“Yes, you know him. Aaron Fitzwilliam. The Duke of Nottingham,” Oliver said. “I tasked him with helping you find a husband. You’ll attend balls and other events together, and he will make an introduction when he deems it right. And he’ll teach you some tricks that might help you.”
Judith’s blood seemed to roar in her veins. “Tricks? What, as if I am a dog? You cannot be serious, Oliver. Besides, the Duke of Nottingham is the last person I need help from. He’s a rake, a charmer, and the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.”
Oliver chuckled. “He’s not that bad, Judith. He’s a good man, and he’ll take care of you while I’m away. You don’t need to be afraid.”
“I am not afraid. I simply do not like him.”
She recalled her childhood days. Aaron had pulled her hair and teased her mercilessly when they were children, and then, once they were older, he’d always treated her more like a pesky fly than a young woman. He’d vexed and irritated her at every turn—and she’d always had the feeling that he liked doing so.
“He’s not the type of person I want to look after me. And if your goal is to find me a husband, he is the last person who ought to be in charge of that. His reputation…”
“His reputation as well as mine are entirely undeserved. You know how the ton is. Whoever goes against convention has all manner of rumors attached to their name. You should know this better than most, given what your friends have gone through,” he argued as Judith shrugged.
It was true. Her friends, the Blackmore sisters, had been written and talked about a lot—and at one point so had she—but she had experienced Aaron’s behavior herself, seen the way he acted. Therefore, she was almost sure that his reputation was indeed rightly earned.
“Aaron will help you while I am away—he will look after you like a sister,” her brother told her.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come,” Oliver called, and the door opened just as Judith leaned back and closed her eyes.
What a disaster this was. So much had happened these past few months. Her father had died, her brother returned, and now, suddenly, she was to be thrown back into the marriage mart, something she’d considered behind her. How could things possibly get any worse?
“Well, well, if it isn’t the Marquess of Worcester himself,” a voice drawled as the door opened.
Judith turned just as a figure entered the room. She blinked as he came into view, her lips parting. Before her stood a man more handsome than any she had ever seen.
Tall and muscular, he stood a half head taller than Oliver, who’d rushed to his side. His dark blue eyes flashed as he looked at Judith over Oliver’s shoulder, and his luscious lips curled into a smile. A strand of black hair had fallen over his face and drew her attention to his sharp cheekbones.
This man was utterly charming, there was no denying it.
But who was it? Surely this wasn’t … Or could it be?
As if to answer her question, Oliver turned to her.
“Aaron, there you are. Perfect timing as always,” he said and stepped aside. “You remember my sister, of course?”
“How could I forget,” the man murmured, and his voice sent a warm tingle through her entire body. It was smooth andsoothing, like a cup of hot milk with honey on a cold winter morning. “Lady Judith,” he said with a smile while she stared at him, unsure of what to say. “What a lovely young woman you have grown into.”
It was him. The Duke of Nottingham. The man who was to be in charge. Had he always been so handsome? Or had she simply forgotten?
“I thank you,” Judith replied in a whisper, for now that she stood before him, it became painfully clear to her that her life had just become a whole lot more complicated than she’d ever imagined possible.
CHAPTER 2
The young woman stared at him as though he had flown into the room on some sort of magic carpet. She blinked her green eyes at him and looked him up and down while he thought of what he was supposed to say now.
The truth was, seeing Lady Judith before him had taken him by surprise. He hadn’t expected to see her the moment he stepped into Oliver’s study. In fact, he had been entirely unprepared. Not that he was going to show that.
He had known, of course, that he was going to see Lady Judith today. He was, after all, supposed to look after her—whatever that was supposed to mean—on behalf of his friend. The details of the arrangement were not yet clear. Oliver had simply told him he needed his help to ensure his sister was looked after during his absence—and had help finding a husband.
Aaron was to learn the details of this arrangement this afternoon. He hadn’t been certain what he was to expect, butnow that he saw her, he realized Lady Judith looked nothing like he had imagined. He had not seen her in a number of years, not since her mother’s funeral some six or eight years ago.
The years had blurred before him, and he wasn’t quite sure how long it had been, but he remembered her being a lanky, somewhat awkward girl, not yet old enough to have her coming out ball, but too old to require constant attention.
The last time he had seen her before that had been when she was a mere child. Judith had always been what Oliver considered a precocious child, someone who had an opinion about everything and was not shy about expressing it. The truth was, Aaron had found her thoroughly vexing, and his friend’s request to look after her and help her find a husband while he tended to his business did not exactly fill him with any joy.
Aaron had no sisters of his own, and being tasked with tending to Oliver’s sister was not how he had imagined his return to England would commence. Oliver was his best friend, and Aaron hadn’t been able to say no. The poor lad had just lost his father, after all, without having a chance to reconcile their differences. Aaron wasn’t going to make his situation worse by refusing.
