by Laura Martin
‘Far too easy. The gossips don’t care where the information comes from, it’s the thrill they get from spreading it they like.’
‘Can your ego take an imaginary dunking?’
‘I think I’m able to withstand it.’
‘Thank you. I am indebted to you once again.’
‘I’ll have to find some interesting way to redeem your debt.’ As soon as he said the words he imagined a thousand things he would like Caroline to do. Most involved very little clothing and a lot of time spent in bed.
He forced himself to look away, to focus his gaze on the flickering flames, waiting until his eyes were almost watering before he allowed himself to glance back at Caroline. Today had been a strange day, undeniably enjoyable despite the drama, but certainly unsettling. He had almost kissed his best friend more times than he cared to admit and the burgeoning desire he felt for her was increasing every moment they spent together.
Lady Yaxley came and joined them by the fire, smoothing down her skirts as she sat. A moment later the footman reappeared with a glass of brandy which he handed over to James.
Quickly he took a gulp, enjoying the warm burn as the liquid travelled down his throat. He would just drink his brandy, make his farewells and leave, giving him time and distance away from Caroline to remind himself of the madness of his desires.
‘Did your hair get loosened in the park somehow?’ Lady Yaxely asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in Caroline’s attempts to pin her hair back neatly.
There was a pause and he saw Caroline’s eyes widen a fraction as she tried to work out a reasonable explanation for her needing to re-pin her hair.
‘Bertie,’ James said, giving a serious shake of his head to accompany the word. ‘He jumped at you when he got out of the water and somehow you knocked your hair with your arm.’
‘Bertie has been busy today,’ Lady Yaxley murmured.
‘Thank you for your hospitality, but I must excuse myself and return home. It has been a most eventful day.’
Caroline accompanied him to the front door. As he stepped outside he thought about turning back and brushing a kiss on her cheek, but with Lady Yaxley already suspicious he knew he would never get away with it. Instead he straightened his back and strode off down the road, resisting the urge to look back.
Chapter Ten
‘I served in the army for five years,’ Lord Hauxton said as they rode at a sedate pace through Hyde Park.
‘You did? Surely that’s unusual for an earl?’
‘It is, but I was no great rebel, protesting against the path my father had mapped out for me, I’m afraid. I wasn’t born to inherit. When I went off to the army I had two older brothers in robust health.’
‘What happened?’
‘There was a fire at our ancestral home. Both my brothers were in residence, as well as my parents. I was away with my regiment at the time.’
‘I’m so sorry. To lose everyone all at one, that’s terrible.’
‘It is. I still sometimes find myself thinking I’ll just go and ask one of my brothers for advice on this matter or that.’
She didn’t doubt Lord Hauxton had always had a serious character, but a life marred by so much tragedy explained a little why he had a reputation for only seldom smiling in company. Although she had found him to be a pleasant companion, fascinating to talk to and interested in her views.
‘I’ve been lucky,’ Caroline said, bringing her horse in a little closer to Lord Hauxton’s as she spoke. ‘I haven’t lost many people in my life. Although I do understand what you mean by sometimes reaching for someone who isn’t here. I had a friend, a very good friend, who left the country five years ago. She was like a sister to me and even now when I don’t know what to do I think I’ll just pop around to her house and ask her.’
‘Lady Georgina,’ Milton said after a moment. ‘I remember her.
‘Although in my case I suppose I am lucky in that I can still write to her.’
‘It’s not quite the same, though—although putting pen to paper can be cathartic it isn’t the same as the back and forth you get when someone is right in front of you.’
They rode on for a few minutes in silence and Caroline stole a glance at the man riding beside her. He was an accomplished horseman, attractive and eloquent. He was more than she had dared to hope for when she had decided to start her search for a husband.
Unbidden, an image of James flashed into her mind and she had to resolutely push it away. It wasn’t fair to compare Lord Hauxton to the man she’d loved for five years. Milton did have one advantage over James, though—he seemed interested in her romantically.
She thought of the spark of something that looked very much like desire in James’s eyes as she’d stepped out from behind the screen in the artist’s studio. He’d looked at her in a way he’d never looked at her before, hungry and primal. She’d watched as he’d wrestled with himself as he’d taken hold of her ankle and then felt the crushing disappointment as he’d moved away.
For days she’d been plagued by images of that look of desire in James’s eyes, trying to work out if she’d imagined it and, if not, what it meant.
Nothing, she told herself for the hundredth time. It meant nothing. It was just something to distract her from Lord Hauxton, from what was important.
‘I was planning on inviting you to the opera again next week,’ Lord Hauxton said as they turned their horses and started to head back through the park, ‘but I think you are not altogether too keen on it.’
Caroline was about to protest, but then decided against it. ‘No, I’ve never really warmed to it,’ she confessed. ‘I know most people love it and I admire the singers greatly—I often wish I could sing with a tenth of their range—but the whole opera experience is not my favourite way to spend an evening. I’m sorry.’
‘There is nothing to apologise for. Everyone has different interests, different likes and dislikes.’
‘You like the opera, though.’
