Regency Hearts Boxed Set

by Jennifer Monroe

  “Would that be all right with you?”

  Caroline started. “I am sorry,” she said, shaking her head to clear away the thoughts—and the effects of the wine. “What was that?”

  “I was speaking of my journey to France tomorrow. When Oliver is older, perhaps he will be able to accompany me.”

  Oliver’s face was alight. “Oh, I would so enjoy such a journey!” he exclaimed. “Might I, Mother? I promise to behave for Uncle Neil.”

  Caroline chuckled. “Yes, when you are older, you may,” she replied. “For now, however, you must continue with your studies. You have a great responsibility as the Duke of Browning, and you must be ready to assume those responsibilities when you are older.”

  Neil gave her an appreciative nod. “Your mother is right. You must study daily, and most importantly, listen to her, for she knows what is best for you.”

  The bolt of pride that struck Caroline was a surprise. This man, who had once been cruel and calculating, had become endearing. She would never have thought it possible if she had not seen it with her own eyes.

  “I realize you must be leaving soon,” Neil said, rising from his chair, “but there is something I wish to give you.” He walked around to stand behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

  The old fears returned, and she stiffened beneath the intimate touch. Had she misread the man? Was he back to his old ways, attempting to seduce her as he once had? She prayed all he had shown her was not an act.

  “My mother raised Reginald and me with love and compassion,” he said, “Our father, however, was a brutal man who was strict and had a heart of stone. Mother was not strong enough to stop the man from twisting our minds, but she did what she could to see we learned something of love.” He sighed heavily. “Nevertheless, when I was younger, she gave me a very special gift that I was to give to my wife. Seeing as I have never married, it is only fitting that such a lovely necklace go to a deserving woman. Would you not agree, Oliver?”

  “Yes, Uncle,” Oliver said with an emphatic nod.

  Caroline did not look up at Neil. Her confusion, as well as her fear, froze her in place, and it was only when the man removed his hands from her shoulders that she relaxed at all.

  He walked over to a small table where a box she had noticed before lay. When he returned, in his hands he held a necklace that was beautiful and appeared quite expensive. It displayed the largest sapphire she had ever seen, the light glinting off its perfect angles as it hung from a silver chain.

  “This is for you,” Neil said. Without asking, he returned to stand behind her, his fingertips grazing her skin as he placed the necklace around her neck, the blue pendant falling between her breasts. “Now, what do you think?” He adjusted the pendant, and Caroline found it difficult not to shrink back from his touch.

  “It-it is beautiful,” she managed to say, although her heart pounded in her chest. “But I cannot accept such a gift.”

  He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze and then returned to his seat. “You must accept,” he said. “I will not take no for an answer.” He turned to Oliver. “Your first lesson, Oliver. Remember it well.”

  “I will,” Oliver said with a smile.

  Neil raised his glass. “To family. May we stay by each other through the best and worst of times.”

  Caroline forced a smile as she lifted her own glass. Had she read more into the manner in which the man had touched her? His attention had returned to Oliver, and he gave her not a second glance. Had those old fears attempted to ruin what was clearly a gracious gesture? As she watched the man once again interacting with Oliver, she realized that she had come close to doing just that.

  After some time passed, filled with laughter and talk, the tall clock in the hall chimed. “It is getting late,” she said, finding it strange she felt a bit of reluctance to leave. “I will have Philip see the carriage brought around. Oliver, behave yourself.” She smiled down at him knowing full well he would.

  As she walked past him, she fingered the pendant. It was a beautiful necklace, and what Neil had said was true. He had no wife of his own, so what better way to fulfill the wishes of his mother than to see the necklace remained in the family. She would not have been unhappy if his wife, if he had one, had received the piece, but the gesture had been touching. She could not wait to show it to Philip and hear his thoughts about it, for she thought a lot about his opinion.

  She had to pass several rooms on her way to the foyer, and as he passed one that had its door open, she stopped in shock as she watched Philip pull a woman into his arms and kiss her.

  It was not the kiss itself that had set her heart to plummet to her feet, although the thought of him kissing another left her breathless. No, what sent her over the edge was the person who was on the receiving end of that kiss, for it was none other than the adulterous and treacherous woman who had been mistress to Reginald.

  She placed her back against the wall in order to will her lungs to take in breath. As she stood there, the room reeling around her, Miss Mullens walked out of the room. Thankfully, the woman had not seen her, and Caroline pursed her lips, readying herself for her encounter with the man she had thought had been her supporter.

  When Philip walked through the door, she had her emotions under control and she forced a smile.

  “Are you ready?” she asked, startling the man.

  “I am,” he replied, returning her smile easily.

  How the man had duped her! When her eyes had been focused on whether or not Neil would somehow weasel his way into her life, Philip had sneaked in from behind. Well, she would not allow him to get whatever it was that he wanted from her. What that was, she did not know, but she intended to find out.

