Page 24 of A Troublesome Circumstance

A knowing glimmer danced in her eyes. “So I hear. Word travels fast below stairs, you know. I understand you’re posing as a gamekeeper to conceal your identity from Lady Josephine Tweedale.”

Jude stared back at her, momentarily at a loss for words. “You heard—? Were you eavesdropping?”

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. “Good heavens, no. My lady’s maid happened to overhear the servants gossiping in the kitchen. It seems your little masquerade has become quite the topic of conversation.”

Luca groaned. “You see, Brother? Secrets never stay buried long in this house.”

Jude exhaled through his nose. “Then I trust you both now know the truth of the matter. Lady Josephine believes me to be the gamekeeper, and it must remain that way—for her sake as much as mine.”

Charlotte’s eyes softened with interest. “I’m not personally acquainted with Lady Josephine, though I know of her. She’s had three Seasons, if memory serves, and has yet to make a match. They say she prefers the company of books to the dance floor.”

“She has said as much to me,” Jude responded.

“I thought as much,” Charlotte mused, tapping her chin. “Her brother—Lord Redden, is it not?—has quite the reputation for ambition. I imagine he’d see opportunity in forcing a marriage between his sister and an unmarried heir found in… compromising circumstances.”

The thought made Jude’s blood run cold. “Then he must never know the truth.”

“Precisely,” Charlotte said. “Which means you’ll need to ensure your story is watertight. I would speak with Lady Josephine and devise a convincing account of how you met. You may not be dressed as an earl, but your bearing betrays you. You move, speak, and think like a gentleman.”

Jude’s brow furrowed. “And how am I to alter my bearing, pray tell?”

Luca interjected, grinning. “For a start, you might avoid pouring yourself a drink in the master’s parlor.”

Jude glanced down at the brandy glass in his hand and sighed.

“Nor,” Luca continued, “should you lounge comfortably in said parlor as though you own the place—which, incidentally, you do.”

Charlotte laughed behind her hand. “He does have a point.”

“I was reading a ledger,” Jude protested.

Luca’s smile grew. “Yes, because that’s precisely what gamekeepers do of an evening—balance accounts by firelight.”

“Fine,” Jude muttered. “I’ll be more cautious.”

Charlotte tilted her head. “And how are you explaining your presence here at Ashmoore Hall, rather than your supposed lodgings in the woods?”

He grimaced. “I told Josephine I would be returning after she bathed and rested.”

“Oh, brilliant,” Charlotte teased. “Your story is going to unravel faster than one of my stockings. You must learn that lies require maintenance.”

Before Jude could reply, the deep toll of the dinner bell echoed through the corridor.

Jude set the brandy aside and started for the door, but Luca stepped into his path. “And where, precisely, do you think you’re going?” his brother asked.

“To dinner,” Jude replied flatly.

“No, you are not,” Luca said with exaggerated patience. “Servants do not dine in the great hall. They eat in the kitchen.” His gaze flicked meaningfully over Jude’s attire: his white shirt, trousers and dirtied Hessian boots. “And you’re hardly dressed for the occasion.”

“What about Josephine?” Jude asked.

Charlotte smoothed her sleeves. “We shall see to Lady Josephine. You, on the other hand, will remain out of sight. The fewer people who see you, the better.”

“But I promised her,” he said, his voice rougher than he intended.

Luca exchanged a glance with his wife, then leaned down to murmur something in her ear. Charlotte gave the faintest nod.

“Very well,” Luca said at last. “You may say your goodbyes, but after that, you will retire to your bedchamber for the night. Out of sight, out of mind.”