Chapter Six
Juliana didn’t bother to lie to herself about who she searched for as she watched the guests move about the ballroom.
Jude was the only person she even cared to speak to.
She watched the ballroom entry, waiting for him to arrive.
She wished to ensure they had plans for him to sneak into her home that evening.
Her body would rage against her if she didn’t sample more of what he could offer her.
She attempted to remind herself that she could give herself the release she experienced at his hand, but somehow that didn’t sound as intriguing as seeing what he looked like without his clothing.
Her core heated at the mere thought, and she had to control herself while she stood in the middle of a ball, surrounded by polite society. She sighed in frustration.
“What is the matter?” Hannah asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Her eyes darted as she sought a different answer from the truth. Her eyes landed on Lord Lygon. “I just thought Lord Lygon might ask me to dance.”
Hannah glanced over Juliana’s shoulder and smirked. “I didn’t think you were that interested in him, but I do believe he is coming this way, so you just might get your wish.”
“Oh?” Juliana turned just as Lord Lygon approached.
“Good evening, ladies.” He bowed, and his dashing smile would cause many ladies to swoon. “Lady Gordon, might you be free for a dance?”
“Of course, my lord.” She put her hand on his outstretched arm and allowed him to lead her to the center of the ballroom floor.
The dance was a lively country reel, so once the music started, there wasn’t much opportunity to speak, especially if one didn’t wish for the conversation to be heard.
She laughed and danced, enjoying the distraction from watching the ballroom door for her delicious rake.
Not that she thought of him as hers, but he was the only man she wished to have warm her bed at present.
Once the dance finished, Lord Lygon extended his arm to her and leaned close to her ear. “Have you given my offer any thought?”
She couldn’t tell him she was already engaged with another such offer. She paused for a moment to decide how to answer him.
“I am still thinking on it, my lord,” she finally responded. She could buy herself time, so she might come up with a more eloquent way to let him down.
He responded by pulling her gloved hand to his lips. “The offer still stands.”
She blushed and smiled at him. She couldn’t deny that the attention from such a handsome man boosted her confidence, even if she would never act upon his attention.
“I believe I am to partner with Lady Gordon for the next dance,” a familiar, rich baritone that melted her insides said.
Juliana gasped, not realizing that Jude had approached them. He didn’t wear even a hint of a smile on his face, and she noticed the clench in his jaw.
“That is correct, my lord.” Juliana nodded towards him. Then she returned her attention to Lord Lygon. “Thank you for a lovely dance.”
“Indeed, my lady. I hope you have a good rest of your evening.” He nodded at Jude before departing towards the card room.
Jude hadn’t taken his eyes off of her, and she shifted on her feet under his gaze. She wasn’t certain why his reaction had her feeling as if he had caught her doing something she ought not to have done.
“Did he do anything about which I need to speak with him?” he asked.
She waved him off. “Of course not. He is just being polite.”
“Hannah seems to believe you are smitten with the man,” he replied. “She is the one who pointed you out to me.”
Juliana shook her head. “I couldn’t very well tell her I was seeking you out, could I?”
He narrowed his eyes at her as they took their places for the next dance, which happened to be another waltz. His eyes never left hers when he wrapped his arm around her back and took her hand in his. The intensity in his gaze did something to her, made her think things.
“I promise,” she said, quickly, “it was nothing. And I would never make plans with another man while you and I have our arrangement.”
“So he asked you for an arrangement?” Jude ground out.
“I have already told you so,” she replied before smirking at him. “Are you jealous?” He had the tensed look of a man ready to plant a facer over such jealousy, and something about the notion thrilled her.
He loosened his jaw. “Of course not. I told you I would ensure the relentless widow hunters of the ton did not bother you, and I’m merely fulfilling that obligation.”
She wasn’t sure if she believed him, or if that was her own wishful thinking that Jude might desire her to distraction. Not that it would mean anything, just that a part of her wished to be the only woman that consumed his thoughts, at least the ones of a physical nature.
“It is my own fault,” she explained. “I accidentally caught his eye while searching for you. I hoped you might visit me this evening.”
