Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey Read Free Book Online

broken-limb
     part. You should have thought of it, Tony.”
    “I didn’t even know about him , so how could I?”
    “Just remember you owe me one, both of you, the next time you lay into me,” Boyd said
     before quickly walking off.
    “Did he just goad you?” Anthony said with an incredulous laugh. “And with a smirk,
     too!”
    James shrugged. “He should know by now that I have a faulty memory when I find it
     convenient. And my memory will definitely be faulty when it comes to being beholden
     to an Anderson—wife excluded, of course.”
    Lord Cullen didn’t stay long, shouldn’t have come at all when his doctor had ordered
     him to stay off his feet for three months. After Judith thanked him again for coming
     and wished him a swift recovery, Jacqueline steered her toward their mothers.
    “D’you feel the excitement?” Jack asked. “We’re going to have a grand time, you know.
     I feel it, I’m bubbling with it.”
    “You’re bubbling with triumph, not excitement. Note the difference.”
    “Pooh, whatever it is, let’s go share some of it with your mother. She might have
     given in when she learned the Scot won’t be here for the start of the Season either,
     but she’s still not happy about it or what she termed our ‘collective tantrum.’ And
     if she’s not happy, then Uncle Tony won’t be getting a nice good-bye from her tonight,
     and he’ll be in a rotten mood the whole trip.”
    Judith blushed at that statement as Jacqueline dragged her across the room to their
     mothers. Despite how brazen Jack could be at times and how used to it Judith was,
     she believed some things just shouldn’t be mentioned or even alluded to, and what
     their parents did behind closed doors was definitely one of those things.
    Both girls walked up to Roslynn and put an arm around her waist. Judith was now as
     tall as her mother at five feet four inches and had the same sun-gold hair streaked
     with copper, but her father’s exotic cobalt-blue eyes, a stunning combination, or
     so her family liked to remind her. But Judith’s features also resembled her mother’s.
     She had a heart-shaped face and finely molded cheekbones, a small, tapered nose, even
     the same generous full lips. Jacqueline, on the other hand, looked nothing like her
     mother. She didn’t inherit Georgina’s diminutive height. She was taller at five feet
     six inches and had James Malory’s blond hair and green eyes, but her features were
     uniquely her own: a pert nose, high cheekbones, a stubborn chin, and a mouth far too
     sensual for a woman.
    Her lips were turned up now in a smile meant to melt hearts. Few people were immune
     to it, and Roslynn wasn’t one of them, but she still admonished her niece, “None of
     that now. You won’t be cajoling me out of this snit.”
    “Are you sure?” Jacqueline asked. “I haven’t heard your Scot’s brogue yet to prove
     you’re in a snit. But Judy won’t take my word for it, so a little reassurance from
     you before we sail is in order.” Then, in one of her more serious tones: “Don’t make
     her suffer because there’s been a little dent—”
    Georgina cut in with a gasp. “Jacqueline Malory! Not another word!”
    Jacqueline merely met her mother’s eyes with a steady look that offered no apology.
     She was protective of family, always had been, and most particularly of Judith. It
     wasn’t the first time she had stepped up to be Judy’s champion, and Roslynn loved
     her all the more for it.
    “It’s all right, George,” Roslynn said, and then to Jack, “You’ve made your point,
     sweetheart. And I wasn’t going to let my darling leave without my best wishes.” Roslynn
     leaned her head toward Judith’s. “You can have fun. In fact, I want you to enjoy every
     minute of your trip.” But her tone turned stern when she added, “But don’t you dare
     come back in love. You will wait and fall in love here. And that’s the last I’m going
     to say about it.” But