Page 10 of An Impulsive Kiss (Captivating Kisses #2)

J udson entered his carriage, sitting back against the cushion and closing his eyes.

Tonight, he would ask to speak to Lady Harriet’s father.

After having danced with Lady Lucy and supping with her during the opening night of the Season, he had withdrawn from all social activities for a week. During that time, he had constantly thought about the tawny-haired beauty. She dominated his every waking thought. He had even dreamed of her each night.

That convinced him he needed to get serious and find himself a bride. Returning with new resolve to the social whirl, he had approached this past week with an eye to finding a wife on the Marriage Mart. He had decided upon Lady Harriet, who had been out for three Seasons. She was average-looking and very dull. He knew she would make no demands upon him, which was exactly what he was looking for.

In other words, she would be his ideal wife.

The carriage rolled to a halt, the door opening. Judson descended the stairs and headed across the street toward the townhouse, where tonight’s musicale would be held. He spied Lord Eaton and Lord Humley ahead of him. Seeing the pair from his past left him feeling unsettled. They were close to him in age and had been two of the worst bullies whom he had eventually dealt with. Eaton had been the ringleader, with several minions, including Humley.

He forced himself to turn away from thoughts of his past. He had handled these two years ago, and they had never spoken to him again, with Eaton even leaving school. They ran in a fast crowd now, and both had terrible reputations within the ton .

Once he entered the townhouse, he found his host and hostess in the ballroom, where the musicale would take place. Chairs had been set on three sides of a raised dais. The invitation he had received mentioned it would be a famed Italian diva who performed for them tonight.

That led him to think about Antonia. Judson had not been to visit his mistress in almost four weeks now. In fact, he had actually forgotten about her. He supposed he would be visiting her with more regularity once he wed. Something told him that his wife would not begin to satisfy him in the bedroom. At least he had Antonia to meet his needs.

He scanned the room quickly, spotting Lady Lucy and her brother engaged in conversation with another couple. Their parents were a short distance away, speaking with an ancient duke and his very young duchess.

He located Lady Harriet, standing with one of her wallflower friends, and went to greet her.

“Good evening, my ladies,” he said, gallantly kissing both their hands.

Lady Harriet, as usual, appeared tongue-tied around him, while her friend merely giggled uncontrollably, irritating him to no end. He did his best not to compare his intended to Lady Lucy, but he couldn’t help turning his gaze across the room and seeing her animation as she spoke.

Looking back to Lady Harriet, he asked, “If you are not otherwise engaged this evening, my lady, perhaps we might sit together and enjoy the music.”

Her eyes grew round in surprise. “Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord.”

The friend, thankfully, drifted away, and Judson tried to have a decent conversation with Lady Harriet. She seemed too in awe of the fact that a handsome marquess paid her attention. Her answers were either yes or no, with my lord tacked onto each response. Intellectually, he knew he was making the right decision in offering for this woman. She would cause him no problems throughout their marriage, and he hoped she would produce a suitable number of children, including his heir and a spare.

His heart, however, rebelled at the idea of being shackled to her for the rest of his life. He toyed with the idea, far down the line, of engaging Lady Lucy in an affair once she had wed and provided her own husband with his heir. Though the practice of affairs was common within the ton , something told Judson that Lady Lucy would never betray her wedding vows, even if she had a husband who strayed.

He took Lady Harriet’s hand and placed it atop his sleeve, escorting them to a seat. As others did the same, he saw Lord Eaton and Lord Humley approach Lady Lucy and her brother, causing his blood to boil. The viscount said something to the two men and abruptly turned, leading his sister to a seat on the end of a row and then taking his place beside her.

Judson would have to keep his eyes on those two. He wanted the duo to have nothing to do with Lady Lucy. While he had every faith that Lord Dyer could keep his sister safe, it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes watching protectively over her.

Their host gave a flowery introduction as the musicians took the stage. They were joined by the opera singer, whom he had seen perform on a previous occasion.

As she sang, he let his thoughts wander, deciding he would ask Lady Harriet’s father for an appointment tomorrow morning. There, he would offer for her, and Judson hoped they might arrange a time for the marriage settlements to be written up. He would be generous in the contracts, wanting both his wife and their children—beyond his heir—to have secure futures once he was gone.

