“Sinister?”
“After the potion had rendered you motionless, I was supposed to undress you and make it seems as if you had behaved in an untoward way with me.” Lady Warwick shook her head slowly as her daughter spoke. “But I could not go through with it. My conscious would not allow me to commit such a heinous act to an innocent man.”
“Why were you supposed to do this?” Jasper asked although he suspected what the answer would be.
“Lord Estaria had assured me this was the only way for us to be together,” she said, staring at the floor.
“He told me that by implicating you, it would give him the time he required to prepare for our future together.” She stopped to wipe away her tears. She heaved a deep breath and turned to look at Lord Estaria, who had retreated to the end of the room. “I am carrying Lord Estaria’s child.”
There was a stunned silence at this revelation.
Finally, the silence was ruptured by the Duke of Aston. “You are with child? My son’s child?”
“Yes,” she muttered.
“That’s it,” Lord Brighney shouted. “This wedding is cancelled!”
“You are right to do so, Lord Brighney.” The Duke of Aston walked to his son, his face bright red with anger. “You! You are a disgrace to this family. The only solace I have is that your poor mother did not live to see you ruin our legacy.”
“Your Grace,” Lord Warwick said abruptly. “The pain your son has caused to my daughter is unsurmountable. But before I leave with my family, I only pray that we can spare my daughter the ridicule, that announcing Lord Estaria’s actions to the world would ensue. It is the least he owes her.”
“There is a solution here that will spare your daughter from any shame or ridicule, My Lord.” They all turned to stare at Lord Brighney. “If Lord Estaria agrees to marry Lady Louisa, all accusations will be avoided.”
“You cannot be serious!” Lord Estaria cackled, but he stopped speaking at once, as his father shouted with immerse force.
“Stop this nonsense! Lord Brighney is correct, of course. You will marry her.” The Duke of Aston stood face to face with his son. “Consider this your final chance of redemption.”
“Fine,” Lord Estaria replied, clearly steaming with anger.
“Mr. Langley,” the Duke of Aston said. “We have not yet addressed my son’s attempt to discredit your name.”
“As a gesture to you, Your Grace, you may rest assured that I will refrain from publicly denouncing your son,” he replied. “But only if Lord Estaria announces his wedding with Lady Louisa immediately.”
Caroline, I will rid you of this dreadful man.
“That is most reasonable, Mr. Langley.” The Duke of Aston turned to Lord Estaria. “Come now. We are leaving”
After hurried goodbyes, the Duke and Lord Estaria left the room, followed by Lady Louisa and her parents. Jasper was unsure if he should leave, as he desperately wanted to see Caroline. Lord Brighney had his back to him, standing by a small table pouring himself a drink.
“Here you go.” Lord Brighney handed him a glass. He accepted it and took a gulp, enjoying the burning sensation at the back of his throat as he swallowed. Perhaps this was a good sign, perhaps Lord Brighney would not be put off by the idea of him and Caroline together.
“Lord Estaria’s actions were inexcusable,” Lord Brighney said. “Although your antics at the church were a tad too dramatic for my own taste, it seems to have saved my daughter from a marriage conceived through trickery.”
He clutched the glass tightly in his hand, hanging on to every word Lord Brighney spoke.
“For that, I thank you.” Lord Brighney raised his glass slightly. “But although you have been of tremendous service to me, it is clear as day that you went behind my back. Something transpired between you and Lady Caroline, what that was I do not wish to know. But you will leave this house, and listen carefully to me. You are not welcome here again, and under no circumstances are you to come near my daughter ever again. As a courtesy for your discretion, I will not mention this indiscretion of yours to anyone. Now leave my house.” Lord Brighney stormed out of the room.
Jasper was utterly stunned. After all that had transpired, all that had been discovered in this very room mere minutes ago, it had all been for naught.
What are my options now, my sweet Caroline, how will we ever be able to be together?
Chapter 42
Caroline felt someone bustling near her. Her mind felt fuzzy, and for a moment, she could not understand what the cold sensation on her forehead was. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Madeleine’s worried face above her.
“She is waking up!” Madeleine spoke softly but urgently.
“You gave us quite a fright, My Lady.” A kind-looking man, with round spectacles and a great big mustache, smiled at her. She sat up straighter and realized it was Mr. Watford, the family’s physician.
“Where am I?” But as soon as she said it, she recognized her room. She was not wearing her wedding gown anymore. “What happened?”
“I’m afraid you collapsed, My Lady,” Mr. Watford said. “You need rest, but you will be all right.”
“Now, make sure Lady Caroline eats plenty,” Mr. Watford said to Madeleine. He moved away from her bed, picking up his bag on his way. She could hear him speak in a low voice with someone she could not see.
