Page 25 of An Impulsive Kiss (Captivating Kisses #2)

E ven though they were living in an inn, the past week had been the happiest of Lucy’s life. She had grown even closer to her husband, and she believed that she helped him dispel the demons from his past.

She smiled at him across the table as they finished their breakfast in the common room of the inn.

“So, you will be with Mr. Wayling for a good part of the day?”

He reached for her hand. “Yes. Wayling and I will go over the estate’s ledgers for the last decade.”

“You will enjoy doing so, Judson. You have expressed your interest in numbers to me. It will be good for you to look at the various trends over the last several years. See which crops had the best yield and which livestock was most profitable.”

He rubbed his thumb in a slow circle along her palm, sending frissons of desire running through her.

Quietly, Lucy said, “You have already made love to me once this morning, Judson. I would not wish for you to be late for your appointment with Mr. Wayling.”

“Will I see you at the house?”

“I will be there for a short while, and then Mrs. Amesbury has asked me to come and talk with her and some of the other tenants’ wives over tea.”

Two days ago, the new servants they had hired in town had arrived, including a butler and Mrs. Worth, who had been Miss Amato’s housekeeper. Lucy had found the woman to be a mixture of no-nonsense when it came to tasks at hand and compassionate, a unique blend which she thought would make for a very good housekeeper for Huntsworth.

Lucy had a hired a few local girls from the village to serve as maids, and Mrs. Worth had taken them under her wing as dustcloths were stripped away from furniture and a deep cleaning of the house had begun. By the time the Season ended, and they returned to Surrey, everything would be in good order. She had even hired the local carpenter and his son. Both men were hard at work, making small repairs to the house and painting several of the rooms.

“Will you walk me to the hostler’s?” Judson asked.

“I would be happy to.”

They left the inn and traveled down the main thoroughfare of the village, greeting Mr. Abel, who had rented horses for them to ride while they were staying in Alderton. Her husband had taken her riding across the entire estate, and she wanted to pinch herself, finding her new home lovely. The only thing that would take a good deal of time and effort to restore were the gardens, which had gone wild during Judson’s absence.

“Shall we ride to Huntsworth together?” Judson asked.

“No, you go ahead of me. I intend to write a letter to Dru before I go up to the house.”

She had put off writing to her sister when she and Judson first wed, not certain what she wanted to say about her marriage. Now that she felt she was on firm ground with it, she wanted to share her good news with Dru. Lucy doubted Mama would have written to Dru about the wedding because Mama had never written a single letter to any of them while she was away at the Season.

“I will stop by Mr. Wayling’s office, however,” she told Judson.

The estate’s steward had worked all these years from the cottage that came with his position. Since they were permanently opening the house, Wayling had expressed the desire to use the office within it marked for the steward’s use. The room contained all the records of the estate, so it was more convenient for him to work from there. The room had already been given a fresh coat of paint, and the furniture had been polished until it gleamed.

Her husband leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. “Then I will see you later, love.”

She liked how he used the endearment with her. It made her glow each time it came from his sensual lips.

Lucy waved as he rode off and told Mr. Abel that she would be back in an hour to claim her own mount. He told her he would have the horse saddled and ready. She returned to the inn and asked the innkeeper to bring her parchment and ink. She chose to remain at a table in the common room since it would be the best place to compose her letter to Dru.

Dru—

I am writing to you about an event which has changed my life. I am a married lady!

The wedding took place almost a month ago. My only regret is that you were not present to see it. My husband is Judson Jarvis, the Marquess of Huntsberry. His country estate is located in Surrey. In a wonderful coincidence, I will be neighbors with Cousin Ariadne and her husband Julian, the Marquess of Aldridge. Julian’s country seat is adjacent to my new husband’s estate.

Dru, I was reluctant to write to you at first because of the mixed emotions I had regarding my marriage. I will tell you more about what led to our deciding to wed when I see you. I must admit I was not happy at the beginning to have to wed so quickly. I was caught in a compromising position with Judson by one of th e ton’s most notorious gossips. If we had not wed immediately, my own reputation would have been in tatters. You and Con would also have been affected by that, as well.

The thing is, I already had feelings for Judson before this incident occurred. I was worried going into a marriage where his hand—and mine—had been forced, but I have found my husband to be the kindest, most generous man of my acquaintance.

Dru—I love him. I would sing that to the heavens. I never expected to make a love match. In fact, I had never even considered the possibility until I witnessed the love between Ariadne and Julian and wondered if I might find it for myself. They are meant for one another, just as Judson and I are meant to be man and wife. I love my husband more each day, and he feels the same way about me. He not only loves me, Dru, he values my opinions and treats me with respect. I could not ask for more, and I am the happiest I have ever been.

We have come to Huntsworth, his country seat, to open the house up again. Judson has not been here in over a decade. His family history is a sad one, with him losing his mother during childbirth and his father when Judson was but ten years of age. The house had many sad memories for him, and after university, he chose to remain in town year-round.

We are opening the house again now, however. My husband understands how much I enjoy the country and how I want to raise our children here. He is more than amenable to that.

That means, even though Huntsworth has had a caretaker, there is much to be done at the house to make it livable again. While Judson gets to know his tenants and the property better and is working with his steward, I am supervising our new servants in helping prepare the house for us to live here once the Season ends.

I would like you to come and stay with us, Dru. Please say you will. It would be wonderful to see you again, and Judson is so looking forward to meeting a new sister. He is an only child, and he and Con have become friends. I hope they will grow to feel as though they are brothers. You could also reacquaint yourself with Ariadne and meet Julian since they are nearby. Please consider this. It would also give you time away from Mama. That alone should have you racing to Surrey!

