Sweet Deception Regency 07 - The Divided Hearts Read Online Free Page A

drawled reply held a hint of laughter
even as the words contained a double entendre. Judith’s eyes
narrowed and she stared up at the man on the horse. Black eyebrows
arched in smug amusement and white teeth flashed in the tanned
face. Then her gaze met his and her heart skipped a beat. Dark blue
eyes, flashing like twin beacons, touched her, burning her with the
heat of his stare. Then the lids lowered, shuttering away the
intensity and Judith wondered if she had imagined the whole
sensation.
    “Judith, this outrageous gentleman is
Nathanael Bellingham,” Simon announced.
    Heavens above! Judith thought in disbelief.
How could this man milliner be Letty’s grandson? Judith had
expected some larger version of the warm, loving woman, perhaps a
cross between a bear and a puppy. But this man was more like the
pampered and adorned dogs owned by jaded society matrons. She could
see him now, sitting on a satin pillow being fed sweetmeats by fat,
beringed fingers. On this thought her mouth trembled to hold back
her smile of amusement. To cover such a breech of etiquette, Judith
sank into a well-bred curtsy.
    “I am amazed to make your acquaintance this
early in my visit, Master Bellingham. Your grandmother, Lady
Bellingham, is quite dear to me,” Judith finished graciously.
    Nate cocked his head, listening to the
well-modulated voice of the young woman. There was a musical
resonance to her tone that made him wonder if she sang. She would
look quite lovely poised beside a pianoforte, her blond hair
falling down her back. Jolted by this enticing yet totally
inconsequential thought, Nate removed a lace-edged handkerchief
from his pocket and touched it to his lips. “La, my dear, I fair
dote on my grandmother. Her clothes quite set the fashion for the
older set. Hope the old girl is in ripping fine health?”
    As Nate bent toward her, waving the frothy
handkerchief, Judith felt an uncontrollable desire to snatch at the
offending article thus pulling him out of the saddle. Guiltily she
realized that he had asked her a question and hastened to reply. “I
saw Lady Bellingham right before I left and she was in fine fettle.
She asked to be remembered to you.”
    “One could only hope that she had sent me a
grandmotherly kiss,” Nate said, his blue eyes ingenuous in his
smiling face. “I would consider it an honor to receive such a
salutation from your lovely person.”
    Judith was struck dumb by the impropriety of
the man’s comment and was saved from a social indiscretion by
Simon’s burst of enthusiasm.
    “I knew you’d like her, Nate,” Simon
boasted, laughing as his daughter blushed. “Isn’t she everything I
told you she was, my boy?”
    “I assure you, Lady Judith, your father’s
descriptions could never do justice to the reality,” Nate raised
his quizzing glass once more, sweeping her from reddened face to
impatiently taping toe.
    “And needless to say, Master Bellingham,
your grandmother did not describe you enough,” Judith purred. There
was a hint of sarcasm in her voice that turned the statement into a
proper set down.
    “What brings you down here, Nate?” Simon
interrupted.
    As the men’s talk centered around the
shipments arriving, Judith pretended a total unconcern, letting her
eyes wander around the bustling waterfront. But every part of her
was aware of the outrageous dandy on horseback. She couldn’t
imagine what possessed her to so completely dislike the man on
first sight. She had met other gentlemen who lived for fashion and
they had never affected her to such an extreme. Perhaps part of it
was that after talking to Aunt Letty about Nathanael, she had
pictured someone so completely different. But Letty had given no
indication that her grandson was in any way singular. From her
description, Judith had been prepared to like the man and had even
begun to entertain thoughts that a warmer relationship might be
possible. Now she shuddered at the very idea.
    “Your pardon, Lady Judith, for boring