Old Acquaintances: Christmas Regency Tale (Regency Tales Book 2) by Gayle Buck Page A

her hands down, to hold both clasped between his own fingers. “My very dear Judith, why did you never tell me? We could have saved one another so much anger and bitterness.”
    Judith’s smile wavered. “You have said it yourself, Perry. We were not given much time to learn about one another. Whenever we were private, we either fought or you kissed me. I could not keep a single coherent thought in my head.”
    A light entered Sir Peregrine’s blue eyes. “That is most interesting, Miss Grantham.” He slowly leaned closer.
    Judith watched him come, mesmerized. As his lips brushed hers, her lashes fluttered down. His mouth tasted wonderful and the kiss was heady as wine. The familiar swirl of melting feeling began to engulf her.
    Realizing it, Judith broke away. She pulled free her hands and pushed against his broad shoulders. “Perry, do not,” she whispered. For several seconds she was afraid that he would reject her plea. He was still so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. But then he sighed and eased away from her.
    “You are right, Judith. We have still too much that lies between us,” said Sir Peregrine. He rose to his feet and moved deliberately to stand at the mantel so that there was distance between them. “You have said that it was the discovery that your father had offered money to me that decided you against my suit. But I seem to recall quite a different explanation that you gave to me. It sounded a pack of nonsense designed to insult me. But what so deeply enraged me, and what I have carried from that day to this, was your assertion that you feared me.”
    Judith sighed and shook her head. “I tried to explain feelings that I did not myself understand. What I did understand was that I was frightened. You see, I did not really know you and what my father said had shaken my faith in what I thought I knew. I was frightened and I had no one to ask for counsel. All my life I had never been able to withstand my father’s will on any occasion, accepting his decisions for my future even when I was caused unhappiness. But my marriage to you-“
    She looked at Sir Peregrine somberly. “I would be giving my life into what had become the hands of a complete stranger. I tried to talk to my father, but he paid me not the least heed. He patted me on the head and recommended that I turn my thoughts to my trousseau. My father wished our marriage to take place just as he had planned, but as the date approached my fear of the unknown became stronger than my awe of him. I did not consult with my father before I saw you that day. He was…disappointed.” She could not keep the hurt out of her voice. She had been a frightened young girl sorely in need of support and comfort, but that was not what she had received.
    When Sir Peregrine recalled that her father had been a burly gentleman possessed of s supreme confidence in his own opinion, he thought that Judith had surely understated the man’s reaction. All these years he had harbored an erroneous conclusion. His estimation of her mettle had been sadly wanting, he thought. “I know that your father must have made your life very difficult,” he said quietly.
    Judith brushed it aside. “It is unimportant now.” She smiled at him wearily. “You must think me a perfect fool, I know.”
    Sir Peregrine shook his head. “On the contrary. That is what I thought then, but now I can only salute your courage. You flew in the face of all that you were taught to revere in order to preserve your integrity. I, on the other hand, behaved with as little common sense as I have credited Cecily with. I was so blinded by my own pride and anger that I scarcely listened to what you tried so inexpertly to convey to me.”
    The emotional intensity of the past several minutes was proving to be a terrible strain. Judith felt that she simply had to place the situation back into proper perspective or she feared that she would burst into tears. “I shall ring for