Forbidden

by Jess Michaels

  “The wedding itself is a small affair anyway,” Jude reassured his future bride, taking her hand in his and smiling down at her. “Just family and the barest few friends. And if the gathering she has planned for afterward gets to be too much for her, I’m sure Miss Gray will insist on making her rest.”

  Audrey smiled up at him adoringly, but then shook her head as if clearing it. “Oh, that reminds me. I will have to tell the staff that they should make space for two more guests at the ceremony.”

  “Two more?” Edward asked. “Who else have you decided to include?”

  “I’ve just had news today that Josie and her mother have returned to their estate,” Audrey said. “I thought it would be nice to have her here.”

  Gabriel and Evan both tensed, though Evan thought their anxieties stemmed from very different sources. Likely Gabriel was reminded of Claire by the mention of Josie’s name, since the two had been best friends.

  But Evan was reminded of something very different.

  He took a long sip of his coffee before he said, “Jocelyn Westfall, you mean?”

  Audrey wrinkled her brow as she stared at him. “Do you know many other Josies?” she teased.

  “I suppose I don’t,” he said, hoping his reaction wasn’t totally clear on his face. After all, Josie was normally a source of frustration for him. He hadn’t seen her in several years, even before Claire disappeared. And he hadn’t exactly been sorry about that fact. “Why are you inviting her? It would be quite the trek for her and her mother.”

  Audrey shrugged. “When Mary and I were in the village yesterday, we saw Mrs. Westfall’s butler, Mr. Charles. He was always such a friendly man and he said he had arrived ahead of them to prepare the country estate. They should be here from London this afternoon.”

  Evan gripped his hand on his leg beneath the table. “I see. And you’re inviting her to your family wedding.”

  Audrey hesitated slightly and her gaze flitted down to her plate. “She was a bit like family growing up. She and Claire were thick as thieves. Having her here would be a bit like-”

  She cut herself off abruptly but the entire table knew what she meant. Including Evan, who promptly began to hate himself for making Audrey say out loud a pain he wished she didn’t feel. He cleared his throat before he forced a grin.

  “Josie Westfall despises me, you know.”

  Audrey glanced up and her eyes were suddenly brighter. “I know,” she said as she got to her feet. “But you’re invited anyway.” He threw a hand up to his chest with a dramatic gasp that set Audrey to laughing even harder. “And now I must go up to Mama. I promised to show her the final stitching on the veil for the wedding.”

  Mary leapt up, plate of food half uneaten. “Oh, I will come, too! I cannot wait to see the final product.”

  “But you’ve hardly-” Edward began, but Mary cut him off by leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.

  “I know, I know. I’ll have a very hardy luncheon, I assure you,” she laughed as she caught Audrey’s hand and the two left the room. For a few moments, they could all hear the peals of giggles coming from the two women in the distance.

  “That girl will drive me to distraction,” Edward muttered, though he exchanged a knowing smile with Jude across the table.

  “The very best kind of distraction,” Jude responded with a smile just as telling.

  Gabriel rolled his eyes as he reached across to Mary’s abandoned plate and took an uneaten sausage link from it. “You two. I swear, you are like puppies.”

  “Oh, don’t listen to Gabriel,” Evan said with a half-smile for the other two men. “He’s just being broody and dramatic.”

  “I don’t brood,” Gabriel said, though the glare he tossed Evan certainly didn’t make his case.

  Evan shrugged. “One of us should. Great God, it used to be Edward, but now he flits around all in love and happy. That leaves the brooding to you, brother.”

  “And why not you?” Gabriel asked, though the corners of his lips had begun to twitch as the conversation went on. It was good to see after the past few weeks, hell years, of disappointment and sadness.

  “I’d make a terrible brooder,” Evan said with a shrug. “I don’t have a dark bone in my body, I fear.”

  “Truly?” Jude asked, joining in the fun. And he could since he had been part of their clan for what seemed like forever. Marrying Audrey would only solidify his place as the fourth Woodley brother.

  “Why do you look so incredulous?” he demanded.

  Edward was the one who responded. He laughed as he said, “Josie Westfall despises me!” Then he threw his hand up to his forehead and tossed his head back with great dramatic flair, setting off laughter from Jude and Gabriel.

  Evan shifted in his chair. “Now wait a moment…”

  “Oh, you cannot deny it. You were all dramatics when asking about her,” Jude interrupted. “You should have seen your eyes.”

  Folding his arms, Evan stared straight ahead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re being an idiot.”

  “Why does she hate you so much anyway?” Edward asked. “I’ve never understood it.”

  For a brief moment, Evan flashed back to a much-recalled and highly despised afternoon sixteen years ago. Flashed back to the bright pain in Josie’s eyes. Then he blinked those thoughts away, along with the shame that accompanied them.

  “I don’t know,” he lied. “Miss Westfall has the memory of an elephant, I suppose. Never forgets a slight.”