Jude glanced at the dancers nearby to ensure their conversation wasn’t heard and lowered his voice. “Are you certain?” he asked. “The events of the afternoon didn’t leave you with enough to tend to your needs yourself?”
“Would you say that your needs were well tended?” she countered.
He faltered in his steps and quickly recovered. “That does not signify.”
“I believe it does.” She smirked. “Which means you might understand why I wish to experience more.”
He shook his head but smiled for the first time this evening. “Of course. And if you wish for me to visit tonight, I shall.”
“I wish to depart now.” Juliana was done with the pretense of being in the middle of a ballroom. It appeared her chamber would hold far more appeal.
Jude laughed, and it was his turn to smirk. “Oh, really? A gentleman honors a lady’s wishes. Make your excuses to leave. I will hang back and visit with the gentlemen for another quarter hour before I depart. They will assume I am headed to Covent Garden or somewhere of the like.”
“Sneak in through the mews to my terrace,” she said, “and I shall be waiting to lead you in.”
As the dance ended, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Somehow, all the sneaking around makes this even more fun.”
She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes at the heat of his breath on her ear. “I quite agree,” she said before taking his arm to allow him to escort her back to their friends.
They didn’t speak again as they approached their group.
Jude deposited her with Hannah and Tabitha and then leaned against a nearby wall to chat with Hudson.
She fought not to stare at him, ogling the way the cut of his clothing displayed his masculine form.
A form she would get to see soon, if she had her way.
She attempted to listen to her friends’ conversation, thinking about what excuse she would give for her departure. Once there was a break in the conversation, she spoke. “I believe I shall return home for the evening. I feel a megrim coming on.”
“Are you all right, dearest?” Hannah asked. “Do you need me to come with you?”
“I’ll be fine. Stay here and enjoy your evening. I’m going straight to bed.” At least that part wasn’t a lie. She would most likely be in her bed.
She bussed her friend’s cheeks and caught Jude’s eye over Hannah’s shoulder. He grinned and continued in his conversation with Hudson.
Juliana thanked her hostess and called for her carriage. Once she returned home, she hurried upstairs to ready herself for Jude. She rang for Bonnie to help her dress for bed, since her maid would find it odd if she didn’t do so.
Removing her ballgown, she slipped into a night rail that tied at the shoulders, with sheer fabric that left little to the imagination.
It was a garment she had never worn before.
Her mother had several made up for her trousseau right before she was married, but she didn’t have a use for such items during her marriage and typically donned more serviceable night wear.
For what she had planned, however, it couldn’t hurt to appear even more desirable for the occasion.
She wrapped an emerald-green dressing robe around herself and tied a bow with the sash to keep herself covered.
Her robe swept the floor as she approached her vanity for Bonnie to tend to her hair.
The pins were removed, and her long, wavy hair fixed into a loose plait, which hung over her shoulder.
“Thank you, Bonnie. That shall be all for tonight. I am going to read for a while and then go to sleep.”
Bonnie nodded. “Good night, my lady.”
She closed the door behind her, and Juliana glanced at the clock. She would wait another several minutes for the house to settle for the evening, and then she would sneak to the terrace.
Those minutes were the longest of her life as she sat on the settee, twisting her hands and glancing between the fire and the clock.
When she believed she had waited long enough, she crept to her door and quietly opened it.
Glancing down the hall to make sure no one was around, she hurried to the staircase and down the stairs.
When she reached the door to the terrace, she opened it and stepped outside.
The light reflected from the moon bathed her and she drew in a deep breath of the cool night air.
The sensation only increased the heat and excitement building within her. Her eyes scanned the area around the terrace, looking for her late-night visitor.
A rustle of nearby bushes startled her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” The low, gravelly voice said as she saw the shadow of Jude’s form climbing the steps from the garden.
“Follow me,” she said, clasping his hand.
He did as she said, and no more words were shared between them as they attempted to sneak back to her chamber without any of her servants seeing them.
They hurried up the staircase and down the hall until they swept inside of her room.
She pulled him to follow her and then locked the door behind them.
“We made it,” she said, catching her breath.