The Sweetest Kiss (Brothers of Worthington Series) (8 page)

Trey boiled, balling his fists beside him as he followed like an obedient dog. Perhaps he should have invited more guests tonight—more female guests who actually wanted his company.

She indicated to where he and
Nic
would be seated then stood before her chair. Trey jumped to her side to pull the chair out for her, but once again, Dominic arrived first. Seething, Trey waited until she was seated before taking his appointed chair at the head of the table.

He watched her at the other end of the table, waiting for her to give the subtle signal to the servants to start serving, but she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t know how to host a dinner party.

When she lifted her hand, her pointy finger above the rest, Trey breathed in relief that she would start things now.

“We are ready,” she yelled from across the room.

Startled by her loud voice, Trey nearly fell off his chair. After collecting his wits from her ill-mannered outburst, he glanced next to him at
Nic
, who bit his lip, appearing as if he tried very hard not to laugh. If his mother had been here, she would have swooned.

Trey groaned and rubbed his forehead. To think tonight was just getting started.

Once the food came, Judith dove into her meal like a starving person, leaning her elbows on the table and inhaling her food in an animal-like manner, using her hands and fingers more than the silverware.

Ashamed of her display, Trey shook his head and moved his gaze to stare at his own food. He definitely should have gone over instructions before letting her on her own. It was a very good thing his mother wasn’t present, indeed!

Nic
remained quiet as he picked at his food. Trey held in an agitated sigh. Apparently, Judith had ruined his friend’s appetite, too.

When she was finished noisily slurping her soup, she pushed the bowl away from her and sat back. “Lord Trey?”

Trey raised his gaze and met hers. “Yes?”

“Are you ready for the second course?”

He shrugged.
Might as well get this over with so he could retire to his room to ponder on her much-needed lessons.
“Yes.”

She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Bring in the next course,” she shouted.

Once again, he groaned. Dominic covered his grin with a linen napkin.

When the food was served, she turned to
Nic
and started a conversation. Trey refused to speak for fear he’d snap at her for her improper decorum. But when he heard her garbling, he glanced up to find out why. The poor country girl talked with her mouth full of food!

Sighing in defeat, he rested his forehead in his hands. Oh, the embarrassment of it all. He’d never hear the end of this from
Nic
, that’s for certain.

Trey picked a small piece of lobster tail and dipped it in the sauce. This had been his favorite meal, but because of Judith’s manners, she’d ruined his appetite. Trying to ignore her outbursts of laughter, Trey slid the piece of lobster in his mouth and chewed. Immediately, his tongue burned, and the more he chewed, the hotter it became.

He reached for his glass of wine and quickly brought it to his mouth to sip, but the liquid only intensified the heat exploding on his tongue. In front of him on the table was a platter of bread, so he grabbed a piece, quickly shoving it in his
mouth.

After the temperature in his mouth returned normal, he took another bite of the lobster tail. Fire burned his tongue, more painfully than the first time. He shoved another chunk of bread in his mouth to take away the burn. His eyes watered and he blinked the moisture away.

Trey studied Dominic and Judith. They acted as if nothing terrible was happening at the table save for Judith’s outrageous behavior, of course. Why didn’t they act as if their food was spicy? How could only
his
food be hot and not theirs? Cautiously, he took a bite of the rice dish, but once again, the inferno in his mouth intensified.

Admitting defeat, he sat back in his chair and was content to eat bread, since that seemed to be the only food at the table that didn’t burn his mouth. He watched Judith to see if she had any reaction to his discomfort, but she was engrossed in
Nic’s
tale and didn’t glance Trey’s way.

Somehow, the situation seemed familiar. As if he’d been through this before. Yet he didn’t ever remember eating anything so horribly hot. Suddenly a memory crashed through. He and Judith were younger. Her family had visited for the weekend. He didn’t want to entertain her as his parents had forced him to do. Instead, he wanted to push her away from him.
From his family.
That evening, he tampered with the meal by pouring pimento and black pepper in her lobster sauce.

Coincidence?

He thought not. That little minx had planned this. He’d bet money on it.

Finally, she glanced his way. He gave her a knowing grin.

Confusion crossed her face, but soon it cleared and she smiled pleasantly.

Curse her. He still couldn’t tell if she’d planned this. But if she had, he’d get her to confess.
Tonight, if possible.
Strange thing was he looked forward to the confrontation, especially her temper afterwards.

A movement from the doorway yanked his attention away from Judith. His mother walked in the room, her eyes wide as she focused on the girl. Trey inhaled sharply. His mother would realize Judith didn’t know a thing about entertaining. Trey and Hawthorne rose to their feet.

“Mother?
What are you doing here?”

The older woman smiled as she smoothed her palms down her dress. “I wondered how Judith was faring.”

“Uh…well, I don’t think Miss Faraday is quite ready—”

“Your Grace, please come in and join us,” Judith interrupted.

Trey swung his gaze to her. Instead of hunched shoulders and elbows on the table, the young woman sat with a straight back as she patted her linen napkin to her lips.

“How is your headache, Your Grace?” Judith inquired sweetly.

“Much better, thank you.”

Trey pulled out a chair for his mother. “Are you hungry?”

“Just a bit.”

Holding his breath, he waited for Judith’s holler for service. Instead, she subtly motioned for the servant to bring his mother a plate.
What the devil?

Aghast, he watched the next little while as a different Judith emerged. Instead of the uneducated girl he’d witnessed since they’d entered the room, Judith was doing everything perfectly. After the servant brought his mother’s plate, Judith picked at her food like a proper young lady, and never once spoke with food in her mouth.

