Chapter Five #2
As the distance increased between them, he didn’t hear any more of their conversation, but he laughed to himself, shaking his head.
He would be thankful that their mothers would keep the chits as far away from him as possible.
They were probably nice enough, but he had no interest in the young ladies new to the marriage mart.
His thoughts drifted back to Juliana. He had met her during her come-out season and she didn’t giggle and titter as those girls had. She possessed a level of maturity and grace that far surpassed the other ladies, and he appreciated that about her.
Given what he knew of the nature of her marriage, she was one of the most loyal among young ladies of the ton, too.
Few would have been as understanding and willing to protect the secrets of the late viscount.
There were many men and women of society who enjoyed the company of the same sex in secret.
While he believed people should enjoy the company of whomever they wished, as long as it was mutual, of course, it would take a long time for society to catch up to such progressive thoughts on things.
Especially as long as it was still considered a crime to do so.
If society knew of what had occurred that afternoon, Jude would have to marry Juliana to save her reputation.
He wondered if she was consumed with thoughts about what had occurred between them.
With any luck, it lit a fire within her, which he would be more than willing to stoke this very evening if she were to ask.
He shouldn’t feel that way, but he couldn’t help himself.
As much as the situation was riddled with risk, something about being in her presence made him feel more at ease.
And more intrigued and aroused than he had been in a long time.
When he arrived at White’s, he had worked himself up again and willed the twitching in his cock to subside.
He struggled to push the mental images of the happenings from the afternoon out of his mind, and a wide grin spread across his face.
He failed to notice Matt walking towards him as he entered the establishment.
“I know that grin, friend,” Matt said. “That’s about a woman.”
Jude laughed. “I won’t deny it.”
“I shan’t believe you if you did,” Matt said with a smirk, and patted him on the back.
The men found a seat at a table by the window, settling into high-backed leather chairs. Jude held up two fingers to the attendant, and within a few moments, they each had a snifter of brandy in their hand.
“So, are you going to tell me about this woman?” Matt asked.
“Come now, won’t you hear about it from a scandal sheet soon enough?” Jude jested. He wasn’t certain how the scandal columnists got their stories, since not all of them were true by any means. Sometimes he would put out false stories to see if they would make it to the columns, and they always did.
He wasn’t nearly as wild or as exciting as the ton believed him to be. But he was more than happy to continue to allow them to believe so, since his notoriety kept him free from the matchmaking mamas. It also gave his friend something to jab at him about.
Matt took a sip of his drink. “You don’t think I believe everything they write, do you?”
“Of course not,” Jude said, “but let the ton have their fun.”
“Quite generous of you to sacrifice your reputation for the amusement of society, friend.” Matt assessed him from behind his glass.
Jude shrugged. “I will never marry, so what does it matter to me?”
“Are you in love with some lady of the night?” Matt narrowed his eyes on his friend.
“Come now, you know better than that,” Jude scoffed, waving him off.
“Do I?” Matt asked.
Jude drained the contents of his glass and set it on the table. “You are well aware of my rules. No women of the ton, no love or marriage, no kissing, and take care not to create a babe.”
Matt shook his head and finished the rest of his brandy before signaling the attendant to bring another round. “I daresay you are always at risk of creating a babe.”
His shoulders shook with laughter. “I’m aware of how a babe is made, Matt. I just ensure I am careful.”
“One can never be too careful in that regard, I should think,” Matt said, his tone serious.
The attendant brought their drinks, and they each took them in hand for a sip.
“Come now, Matt. These rules have worked well for me for years. They worked for Elias, too, until he allowed his feelings to interfere with his plans.”
“Exactly my point. Mark my words, one day you are going to fall hard for a woman. I should place a bet in the betting book,” Matt said, pretending that he was going to stand.
“Don’t you dare,” Jude commanded. “The last thing I need is the gentleman of the ton plotting to see me wed.”
Matt laughed. “I won’t,” he replied, “since you are my friend, but my declaration stands.”
Jude fought the urge to roll his eyes at the man. If his friends knew the extent of his aversion to marriage, they wouldn’t question his resolve. In the meantime, if he enjoyed visiting a beautiful, welcoming woman in her bedchamber, what could be the problem with that?
“Perhaps you are the one who has fallen hard, my good man, and have lost your head over a lady. Tell me who she is,” Jude joked, hoping to pivot this conversation towards Matt’s love interests.
“Nice try, friend,” Matt returned. “You are only leading me to believe even more that I am onto something. You always try to divert the attention away from yourself when you are hiding something.”
Jude tensed up. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You don’t think we noticed how you reacted anytime we asked you about your parents? Or wondered why you came home with Elias or me for every school holiday?”
“It does not signify,” Jude said, a little harsher than he intended. “My parents are dead and gone.” Then he downed the rest of his drink and signaled for another.
Matt’s tone softened. “I think it signifies, and I’ll listen if you ever want to talk about it, friend.”
Perhaps Jude hadn’t hidden his turmoil from his friends as well as he thought.
“I assure you,” Jude said, “I am well and good. My life is my own, and I am content with the company that I keep.” That wasn’t entirely true, but he wasn’t even ready to admit that to himself.
“The offer still stands,” Matt said.
When the attendant brought their next round, Jude immediately drained the glass. There were some things he would never discuss.