“Thank you, Mr. Watford.” Caroline realized that her aunt must be there also. The door opened and closed, and then silence filled the room. She felt weak, and her head ached. The scene from the church now seemed as if it had happened a long while ago. The uncertainty of her impending fate weighed heavily on her.
“How are you feeling?” The Dowager Duchess approached her bed, with an inscrutable expression on her serious face.
“Tired. Where is—” she hesitated. She wanted to know where Jasper was, what had happened to him, but she didn’t dare to ask. “Where is Father?”
“He is in his office. He will want to speak with you about…” Her aunt’s voice trailed away. “Well, you should try to sleep, dear.” Her aunt looked at Madeleine and shook her head minutely, then left the room.
“What has happened?” She asked once they were alone. “Where is Mr. Langley?”
“I do not know,” Madeleine replied unconvincingly.
“Madeleine, tell me!”
“I cannot, I’m sorry, My Lady.” Madeleine stared at the bed cover.
“All right then.” She sighed and laid down again. She might as well try and sleep.
But after she had tried to fall asleep for almost an hour, she sat up and stretched out her arms. Madeleine rushed to her. “Madeleine, will you help me get dressed?”
“Of course, My Lady,” Madeleine replied hesitantly. “But are you certain you do not wish to rest more?”
“I am sure. I need to speak to my father.” She stood up and walked toward her window, pulling the curtains aside. In front of the house was nothing out of the ordinary, although she had been sure that she had heard the sound of a carriage a few moments ago.
Madeleine helped her get dressed, but when she made to leave to see her father, Madeleine stopped her. “I am sorry, My Lady, but Her Grace said that you must not leave your room.”
“What?”
“I will inform them that you wish to speak with Lord Brighney,” Madeleine hurried to say and rushed from the room.
Why would they confine me to my room?
Once Madeleine returned to inform her that her father was ready to see her, a strange suspicion crept up on her. She was strangely nervous, standing in front of her father. They were in his library, and he seemed to have aged many years since she saw him earlier that morning.
“You seem to be feeling better, poppet,” Lord Brighney said.
“Yes, I am.”
“What will happen now?” She asked cautiously. “Has the wedding been postponed?”
“No,” he replied sharply. “The wedding has been called off, in lieu of recent informa
tion I have acquired about Lord Estaria.”
“Called off?” She could not believe this. She was free.
“Lord Estaria will marry Lady Louisa,” he said uncomfortably.
“Lady Louisa? What? I don’t understand?” She gaped at her father, utterly shocked.
“This is a sensitive matter, and I do not wish to further discuss this with you.”
“I deserve an explanation, Father. I was supposed to marry Lord Estaria today, and now the wedding has been called off, and he is to marry someone else.” As her father seemed to become even more unsettled by their conversation, a light had ignited inside her.
“Lady Louisa is expecting,” he said slowly. “Faced with this impending scandal, Lord Estaria attempted to entrap Mr. Langley so that he might marry you without any complication.”
“I cannot believe this,” she muttered. Her father did not say anything for a while, which allowed Caroline to piece together what had happened today.
Jasper was innocent after all.
Suddenly he said, “After careful consideration, I have decided that you should leave London. Her Grace will accompany you, of course.” His tone was firm and unwavering.
“Leave? Father, why do I need to leave?” Her pulse was racing, and she stepped closer to him.
“This is for your own good,” he replied. “To spare you from improper influences.”
Jasper. Father must know about him.
“Does this concern Mr. Langley?” She tried with all her might to keep a cool head and to stop her voice from trembling.
“It was a mistake, having Mr. Langley around the house so much,” her father continued. “You are a kind and sweet soul, and he took advantage of your gentle nature. For that, I can only blame myself. I did not protect you as I should have.”
Gentle nature…
The words stung as if he had cursed at her. To have him minimize her connection and bond with Jasper this way filled her with anger and frustration.
“He did not take advantage of me,” she said, but her voice was barely audible.
“Darling, Caroline. You do not need to pretend to be brave in front of me. You will never have to see Mr. Langley ever again.” Now, her anger bubbled to the surface. She felt belittled and patronized, and a wild recklessness took over her.
“I love him,” she stated boldly. “And he loves me.”
“Caroline!” He sighed dramatically.
“No, Father!” She interrupted him. “Mr. Langley was never improper with me, but he loves me—truly loves me, and he believes in me. The articles he published…” She hesitated for a moment. “I wrote them. Mr. Langley submitted them in his name, for me.”
Lord Brighney stared at her in stunned silence. Finally, he spoke again, but now his whole demeanor had changed. He was livid and yelled at her, “Do you have any idea what might have happened if someone found out about that? It would be a scandal that you would never recover from. Do you understand that, Caroline?”