‘I do, but I can see how it wouldn’t appeal to everyone. And I happen to believe that it is healthy in a friendship or a relationship to have different interests and differences of opinion.’
Caroline quickly glanced sideways. It was the first time Lord Hauxton had mentioned a relationship between them, even though it was quite clear where his intentions lay. In the past four days she’d seen him three times. First when he’d come to call on her on the afternoon she and James had become trapped in the studio. Then the following day at the opera and now today for this ride through Hyde Park. Her mother was becoming increasingly hopeful that a proposal might be forthcoming before the end of the month and even Caroline couldn’t deny things were moving forward quicker than she ever imagined possible.
There was no quickening of her pulse at that thought, no surge of joy in her heart, but she reminded herself for the hundredth time that it didn’t matter.
‘Good afternoon, Lord Hauxton, Miss Yaxley.’
Caroline had to turn around to see who had joined them, he’d approached from behind quietly.
‘Lord West.’
She didn’t know Lord West well, despite him being another of James’s friends. He lived in the very male world of the ton, eschewing the dancing at the balls he attended for the card rooms, or more often, if James was to be believed, preferring to spend his time in some of the less salubrious taverns south of the river.
‘Pleasant day for a ride,’ Lord West said, manoeuvring his horse into step beside Caroline.
‘It is indeed, Lord West. Are you out riding for pleasure?’
‘My wife has her relatives visiting,’ he said, lowering his voice and leaning in conspiratorially. ‘I decided a little fresh air would do me the world of good before jumping back into the fray.’
Caroline had to suppress a smile. Although she did not know Lord West well, she had heard sn
ippets of information about him from James. She remembered James saying he was dissatisfied with his wife—a young woman Caroline had met on a handful of occasions who was pretty, but forceful in nature.
‘I’m sure it can’t be all that bad,’ Milton murmured.
‘I can assure you it is. Perhaps you’d like to take my place, Milton, and I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in the park with Miss Yaxley.’
‘I think your wife might notice the wrong man had returned to her,’ Caroline said drily.
West looked at her for a moment and then threw his head back and laughed.
‘Do you know, Miss Yaxley, I think she might, but whether she would complain would be another matter.’
‘You do your wife a disservice, West.’ Milton’s voice was low but serious and Caroline saw the thrum of tension pass between the two men.
‘You’re right, of course. Shouldn’t speak badly about the wife in public. Shame she doesn’t afford me the same courtesy—everyone has heard how much she regrets our marriage and how she wishes it was Milton or Heydon who’d proposed.’
Caroline shifted uneasily in her saddle and glanced sideways. West was swaying backwards and forward ever so slightly and she realised he was well on his way to being inebriated. From the frown on Milton’s face he was aware of the issue, too, and was trying to work out how best to deal with it.
‘Ah, here he is. The man every wife secretly wishes they were wed to.’
Caroline looked ahead, seeing James appear through one of the gates to the park on horseback. She felt a nervous energy begin to surge through her. She hadn’t seen him since the evening they’d spent locked together in the artist’s studio and immediately she was taken back to that moment when he looked at her with desire in his eyes.
‘Good afternoon,’ James said lifting his hat as he approached. She noted the minuscule frown line between his brows as he looked at each of the three of them in turn. ‘If I was a suspicious man, I would think this some sort of conspiracy.’
‘Milton and I have decided you’ve been keeping Miss Yaxley to yourself for far too long,’ West lurched a little on his horse as he spoke, causing both James and Milton to lean forward in their saddles as if ready to pounce. ‘She’s a delightful creature.’
‘Woman,’ Caroline corrected him not quite under her breath.
‘Spirited,’ West continued.
‘Also like a horse.’ Caroline knew she should keep quiet, but West was beginning to irk her and she’d never been good at holding her tongue.
‘I have a feeling what you see is what you get with Miss Yaxley, unlike many women who hide behind a veneer of loveliness, only for you to find the harridan beneath once you’re already shackled.’
‘Enough,’ James said abruptly. ‘Stop before you insult Miss Yaxley any further.’
‘A compliment, my dear fellow,’ West slurred. He was more intoxicated than Caroline had first realised and she momentarily forgot her annoyance at the man as he swayed dangerously in his saddle. She might not like him, but she didn’t want him to break his neck falling from his horse.
‘Hardly a compliment to your wife.’ Milton had moved closer to her, their legs almost touching now and as she looked over he motioned for her to take a tighter grip on her reins. ‘In case the fool does something stupid and scares the horses,’ he murmured.
Caroline did just that, taking the reins and ensuring she had a stable seat on her mare’s back.
‘Milton, I trust you will see Miss Yaxley safely home,’ James said, his voice taking on the authoritative air Caroline always thought of as his ducal tone. ‘I’ll ensure West makes it home without breaking his neck.’
‘You’ll do no such thing. I’m having a splendid time with my dear friends and Miss Yaxley.’
‘We are not,’ James said bluntly.
He signalled to Milton to escort Caroline away, but as she nudged her horse forward West shot out a hand, moving much quicker than she thought a man in his cups should be able to.
