Journey's End (Gilded Promises)

by Renee Ryan

  Montgomery’s expression softened to match his tone. “Libby St. James is the true victim in all this.” He stepped around the trunk and closed the distance between them with three quick, easy strides. “She is the one for whom justice must be served. Don’t you agree?”

  Caroline managed a nod.

  He reached out and laid a hand on her arm.

  She should shove him away—she knew she should—but his touch brought surprising comfort. Confused, she took a shuddering breath. Why was he being so kind, so understanding?

  Eyes dropped to half-mast, he slid his palm down her sleeve, captured her hand in his, and squeezed gently. Without her gloves there was nothing between them now. At the intimate contact, everything in her calmed. Her heartbeat. Her breathing. Even her thoughts.

  It took every ounce of control not to give in to a sigh.

  “I read your mother’s letters.”

  “You . . . what?” Yanking free of his grip, she stumbled back a step, her heart dipping to her stomach. “You—you . . . had no right.”

  His tone turned apologetic. “Your grandfather thought otherwise.”

  Caroline knew what was in those letters, knew how much her mother had revealed not only about herself but also about her daughter. About her.

  Jackson Montgomery knew more about her childhood than any living soul, aside from her grandfather.

  “How could he have shared them with you?” Her words slipped out in a croaked whisper. She felt betrayed and . . . and . . . What was this strange new emotion? Hope? Relief? Was she so tired of being alone she would risk sharing the burdens of her childhood with this man?

  “Your grandfather trusts me, Caroline, and so should you.” He reached for her again and caught her hand. “I won’t hurt you.”

  It was the worst thing he could have said, the very words that could cut through her remaining defenses. Despite every instinct to run in the opposite direction, she wanted to stop and lean on someone for a change. She wanted to know there was someone who would fight for her, not against her.

  Two cords are stronger than one.

  Holding steady, Montgomery didn’t make a move toward her. Not one step closer. “Caroline, you aren’t alone anymore.”

  He knew. He knew how utterly alone she felt. Oh, how she wished she could trust him. But life had taught her well. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of relying on anyone but herself.

  You aren’t alone anymore.

  Her breath caught in her throat. What if she let this man become her ally? What would that mean? For her, for Elizabeth?

  Elizabeth. How could Caroline lean on Jackson Montgomery, knowing he might very well become her cousin’s husband someday?

  Because this wasn’t personal for him, even if it was for her. She didn’t want this man in her life; she couldn’t want him. Love couldn’t be lost if it had never been found.

  She smoothed her expression free of all emotion.

  “Caroline, I understand what it’s like to take on burdens that seem too heavy to bear at times.” His fingers twined with hers, creating a bond between them that went beyond the words he spoke. “I know what you have endured. I—”

  “How can you know?” She extricated her hand from his, furious at herself as much as at him. For a brief moment she’d allowed herself to believe. She’d allowed herself to hope. Weak, weak girl. “How can you dare compare us to one another?”

  “I know what loneliness is,” he said, his voice full of gravity, his eyes earnest and intense. “I know what it means to be desperate, to—”

  “No. Don’t say anything more.” She refused to be moved by the sincerity in his eyes or the undisguised vulnerability on his face. He could be bluffing. She needed him to be bluffing. “You can’t possibly understand what desperation feels like.”

  “In that you are wrong. So very wrong.”

  “Montgomery, listen, I—”

  “Enough talking.” He swooped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

  Too stunned to move, Caroline held perfectly still as his head lowered toward hers, his blue eyes dark with intent.

  Mesmerized, she felt her breath stall in her throat. One word echoed in her mind, sealing her doom. Finally.

  Finally.

  Jackson had never given in to his base desires, had never allowed emotion to rule his actions. Of course, he’d never been this moved by another person’s pain.

  Common sense disappeared, as did all signs of the respectable man he’d fought ruthlessly to become.

  Unable to do otherwise, he pressed his lips to Caroline’s. Slowly, gently. She softened in his arms. He murmured her name, and she relaxed further still.

  He tightened his hold, pulled her flush against him, and then—

  Cold, hard sanity returned.

  What was he doing? Caroline was Richard’s granddaughter. Elizabeth’s cousin.

  Elizabeth.

  Hot tendrils of guilt shot through him. He pulled back. One beat passed, two.

  Caroline blinked up at him. Her eyes were glassy, her lips shiny, her breathing erratic. She looked thoroughly kissed.

  He’d done that to her.

  Sadly, he couldn’t find it in himself to be sorry. Disgusted with his behavior, he released his hold from her waist, only just realizing they were still wrapped in each other’s arms.

  He took yet another step back. Away from Caroline. Away from temptation.

  “I’m sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair, cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

  He’d allowed his control to slip. He’d ignored propriety and had taken what he’d wanted. One forbidden kiss and he’d become no better than his father. There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

  He’d been kidding himself to think otherwise.

  Caroline continued to blink up at him, her thoughts unreadable in her expression. “Have you ever kissed my cousin like that?”

  He shut his eyes briefly against the guilt racing through him. “No.”

  She touched her lips and looked at him strangely, as though taking his measure and seeing him for the first time. “Maybe you should.”

