It was infuriating. Brandon wasn’t a man who was caught by a woman whether by demeanor or looks. And if that ever happened, he thought it would be for a vivacious, spirited woman with stunning looks and able to light up a room. Not to a lovely little mouse who seemed to be shy of her own shadow and attracted trouble.
Fate seemed to be messing about with him.
“Your Grace?”
Brandon jumped, his hand darting out and knocking over his tea cup. Hot tea spilled over the table and into his lap. Brandon jumped back with a yell as it splashed his trousers.
“For crying out…”
“Stay back, Your Grace.” The footman was there before Brandon could blink, wiping up the tea with a napkin. “I’ll clean this up.”
Brandon growled. Now his outfit was ruined and he would have to get changed. And all because of Caroline White and that lovely smile of hers.
He stormed upstairs and into his bedroom. His valet, Christian Marlow, was still there sorting out the clothes that had come up from the laundry.
“Get me some fresh breeches, Marlow.” Brandon snapped. “I got tea all over them.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Brandon tugged off his boots and shucked his breeches, allowing Marlow to switch them with a clean pair. They didn’t really match the rest of his outfit but Brandon didn’t care today. He didn’t feel like going anywhere so there would be no one to comment.
“Are you all right, Sir?”
Marlow was still kneeling on the floor frowning up at him. Brandon sighed and stood, pulling his breeches up and buttoning them.
“I don’t know, Marlow. I really don’t know.”
Marlow didn’t say anything. The man had been with him for two years and was a good confidant. If Brandon didn’t know anything about Society, Marlow did. He knew even more secrets than Brandon could ever know.
Maybe he was the best person to ask about Caroline White. Brandon had been racking his brains and asking who he could but there wasn’t much he could get beyond what he already knew. Caroline had appeared out of nowhere and didn’t seem to be well-known. Even his closest friends were surprised she actually existed.
“What do you know of Viscount Thomas Carlton, Marlow?”
“Viscount Carlton? He’s a nasty piece of work.” Marlow stood and dusted down his trousers. “He loves to throw his money away gambling. The higher the stakes, the better. People give him a wide berth because of his conduct.”
“So, he’s not very well-liked.”
“Not really.” Marlow frowned. “Why do you ask, Your Grace? You haven’t fallen in with one of the viscount’s business ventures?”
Chapter 3
Finding the Damsel
“No, of course not. And it’s not really about him.” Brandon scratched his head. This felt embarrassing to talk about, even to his valet. “Do you know about his family?”
“Very little. He’s the only one in the family that came from money.”
“He has a cousin who seems to be from money as well. A young woman. But I’ve never seen her before.”
Marlow shrugged.
“That’s not unusual. Maybe she’s just come of age. And people come into money a lot and unless it’s a substantial amount, it takes a while to get established in Society. You know that.”
“I do. But I like to think I know everything that’s going on in London.”
Marlow chuckled.
“I’ve noticed. You’re more of a gossiper than some women I know.”
“But you’re better than me at finding out things about people.” Brandon tapped the side of his valet’s head. “I need that clever mind of yours to find out who she is.”
“I can do that.” Marlow raised an eyebrow. “But why are you so interested in her, Your Grace? Because she’s beautiful or because you don’t know anything about her?”
“What makes you think she’s beautiful?”
“I know you, Sire. She would have to be beautiful to take your attention.”
Brandon grunted. The man knew him too well.
“Anything wrong with that?”
“It would depend on what you’re up to.”
Brandon didn’t know yet. But a plan was forming, taking hold. It was ridiculous that he was even considering it, but Brandon had a feeling in his gut that Caroline White would be more useful to him than he realized.
The fact that he found a woman useful beyond the obvious was a surprise more than anything.
***
“Miss Caroline?”
Caroline looked up, her mouth full of pins. Her maid stood in the doorway to her sewing room, hands clasped in front of her with her head bowed. She sighed and took the pins out, sticking them in the cushion at her elbow.
“Holly, how many times? You don’t need to treat me like that. I’m not royalty.”
“But you’re a lady of money now.” Holly mumbled, still staring at the floor. “It won’t do to speak to you as I had before.”
“In the privacy of this house, you can call me whatever you want.” Caroline grinned. “I seem to remember several colorful names you called me when we were younger.”