What was her game? Was she purposely trying to make a fool out of him?

Obviously.
But he was on to her now.

He grinned. Taming her would be a chore, but an enjoyable one, he was certain.

Judith smiled with triumph as she climbed the stairs and headed toward her bedroom. She’d turned out a splendid performance tonight. After dinner, the
marquess
mentioned it’d been quite a while since he’d been so thoroughly entertained.

It had been amusing, even if Judith had to admit it herself. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to watch Trey the whole time. Perhaps that was a good thing or she wouldn’t have been able to perform so well. Several times Lord Hawthorne tried not to laugh aloud at her antics, and she was certain Trey was embarrassed beyond belief…along with receiving a blistered tongue.

When the dowager arrived, Judith had to change her initial plan to prove how well she could host a dinner party. It had been worth it. The few times she’d glanced at Trey, he resembled a large mouthed bass while he started dumbfounded at her. Things couldn’t have gone better.

Chuckling, she reached her room and opened the door. By the number of pieces of bread Trey had shoved in his mouth, she knew the pain he suffered. She stepped inside, and as she pushed the door closed, it swung open and smacked her knuckles. Surprised, she grabbed her throbbing fingers and gasped.

Trey strolled in. His waistcoat absent as well as his cravat, and his high collar white shirt lay unbuttoned at the throat. Within seconds, her palms became clammy while her heartbeat sped up a notch.

“Trey, what are you doing barging into my room without an invitation?”

He arched a brow. “Will you offer me one?”

“Absolutely not.
It’s improper.”

“Then forgive me for entering, regardless. What I have to discuss with you is highly important, and I felt it needed to be aired in private. Unless of course, you want my mother to hear about the wicked plans you had concocted for tonight’s entertainment.”

Instead of giving him a verbal answer, she glared at him.

He closed the door with his boot heel before leaning against the hard wood. He folded his arms across his wide chest.

“Speak,
then
leave,” she snapped.

His gaze skimmed over her, from the top of her ringlet hair down to her
slippered
feet. The corner of his mouth lifted in a mock grin. “I must say, you were quite entertaining tonight.”

“I thank you for noticing.”

“But I must know what you thought to gain by that little performance?”

She chuckled as she walked to her vanity table that sat by the far window, slipping off her elbow-length white gloves before laying them on the table. “I wanted to show you exactly what I do know about hosting a dinner party.” She gave him a glare over her shoulder. “I do
not
need instructions or a tutor.”

Trey pushed away from the door and inched toward her. With each step, her heartbeat knocked harder, nearly shaking her corset loose. Suffocation threatened to make her swoon. She pushed aside that thought.
I must be strong.

“All you showed me tonight was the ill-mannered girl I recalled from our childhood.” He ran his fingers through his hair and grinned. “You were unruly as a child. From what I have observed, you have not changed a bit.”

When he stopped beside her, he grasped one of her hands and brought it closer to his face, studying her fingernails. “I half expected to see claws.”

She yanked her hand away and glared. “Keep goading my temper and you will, my lord.”

Shaking his head, he
tsked
. “My dear Judith, have you not realized who holds the key to your future? You have been entrusted to my mother’s care whether you like it or not. She has asked for my help with your education, which I will do, but you are not making it easy.”

She gave a forced laughed. “I do not plan on it.”

“I thought we had made a bargain this afternoon in the flower garden.”

“As did I, but you swindled me into signing my soul to the devil.”

“Miss Faraday, you wound me. I’m not the devil.”
His voice dropped, low and smoldering.
“If you let me, I can be your salvation. I truly wish to locate your fiancé, but you are making it difficult for me to be pleasant.”

Anger shot through her, and she wanted to scream. Instead, she faced him, hands bunched at her sides. “You have not done anything yet.”

“I have hardly had the time, Miss Faraday. Tomorrow afternoon, come to my study and we shall pen a letter to the Navy. Will that please you?”

She held her breath. The last time she relied on him, he’d made her look incompetent. Obviously, he didn’t want her company any more than she wanted his. To end this ruse, they had to work together, even as disgusting as the idea sounded.

“Yes, that will please me. What time shall I come to your study?”

“After the noon meal.”

“Splendid. I shall be there.” She stepped closer until she nearly touched her nose to his. Trey’s eyes widened but he didn’t retreat. Shoulders back, she held her ground and wouldn’t cower. “This time, I shall be on guard. I cannot trust you, my lord. You say one thing and mean another, which you have proven to me thus far. If you do not come through with your side of the bargain, I shan’t either. Agreed?”

Every second that passed, his ragged breaths blew against her face. A hint of brandy wafted through the air along with the pimento. His gaze lowered to her lips, and soon his hardened expression softened.

“You are a hard woman to resist, Judith. If you graced me with that lovely smile you bestowed upon Lord Hawthorne this evening I might be lost forever under your control.”

He slid slowly away from her and left the room. With the contact broken, she grew cold inside. She reasoned she had built an ice-wall to keep him out. That was the only good explanation she could come up with right now.

~*~*~*~

Trey drummed his fingers on his oak desk, staring out the window. Judith’s letter couldn’t be put off another day. His solicitor needed this information quickly in order to look into Lieutenant Alexander Cutler’s past. Finding out about the man was of utmost importance.

Since last night’s dinner, and especially the heated exchange he’d shared with Judith in her room, his thoughts kept straying to the young woman and her beau.