her jaw dropped in astonishment.
It was quite the vision.
She could see the emotion written over him. She could feel it in the ambience.
Whatever piece he was playing, it came from the depths of his heart.
She remained where she was, careful not to interrupt or make him aware of her presence.
And she listened. To every note, every unsaid word. She knew that it was an ode, for the one he had lost, and for himself.
Judith had watched many great performances, yet none came close to this.
He was so skilled. The music and its meaning reached deep inside of her, tugging at every part of her.
In her heart, emotions warred. Love and pain. Joy and sorrow. And through it all, there was beauty.
He was such a handsome man. Watching him there did something to her.
Something she could not quite explain.
Or was simply unwilling to consider.
She had decided to forget her curiosity, to swallow her questions, but she found it impossible.
She needed to know his story. She wanted to understand. She wondered what kind of man he had been before his loss.
She wondered if he would ever be that man again.
She was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts when the music stopped suddenly. That was when she realized that his eyes were now open—and he was staring right at her, his expression blank, his eyes too dark to fathom.
“Lady Judith,” he said simply.
Uncertain what to do, she sank into a deep curtesy and greeted him.
“Your Grace.”
She kept her eyes downcast, not daring to look him in the eye. Her heart thudded in her chest; questions spun in her mind.
Would he find her intrusion impertinent? Would he forgive her?
Now that she had been caught, what would he do?
What would she do?
Chapter 15
Stephen stared at the woman before him. Never had he been so confused by anyone. He had no inkling what to do with her, how to behave when she was near.
Her green eyes often looked at him as though they could see through the secrets he tried to hide yet wore around himself like a cloak.
When he was away from her, he wondered about her. What she was doing? If she were happy in his home. Yet, in her presence, he scarcely had any words to say.
If he ever managed to find them, recent happenings had proven that they were never the right ones.
Then, there was the matter of the feelings she stirred inside him. Feelings that had been dead for so long.
They were emotions he could not bring himself to accept, not yet. Merely acknowledging that they existed felt too much like a betrayal.
Abigail would turn in her grave in anger and hurt if he dared accept them; if he ever chose to act on them. No, he was better off denying their existence.
How could he admit that this woman made him want to smile again? That she filled his heart with such warmth and light, just as she had done with his home, and, every passing moment, he fought the overwhelming urge to embrace the change she so easily fashioned.
Certainly, he could not dare to look at her with his eyes so filled with the sorrow and pain that had dwelled therein ever since Abigail’s passing.
Would it not be wicked to try to regain that sparkle? That twinkle and happy gleam formerly offered only to his late wife? Of course, it would.
That was why he could not let her get too close; why he must not give in to his heart’s growing desire to be in her presence, to see her smile, to hear her sweet laughter.
He had already done too much, watching her from the shadows in the early days. All this madness, for that was the only word for it, must stop.
Yet, as his gaze held those enchanting green eyes, he could not bring himself to turn her away. Nor could he bring his legs to work and flee the room.
So, ignoring the voice of reason, he opened his mouth to speak.
“I did not think I would ever have an audience” he said, ever so softly.
She swallowed before answering.
“You must pardon me. I was passing by when I heard the music. I could not resist coming in. I simply had to see who was playing such a beautiful melody. I did not mean to intrude. Please, do not stop on my account. I shall find my way out.”
She dipped into a shallow curtsy and, as she rose, made to leave. He surprised himself then by stopping her.
“Please, there is