playing. I do not think I have heard anything so lovely.”

“Thank you, Miss Faraday. Your compliment warms my heart.”

She smiled and strolled toward the sofa. “I want to apologize for not addressing you properly before now.” She sat, smoothing her dress around her legs. “I fear Lord Trey kept your title a secret from me.”

He swiped his hand through the air and came toward her. “No harm done, I assure you. When we first met you by the woodsman’s cottage, we were not ready for proper introductions, so it’s no wonder you did not know.”

“Well, it’s nice to make your acquaintance, nonetheless.”

He chuckled. “It would be if we were introduced properly.”

She offered her hand which Hawthorne gladly took as he mocked a bow. “I’m Dominic Lawrence,
Marquess
of Hawthorne.”

She grinned and nodded.
“And I’m Miss Judith Faraday, daughter of the sixth Viscount
Manderville
.”

Dominic brought her hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles.
“Honored to finally meet you.
My condolences for the death of your parents.”

Her heart tugged painfully as she experienced the mourning that had yet to relinquish her soul. “I thank you, my lord.”

He released her hand and stepped back. Standing tall and straight, he looked every ounce of noble birth. She supposed Trey would look as dignified, too, if she didn’t despise him so much.

“Lord Hawthorne, may I ask you a personal question?”

“Certainly.”

“How long have you been friends with Lord Trey?”

He shrugged. “I have known him for as long as I can remember. We probably were introduced as young boys. Why do you ask?”

She studied the rose pattern lightly scattered on her dress. “I need to know where I stand with you since you are such good friends with him, and especially what I can and cannot say about him in your presence.” Hawthorne’s laughter snapped her attention back to him. “My lord, this is not humorous.”

“I gather you are not fond of Lord Trey?” he asked.

“You assume correctly.”

He stepped to the couch and sat on the edge, his knees brushed her dress. “Miss Faraday, do you know you are the only woman I have met who can say that? Most women think Trey is as dashing as he is charming.”

She gave an unladylike snort. “Then they are nothing but twittering
henwits
in need of spectacles and a brain.”

“Possibly.”
He chuckled again. “I fear you have only seen his bad side. He’s normally not like this.”

“I find him rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. Not only that, but he’s demanding and very controlling. My lord, I do not need to see his good side. He is absolutely despicable.”

“As it is, he’s still my friend, and the most trustworthy person I know.”

Judith pursed her lips. “I thank you for answering my question.”

“And I thank you for entertaining me.” He grinned. “Trey tells me you are going to be the hostess at dinner tonight.”

“Yes.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Let me inform you right now, however, that whatever I do tonight is not the real me, either.
If Lord Trey can show me his other side, I shall, too.”

~*~*~*~

Later that evening, Trey stood near the hearth watching Judith and
Nic
carry on a conversation as they sat on the sofa. Trey didn’t dare admit aloud that Judith did an exceptional job with conversing. She laughed easily at
Nic’s
comments, yet it wasn’t in a flirtatious manner at all. Trey had seen it often enough when women tried their wiles on men, but in this situation, Judith was being herself and not overly-flattering. Perhaps she did know more than he and his mother expected. That would make his responsibility for finding Judith a husband easier than anticipated.

While she chatted with
Nic
, her gaze periodically wandered to Trey. Anger and distrust still flickered in the green depths, but thankfully, she never voiced her thoughts. She didn’t need to. He could read her mind already, and it wasn’t good.

He knew it upset her how easily she melted into his arms. Stubborn as she was, Trey figured she didn’t like feeling that weak. Although he shouldn’t have taken her to the gazebo, he certainly enjoyed how she’d fallen for his charm. If his mother hadn’t arrived when she did, the impending kiss would have been inevitable.

He shook off the indecent thought. Getting her out of his mind was essential to his plan. How could he find her a husband if he was infatuated with her himself? Their walk in the flower gardens hadn’t helped his way of thinking, either. She’d mentioned roses were her favorite, and he couldn’t believe how that little confession had melted his heart. His favorite flower was the rose, as well. He enjoyed watching her smell the flower as the look of pure happiness spread over her expression. To be sure, that would be something he’d never forget.

Finally, a maid entered the room and announced dinner was ready. He stepped forward and offered his elbow to escort Judith inside, but she found
Nic’s
extended arm first and hooked her hand around his elbow, instead. From over her shoulder, she gave Trey a triumphant grin and haughtily walked into the dining room with the
marquess
.