Page 66 of A Troublesome Circumstance

A familiar voice broke through the night. “So that went well.”

Jude didn’t need to turn to know who the voice belonged to.

Lord Rupert joined him at the railing, his hands clasped behind his back. “I saw Lady Josephine leaving the ball. Presumably with her family.”

Jude said nothing. He had no words. No excuses. No path forward. Only the crushing realization of what he had lost.

“What are you going to do?” Rupert asked.

Jude didn’t lift his head from where it hung over the railing. The cool iron bit into his palms, grounding him in a moment he wished he could escape. “I don’t know what I can do,” he muttered. “I lied to her. It is over.”

Rupert snorted. “So you’re just going to let her walk away?”

Jude straightened. “Do I have a choice?”

“I am not an expert on matters of the heart⁠—”

“I have said nothing about love,” Jude interjected.

Rupert gave him a pointed look. “I know, but I saw the way you looked at her tonight.”

Jude turned away, staring into the dark gardens below. “And how was that?”

“Like a man who’d been searching for something he finally found,” Rupert said. “It was obvious you hold her in some affection.”

Jude’s throat tightened. “I do,” he admitted. Saying it out loud made the truth feel heavier.

“Then do something about it.”

“It is too late.”

Rupert let out an exasperated sigh. “I have two brothers—one married for love, the other for convenience. One is miserable, and the other is disgustingly happy. Can you imagine which is which?”

“I know what you’re trying to do, but⁠—”

“Just hear me out,” Rupert said, speaking over him.

Jude blew out a breath. “Go on, then.”

Rupert’s expression grew earnest. “Lady Gwendolyn hurt you. You have every right to be cautious… but not every woman is the enemy. Some are good. Some are kind. And one of them”—his brow lifted pointedly—“you invited into a cottage in the middle of the woods, despite every possible consequence.”

“I had little choice in the matter. She would have died.”

“I’m not questioning that choice,” Rupert said. “I’m questioning this one.” He stepped closer. “Stand up. Fight. Don’t give up so easily.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It isn’t simple.” Rupert shrugged. “But few worthwhile things are.”

Jude turned to face him fully, frustration simmering. “And why should I be taking advice from you, exactly? You have no wife. You aren’t even courting anyone.”

Rupert’s gaze shifted forward into the dark gardens. “You’re right. I have no desire to fall prey to the parson’s mousetrap.” A faint, wistful smile flickered. “But there is a young woman who has piqued my interest.”

“Oh? And what is she like?”

“Headstrong,” Rupert said immediately. “Kind. Utterly oblivious to how I feel.”

“And how do you feel?”