His decision made, he ignored his heavy heart as the songstress ended her performance. He joined in with the applause. Their hostess appeared, saying the diva would rest her voice for the next hour. Guests were encouraged to go into the supper room for light refreshments and socializing until the singer took the stage again.

Dreading spending an entire hour with Lady Harriet at his side, he nevertheless put on a smile. “Would you care for something to eat or drink, my lady?”

“Oh! Yes. Please, my lord.”

Judson escorted her to the supper room, where they joined a few others at a table. He was thankful the others kept up the conversation because he could think of absolutely nothing to say to his companion. In a way, that solidified his decision to wed Lady Harriet. He had absolutely no emotional attachment to her. That was the way a marriage should be.

Then his thoughts drifted to Lord and Lady Aldridge. The couple always was affectionate with one another. Sometimes, the glances they shared pierced his heart. He would never have love in his life as they did. Judson must accept that—and move on. Perhaps he might feel some affection for one or more of his children. He simply had no idea what his future held in that regard.

He had loved his father. At least, he thought it had been love. Judson had spent very little time in his parents’ company, though. And with his mother having died giving birth to him, he had never known her nurturing hand. He vowed to try his best to always be kind to Lady Harriet and their children. Beyond that, he could make no promises.

Helping her from her chair, he escorted Lady Harriet to her mother. It was time to locate the chit’s father and ask to come and see him.

“If you will excuse me, my ladies,” he said, leaving the supper room to wander about and find his future father-in-law.

Before he could change his mind.

*

Lucy had enjoyed the musicale so far. She had sat with Con during the first half, happy that she didn’t have to worry about some suitor sitting next to her.

They were two full weeks into the Season, and she had callers every afternoon. Their drawing room filled with flower arrangements each morning, and she knew she would have her pick of suitors. She had even discussed three or four of them she was interested in with Con, and he told her each of the gentlemen had his own merits. Con had emphasized he would not dictate whom she should choose as her husband. He simply was there to rule out the unsuitable ones, such as Lord Eaton and Lord Humley.

The two had approached Con and her earlier in the evening, and she had taken her cue from her brother. He had been polite enough to briefly introduce her to them and then wished them a good evening, leading her away from the pair. Lucy did not even bother asking why he did so. It was obvious that neither would be suitable for her. Even without Con telling her so, she had heard talk of these two in various retiring rooms, ladies issuing warnings to one another about their wicked reputations. Lord Eaton was supposedly the leader of a group of rakehells. Between Con’s warnings and that of Lord Huntsberry, along with other ladies, she would steer clear of the pair and their set.

Once the opera singer ended the entertainment, Con led her to the supper room. They joined a table of six others, and Lucy enjoyed herself tremendously. She was beginning to make friends with other girls, even one whom Mama had told her to avoid. Lucy suspected the reason Mama had warned her off the girl was because she was absolutely beautiful and had numerous gentlemen vying for her hand. Still, she thought her new friend kind and had ignored Mama’s advice.

They finished dining, and she sipped a glass of ratafia before deciding she would slip out and go to the retiring room. Lucy leaned over to Con to excuse herself, and left the room. Unfortunately, she had to walk by Lord Huntsberry’s table, where he sat with Lady Harriet and a few others. Lucy had decided the marquess was courting Lady Harriet. She had seen them dance together a few times this past week, twice in one evening, and everyone knew that if a gentleman danced more than one time with a particular lady in a single night, he was staking his claim on her.

She did not know Lady Harriet, who had been out for a few years and seemed most diffident. Lucy hoped Lord Huntsberry would be happy with his choice and when the betrothal was announced, she would wish the pair every happiness.

Even while her heart broke.

Lucy realized she had not a ghost of a chance with Lord Huntsberry. Because of that, she did her best to ignore him. She truly was enjoying her first Season, meeting new people and having a wonderful time at the various events. Eventually, she would settle on a gentleman and hopefully receive an offer from him. Money and a title didn’t mean much to her. She simply wanted to wed a man she liked, one she had things in common with. A man who would make a good husband and father.

