Page 43 of Her Sweetest Rogue (The Worthington Legacy #6)

W earily, Judith walked out of the drawing room where she and Isabelle had been discussing the wedding plans for most of the afternoon. Although spending time with the dowager was pleasant and the plans were exciting, the stress of the past few days had Judith feeling very exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.

Dominic had arrived earlier this afternoon and met with Trey. She wanted to break away from Isabelle just to greet her friend, but she didn’t dare. The last time she and Dominic were together, things hadn’t turned out very well.

Or had they? Was it due to Dominic’s kiss that Trey changed his mind about marriage? Or was it Alex who had forced Trey to admit his true feelings? Either way, she was happy with the final result.

She turned down the hallway and headed toward the study. Trey’s heated voice echoed in the corridor, overriding her soft slippers clicking on the marbled floor. What had made him angry? Hopefully, not Dominic.

As she reached the door, which was cracked open slightly, she slowed her steps. She couldn’t see through the space into the room, but both Trey and Dominic’s voice rose in volume.

“I will not do it,” Trey shouted. “That poor woman has been through enough already. I’m not going to distress her unnecessarily.”

“If she does not hear it from you first, she will be put out,” Hawthorne answered.

Trey growled. “Don’t you think I know this?”

“When will Mr. Lewis be in touch with you? When will he know for certain?”

“I don’t know.”

Judith’s heart sank. Were they talking about her? About Alex? They’d have to be since they mentioned Mr. Lewis’ name. So what was it that Trey didn’t want to tell her?

She shouldn’t eavesdrop but couldn’t help it. The need to know overrode anything she’d been taught about manners. As she leaned toward the door, she bumped it with her shoulder and it squeaked open.

Cursing under her breath, she quickly straightened. Trey stood by the window, facing the door, and Dominic who’d been sitting on the leather sofa, jumped to his feet. Neither man appeared pleased to see her.

She smiled her best and walked in. “Good evening gentlemen. I hope I didn’t disrupt anything important.”

Dominic jerked his attention to Trey and scowled but said nothing.

Trey walked toward her, his grin stretching. His smile wasn’t real because there was no light in his eyes, which confirmed to Judith the conversation she’d overheard was indeed about her.

“My dear Judith.” Trey took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. “How was your day with Mother?”

“Very enlightening.” She chuckled. “We accomplished a lot.”

“Splendid.” He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

“Trey? Forgive me for asking, but were you and Dominic just talking about me? Or more importantly, about Mr. Cutler?”

Trey’s body stiffened and his eyes widened. Behind him, Dominic hitched a breath, the sound spilling through the room.

“Now, my dear,” Trey said as he pulled her into his arms. “You needn’t worry your lovely head about what is going on.”

“Is it about Alex getting arrested? Did your solicitor find him and arrest him?”

“Shhh…” Trey placed his finger on her lips. “It’s like I told you, there’s no need to worry.”

Arching her eyebrow, she cocked her head. “Trey, you are purposely putting me off. I want you to tell me.”

Dominic cleared his throat and moved past them toward the door. “If you will both excuse me, I shall leave now.”

“Hawthorne, don’t go far,” Trey said, still holding Judith’s gaze. “We still have things to discuss.”

“As you wish.” As Dominic left he mumbled something she couldn’t quite understand, and closed the door behind him.

Trey’s arms tightened around her, bringing her closer to his body. “Alone at last.”

“Please stop, Trey. I want to know what is going on. I heard your raised voice from down the hall. I know something is upsetting you.”

He kissed her nose, then her cheek, and moved to her lips, but she pulled away before he could do anymore. She knew Trey well. He was trying to distract her. She wouldn’t let him win this time. “I mean it, Trey. I want answers.”

He sighed heavily. “Yes, the conversation Hawthorne and I were having was about Mr. Cutler.”

“Did Mr. Lewis find him?”

“No.”

She frowned. “So what’s happening?”

“Mr. Lewis has discovered other things about Mr. Cutler which he will investigate. Until my solicitor has solid facts, there’s nothing we can do.”

“What did Mr. Lewis learn?”

Trey shook his head as he caressed her cheek. “It’s very upsetting information and I don’t dare tell you only because we don’t know if it’s the truth yet.”

She scowled. “Trey. You cannot tell me this and leave me hanging.”

“You wanted to know, my sweet, so I told you.”

“But you did not tell me everything.”

He pulled away from her, turned and ran his fingers through his hair as he paced the floor. “Judith, I just cannot. It’s killing me inside, but it will be worse if the information I give you is false.”

Anger built inside of her, making her want to scream. She understood his reasoning, but it upset her when he didn’t want to be truthful with her. “Please, just tell me,” she pleaded.

