dinner.'
`Your mother?' Lucy gasped, her surprise showing as her dark brown eyes opened wide. 'Does ... Your mother doesn't know about-us, does she?'
`She does.'
His confirmation in those two controlled words had her rising out of her chair, only to find he had risen too. `How could you tell her?' she demanded angrily. 'I thought we agreed not to say anything to anybody.' They hadn't agreed exactly, she remembered after the words had left her lips. In fact she remembered clearly that Jud had left before she'd been able to get any sort of answer from him.
`I don't recall agreeing to keep our engagement secret,' he said shortly. 'But for your information, it wasn't I who told my mother—I think I can say I was as surprised as she when she came home after having had tea with Mrs Arbuthnot and said how pleased everyone was that Lucy Carey was marrying her son. I think my mother would have appreciated hearing the news first hand from me rather than have the bank manager's wife pass on the information.'
His voice sounded hard and inflexible, and Lucy groaned inwardly. She remembered the older woman who had stood with him, Carol and Joyce Appleby yesterday; she had been totally unlike her son in looks, Lucy recalled, having a more gentle look to her. She thought she knew exactly what must have happened, and wished she had thought to tell Rupert not to mention her engagement to anyone. But she hadn't thought it necessary, hadn't thought at all if it came to that, believing that Rupert, knowing the circumstances of her engagement, would want to keep it as quiet as she herself. It had never dawned on her that he would go and tell Mr Arbuthnot that his sister was engaged to the owner of Rockford Hall. Poor Mrs Hemming, she must have been dreadfully hurt at receiving the news from a stranger.
Lucy looked up and across to where Jud Hemming was standing. His look was chilling and she hoped she never knew him when he let go of his temper. That would be a truly formidable sight—and experience—for the person on
the receiving end; she only hoped he would hold on to his temper long enough for her to apologise.
`I ... I'm very sorry, Mr—Jud,' she managed at last. 'I'm very sorry your mother heard about—us this way. I'm afraid I must take the blame.' She looked away from him as his eyes iced over. 'I told Rupert everything this morning, and he went to see Mr Arbuthnot later—I can only suppose my brother told the bank manager and he relayed it to his wife—' Her voice faded and she ended lamely, 'I never thought to tell Rupert not to say anything to anyone.'
Silence greeted her confession, and still unable to look at Jud, Lucy stared at the crisp white shirt he had on beneath his dark jacket. Then the shirt was coming nearer to her, and she lifted startled brown eyes to his face as two strong hands were raised and came to rest on her shoulders.
`It would appear that since everyone in Priors Channing will soon know of our engagement, the bargain is well and truly sealed.' His eyes were glinting down at her, and Lucy felt fear streak through her as he hauled her up against him until their bodies were touching. 'I think under the circumstances I can be forgiven if I take some of the dubious pleasures of that bargain,' he told her, his voice none the warmer for what she was terrified he was about to do. Her own voice felt bolted up inside of her, making her powerless to say anything to dissuade him from his intent. Then before she could begin to struggle away from him, his head came down, the mouth she had thought so hard was against her own, and as their lips met the hardness left his mouth and became a warm, searching mouth that surprised her as much as the situation she now found herself in.
Pushing against his chest was useless, she found. Jud Hemming was kissing her as if he meant it, and there was no way he was going to let her go until he had assuaged the cold anger in him. The worst thing about it was, Lucy
`Your mother?' Lucy gasped, her surprise showing as her dark brown eyes opened wide. 'Does ... Your mother doesn't know about-us, does she?'
`She does.'
His confirmation in those two controlled words had her rising out of her chair, only to find he had risen too. `How could you tell her?' she demanded angrily. 'I thought we agreed not to say anything to anybody.' They hadn't agreed exactly, she remembered after the words had left her lips. In fact she remembered clearly that Jud had left before she'd been able to get any sort of answer from him.
`I don't recall agreeing to keep our engagement secret,' he said shortly. 'But for your information, it wasn't I who told my mother—I think I can say I was as surprised as she when she came home after having had tea with Mrs Arbuthnot and said how pleased everyone was that Lucy Carey was marrying her son. I think my mother would have appreciated hearing the news first hand from me rather than have the bank manager's wife pass on the information.'
His voice sounded hard and inflexible, and Lucy groaned inwardly. She remembered the older woman who had stood with him, Carol and Joyce Appleby yesterday; she had been totally unlike her son in looks, Lucy recalled, having a more gentle look to her. She thought she knew exactly what must have happened, and wished she had thought to tell Rupert not to mention her engagement to anyone. But she hadn't thought it necessary, hadn't thought at all if it came to that, believing that Rupert, knowing the circumstances of her engagement, would want to keep it as quiet as she herself. It had never dawned on her that he would go and tell Mr Arbuthnot that his sister was engaged to the owner of Rockford Hall. Poor Mrs Hemming, she must have been dreadfully hurt at receiving the news from a stranger.
Lucy looked up and across to where Jud Hemming was standing. His look was chilling and she hoped she never knew him when he let go of his temper. That would be a truly formidable sight—and experience—for the person on
the receiving end; she only hoped he would hold on to his temper long enough for her to apologise.
`I ... I'm very sorry, Mr—Jud,' she managed at last. 'I'm very sorry your mother heard about—us this way. I'm afraid I must take the blame.' She looked away from him as his eyes iced over. 'I told Rupert everything this morning, and he went to see Mr Arbuthnot later—I can only suppose my brother told the bank manager and he relayed it to his wife—' Her voice faded and she ended lamely, 'I never thought to tell Rupert not to say anything to anyone.'
Silence greeted her confession, and still unable to look at Jud, Lucy stared at the crisp white shirt he had on beneath his dark jacket. Then the shirt was coming nearer to her, and she lifted startled brown eyes to his face as two strong hands were raised and came to rest on her shoulders.
`It would appear that since everyone in Priors Channing will soon know of our engagement, the bargain is well and truly sealed.' His eyes were glinting down at her, and Lucy felt fear streak through her as he hauled her up against him until their bodies were touching. 'I think under the circumstances I can be forgiven if I take some of the dubious pleasures of that bargain,' he told her, his voice none the warmer for what she was terrified he was about to do. Her own voice felt bolted up inside of her, making her powerless to say anything to dissuade him from his intent. Then before she could begin to struggle away from him, his head came down, the mouth she had thought so hard was against her own, and as their lips met the hardness left his mouth and became a warm, searching mouth that surprised her as much as the situation she now found herself in.
Pushing against his chest was useless, she found. Jud Hemming was kissing her as if he meant it, and there was no way he was going to let her go until he had assuaged the cold anger in him. The worst thing about it was, Lucy
Similar Books
