Hostile engagement Page 19

  `Any complaints?' Jud teased, and she knew he was trying to get them both on an even keel before things got out of hand.

  `None,' she said huskily, then with a teasing note of her own, 'My first—no, second impression of you has undergone a drastic change.'

  `As mine did of you,' Jud told her gently. 'Inside a very few moments I knew you were a woman totally outside my experience. I had to make sure we would have a point of contact, so I wasted no time in getting engaged to you.'

  But that was to try and get Carol to fall out of love with you, wasn't it?'

  Jud laughed quietly as he denied it. 'A ruse, my love,' he told her. 'Carol is fond of me, but only in a sisterly way. Your thinking she was my fiancée gave me the ideal opportunity to keep you believing she was in love with me and so invent a reason for you and me to be engaged.'

  But Carol said, that day at the village hall, that she hoped to live here.'

  `She did?' Jud queried, and Lucy went on to explain about Carol crossing her fingers when she had said she didn't come from Priors Channing

  Jud grinned when Lucy had finished. 'That's Carol,' he said. 'She can be a bit of a pest at times, and I can only

  imagine that since prior to my meeting a certain dark-eyed, beautiful Lucy Carey, I was a confirmed bachelor, Carol not knowing you—you could have been the village chatterbox for all she knew-let you believe she was hoping to move into the Hall to stimulate village gossip. Actually Carol did me a favour, because after you'd gone the night we became engaged I told her to be a sport and disappear for three months.'

  `You didn't?' Lucy challenged, though believing him. `And she went just like that?'

  `Well, not without wanting to know why, but since she'd got fish of her own to fry, namely some young man lounging around in Tenerife, she didn't press too hard to find out.'

  They were silent for some moments, Lucy being heartily glad Carol wasn't in love with Jud. She had liked the girl from the start and was looking forward to getting to know her.

  `When did you know you loved me?' she asked. 'I didn't know I loved you until I came here to return your ring.'

  Jud remembered the occasion and his arms tightened hard about her. 'I've got a pig of a temper, haven't I?' he said regretfully. 'But believe it or not, just lately the only person who's made me lose control of it has been you. You intrigued me from the start, but it wasn't until you had gone that night that I stopped to think why was it I had so little control of my temper when you were around-that same night I knew I was in love with you. I wanted to come over to Brook House as soon as I knew and insist that you kept the ring, but I felt so sick with the way I'd frightened you half to death I had to hold back. Then when I did come to see you we seemed to bring out the worst in each other.' Lucy recalled that dreadful slap she had served him with, and her arms gripped tightly round his waist. 'Well, after that I could see we both needed a cooling off period, so I

  decided to keep away from you for as long as I could-but after six weeks I'd had it, and knowing you would refuse any invitation I issued, I arranged a dinner party making sure you would be there.'

  `You mean that bit about Rupert letting the side down was all made up ...'

  `Forgive me?' Jud asked, and knew himself forgiven when Lucy reached up and kissed him. 'That evening didn't end up as I had planned either,' he went on. 'Then I had to go abroad on business, with my mind never less on business, I can tell you—every day I wanted to telephone you, wanted to hear your voice, and it was then I decided I'd had it. I had to have something settled one way or the other. I was going to come over and see you this afternoon.'

  `But I came here instead.'

  `And I'm so glad you did, my darling.'

  They were content in each other's arms for a while, then Lucy said softly, 'And all this started from my mother's ring ..

  `That ring has caused more trouble than enough between us, sweetheart,' said Jud, kissing her gently, then putting his hand into his trouser pocket withdrew the square box she knew so well. 'Will you accept it now, Lucy, with my love?'

  Lucy felt tears spurt to the back of her eyes. 'Are-are we engaged?' she asked uncertainly

  `I'm going to marry you, Lucy,' Jud told her, his face serious, then with a touch of aggression, 'You're not thinking of backing out, are you?.'

  `Oh no, Jud—I love you.'

  `Good,' said Jud, promptly kissing her. 'In that case, Lucy my darling, we definitely are engaged—though if you wouldn't mind I would like us both to choose the ring you're to wear as mine—your mother's ring I return to you.'

  `Oh, Jud,' Lucy said helplessly. Then looking at him with

  all the love she felt for him showing in her beautiful face, `Will you give me this ring on our wedding day?'

  Jud looked back at her, his face showing warmth, love and understanding. His Lucy was no gold-digger. 'You won't have long to wait, my dearest love,' he told her.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN