Page 32 of Reforming the Rakish Marquess

Several minutes later, heavy footsteps broke through the silence. She turned and her heart flipped at the sight of him. His hair was wet, and he was wearing breeches, with no socks or boots. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he worked to secure the buttons with each step.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he had been entertaining a woman upstairs in his chamber, and her heart sank. It was late in the day for his state of undress.

“Juliana, what are you doing here?” he asked, concern evident in his tone. “What has happened? Are you all right?”

Chapter Nine

Jude should have finished dressing in his chamber, but he couldn’t wait a moment longer to ensure that Juliana was all right. She had never called on him at his home before, and his butler said it was urgent. He continued working his last few buttons, waiting for her to answer his question, exhaling a sigh of relief that she appeared to be safe and well.

“I apologize, Jude,” she said. “I didn’t mean to disturb whatever you were doing with your day.”

He contemplated the tone in her voice. He had been with enough women in his life to know when one had the air of jealousy about them.

“I assure you,” he started, “the only thing you disrupted was my bath. I don’t sleep that well, and when I do, I allow myself to sleep late.” He cringed that he mentioned his sleeping issue, hoping she would be too distracted to ask about it.

She nodded in understanding, a glimmer of relief in her expression.

“But that does not signify,” he continued. “What has brought you here?”

Carter entered the room carrying his coats and boots.

“My lord, you must finish dressing,” Carter said.

“Carter, can’t you see I have a guest?” Jude motioned towards Juliana.

The man scoffed. “I’m sure your guest would prefer you to be properly dressed.”

Jude laughed, knowing that was probably not at all the case with the guest in question, and covered the laugh with a cough when Carter narrowed his eyes at him.

“Let’s get your coats on and I’ll leave the boots for you,” Carter pressed.

He did as the man asked and dismissed him. Carter assessed Juliana and then smiled at Jude before departing.

“Sorry about that, Juliana,” Jude said. “Carter’s been with me since I was fresh out of Eton, so he’s gotten pretty pushy over the years.” He rolled his eyes.

“I like him,” Juliana said, a small smile formed on her visage.

“Now, tell me what is going on before anyone else attempts to disturb us.” He had to know what troubled her. He could read her well and knew something was amiss.

She drew a deep breath. “The new Viscount Gordon. He came to my home today.”

Jude closed the distance between them and grabbed her shoulders. “Did he hurt you?”

She waved him off. “Nothing like that, I promise.”

“Then what has you so upset?” he asked. “You are shaking like a leaf.” He hated seeing her thus, and he would take care of whatever or whoever was the cause.

“He is blackmailing me.” She hung her head.

He lifted her chin. “The man knows about us?” Jude asked, cringing. He hated that her entanglement with him would end up causing trouble for her.

She shook her head. “No, Jude,” she said, swallowing hard. “He knows about Edward.”

Jude nodded in understanding. He released her chin and ran his hand down his face. “How much is he demanding?”

“Twenty thousand pounds,” she said. “I am thinking about paying him, but I am afraid he will just keep coming back for more.”

“Don’t give him a single pound,” Jude ground out. “Let me see what I can find out about him. How much time did he give you?” He would damn well figure out how he could get the man to leave Juliana alone.