He stopped in front of her and cupped her face. His blue eyes were dulled with worry as he shook his head. “This is the time you need to trust me. Trust that I know what I’m doing.”

Trust him? Of course she trusted him. Didn’t she? Then why was her chest aching with doubts? She didn’t know what possible information Mr. Lewis could have gathered on Alex, but why did Trey not love her enough to be honest?

Trust runs two ways, and he wasn’t proving he trusted her.

Tears stung her eyes. “I trust you,” she whispered.

He took her in his arms again and kissed her neck before burying his face against her skin. Tingles ran through her, but the pain and doubt in her heart stopped desire from entering her body.

“Believe me, my sweet. In due time I will tell you. It’s just too soon to do so now.”

A tear slipped free and ran down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before Trey noticed.

He lifted his head and kissed her mouth again, but she broke the contact and pulled away. “I’m tired. I’m going to lie down while you finish your meeting with Dominic.”

“All right. I will come wake you when we are done.”

She nodded, turned and walked out of the room, hurrying down the hallway toward the side door. As she stepped outside, tears streamed down her cheeks. Marriage would be difficult between them at first, especially since they both needed to learn how to trust each other.

Trey had always thought he was right. She thought she was the one who had all the answers. They’d definitely have a lot of compromising to do. It hurt to think he wouldn’t tell her about Alex.

In the horizon, the sun began its descent, turning the sky a maroon tint. Billowy clouds hung thick, threatening a rainstorm in the near future, and the cool wind had picked up since earlier today, guaranteeing the storm would be coming soon.

She walked past the flower gardens and into the gazebo. This was the perfect spot to sit, relax and think. Especially now.

Tilting back her head, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Were her emotions on her sleeves due to her exhausted state? Perhaps. Of course her pending marriage took a lot out of her, also. If only they could marry quickly and get it over with. But the dowager wanted it to be a grand occasion.

Judith chuckled. Had Isabelle forgotten about the scandal created at her party two nights ago? Then again, it didn’t matter. The older woman had always wanted Judith and Trey to marry, so why not make it a big event?

Bushes rustled behind the gazebo. It couldn’t be the wind, because the sound was too forceful. Had a small animal been caught in the branches?

Investigating, she hurried out and cautiously walked toward the bushes, crouching the closer she came. She strained to hear any sounds of distress from a kitten, but only the howling of the wind pierced the air.

As she stood, the rustling came again, but from another direction. When she turned to look, the blur of a person dressed in dark clothes came toward her, holding up a blanket. Before she had time to scream, the covering was tossed over her as a rope tied it to her body. Her arms were imprisoned against her sides.

“Let me go this instant!”

The suddenness of it all caught her off guard and she stumbled. She braced herself to hit the ground, but sturdy arms wrapped around her, keeping her from going down.

“Who are you?” she cried out. “What do you want with me?”

She was dragged into the bushes and struggled with her kidnapper. When he didn’t answer, she screamed. The person stopped, stood her upright and shook her hard, which jerked her head back and forth violently.

“Listen, my dear. I swear to you right now if you scream once more I will kill Lord Trey personally, and anyone else who comes to your rescue. Do you understand?”

She inhaled sharply. “Oh, no! Alex?”

“Yes, my dear. Did you miss me?”

Darkness surrounded her because of the covering. The heavy scent of horse stung her nose and made her gag. Her heart beat in a fierce rhythm. This couldn’t be happening. “Alex, if you let me go, I promise to have Trey’s solicitor stop investigating you. You will be free to do whatever you wish.”

A deep chuckle rattled through his chest. His head pressed against hers, and the strong scent of alcohol wafted through the material of the blanket.

“I told you once that you would be my wife. Do not doubt me again. Your lover’s life is at stake. If you want him to live, you will follow my instructions.”

“Please, Alex. Let me go. I don’t love you,” she sobbed.

He yanked her, making her stumble into him as he led them away from the estate. “You will change your feelings eventually. I have faith you will find the love we once shared.”

She didn’t know how long they walked, but her feet hurt and her body ached from his abuse. But she didn’t dare scream again. Alex was able to forge the betrothal agreement, so what else could he be capable of? She shuddered to think. Would he indeed kill Trey?

Finally, he stopped and lifted her onto a hard surface. She rolled on uneven boards. Broken pieces pierced her skin and she whimpered. Nearby, a horse snorted. It felt as if she’d been put in a wagon.

“Alex? What are you doing with me?”

“I’m taking you to our love nest.”

“Release me at once, Alex. I mean it.” It was hard to be firm with him when her voice shook.

He laughed. “I will remove the horse’s blanket as soon as we arrive at the inn.”

“What inn? Where are you taking me?”

“We are on our way to be married, my dear. We will stop at an inn to rest the night. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be at Gretna Green where we’ll be married.