In a flash of movement James vaulted down from his horse, grabbed the bridle of West’s mount and at the same time pulled his friend from the saddle.
‘You don’t touch her.’
‘What business is it of yours?’ West slurred. ‘She’s hardly your concern. It’s Milton making advances. Unless—’ He broke down into a cackle of laughter. ‘Unless you’re cuckolding Milton even before he’s married her.’
‘Stop staggering,’ James said, holding West by the lapels of his jacket for a second as the other man regained his balance. Caroline watched in horrified fascination at the suppressed anger radiating from James’s body. ‘Apologise to Miss Yaxley. At once.’
West turned to her and Caroline felt some of the tension begin to ebb out of her. If he apologised, that could be the end of it. She doubted West would have much of a friendship with either James or Milton going forward, but at least no one would do anything stupid.
After a long few seconds West spun back to face James, lunging forward as if about to punch him. West was slow and James’s reflexes meant he easily dodged out of the way of the blow.
‘Tomorrow. At dawn. On the Heath.’ West stumbled to one side as he said it.
‘No,’ Caroline whispered. It was ludicrous, and the last thing she wanted was someone getting hurt in her name.
‘Be reasonable,’ Milton said and Caroline noticed his hand was resting on her horse’s neck, calming the mare in the tense situation.
‘You, too. I’ll have you both.’ After a failed attempted to remount his horse West stalked off leading the animal behind him.
For a moment all three remained silent, stunned by the turn of events.
‘What just happened?’ Milton asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
‘He’s drunk. He’ll realise what a mistake he’s made once he sobers up.’
Caroline could see James was still tense with anger, but he controlled it well.
‘You won’t fight?’ Caroline looked first at James as she spoke, forcing herself to turn and include Milton in the question.
‘I doubt West will go through with it.’
‘That’s not an answer.’
‘I will not have him dishonour you,’ James said quietly. He held her gaze for a long moment and Caroline felt her heart begin to pound in her chest.
‘It is not worth dying for.’
‘Heydon is right. West will retract once he sobers.’ Milton smiled grimly. ‘And if he doesn’t he’s a bigger fool than I ever gave him credit for.’
‘I will call on him later this afternoon.’ James remounted his horse and flashed her a reassuring smile, even though his eyes were still serious. ‘And I will let you get back to your ride.’
Caroline watched as he turned his horse around and trotted off, her heart sinking with the knowledge that if West did not retract both James and Milton would face him on Hampstead Heath in the morning.
‘Shall I escort you home, Miss Yaxley?’
‘Thank you.’ After everything that had happened Caroline did feel as though she needed to be alone to think it through, to see if she could come up with some solution to stop any of these wooden-headed men getting hurt.
Chapter Eleven
‘Did you speak to him?’ Caroline asked the moment the carriage door opened. ‘Is it all straightened out?’
James had to suppress a smile at her eagerness, although he didn’t like the lines of worry on her face.
‘He would not admit me. His footmen had strict instructions not to even let me in through the front door.’
‘No.’ She sat down on the seat of the carriage opposite and slumped back, despair in her eyes. ‘You can’t go, James. Promise me.’
‘You know I can’t do that, Cara.’
‘I don’t want you to get hurt. Not for a meaningless insult.’
‘Not mea
ningless. If he repeats that comment, it will become rumour and you know how dangerous rumour can become.’
‘No one will believe it.’
‘They don’t have to believe it, not really. They will spread it and distort it and it will harm you in one way or another. Milton is a good man, but he has his pride, and your other suitors will certainly be less understanding.’
‘I don’t care.’ She had tears in her eyes and he could tell it was costing her a great effort to stop them spilling over on to her cheeks.
‘I care.’ Gently he reached forward and took her hand. ‘I have no family, no wife or children. No brothers or sisters or parents. No one to protect, but I do have you. What sort of man would I be if I let someone harm the person I care about the most?’
She looked at him with her large blue eyes and he felt something tighten inside him. Without thinking through the consequences he slipped from his seat and joined her on the cushion opposite, conscious of how his legs were pressed against hers in the narrow space.
‘Don’t cry.’ He reached up and wiped the tears away. ‘Nothing bad will happen to me. West was a poor swordsman at school and hasn’t picked up a blade in years and I doubt he is any handier with a pistol.’
For a moment she searched his face, looking for reassurance, perhaps, and James was overcome with the sudden urge to kiss her. It would be so easy to bend down, to pull her in even closer to his body and kiss her until they were both breathless.
Even as he had the thought he felt his body swaying towards her, felt the irresistible pull drawing him in even closer. Caroline’s eyes widened just a fraction and that small movement was enough to bring him back to his senses. He couldn’t kiss her and especially not right now when she was upset and vulnerable.
Clearing his throat, he quickly moved back to the seat opposite, all the time cursing the ongoing urge he had to gather her up in his arms and ravish her right here in the carriage. He now understood why society insisted on chaperons for even the most mundane of situations—it seemed he couldn’t be left alone with Caroline without almost doing something foolish.