  ***

  Caroline nursed a glass of brandy, her third since they had returned home two hours earlier, as she stood on the veranda that looked over the gardens. The stars offered her little consolation, for she could only replay that dreaded moment when she saw Philip kiss Miss Mullens. How was it she could allow the man’s actions to hurt her so? He was free to pursue whomever he chose, was he not? Many mysteries existed in the world, yet the one that bothered her at this moment was herself.

  “You are still drinking I see,” Philip said as he came to stand beside her.

  Caroline studied the hair that covered his features. She should have seen it before in that simple stance; he hid everything from the everyone; therefore, why should it be any different for her?

  “And if I am?” she asked in cool tones. “Do you care or is it you simply wish to mock me?”

  He shifted his stance and looked down. “Of course I care,” he said quietly.

  She gave him a sniff. “I do not believe you,” she said. She pulled her head back and emptied the glass in one go. Of course, it was an unladylike manner to do so, but the action gave her a feeling of satisfaction. He did not deserve to be treated as an equal. Was she not a Duchess and he only a simple protector who had once been a gardener?

  “I am sorry you believe so little of me,” he said.

  “You only care for yourself,” she snapped. She grabbed the parapet to keep herself from falling. When he reached for her arm, she pulled away. “Leave me be,” she hissed.

  “If that is what you wish.”

  His voice carried such a sad note, she wondered, not for the first time, if she was being overly dramatic. But no, she had seen him pull that woman into his arms and kiss her. She had every reason to be angry with him! If it had been any other woman, she would not have taken it so badly.

  Or would she have? Could she say with complete honesty she would have reacted in any other way if the woman had not been the former mistress of her now deceased husband? In all honesty, she could not. Granted, her anger might have been less heated, but it would have been there nonetheless. What she wished to do at that moment was pummel the man with her fist!

  “I have upset you in some way,” he said in that caring tone that mocked her heart. “Please, tell me what
I have done to displease you.”

  Caroline studied him for a moment. Should she reveal what she had seen? Could she stand the lies he would be made to tell to mask the truth? She should not have consumed the amount of brandy she had, for it had muddled her thinking.

  “Oh, it does not matter anymore,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I have made a fool of myself in how I have dealt with you. I am a Duchess; what business do I have giving chase after a man who is in my employ? It seems I am no better than my husband in that aspect.”

  He reached out for her once again, but the very last thing she wished was to feel his hand touching her. “You cannot compare yourself to your husband,” he said. “And you have done nothing wrong.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked. “Do not mock me any longer,” she whispered. Why would she be crying? “You see me as some piece in a game, dangling my feelings in front of me.”

  “Caroline, I must admit I have no idea of what you speak. What is it that I have done to upset you so?”

  Again, she wondered if sharing her thoughts would be the wisest of ideas. He would only use it against her later, would he not? No, she was tired of this conversation.

  She wiped the tears from her face with a kerchief and then straightened her back. “Lord Mullens showed an interest in me,” she said, hoping to change the direction of the conversation. “Do you believe I should allow him to call on me?”

  “If that is what you wish.”

  Infuriating man! “You know what I wish,” she snapped. “Now, answer me.”

  He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. How did a gardener learn to stand so regally? “I do not,” he replied.

  “And why is that?”

  “I do not believe his intentions are honorable, seeing the company he keeps.”

  “Liar!” she said. “Let me see your face.”

  He said nothing as he moved the hair back from his face, and what she saw confused her. What she had expected was to see pride etched in his features, yet what she found was pain.

  “I do not lie,” he said in that quiet, controlled voice. “I only wish to see you happy, and that man cannot be the man who will do so.”

  “If you are so concerned for my happiness,” she said through clenched teeth, “then why did you kiss Miss Mullens? Of all the women you could have chosen, you chose her? Do you realize how much your actions have hurt me?”

  It was quiet for a moment, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the trees. Then he spoke. “Sometimes what we see is not the complete story. Yes, I did as you say, but for reasons other than what you imply.”

  “‘Reasons other than what I imply’?” she asked incredulously. “There are only two reasons a man kisses a woman: he either loves her or lusts for her. So, which is it for you?”

  Philip said nothing for several moments, and Caroline worried he would leave. At that moment, she wished he would; it would make things that much easier. However, later, when she was thinking lucidly once again, she knew she would regret it.

  He let out a heavy sigh and turned toward her. “She was blackmailing me.”

  Caroline could not stop herself from gaping at the man. “Do you expect me to believe such a thing?”

  “I cannot convince you of the truth,” he replied. “But that is what it is.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “How?”

  He returned his gaze to the gardens. “It does not matter.”

  The audacity of the man! Had he no respect for her station? “It matters quite a bit,” she said. “Tell me the truth now, or you may leave and never return.”

  The expression his face assumed in reaction to her words pierced her heart. However, she had to know the truth. She had endured abuse and lies during the past five years; she would not spend the remainder of her years on this Earth subjected to further acts such as these.

  At first, she worried he would not respond, that he would call her bluff and leave her. However, he placed a hand on the parapet and said, “I was looking through the ledgers in Neil’s office, wondering about his transactions. She caught me and threatened to tell him if I did not kiss her. So, rather than being exposed for my prying, I granted her that which she requested. When she had what she wanted, she left.”

