It was painfully obvious that all he wanted was to match her up with the first lord he knew so he could wash his hands of her.
“Well, no. But how can you choose if you do not meet anyone? And my friend is a lovely fellow, you’ll see. Be yourself, and you will see you’ll have yourself a decent gentleman to court in no time at all. And you and I need not bother one another much anymore.”
“I do not see how I am bothering you,” she huffed. “Seeing how I did not choose any of this. Now, may I at least know the name of the man you intend to introduce me to?”
“Naturally. There’s someone I think you’ll find particularly agreeable. Henry Wachsman, the Earl of Guernsey. He’s just over there, in the velvet top hat with the red stripe.”
Judith looked at the Earl, who grinned at her in a way that made her feel all the more self-conscious. What did this man know about her? Had he been told that she was an old maid desperate for a husband?
Her stomach churned, and she thought she might be sick. Judith was about to ask her companion to stop, but she saw the smirk on the Duke’s face and realized he was enjoying this, even though he’d assured her he had better ways to pass his time.
No, he enjoyed this torture, didn’t he?
Well, she’d not give him the satisfaction of seeing her falter. He wanted to introduce her to someone to comply with Oliver’s silly request? Very well, let him. She’d charm his friend and put an end to this stupidity once and for all.
CHAPTER 4
Aaron walked beside Judith as they headed toward his friends. He hadn’t told either of his friends why he wanted to introduce her, only mentioning she was a lovely young lady. He didn’t want to cloud their perception of her by telling them he’d been tasked to find her a husband.
Indeed, Aaron had decided the best thing he could do for Lady Judith was to let her make her own choice. All he would do was to facilitate meetings. She seemed self-assured enough. In fact, she was so confident that he thought her a little haughty. But he’d let her do things on her own terms and hope for the best.
He knew he should be more committed to the project, but the truth was, if Oliver had told him how vexing Judith still was, he might have made an excuse to get out of it. In fact, it occurred to him now that Oliver had been purposely obtuse when it came to what exactly Aaron’s role would be—until he’d already arrived at the manor and Judith had been told.
Oliver could be a scoundrel, but Aaron loved his friend too much to stay mad at him for too long.
Still, the truth was, the more time he spent around Judith, the more daunting his task became. She clearly did not want his company any more than he wanted hers, nor did she think she needed his help. On his way here, he’d considered telling her the truth, that it was either this or her brother would marry her off to a man without consulting her. But she’d been so combative, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed her present discomfort a little bit.
Was that unkind? Perhaps, but she had spent much of their childhood doing all she could to annoy and trouble him.
Did she remember that? He certainly did. One time, she’d placed a frog into his shoe, causing him to squeal in front of her parents and their polite company. Another time, she’d salted his shaved ice during dinner.
Aaron smiled as he thought back to those days, but his thoughts were interrupted when they reached Henry and their mutual friend, Sir Marius.
“Sir Marius, Lord Guernsey, allow me to introduce you to Lady Judith Birks,” Aaron said, his tone warm.
Henry turned, a friendly smile spreading across his face. “Lady Judith, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Judith managed a stiff smile. “Lord Guerdsney, the pleasure is mine.”
“Guernsey,” Henry whispered, and her eyes widened a fraction.
He chuckled. “It is a most awkward name, Lady Judith, do not worry,” he said kindly as her cheeks grew red.
Aaron had stopped himself from grinning because all of Lady Judith’s bravado had suddenly evaporated.
Not so cocky now, eh wot?
“Lady Judith has just rejoined Society after a period of mourning,” he explained, hoping to set expectations.
While he enjoyed seeing her taken down a peg, he didn’t want to totally ruin her confidence.
Henry nodded understandingly. “Of course. Lady Judith, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you. Please, do accept my condolences.”
Judith shifted, her eyes darting from one to the other. “Yes, it has been. But it seems time goes on, and so must we, yes?”
Henry nodded. “Indeed, it does. If there’s anything I can do to make your return to Society easier, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Judith bit her lip, clearly nervous. “Well, thank you, Lord Guernsey. That’s very kind of you.”