“Father, the articles were good. You said it yourself!” She was not prepared to go on without explaining her actions.
“This is not you. This is the influence of Mr. Langley. My sweet Caroline would never do anything like this.” Her father was heaving with anger.
“It is who I am.” She sobbed. “Mr. Langley saw me for who I am.”
“You will never see that man!” He slammed his fist harshly on his desk in anger, causing papers to scatter around. Furious, and utterly heartbroken, she ran from the room, ignoring his angry calls after her.
For the remainder of the day, Caroline stayed cooped up in her room. She refused to join her father and aunt for dinner, claiming to be too tired. She sat on the window sill and gazed unfocused at the steadily darkening sky.
Strangely, she felt more trapped now than when she had been about to marry Lord Estaria. Now that her father knew about her and Mr. Langley, there was truly no way for them to meet by a happy chance, ever again. There was a quick knock on the door, and Madeleine hurried to fetch the dinner that had been sent up to the room. She carried the small tray to a side table.
“You should eat, My Lady.”
“Madeleine,” she said, her voice fragile from her crying. “I need your help.”
“Yes, My Lady?” Madeleine looked apprehensive.
“Father is going to send me away, but I cannot leave without seeing Mr. Langley one more time. I have to say goodbye to him.” A strangled sob escaped her lips. She hated how weak she sounded. “But I do not know how I will be able to leave.”
“I understand,” Madeleine replied quietly. “Allow me to see what I can do.”
“Thank you, dear Madeleine.”
“You should always follow your heart. It knows best.” Madeleine blushed slightly at her own words. “That is what my mother always said, My Lady.”
“I wish I could do that,” she replied soberly. “More than anything!”
The sky was pitch dark now. Caroline sat on her bed, dressed in a gray gown from Madeleine, with a matching cape neatly folded next to her. She was waiting until Madeleine would get her. The plan was to sneak her through the back garden, where Jimmy was waiting with a carriage.
She could not understand how he had managed to take a carriage without anyone’s notice, but she had no time to worry about that. All that mattered was that she would get away from the house. If someone found out in the morning, then it would hardly change much, she figured, since she was still being exiled from London no matter what she did.
There was a soft knock, and Madeleine entered the room. “Come now, My Lady. We do not have much time.” Caroline jumped from the bed and put on the gray cape.
Once they were outside, she relaxed slightly. She walked among the trees in case a beam of moonlight might shine upon her. They reached the enclosure which Emma had escaped through.
“Jimmy will take you to Mr. Langley and wait for you,” Madeleine said hurriedly. “I must go back, My Lady.”
“Thank you again,” she said gratefully.
“Go, Jimmy is waiting, My Lady.” Madeleine turned around and hurried back to the house. She was going to make sure no one came to her room, claiming that Caroline was unwell and needed rest.
Caroline hurried down the path until she reached the road. There was a small carriage that she had not seen for a long time. It must be one of the discarded carriages that her aunt refused to be seen in.
The carriage moved slowly, and she was sure that Jimmy was careful no one heard the clatter of the hooves.
“We have arrived, My Lady,” Jimmy said after a short ride. She jumped down, thanked him, and hurried to the house across the street.
She knocked three times and waited. As the door opened slowly, she leaped forward into the bewildered arms of Jasper. Despite his initial shock, he held her securely and lifted her off the ground.
“I was afraid I would never see you again,” he said, stroking her hair gently.
“I felt the same. I had to see you.” She closed the gap between them and kissed him passionately. She did not want to tell him that she would be leaving soon. She wanted to have one more night, where she could cling to hope.
Chapter 43
“I cannot believe you are here,” Jasper said, caressing her face lovingly. They sat down side by side on his small couch. He was still fully dressed, but the lodging was almost completely dark, the only source of light was from a nearly burnt-out candle.
“I had to thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes at his touch. “Before you came to the church, I had lost all hope. You saved me from Lord Estaria.”
“I could not allow that scum to marry you,” he spat. “I thought that if I could only stop the wedding in time to help your father see what he had done, I would be satisfied—even if that meant that I would have to confess my true feelings to you.”
“Oh, Jasper!” She was overcome with emotion. Her father’s decision, Jasper’s sacrifice, and the uncertainty of what lay in her future, all plummeted
over her. “I feel so embarrassed and ashamed by my actions.”
“What are you talking about?” He stroked her cheek softly.
“Lord Estaria convinced me that you had been unfaithful. I now know the truth,” she said bitterly.
“Don’t apologize, my darling. Lord Estaria is more conniving and dangerous than either of us could have foreseen.” He put his finger beneath her chin, making her look at him. “You might have been in danger if you had not gone along with his threats.”
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