by Rose Pearson
The day passed slowly and, to Caroline’s frustration, she found that Lord Brandeis occupied her thoughts more than a little. She had not said another word to him for two days when she had spoken rather spitefully and he had accepted it without much concern. He and Peter had returned the following evening of course, and things had continued just as expected, but Lord Brandeis did not so much as look in her direction any longer. Why that should bother her, Caroline could not say, but bother her it did.
“He will be here any moment!”
Caroline smiled as Mrs. Beeson hurried around the kitchen, clearly looking forward to Peter’s arrival. The wonderful aroma of roast beef, dumplings, potatoes and a few extra vegetables filled Caroline’s nose, making her stomach growl. Mrs. Beeson had really done all she could to make today’s dinner a wonderful one. Caroline finished setting the table, just as a knock on the door announced Peter’s arrival. Within a few minutes, they were all sitting together around the table. Caroline smiled to herself as Mrs. Beeson patted Peter’s shoulder affectionately, before asking him to say grace before they began to eat the wonderful food. Bowing her head, Caroline silently sent up a prayer of thanks that she finally had Peter’s company to herself, without Lord Brandeis anywhere nearby.
The moment the ‘amen’ had been said, Mrs. Beeson immediately rose to serve the food onto their plates, ladling as much food as she could onto Peter’s plate.
“Thank you, Mrs. Beeson,” he chuckled, waving away her offer of yet more potatoes. “This is really a wonderful meal. I can see you’ve gone to a lot of trouble.” He looked from Mrs. Beeson to Caroline and back again. “Thank you.”
“So, Peter,” she began, as they began to tuck into their meal. “Tell me all about what you’ve been doing in the army. It must be so very exciting.”
She listened intently as Peter began to talk in detail about everything he’d been doing, intermittently gasping with shock and horror at some of his stories.
“And I must say, Lord Brandeis has turned out to be the most wonderful of friends,” he finished, spearing another potato. “He is strong and loyal and remarkably brave.”
Caroline raised one eyebrow. “Is that so?” she said, a little coolly, whilst trying to keep a hold of her temper which had immediately flared at the mention of Lord Brandeis’s name. “I have not seen much of that, I must say.”
Peter did look a little uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. “I know that he is a bit of a rascal, Caroline, but he is the son of a marquess! That is almost expected behavior for a man such as him.”
Bristling, Caroline shook her head, ignoring Mrs. Beeson’s warning look. “I do not think that trying to lay hands on me or suggesting that he come to my bed is in any way acceptable behavior, Peter, and I’m surprised that you would think so!”
Peter stared at her for a moment, his dinner forgotten.
“He did not tell you, I think and, most likely, you did not notice given just how drunk you have been almost every evening,” she continued, feeling anger rise up in her chest despite her supposed determination to remain calm. “Really, Peter, I do not think that Lord Brandeis is any way good for you.”
There was a short silence, broken only by Mrs. Beeson’s rather heavy breathing, indicating that she was slightly shocked by what had just been said. Peter did not speak, but rather looked at Caroline with slightly narrowed eyes, as though he suspected she was not telling the truth.
“Tell me, Peter,” Caroline finished, her voice now a little quieter. “Do you truly think that Lord Brandeis’ company is good for you?”
Her brother lifted his chin. “I don’t think that’s any business of yours, Caro.”
Hurt pierced her heart. “I care about you, Peter,” she said, feeling as though she was now expected to explain herself. “I will admit to you here and now that I have been quite worried about your behavior each evening when you come here. Lord Brandeis is not shy about sharing what you’ve been up to – in fact, he makes sure to tell the rest of the tavern about it and they hang onto his every word!” She saw a slight flush rise in Peter’s cheeks but continued on regardless, wondering if perhaps feeling a sense of shame might, in fact, do him good. “That is not the kind of man I thought you were, Peter.”
His gaze narrowed even further. “I am the same person that I have always been, Caro,” he said, firmly. “You, perhaps, do not know me as well as you think.”
