Page 26 of An Impulsive Kiss (Captivating Kisses #2)

T hough fear washed through her, Lucy wasn’t ready to die yet. She had so much more living to do. She wanted to spend decades with Judson, loving and being loved by him. She looked forward to raising their children and then living to see their grandchildren. She wanted to get to know all of her cousins. Determination filled her.

Calmly, she asked, “What are you doing here, my lord?”

He looked taken aback at her question—and her composure. He licked his lips nervously.

“You should not be here. You should be at your own estate,” she continued, locking her fingers together so he wouldn’t see her hands trembling. She noticed his nose sat slightly askew from Judson’s blow to it on the night Eaton and Humley had tried to ruin her.

He recovered and said harshly, “I am here to do what I started before. Hurt you—to hurt Huntsberry.”

She stared hard at him, recalling what Judson had confided to her. “Why do you wish to harm my husband, Lord Eaton?”

“Because he ruined my life,” the earl hissed.

“He told me about it. How you and Humley bullied him for years when you were boys. How he finally grew larger and stronger and told you never to bully another boy again, else there would be consequences.”

Anger sizzled in Eaton’s eyes. “Who was Huntsberry to go about issuing edicts? Yes, Humley and a few others and I had teased him some, but—”

“You did not tease him, my lord,” Lucy said, her own anger rising now within her. “You abused him. Tormented him. Beat him. Starved him. Even locked him outside with snow on the ground, his hair and clothes sopping wet. It could have killed him.”

Wariness filled the earl’s eyes. “He told you that?” Before she could reply, Eaton said, “He is lying. We only had a little fun.”

She glared at him. “It was not fun. He was undersized, and you and your cadre of bullies took advantage of him. You hurt him. Embarrassed him. Tortured him. All to make yourselves feel superior. And when Judson finally grew and stood up to you, he was protecting all those other innocent boys from suffering at your hands.” Lucy paused. “You deserved everything he did to you—and more.”

A growl came from his throat, sounding like a wounded animal. “Huntsberry hurt me physically. Badly. Enough where I left school. And then I had to face my father’s wrath.”

Lucy kept silent, subtly glancing about the stables, seeing if there was anything she might use as a weapon against him. She decided to try and keep him talking, hoping to buy herself time to get out of this impossible situation.

“What happened with your father, my lord?”

Eaton’s gaze pinned hers. “He hurt me worse than Huntsberry,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Told me what a coward I had been. He was ashamed that I had let another boy physically harm me and chase me from school.” His tone grew deadly. “Father never forgot—and he never forgave me for allowing Huntsberry to get the best of me.”

A part of her sympathized with the boy this man had been because of what his own father had done to him. Still, Eaton had bullied and hurt so many others. Lucy wanted to point out to his that his actions had held consequences, but she knew her words would merely enrage him. He had turned his entire focus upon Judson. Eaton believed everything he had suffered had been her husband’s fault and would never accept he was, in large part, to blame.

“Even when he lay dying,” Eaton continued, “he berated me from his sickbed. Told me that I was a waste of humanity and would never be a tenth of the man he was. I swore to him as he took his last breath that I would avenge myself. And make Huntsberry pay.”

She swallowed hard, forcing down all emotion as Lord Eaton looked away, his memories taking him back to a painful time. He was distracted. Absorbed for a moment in the past. This was her chance.

Lucy made her move.

*

Judson listened to Wayling, his attention finally beginning to wander.

Back to his wife . . .

He would readily admit he was obsessed with Lucy. She had become his wife, lover, and best friend in a short time. Deciding these ledgers could wait—and his wife could not—he interrupted his steward.

“I think that will be enough for now, Wayling. You have done a remarkable job these past ten years in keeping Huntsworth profitable. Actually, the three years before that, as well.”

The steward smiled. “It was a happy day when Mr. Jarvis hired me for the position, my lord.”

The thought of his uncle soured his belly.

“I have a good grasp of the state of affairs at this point. We will meet again at length when Lady Huntsberry and I return in a few months.”

“It was a pleasure meeting Lady Huntsberry, my lord. All the tenants are most impressed with her. And they are very happy that you have chosen to come back to Huntsworth and stay for part of the year.”

“I am sorry if they think I neglected them. I did,” he admitted. “But my marriage has changed my view on many things. Huntsworth is now my priority.” He grinned. “Next to Lady Huntsberry, that is.”