  “Pardon me?”

  Her hand fluttered back to her side and gripped her skirt. “Maybe you should kiss Elizabeth with that same sort of enthusiasm behind it.”

  He simply stared at her. “You cannot be serious.”

  She shook her head at him. “That’s the trouble with your kind.”

  “My kind?”

  “You gentlemen who play by the rules,” she clarified, her tone turning to disappointment. He would prefer her anger. “You are determined to keep your women locked in their perfectly boring, utterly safe little worlds, unaware that these same women might not mind a little rule-breaking every now and again, especially in the areas of kissing and . . . whatnot.”

  “Whatnot?”

  “Honestly, Montgomery, do I have to spell out everything?”

  “Apparently, you do.”

  “You are about as obtuse as any man I have met.” She stepped forward and poked him in the chest. “If you want to win my cousin’s hand, you should start by kissing her like you just did me.”

  How could the woman speak so casually about this? A long glance in her eyes and he realized she wasn’t as casual as she let on. She was shocked and hurt and lashing out at him.

  He balled his hands into fists to keep them from reaching out to her again. Madness. This was sheer madness.

  “I won’t discuss this with you,” he said through a tight jaw. Not when he still wanted to drag her back in his arms and soothe away that sad look in her eyes.

  “Fine. Ignore my advice, you stubborn man.” She tossed the words at him like a challenge. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  He opened his mouth to argue yet another point with her, not precisely sure which one, but she turned her back on him.

  “It’s time for you to leave.” She set her attention on folding some sort of shawl and then car
efully setting it in a small drawer on the right side of the trunk.

  “Caroline.”

  “Are you still here?” she asked, barely glancing in his direction.

  “I’ll leave when we’re finished.” He waited for her to look at him fully. When she didn’t, he continued as if she had. “I want to know where you will be living once you leave this hotel.”

  She sighed. “At a perfectly respectable boarding house on the west side of town.”

  Her answer didn’t surprise him. That didn’t mean he found her decision acceptable. Far from it.

  “What?” She turned to look at him at last. “No comment on my choice?”

  Oh, he had plenty to say. “I have a better idea.”

  She gave him a quelling look. “I just bet you do.”

  Holding back a retort, for both their sakes, he continued, “My grandmother lives in a mansion near your grandfather’s home, but not too near.”

  “And your point?”

  “My point is that she lives alone, with only her little dogs and her servants to keep her company. Although she would say otherwise, I fear she is lonelier than she lets on.”

  She studied him. “And that worries you.”

  “A great deal,” he admitted candidly. “I would like for you and your maid to move in to her home.”

  “She has agreed to this.”

  “Yes.” Or she would once Jackson explained the situation.

  Caroline remained rooted to the spot. “What would you get out of this arrangement?”

  “Peace of mind.”

  “Indeed.” Lips pressed together, Caroline picked up another shawl and carefully folded it in the same manner as she had the one before.

  At the sight of all that control, his anger reared up. “Not everyone is out to hurt you, Caroline.”

  “So you say.” She placed the shawl in the same drawer as the first. “I can’t help but wonder. Is this offer of yours an attempt to keep an eye on me, or do you truly wish to provide your grandmother with female companionship?”

  Debating how best to proceed, he took her hands and clasped them inside his. “What if I said both?”

  “Then I would say this is the first time in our brief acquaintance that you are being completely honest with me.”

  He laughed, though the sound came out rusty and a little tortured. “Move in to Wayfare House.”

  “Wayfare House?”

  “My grandmother’s home.”

  “Her house has a name?”

  “Say yes, Caroline,” he persisted. “The two of you will be good for each other.”

  “You know, Montgomery, I should move in with your grandmother for no other reason than to keep an eye on you.”

  He smiled. “Say yes, Caroline.”

  “Let me think on it.”

  “Say yes.”

  “You aren’t going to relent, are you?”

  “Say yes.”

  “Oh, all right, yes.” She met his gaze, her hands shaking ever so slightly. “I will move into your grandmother’s home, if for no other reason than to torment you with my constant presence in your life.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Now that she’d had time to think on the matter, Caroline questioned the wisdom of agreeing to Montgomery’s proposition to move into his grandmother’s home. She’d fallen into a dangerous, albeit temporary, state of recklessness, brought on by the man’s unexpected, toe-curling kiss. He’d wormed past her defenses, the clever, talented rogue.

  Sighing, Caroline touched her lips.

  One kiss, nothing more than a simple meeting of lips, and she had lost perspective. The best course of action would be to move into the female-only boarding house as originally planned.

  Nevertheless, by early evening of the next day, Caroline found herself settled in a delicious room on the second floor of Wayfare House. Sally was firmly in tow, installed just one room over. This would have been quite unconventional if Sally were truly her maid. The girl should be residing in the servants’ quarters in the designated wing beneath the kitchen.

  But Caroline needed her closer. She wanted her closer, not only for her much-needed advice, but because she liked the young maid and was beginning to consider her a friend. Thus, she’d refused to listen to Sally’s arguments on the matter, pressing her own case until the girl had finally agreed to take the room adjoining Caroline’s.