Trying to pretend that his words had not stung her – most likely due to the fact that they held a modicum of truth, Caroline drew in a steadying breath, looking helplessly at Mrs. Beeson.
“I think your sister is just a little worried about you, Peter,” Mrs. Beeson said, in an attempt to break the tension that now sparked between them. “And I have to say, I’m a little surprised at you.”
That caught Peter’s attention. Turning to Mrs. Beeson, he raised one eyebrow, although there was no anger in his expression. “Oh? And why is that?”
Mrs. Beeson gave him a small, sad smile. “Your sister has just told you that she’s had to rebuff Lord Brandeis’ advances more than once, and you didn’t even react.” She gazed at him, as Caroline felt herself begin to grow tearful, half wishing she’d never brought up the subject of Lord Brandeis.
“Instead,” Mrs. Beeson continued, gently. “You seem more interested in defending Lord Brandeis instead of telling Caroline that you’ll have a word with him so that he doesn’t do something like that again. Isn’t there any part of you that wants to protect your sister?” She tilted her head, her gaze steady yet firm. “I would have thought that any brother on hearing that would have immediately wanted to take their friend to task. But not you, apparently. Has Lord Brandeis really got that strong a hold on you?”
Caroline held her breath, feeling a lump forming in her throat. Mrs. Beeson had managed to get to the heart of the matter in only a few sentences and had done so whilst keeping her emotions completely in check. There was no anger or frustration in her words or her expression, but rather a gentle probing that had clearly had an effect on Peter. He had set his cutlery down and was now a little white-faced, glancing over at Caroline with guilt fastened to his expression.
“You’re right, of course,” he said, eventually. “I – I wasn’t thinking clearly. Yes, of course, Lord Brandeis shouldn’t be going near Caro. If you remember, though, I did warn him off the first night I was back.” He looked at Caroline intently, as though desperate for her to remember what he’d done, perhaps so that he might appear less guilty. “I did tell him not to go near you, Caro.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat, barely trusting her voice. “I know you did, Peter. But you haven’t seemed to notice or care when Lord Brandeis’ been trying to get me into his bed.”
A flicker of anger crossed Peter’s expression. “I haven’t noticed,” he said, hoarsely. “I didn’t see or hear…..”
“That’ll be the amount of liquor you’ve had, then,” Mrs. Beeson said, practically, getting up to hoist a few more potatoes onto Peter’s plate. “You have been drinking an awful lot of it.”
Peter sighed, putting one hand across his eyes for a moment. “It’s all been so wonderful,” he said softly, half to himself. “I mean, I came back to London with Lord Brandeis and the next thing I know, I’m to stay in his townhouse and go about life as though I’m one of his peers!” Looking over at Caroline, Peter reached for her hand. “I suppose I’ve become lost in that life, Caro. You’re right. This isn’t really who I am. I’ve just been giving myself to nothing but pleasure. I’ve told myself that I deserve it, that I deserve to do whatever I please after all I’ve endured, but if I’m missing Lord Brandeis do something like this to you….” He trailed off, his expression a little haunted. “Then things have to change.”
This was more than Caroline had ever thought possible, and her sigh of relief quickly turned into hot tears that sprang to her eyes, warming her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Caro,” Peter said, slowly. “I won’t say that I’ll give up m
y friendship with Lord Brandeis, because we are very close and I do get along with him famously, but I’ll make certain he doesn’t come near you again. In fact, he’ll formally apologize.” He gave her a half smile, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes. “No more tears, Caro. I’m sorry. Things will change from now on.”
She nodded, her fingers tightening on his. “I’ve never asked you to give up your friendship with Lord Brandeis, Peter. I just want you to be careful.”
His expression grew grim. “Yes, I can see that. From now on, I will be. You have my word, Caro.” Shrugging, his eyes brightened for just a moment. “Perhaps it’ll be my turn to show him what my life was like. You never know, perhaps that’ll make him start thinking about other folks a little more. Perhaps he’ll understand that not everyone has as easy a life as he does.”
