Sally’s smile widened. “In two weeks. Have I finally twisted your arm? Will you come?”
He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “I suppose I should try to fit in with the locals, as you said, Sally. So yes, I will go with you.”
Sally let out a cry, dropping the mop and bucket. To Jude’s surprise and discomfort, she rushed towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. It was so sudden and unexpected that he almost toppled backwards.
“Steady,” he said, stepping back from her. “You almost knocked me over.”
“Sorry,” she said, her eyes glittering fiercely. “You just took me by surprise, that’s all! You have made me very happy, Jude. You won’t regret it.” She smiled seductively. “I am going to make sure you have the time of your life at your first village dance.”
Jude’s smile froze. Her meaning was unmistakable. And he realised he had just walked straight into her trap. Sally Potter had no intention of sharing him with the other village girls as a dance partner. He knew that she would probably be glued to his side for the entire night, warding off other girls with vicious looks, making sure that everyone knew they were together for the evening.
And there was nothing he could do about it now.
“Well, I should get back to work,” said Sally, picking up her mop and bucket. “I was only supposed to be five minutes emptying this bucket. Cook will have my hide, so she will.” She flashed him a smile. “See you soon, Jude.”
And then she was gone, as quickly as she had arrived.
Jude sighed heavily, picking up his rag. He was just about to set back to work when he noticed the face in the window, gazing down at him from the top floor of the house.
His stomach flipped. It was the Lady Evelina.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away. He couldn’t see her clearly from this distance, but he knew it was her. The whiteness of her skin. The ebony silkiness of her hair. She was looking down at him. How long had she been standing there for? Had she seen Sally embracing him?
His heart thudded painfully. How he wished he could talk to her. How he wished he could touch her. How he wished he could kiss her again.
Abruptly, he turned away, setting back to work. He noticed that his hand was shaking as he scrubbed the carriage, something which infuriated him.
He took a deep breath. He mustn’t indulge in this madness. It only made everything that much worse. The lady couldneverbe his and he would drive himself crazy. Suddenly, he was glad that he had accepted Sally’s invitation to the dance. It would be a distraction. He just had to make very sure that he managed Sally well, that was all. Because he didn’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire.
Sally Potter wasnota woman to be dallied with. He rather imagined that if he gave her even a small token of regard, she would capitalize upon it. He must be very careful when he squired her to this dance. It might be a good thing as far as managing his attraction to the lady, but it could backfire quickly if he wasn’t careful.
***
Evelina turned away from the window, feeling cold all over. She had just seen one of the kitchen maids embracing Jude. The maid had literally dropped her mop and bucket to throw her arms around him.
And he hadn’t looked displeased by the display of affection.
Her eyes filled with tears. She knew she was being ridiculous. She had no prior hold on him. He was free to embrace whoever he wanted, even a kitchen maid.
But it hurt. It hurt very much indeed.
Apart from anything else, she had thought that he wasn’t like that. She had thought that their embrace had been special. And that he wasn’t finding any opportunity he could to embrace any girl given half the chance, whether the lady of the house or a kitchen maid. How many more of the female population of Bosworth Manor did Jude Huxley have his eye upon?
Evelina sat down on the bed, feeling crushed. She had hoped that the kiss was special to him, but how would she know? She had no experience in such matters. She had thought because she liked him, and he seemed a good man, that the kisswasspecial to him. She imagined he felt the same way about her she felt about him.
Clearly, she had been mistaken.
Evelina took a deep breath. It was probably good that she had seen this side of Jude Huxley. Now she could be stronger in her resolve to avoid him at all costs, which was what she knew she must do, anyway. But this made it easier. Much easier.
She wiped away a tear. She knew she really was being ridiculous in reacting in such a strong way over this. They had only shared one kiss, and he had made no promises to her… not that he was in any position to promise her a single thing, she reminded herself.
Evelina took another deep breath. Her resolve had been hard to keep. She had been avoiding going anywhere, even on a short stroll through the gardens. But now, she knew she couldn’t stop her life because of her feelings towards him. And now, she didn’t need to.
Evidently, she was just another girl to him. Perhaps he was just like that. Perhaps he was just the type of man who made any girl in his orbit feel as if she were the only one, when she quite plainly was not. She would do well to harden her heart.
Yes, she was very grateful she had been gazing out the window at that exact moment. She felt like she had just been given her freedom back.
Chapter 14