  As if materializing on cue, Sally entered Caroline’s bedchamber.

  She smiled at the girl. “These accommodations are vastly different from the ones we left behind at the Waldorf-Astoria. What say you?”

  “I agree.” Sally ran her palm along the marble mantelpiece lined with genuine gold, her expression thoughtful. “All these bits of finery are far grander than any I’ve ever seen. Where do you suppose such vast amounts of money came from?”

  Caroline shared the maid’s awe. There was wealth. And then there was wealth.

  “I have no idea.” She hadn’t dug that far into the Montgomery family history. Instead, she’d used her days at the library to focus solely on her grandfather. “Maybe I’ll ask Mrs. Montgomery. I wager she’ll tell me.”

  Caroline had liked the matriarch upon their first meeting earlier that day. Despite their age difference, she’d felt a connection with the old girl that had filled her with a unique mix of affection, admiration, and security. A heady combination.

  Sally released an audible sigh. “Do you ever listen to anything I say?” The maid planted her fists on narrow hips. “You can’t just ask Mrs. Montgomery that sort of question. It’s simply not done.”

  The girl was really quite versed in what was and was not done. Caroline wondered where she’d received her plethora of information but feared her friend wouldn’t answer her truthfully if she asked.

  “Oh, Sally. Normally I would submit to your superior knowledge on the subject.” Unable to resist, Caroline pulled the girl into a quick hug, as she’d done with her cousin just yesterday. Unlike Elizabeth, Sally resisted the warm exchange.

  Releasing her, Caroline let out her own audible sigh. “I sense Montgomery’s grandmother is different from most society mavens.”

  Sally pursed her lips. “I suppose we’ll find out which one of us is right soon enough.”

  “No time like the present.” Caroline headed for the door. “Are you coming?”

  “No. Absolutely not. It isn’t—”

  “Yes, yes, I know. A maid joining the family for dinner simply isn’t done.”

  “It’s not just that.” Sally lifted her chin at a stubborn angle. “Even if it was acceptable, I don’t want anything to do with these people, especially not your Mr. Montgomery.”

  “He’s not my Mr. Montgomery. And what’s wrong with him?” Despite knowing how dangerous it was, Caroline was starting to rather like the handsome brute, although she only admitted that little piece of information silently to herself.

  This change of heart had nothing to do with his kiss. She simply enjoyed matching wits with an intelligent man.

  “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with him. And that’s the problem. He’s really quite perfect. Handsome, smart, broad shouldered—he even looks me in the eye when he speaks to me. But he’s also . . . so . . . so . . .”

  “Masculine?”

  “I was going to say intimidating. All that easy charm, I don’t like it.” Palms up, Sally backed away as if there were a large snake hanging from the doorway, coiled and ready to strike. “And his grandmother scares me.”

  “She’s a dear.” If one looked past the woman’s propensity for asking pointed, uncomfortable questions about one’s past, as she’d done when Caroline and Sally had first arrived at Wayfare House.

  “All those little yappy dogs running around her.” Sally visibly quaked. “They bite.”

  “Only one of them, and that was after you stepped on the poor thing’s tail.”

  “That curlicue is not a tail.” Sally sniffed inelegantly, looking as haughty as any person Caroline had met
in New York society. “No. I’ll not go downstairs with you. I’ll just finish unpacking, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Coward.” Caroline softened the accusation with a wink.

  “You better believe I am.” They both laughed, the gesture relaxing Sally’s shoulders and encouraging Caroline to pull her into another stiff hug.

  “Well, if you won’t join me, then I’m off to converse with the dear lady and her favorite grandson.” Caroline added the perfect amount of snobbery in her tone, the way Sally had taught her that first day.

  Sally shoved her toward the door. “Go on with you, then.”

  “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.” Tossing a wave over her head, she exited the room laughing. The sound died in her throat once she realized she didn’t know how to find her way back downstairs. The hallways in this ridiculously large house were a virtual labyrinth of twists and turns.

  After five minutes of wandering around aimlessly, Caroline resorted to the trick she’d learned on unfamiliar streets in Whitechapel. Choosing a direction at random, she flattened her palm on the nearest wall and continued forward. If she didn’t break the connection, she would eventually find her way out of this complicated maze of hallways.

  Just as she’d predicted, after doubling back a few times, she came to the top of the massive staircase at the front of the house.

  Montgomery stood at the bottom, looking dangerously elegant in his formal attire. The black trousers, matching coat and tails, and starched white shirt should have made him look less threatening. No such luck.

  Even with his arm casually looped over the banister and that easy expression on his face, he appeared alert, awake, a man who knew his place in the world.

  That alone should help her keep her guard firmly in place.

  Caroline, you aren’t alone anymore. His words from yesterday echoed in her mind. He’d found her weakness and had slipped past every single defense she’d so carefully erected around her heart.

  You aren’t alone anymore.

  Could it be true? Oh, how she wanted it to be true. But it was dangerous to allow even a sliver of hope to form in her heart. The stakes were too high. She didn’t have a secure place in this world, and there was no guarantee that she would find one.