Mrs. Beeson chuckled. “Doesn’t he see that already every night when he comes here? Doesn’t he see me and Caroline and Martin all hard at work?” She shook her head. “Besides which, that man’s been in the army! Isn’t that all hard work and discipline?”
Slowly, Peter nodded. “Yes, it is, but he only does it because he has to. His father insisted and purchased his colors. I guess he thought that it might round him out a bit more. He does fight when he has to, but that’s never very often given his rank and his status. The day I found him on the field was one of the rare occasions he was out with the rest of us.” Shaking his head, Peter gave Caroline a wry grin. “We’ve become firm friends after that, but I suppose he’s never really seen past that. He never asks about my life or my home and family. The only time he’s ever mentioned anything was when it came to you, Caro.”
She lifted her brows. “Me?”
Peter nodded, the smile sliding from his face. “The first night he met you. Kept telling me that he’d never seen anyone as pretty before. I took it that he was trying to compliment you just for the sake of it, but he was very insistent.” He squeezed her hand again and then let it go. “I never once thought….”
“Don’t think about it anymore,” Mrs. Beeson said, practically. “It’s done with. We’ve all spoken our minds and I think things are in a much better place now, don’t you?”
Caroline nodded, her heart lifted from the pain and the upset that had bound it for so long.
“Good,” Mrs. Beeson said, with a broad smile. “Now, finish up and I’ll see to the next course.”
“And you can make sure to tell Peter all about Martin,” Caroline quipped, feeling the atmosphere lighten at once. “I’m sure he’ll be very interested to hear about the new man you hired.”
Peter lifted one eyebrow, his eyes glinting with mirth, making Caroline laugh. Mrs. Beeson went bright red and immediately bustled over to the other corner of the kitchen, leaving Peter to fire questions in her direction – none of which she answered. Caroline smiled to herself, quite satisfied with all that had been said and the outcome it had achieved. Perhaps Lord Brandeis would not be a part of their lives for very much longer.
5
Much to Caroline’s surprise, Peter and Lord Brandeis did not appear at the tavern the next evening. Mrs. Beeson was clearly rather astonished too, coming over to mention to her more than once that it was ‘very peculiar’ for them not to turn up. Caroline had shrugged and got on with her work, quite sure that there was a reason behind it. Perhaps, she hoped, Peter had spoken firmly to Lord Brandeis and made it quite clear that he was not to return to the tavern for a time. She would miss seeing Peter of course, if that was the case, but she certainly would not miss Lord Brandeis.
The following evening, Caroline was busy serving the ales and whiskeys as usual, when Mrs. Beeson came rushing over to her again.
“He’s still not here,” she said, wringing her hands. “Oh dear, Caroline. What if something terrible happened to Peter?”
Caroline shook her head, putting a gentle hand on Mrs. Beeson’s shoulder. “Lord Brandeis is not that kind of man,” she said, calmly. “I know that he may be a rogue and a scoundrel, but he is not going to harm the man who saved his life on the battlefield. Perhaps on Sunday, Lord Brandeis simply spent most of the day drinking whatever he could lay his hands on and has not yet had time to recover.”
Mrs. Beeson did not lose any of her worry. “I truly hope you are right, Caroline. Besides which, that man has not paid his tab and it is a hefty one!”
Unable to stop herself from laughing, Caroline patted Mrs. Beeson on the back and carried on with what she was doing, still chuckling quietly. Mrs. Beeson was, underneath it all, concerned about the accounts and Lord Brandeis’ lack of payment for all the drinks he’d ordered and consumed. Caroline was not at all worried. She was quite certain that Lord Brandeis would return to the tavern with Peter soon.
“There, you see,” Caroline said, some hours later, as the door opened to reveal Peter, followed by a scowl faced Lord Brandeis. “They have appeared. Now, if you are very worried about the tab, why don’t you go and ask Lord Brandeis for his payment? He will be able to pay it in full, I am certain.”
Mrs. Beeson let out a sigh of relief, her face immediately wreathed in smiles. “Oh, you were quite right, Caroline. There they are at last.”