We will return to town soon and finish out the Season before coming back to Huntsworth in August. I hope at that time that you would come to us. Judson has said you may stay as long as you wish, even up to next spring when you go to town for your own come-out. Oh, I can hear you now, protesting about that, but I do believe there is a man out there for you, my dearest sister. One who will let you be the person you are and not try to change you in any way.

I hope my letter finds you well. Know how much I miss you and love you. I cannot wait to hear from you. Please write soon, Dru.

All my love,

Lucy

At the end of the letter, she added a postscript, indicating her new address in town, as well as where to write her in Surrey. She did want to see Dru desperately. They were only a year apart in age and had always been the closest of friends. Lucy thought it would be good for Dru to get away from Marleyfield and from under Mama’s thumb.

She addressed the letter to her sister in Somerset and asked the innkeeper for sealing wax. He told her he would post it today, and she thanked him.

Returning to Mr. Abel’s stables, Lucy claimed her horse and rode the short distance to Huntsworth. She led the horse into the stables, empty save for the horse Judson had ridden there. She and Judson had talked about buying several horses for them to ride. Their carriage horses would also be kept in the stables, but they had yet to hire any grooms, so the team currently resided with other horses at Mr. Abel’s.

She left the horse saddled and led it into a stall because she would only be at the house for a short while. Stroking its neck, Lucy said, “I will be back soon, pretty one.”

Leaving the stables, she went to the house, cutting through the kitchens to find Mrs. Worth. Together, they walked through the house so she could see the progress being made.

“How much longer will you be in Alderton, my lady?” the housekeeper asked.

“Now that you are here and things are in capable hands, I believe we will depart either tomorrow or the following day. We will return sometime in August once the Season has concluded. I will be certain to write to you so that you know when to expect us.”

“I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the girls you hired from the village. They are hard workers. All you will need to employ now are footmen and stable help.”

“I know one of the maids has a brother who might come to work for us in the stables. Otherwise, I will hire the footmen and others once we return to town. I will send them to Surrey as soon as I can.”

“I cannot thank you and his lordship enough, Lady Huntsberry, for offering me the position of housekeeper at Huntsworth. The same goes for Cook and the other maids who served Miss Amato. Forgive my frankness, but not everyone would have been as generous as you in hiring us on.”

“I do not look at you as reminder of the time my husband had a mistress,” she assured Mrs. Worth. “You are quite skilled at what you do. Besides, Miss Amato was present before I entered my husband’s life. She has now returned home to find her own happiness, just as Lord Huntsberry and I have found ours.”

The housekeeper beamed at her. “It is not often you see a love match within Polite Society, my lady. I am very happy for you and his lordship.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Worth. I am off to see my husband and Mr. Wayling, and then I am going to meet with Mrs. Amesbury and have tea with her and few of the other tenants’ wives. If I do not speak to you before we leave, I wish to thank you for all your efforts in opening the house again so that we might live here in comfort.”

Lucy went to the steward’s office, where she found Wayling and her husband bent over a ledger. Other ledgers were opened, scattered about the desk. She couldn’t help but think what she and Judson had done on the desk in his study and decided a repeat performance might be in order.

“Good morning, Lady Huntsberry,” Mr. Wayling greeted.

“Are you finding your office to your liking?” she asked the steward.

He smiled and enthusiastically said, “I am indeed, my lady. It is much easier to work from this office, which is set up properly, than from my cottage.”

Judson came to her, taking her hand in his. “Have you concluded your business with Mrs. Worth?”

“Yes. She has everything in hand. I told her we would most likely leave tomorrow or the next day, as soon as you and Mr. Wayling have concluded your own business.”

“Wayling and I will finish up today, so we can return to town tomorrow if that suits you.”

“Then I shall have Annie and Tim pack for us. I am off to tea now with Mrs. Amesbury and the others.”

He brushed his lips against her cheek. “Have a wonderful time, love.”

Lucy left the house and returned to the stables. She led the horse out to the mounting block and used it to push herself into the saddle. She and Judson had already visited the area where the tenants had their cottages, which was about two miles away, so she knew her way there.

She spent a good two hours with Mrs. Amesbury and five other farmers’ wives. They told her of their lives at Huntsworth and shared stories of their children and some about others in the village. Lucy had regularly visited her own family’s tenants, bringing baskets of food and other needed items, celebrating the births of their babes, and letting those tenants know how valued they were. She planned to continue doing the same here at Huntsworth.

“I need to leave,” she finally told the group. “Lord Huntsberry and I will be returning to town tomorrow, and so we need to pack our things.”

Mrs. Amesbury smiled broadly. “We’re delighted to hear of your marriage, my lady, and the fact that you and his lordship will be in residence now most of the year. It is how things should be.”

“I could not agree more, Mrs. Amesbury. Thank you for your hospitality.” She gazed about the group. “I look forward to seeing all of you again, come August.”

Lucy left the cottage and undid the reins tied to a hitching post. One of the younger wives accompanied her, giving her a boost into the saddle. She waved goodbye to the woman and decided to return to the house and see if Judson might be ready to accompany her back to Alderton.

She dismounted and led her horse into the same stall as before, telling it, “I will be back shortly.”

Others might think her mad for talking to an animal, but she had picked up the habit from Dru, who loved animals probably as much as she did people, especially Toby.

Lucy closed the door to the stall and suddenly sensed another presence. She glanced to her left, freezing in place. The Earl of Eaton stood mere steps from her. He held a pistol in his hand.

Aimed at her.