  What he said was dubious, to be sure. However, when it came to Miss Mary Mullens, Caroline would not put anything past the woman. Such actions were not beneath her. It was difficult to think—why, oh why, had she drunk so much brandy!

  “I tell you the truth when I say that I was disgusted by being forced to kiss her, for it was not something I wanted to do. Nor do I ever want to do it again.”

  When she turned and gazed into his blue eyes, she could see the truth behind them. “I believe you,” she said, surprising herself. “If she ever threatens you again, you must tell me. Why Neil would take up with someone such as she, I will never understand.”

  “Caroline,” Philip whispered as he brushed away a stray tear from her cheek, “I told you that one day I would be ready to move on from my past. That day is soon approaching. Please, be patient with me, and I promise that, as soon as my heart is ready, I will let you know.”

  She went to speak, but then his lips were on hers, his arms holding her close. This was a kiss she had never experienced in her life, for Reginald had never shown her such passion, a passion that reflected her own. When the kiss ended, she was left breathless, and she realized that she truly cared for this man.

  “That was beautiful,” she whispered.

  His smile was full of love as he gazed down at her. “It was,” he replied. “When this is all over, I will tell you everything, I promise.”

  “When what is over?” she asked as she slipped her arm through his and they headed back inside.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caroline was struggling to keep her attention focused on the discussion of business she was having at the moment with Philip; her thoughts kept returning to the kiss they had shared the previous week. Her imagination was persistent in sending her mind to that day when she would be able to share how much she cared for him and to hear the same returned by him. Although a small lingering doubt played at the back of her mind that Miss Mullens would cause problems, Caroline could not help but allow her heart to guide her steps. And her heart told her that he had indeed told the truth.

  “Now, with your holdings in London,” he was saying, bringing her back to the present, “you could divert a portion of the rents to a new property.”

  The scent of the man alone—a mixture of musk and orange added to that scent that was all his own—made it difficult for her to concentrate.

  “I see,” she replied in an attempt to hide that she had not been listening. “What do you believe I should do?”

  Philip smiled. “It does not matter what I believe,” he said with a touch of amusement. “What matters is whether you would like more holdings in London or if you would rather divert the funds to another city.”

  “Well,” Caroline said, hoping to put her thoughts back to the meeting at hand, “London is the most beautiful city in the world, at least from what I have heard. Therefore, yes, I will advise Mr. Baxter to acquire more property as you suggested.”

  “Very good,” Philip said, and Caroline hid her sigh of relief. Then he paused. “Perhaps you may want to go to London and see what is available for yourself. There is no reason you cannot do so, is there?”

  Caroline had never considered going to London before—Reginald had gone on many occasions but always made excuses as to why she should not go—though she understood that most women in her position spent a vast amount of the year there. “As a matter of fact, there is not,” she replied with a grin. “I must admit that, at times, I forget I am free to leave when I wish.”

  Philip gave her a smile. “You are, Duchess,” he said as he placed his hand on hers.

  Fire erupted in her stomach at his touch, and she slowed her breath to keep control. Would he kiss her again?

 
A scream resounded from outside, and the blood in her veins ran cold. She followed Philip outside where they came upon Miss Lindston, blood pouring from her nose and a bruise already forming on her cheek.

  “What happened?” Philip demanded.

  It took a moment for Miss Lindston to speak. “The…the boy…”

  Fear coursed through Caroline unlike any she had ever known. “What of my son?” she shouted. “Where is he?”

  The governess sobbed and her entire body trembled.

  Philip placed a hand on her shoulder. “Where is Oliver?” he asked quietly.

  “The river,” she managed to say. “The men…they took him!”

  Caroline heard screaming, and it took her a moment before she realized that those screams came from her.

  “I tried to stop them!” Miss Lindston cried, burying her head in her hands and sobbing. “They beat me until I lost consciousness, and when I woke, I found this in my hand. I’m so sorry!” She produced a folded piece of paper, and Philip took it and read it.

  “Take this,” he said as he handed the paper to Caroline. “I will go and see if I can catch them before they get too far.”

  “Find my son!” Caroline cried out to Philip as he ran down the drive. She prayed Oliver would be found and returned to her unharmed, for without him, she had no reason to live.

  ***

  Caroline sat with Miss Lindston as Margaret attended to her wounds. Miss Lindston continued to sob, and for good reason; her nose was likely broken and both eyes seemed to be blackening as Caroline watched. The woman was inconsolable, but Caroline was more than likely not the best person to do the consoling, for the anxiousness with which she suffered was close to becoming panic.

  Philip entered the room, disheveled and with worry set in his features. “I am sorry,” he said. “I could find no sign of them.”

  Caroline ran to him and buried her face in his chest. Now it was her turn to sob, and she held nothing back as he whispered consoling words to her. When she felt she could cry no more tears, she pulled away with reluctance and asked, “What do we do now? I read the letter…”