Hiding a smile and choosing not to remind Mrs. Beeson that they had only been absent for one night, Caroline dropped her gaze from Lord Brandeis and began to collect the dirty glasses.
“I’ll do the first lot of washing up,” she said, picking up a tray and walking to the door that led to the back of the tavern and the kitchen. “I’ll be back soon.”
Mrs. Beeson, clearly a great deal more relaxed, waved her away and began to serve the men who were shouting for more ale. Caroline, relieved to step into the slightly quieter kitchen, set the tray down and began to prepare the hot water.
“Caro?”
She looked up. “Peter! How good to see you.”
His smile was rather strained. “Yes. Well, I had every intention of being with you last evening but I’m afraid Lord Brandeis and I had a few things to discuss.”
Just as Caroline was about to respond, Lord Brandeis came into the kitchens just behind Peter, his gaze fixed firmly to the floor.
“You were quite right, Caro, about everything,” Peter continued, firmly, not so much as glancing at Lord Brandeis. “And Lord Brandeis has something he wishes to say to you.”
Quite astonished that her brother had managed to achieve what she had thought he would never quite be able to pull from Lord Brandeis, Caroline turned her gaze onto the gentleman and waited patiently for his apology.
“My dear Miss Devonshire,” Lord Brandeis began, his voice a little gruff as he turned his head towards her but continued to look at the floor. “Your brother has reminded me that I treated you rather abysmally once or twice over the last few days. Please be assured of my very great regret in this matter, as well as my assurance that it will not happen again.”
Caroline did not want to accept his apology at once and would have preferred to make him wriggle for a little longer such was her satisfaction but, in the end, she sighed and nodded. “Very well, Lord Brandeis, I accept your apology,” she said, firmly. “And I am glad that, henceforth, you will not behave in that way again.”
“No, indeed,” Peter replied, firmly. “He will not.”
Lord Brandeis cleared his throat, shuffling his feet on the floor. “Your brother has made it quite clear to me, Miss Devonshire, that I have been something of a rogue towards you and, in that, I wish to make things up to you. On top of which, I believe that you are a rather sobering influence on my otherwise rather outlandish character and it is my great hope that you will accept my offer.”
Caroline blinked, entirely confused about what Lord Brandeis was trying to say.
“Lord Brandeis?” she murmured, leaning her hip against the counter. “What do you mean?” She glanced at Peter, who had one eyebrow lifted as he looked at her, as though telling her to at least listen to the man before she refused him outright. Even more befuddled, Caroline f
olded her arms and returned her gaze to Lord Brandeis.
“What is it that you are asking me, Lord Brandeis?”
He cleared his throat and, for the first time, looked at her directly.
“Miss Devonshire, my brother is due to marry in a short time. A month or so, I think. I have said to my father that I will be in attendance, of course, and whilst I have no wish to go to any such event, there is little choice for me in the matter.”
Caroline shrugged. “And what has this to do with me?”
Lord Brandeis sent her a rather uneasy glance, before looking over at Peter who nodded encouragingly.
“Well, Miss Devonshire, I require someone to attend with me.”
A frown knotted her brow. Surely he could not be thinking that she would attend with him! The very idea was preposterous.
“Tell her why you require someone, Brandeis,” Peter said, warningly.
Lord Brandeis sighed heavily, dropping his head. “My father is, as I am sure I have mentioned to you before, quite determined that I need to settle down and become the kind of gentleman son he can be proud of. The army was his idea, of course, but every time I returned home on leave, he has insisted on pushing at least one genteel lady in my direction.” He sniffed, disparagingly. “Of course, I had no interest in any of them, for they each fluttered their eyelashes at me as though their beauty would be enough for me to take them as my wife. I know, of course, that I mean nothing more to them than title and fortune. So I told my father that I was, in fact, courting a wealthy baroness.”
Caroline caught her breath, one hand pressed against her heart.
“She does not exist, of course, and I have it in my mind that you, Miss Devonshire, should play the part of the baroness.”
His words flung themselves at her, threatening to knock her to the ground.