Page 107 of A Troublesome Circumstance

It worked. A true smile blossomed across her face, warm enough to knock the breath from his lungs.

“Thank you, kind sir,” she teased before turning her attention to the rows of elegant buildings rushing by. “I find that I am rather excited for Gunter’s. I do so love their lemon ice.”

He chuckled. “Are you more excited for the lemon ice… or to spend time with me?”

Josephine’s head snapped back towards him, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “You are merely tolerable. But the lemon ice is delicious.”

“Tolerable?” Jude leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “I do believe you find me to be far more than tolerable.”

“And why would you say that?” she challenged, lifting her chin.

“Because you cannot keep your eyes off me,” he said with a smirk.

She let out a playful huff. “That is only because you are sitting directly across from me.”

“Excuses, excuses,” he murmured, loving the light dancing in her eyes. “If I were not an earl, and you were not a lady… do you think our story would have been different?”

“But you are an earl.”

He stiffened, the familiar weight pressing against his ribs. “Don’t remind me.”

Her brow creased with concern. “Did I say something wrong?”

He exhaled, knowing she deserved honesty. “It is not you. I did nothing to earn this title. I was merely born into it. It sits on me like armor—heavy and confining. A role I can never step out of.”

“But think of all the good you can do,” she said.

“What good?” he muttered. “I review accounts. Attend meetings. Debate matters that seem utterly unimportant.”

“To you, perhaps. But others depend on those decisions,” she said. “Men and women who cannot speak for themselves. You have a voice that carries weight.”

He sighed. “I know I must sound ungrateful… but I struggle under all of it.”

“That is why you are doing well,” she said, surprising him.

“How do you figure that?”

She gave him a pointed look. “Lesser men wouldn’t worry about how their choices affect others. But you care. Deeply. That is one of the many things I admire about you.”

“You admire me?” His voice rasped slightly—far more vulnerable than he intended.

“Yes,” she said. “After all, you are my hero.”

Brushing off her praise, he responded, “I only did what my conscience dictated.”

“Precisely. You knew the risks—the implications—of inviting me into your cottage… alone. Yet you still did it.” Her gaze held his without wavering. “I know you will become the kind of man who makes change. The kind who protects those with no voice.”

He stared at her, utterly stunned. “Do you truly believe that?” he asked, half-hopeful, half-afraid to believe it.

“I do,” she responded. “With my whole heart. Because the man you are now is already kind, compassionate, and clever. You didn’t just save my life, Jude… you saved my heart as well.”

“Your heart?” he echoed.

“Yes,” she said. “I had begun to believe there were no good men left in the world. But you restored that faith.”

Jude dragged a hand through his hair, completely undone. “You cannot say such kind things to me and not expect me to reach across this carriage and kiss you.”

She laughed. “Then you will have to restrain yourself because we are nearly at Gunter’s.”