Page 44 of Married to the Rake

Chapter Sixteen

Brook eyed his father. Though it was a pleasant day, he had a blanket around his shoulders as he sat in the garden. Brook grimaced. Some days his father seemed as strong as ever but other days his age truly showed. Today did not seem the right time to tell him about Chloe or his plans to court her. But, damn it, he would have to tell them eventually.

Straightening his shoulders, he strode toward his father only to spot his mother in the formal gardens, waving at him. “Brook,” she called.

Brook sighed. He did not much mind having to put off this conversation with his father but really, he wished to get it over and done with. The sooner he did, the sooner he could pursue Chloe formally. Then, all he had to do was persuade Chloe his intentions were good.

He followed the path around the house and walked toward his mother, slowing his pace when he realised why she wanted him. His boots felt suddenly leaden when he spied the woman sitting on a bench.

Judith Somerset.

A previous, much mistaken conquest of his. Not that his mother knew that. The young widow was attractive and confident, but she also had little to say for herself and had been keen on dominating Brook for a time. He had very quickly broken things off once he realised quite what she was truly like. However, she and his mother had become companions of a sort since then. Brook always suspected she had done it deliberately, to get close to him. As yet he had managed to avoid her.

He kept his expression neutral as he approached his mother and Judith. He could feel Judith’s gaze upon him and an excessive perfume drifted toward him. “Did you need me, Mother?”

“I thought you might like to show Mrs. Somerset the new rock garden.”

“Surely you can show her, Mother. Unfortunately I am—”

“What a wonderful idea.” Judith leapt to her feet, and forcibly pressed her arm through his.

Brook grimaced. Apparently the time apart had not changed her nature at all. And for some reason, his mother seemed to be encouraging the behavior. She glanced at him with a satisfied look, and gave a small nod, as if to give her approval of the match. It seemed while he had not been paying attention, Judith had done quite a lot of significant amount of work on his mother.

He bit back a sigh and motioned toward the rock garden. “This way.” His mother might seem mild for the most part, but she had a fiercer temper than his father when she wanted to. Besides which, a moment alone with Judith would allow him to put to rest any ideas she might have. Particularly, if his mother had been encouraging her.

“It is so good to see you again, Brook. I seem to miss you every time I’m in in London.”

“Oh, really?” he said vaguely. There had been a few places where he deliberately avoided her. He did not much like having to run away from a woman, but Judith was the most determined sort and, for the most part, unlikely to listen to reason. He could only hope that had changed.

He adopted a brisk pace, forcing Judith to shuffle along next to him. “And, here we are,” he announced. “The rock garden.”

The garden was recently installed under the supervision of his mother. Exotic plants that did not enjoy the normal, damp ground of England, had been specially sourced and planted in the buildup of rocks that had been carefully arranged around a winding path. At the end of the path, a shallow pond was dotted with waterlilies. Even if Brook could tell Judith much about the plants, he had no desire to. The sooner this was over the better.

“Well, this is lovely,” Judith said. “I can see why your mother is so proud of it.”

“Indeed,” he said tightly.

She eased her arm out of his and twisted to face him, forcing him to come to a stop halfway along the path. “As you might have noticed, your mother and I have become quite good friends. She is an excellent woman and I admire her greatly.”

Brook gave a grunt. He could not argue with that.

“And,” she twirled a raven curl around one of her fingers, “I do think she rather likes me. In fact, I would go as far as to say she is immensely fond of me.” She gave a smile that reminded him of a cat just prior to him catching a mouse.

He had no intention of being caught.

“Well, now that you have seen the rock garden, why do you not head back inside? I am certain my mother is missing you if she is so fond of you as you just stated.”

She perfected a pout. Once upon a time, he’d found Judith extremely attractive. With glossy raven hair, an excellent sense of fashion, and a figure she used to her advantage, it was hard to ignore her when she’d shown interest in him several years ago. He could curse himself for rushing headlong into bed with her without knowing what she was like. She was vacuous, vain, and cared little for other’s feelings. He could not say all of his lovers had been intellects, but he enjoyed conversation as much as a tumble and liked both from his partners.

“You have not shown it all to me.” She pushed a curl from her face then let her fingers linger on her face and down to her décolletage.

Brook ignored the movement and debated his options. He could abandon her here but as much as he disliked her, it went against everything that had been ingrained in him. Cursing his upbringing, he motioned down the path.

“Let us continue then.”

Judith smiled and he caught the glint of satisfaction in her eyes. Maybe he could use this time to ensure she understood he had no interest in her whatsoever.

Though, he had tried to make it clear many times before so he was not certain why he thought this might finally work.

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