That man could never be Lord Huntsberry, and Lucy had accepted this outcome.

She had overheard other girls talk of having their hearts trampled upon, so she assumed it was a common thing within the ton . After all, couples did not wed for love. They wed to increase their social standing. Lucy did not love Lord Huntsberry—but she thought given the chance, she could have. That chance would never materialize, though, so she directed her attention to her future.

After her trip to the retiring room, she left to rejoin Con. As she moved along the corridor, Lucy saw Lord Humley rushing toward her. No one was in sight, which caused Lucy’s heart to speed up.

He approached her, looking out of breath. “There you are, my lady. Your brother is looking for you. Your mother has taken ill.”

Concern quickly filled her. “Mama is ailing? Has she been taken to our carriage already? I must go to her at once.”

“She fainted, my lady, and was carried by footmen to the library. I am certain she would be relieved when she awakens to see you by her side. Naturally, a doctor has been called for. Let me show you where she is.”

They went down the hall and turned. Lord Humley paused as they reached a door, which was partially open.

“Lady Marley was taken here, my lady.”

Lord Humley pushed the door open wider, and Lucy rushed into the room. Glancing about, she saw it was empty. Confused, she thought Mama must have awakened or been moved while Lord Humley came to look for her.

She turned—only to find Lord Eaton standing before her, his smile like that of a fox who had just slipped inside an unguarded henhouse.

“Excuse me, my lord,” she said crisply, with more confidence than she felt.

Lucy started around him, but he grasped her shoulders, his hold strong. Panic filled her. It struck her what was happening.

“My mother is not ill, is she, my lord?”

“No, Lady Lucy. Lady Marley is in excellent health. When I last left the supper room, your mama was holding court, as always.”

“Release me, my lord,” she said firmly, only to find his fingers dug more deeply into her shoulders. Lucy bruised easily and knew evidence of tonight would be present.

“Your brother was quite abrupt in turning away from us,” he told her, a gleam entering his eyes which brought her fear to the surface. “He is quite protective of you, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. Con will be looking for me. I ask you again, Lord Eaton. Please, let me go. I will speak no further of this incident.”

“Incident,” he mused. “Yes, I suppose compromising a woman could be classified as an incident.”

Panic seared through her, causing her to tremble, but Lucy tried to keep a cool head. “No one has seen us alone together, my lord. Please, leave this library at once,” she pleaded. “I will stay a bit and then make my own exit.”

“I think not, my lady.”

She struggled to get away from him, demanding, “Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged. “In part, because your family has always pretended to be so much better than other ones in the ton . And because I have seen Lord Huntsberry looking longingly at you.”

Perplexed, Lucy asked, “What does Lord Huntsberry have to do with any of this?”

“I shall merely say that the marquess and I have a past together. A very unpleasant one. Huntsberry did something vile to me, which I can never forget.” His tone was wintry now.

“I have no idea what occurred between the two of you, Lord Eaton, but I played no part in it.”

“I think the marquess pines for you, my lady. Hurting you?” His smile turned fiendish. “That is merely a way to hurt him.”

Then he yanked her roughly to him, his mouth coming down hard on hers, their teeth clashing. Lucy struggled, trying to push him away, but the more she fought, the tighter he held onto her.

He forced her lips open, ramming his tongue inside her mouth, causing her to gag. She wanted to scream but was afraid if she did, it would draw unwanted attention.

And the last thing she wanted was to be chained to this uncouth rake for the rest of her life.

With as much force as she could muster, Lucy thrust her knee upward. Her action did the trick. Lord Eaton released his hold on her, a yowl of pain coming from him. She started to take a step back, but he grabbed her elbow.

“You little bitch,” he growled.

Then before she knew what was happening, he slapped her, causing a world of pain and a mass of stars to momentarily blind her. Her hand flew to her cheek, feeling the heat of the slap, and she realized Lord Eaton had released her elbow. Blinking, trying to regain her vision, she heard a loud crack—followed by an even louder thump. Her vision cleared, and she saw her attacker lying on the floor.

And Lord Huntsberry hovered over him.