  “You slighted her?” Jude said with wide eyes.

  “I don’t know. She hates me, I must have,” Evan said, waving away their questions. “Or maybe she just doesn’t like my choice in cravats. Who knows with women?”

  Gabriel blinked at him and Evan turned his head so he wouldn’t see his younger brother’s knowing stare.

  “Well, I hope you won’t let it interfere with Audrey’s wedding,” Edward said as he pushed to his feet.

  Evan wrinkled his brow. “I would never do that.”

  “Edward, did you want to go over those figures?” Jude asked, also taking his feet.

  Edward laughed and shot Gabriel and Evan a glance. “Three days to his wedding and this one is still managing estate business.”

  Jude rolled his eyes. “Because I intend to leave you manager-less for several blissful weeks after I make Audrey mine. So take me while you can get me.”

  Edward clapped an arm around their friend and the two moved toward the door. “So I can’t send you messages day and night about estate minutia?” he teased.

  “You can, but I won’t answer them,” Jude chuckled as they left the room.

  Once they were gone, Gabriel turned his attention back to Evan. His younger brother leaned back, folding his arms and meeting his gaze evenly. “You haven’t really forgotten why Josie hates you, have you?”

  Evan glared at him. He had often wished his younger brother hadn’t been witness to the afternoon in question.

  “I remember something about it,” he admitted. “I should have known you’d recall it all, with that memory of yours.”

  Gabriel shrugged. “I pay attention to detail, that’s all.”

  “Yes, you do that,” Evan muttered, his own mind recreating the very details he wished he could forget forever. “You know, it was a decade and a half go. You’d think she could just forget it. I have apologized a dozen times.”

  His brother lifted both eyebrows. “She must have her reasons. When was the last time you apologized?”

  Evan pursed his lips. “The year she came out. So…”

  “Eight years ago?” Gabriel said with a shake of his head.

  “Well, she hardly spoke to me during those eight years,” Evan said, pushing out of his chair and pacing the room. “Even when she was running about with Claire, she’d hardly look at me. Look, the girl doesn’t like me. That’s fine. She may not even come to Audrey’s wedding and then how she feels or doesn’t feel about me won’t matter a whit. Hell, if
she comes it won’t matter. I’ll see her for all of a few hours, she’ll avoid me. That will be the end of it.”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Very well, if you say so. Now I am going to go up and talk to Mama for a bit. I’ll see you later.”

  His brother walked from the room and Evan moved back over to the table. He leaned his hands against the smooth surface and tried to control the tangled emotions that knotted in his chest. Thoughts of Miss Jocelyn Westfall always did that. Damn her.

  “This is ridiculous,” he barked, then spun from the room and out the front door. He began to make his way down the path to the stable where he would take his horse out from a very long run.

  But there was a part of him that knew from bitter experience that he could run his horse into the ground, but he would never fully escape the past. The best he could hope to do was push away the guilt that followed it.

  Other Books by Jess Michaels

  THE NOTORIOUS FLYNNS

  The Other Duke (Book 1)

  The Scoundrel’s Lover (Book 2)

  The Widow Wager (Book 3)

  No Gentleman for Georgina (Book 4)

  A Marquis for Mary (Book 5)

  THE LADIES BOOK OF PLEASURES

  A Matter of Sin

  A Moment of Passion

  A Measure of Deceit

  THE PLEASURE WARS SERIES

  Taken By the Duke

  Pleasuring The Lady

  Beauty and the Earl

  Beautiful Distraction

  MISTRESS MATCHMAKER SERIES

  An Introduction to Pleasure

  For Desire Alone

  Her Perfect Match

  ALBRIGHT SISTERS SERIES

  Everything Forbidden

  Something Reckless

  Taboo

  Nothing Denied

  Jess Michaels raffles a FREE Kindle or Amazon gift certificate EVERY month to members of her newsletter, so sign up on her website:

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  About the Author

  Jess Michaels writes erotic historical romance from her home in Tucson, AZ. She has three assistants: One cat that blocks the screen, one that is very judgmental and her husband that does all the heavy lifting. She has written over 50 books, enjoys long walks in the desert and once wrestled a bear over a piece of pie. One of these things is a lie.

  Jess loves to hear from fans! So please feel free to contact her in any of the following ways (or carrier pigeon):

  www.AuthorJessMichaels.com

  PO Box 814, Cortaro, AZ 85652-0814

  Email: Jess@AuthorJessMichaels.com

  Twitter www.twitter.com/JessMichaelsbks

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  Jess Michaels raffles a FREE Kindle or Amazon gift certificate EVERY month to members of her newsletter, so sign up on her website:

  http://www.authorjessmichaels.com/join-the-jess-michaels-newsletter/

  Table of Contents

  Forbidden

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Deceived

  Other Books by Jess Michaels

  About the Author