“Have a safe trip back to London, my lord,” the steward said. “You will be here in time for the fall harvest. I think you and Lady Huntsberry will help to revive some of the old traditions regarding the harvest with your presence.”

Judson knew the harvest involved music and dancing. If dancing in the moonlight hadn’t previously been a tradition at Huntsworth, he would make certain it was from this point onward. Having Lucy in his arms and dancing under a full moon seemed the best idea he’d had in a quite a while.

He bid farewell to Wayling and also his new butler and housekeeper before making his way to the stables. He was eager to return to the inn and get his beautiful wife in bed again.

The door to the stables was open, which gave him pause. Lucy would have closed it behind her when she left to go to the tenants’ cottages. Concerned, he picked up his pace and moved closer, stepping into a nightmare.

As he entered the stables, he saw Lucy with her back to him. Lord Eaton stood a few feet in front of her, a pistol in his hand. Shock paralyzed Judson for a moment, and then he raced toward his wife, hoping to draw Eaton’s attention away from her.

But Lucy, too, began moving, hurling herself at the earl. His arm swung up, and he fired the pistol just as Lucy crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground. A whizz of hot air shot by his right ear, and Judson realized how close he had come to being shot.

He reached Lucy and Eaton, his hands clasping her waist just as she threw a hard punch into Eaton’s face. The earl groaned, blood spurting from his nose. Judson lifted his wife from atop Eaton, swinging her away, and then placing her on her feet.

“Judson!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms about him tightly, burying her face in his chest. He could feel the tremors which rocked her body.

“Are you all right, love?” he asked, dreading her answer.

She sniffed, looking up at him. “I am. He did not hurt me. He was distracted, and I knew I had to act.”

“Stay,” he commanded, pushing her aside because he saw Eaton staggering to his feet.

“I have failed again. Miserably,” the earl said, dejection in his voice. His gaze met Judson’s. “I tried to exact revenge upon you by compromising Lady Lucy because I thought you cared for her. Now, my second attempt has gone even worse.” He glared at Judson. “I wanted to hurt her so you would suffer as I have.”

Judson didn’t know if this man had thought to kidnap Lucy. Rape her. Or even murder her. The problem was, even if he tried to bring charges with the local constable’s help, Eaton was a peer. And peers were never punished for their crimes.

The only way to hurt Eaton was financially. Or socially.

“Get off my property,” he said, his tone wintry. “And know that I will do everything in my power to see you brought to your knees. If you have investments, I will see that you lose money. If you have gambling debts, I will make certain they are all called in at once.”

That struck a note with Eaton, who visibly winced.

“You are a plague which must be washed away, Eaton,” he continued. “You tried to cause me pain by harming my wife. She is the most precious thing in the world to me, and I would protect her with my life. If you set foot on my property again—if you dare to even address Lady Huntsberry—I will kill you on the spot.”

A defeated-looking Eaton reclaimed his pistol. “I will save you the effort, Huntsberry.” He brushed past Judson and left the stables without a backward glance.

Lucy ran to him, hugging him tightly, covering his face in kisses. He let her do so, enjoying the feel of her against him.

She finally stopped. “What will you do to him, Judson?”

“You heard what I said.”

“Would you truly kill him?” she asked.

He framed her face in his hands. “I will if he threatens you. I love you, Lucy, my darling. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

Judson kissed her, a long, hard kiss that claimed her as his for all time. He thought to hire a Bow Street runner once they returned to town, someone who would keep him abreast of every move Eaton made.

For now, though, all he wanted to do was kiss his wife.

“You know what a treasure you are to me,” he murmured against her lips.

“I know my life is richer and fuller and always will be, because I have your love,” she responded, grasping his nape and pressing his lips back to hers.

He ended the kiss. “If there were hay in one of these stalls, I would bed you here,” he said roughly. “Since there isn’t, we should go back to the inn. Do you feel up to riding?”

Lucy’s luminous smile dazzled him. “I will race you back to Alderton,” she said, breaking away from him and heading to the stall where her horse stood, fully saddled.

She took its reins and hurried past him, and Judson knew she headed for the mounting block.

“You have the advantage,” he called after her, rushing to the stall where his own horse stood. “I must saddle my mount.”

Lucy appeared atop her horse in the open doorway. “Then that will give me time to be naked and in bed waiting for you, Lord Huntsberry.”

Laughing, she nudged her horse’s flanks and took off.

Judson had never saddled a horse so fast.