Holly giggled.
“And we both got a slap from Miss Agnes for doing that.”
“We certainly did.” Caroline selected a pin and used it to keep two pieces of cloth together. “Was there anything you wanted, Holly? I wanted to get this dress ready to sew for after lunch.”
“There’s a gentleman on the doorstep asking to see you.”
Caroline groaned.
“Not Viscount Carlton again?”
“No. Another man. Very handsome.” Holly approached her mistress and held out a card. “This is his card. It says he’s a duke.”
A duke? That had Caroline pausing. Could it be…?
She almost snatched the card out of the other woman’s hand and stared at the name glaring up at her.
“The Duke of Brandon.”
Duke Brandon was here? Why? Caroline didn’t think she would see him again after he had dropped her home three nights before. It had just been pure luck that a duke had been passing when Caroline had been attempting to escape Carlton’s clutches. She wasn’t a fool; that would be practically the only time Caroline would be in close company with a man of such high standing.
Yet he was here, waiting to see her. Caroline didn’t think it was possible.
“Do you want me to let him in, Miss Caroline?” Holly asked.
Caroline knew she needed to be hospitable. But the thought of being in the same room as the duke had her pulse fluttering. He was far too handsome for her to be around, surely? She swallowed and nodded.
“Take him into the morning room. I’ll be along presently.”
Holly nodded and left. Caroline stood and adjusted the dress on its dummy, giving it a cursory look over. It wasn’t looking too bad. Caroline had been taught how to make her own dresses since she was a little girl and Aunt Agnes had certainly been very good with a needle. They had made all their own clothes. Even though Caroline had the money to buy her own clothes now, nothing beat making garments for herself. It was certainly cheaper to buy the fabrics and silks and then create a dress.
Even with more money than she knew what to do with, Aunt Agnes’ frugal behavior was still rubbing off on her.
Bracing herself, Caroline left her sewing room and went across to the morning room. Brandon was standing by the window, looking out into the street. He turned and Caroline found herself rooted to the spot. Even three days later, the instant reaction she had had for this man was still strong.
She had to stop thinking of him as attractive. It was dangerous thinking.
Brandon gave her a smile that had Caroline’s heart stumbling and he bowed.
“Miss White.”
It was then that Caroline remembered her manners. She bobbed a curtsy, almost wobbling and ending up on the floor.
“Your Grace.” Caroline caught her balance and twisted her fingers together. “I wasn’t
expecting you to be here.”
“I wanted to make sure you were all right.” Brandon paused. “After the other night with your cousin…”
“I’m perfectly well, thank you,” Caroline cut him off. “It’s not the first time my cousin has treated me like that.”
That was embarrassing to say, but it was the truth. Thomas Carlton was a cad who thought seduction meant putting your hands all over the woman would work. Brandon’s expression hardened. His eyes went darker than before. It almost had Caroline taking a step back.
“He’s done it before?”
“I’m afraid so.” Caroline turned away, pacing over to the fireplace. “Ever since he found out our mutual aunt had left me a significant amount of money for me to be comfortable for the rest of my life in her will. Nobody else, just me.”
That had shocked everyone, most of all Caroline. Aunt Agnes had many relatives, and she cared for all of them with a few exceptions but to find out Caroline was the only one she had left any money to had made Caroline’s extended family turn on her. Now they saw her as a wicked woman who ingratiated herself with an old woman to get her money.
It was far from the truth but Caroline couldn’t get them to change their minds.
“Sounds like she loved you a great deal,” Brandon murmured.
“I suppose.” Caroline sighed. “She never gave me the impression she was wealthy. When I looked after her, we lived very frugally. There was nothing to indicate she had money at all. Then again, if we had known, Carlton would have been bothering us a lot more before.”
“He wants money for his gambling, I presume.”
Caroline nodded.
“Yes. I dislike him intensely and will never agree to marriage with him. But he just won’t leave me alone.”
Brandon nodded. Was there a flash of relief behind his eyes? Why would he be relieved for her? Then it was gone as Brandon crossed the room, stopping a short distance away from her. He was far too close for comfort but Caroline couldn’t bring herself to move away.
“You were lucky that night.”
“I certainly was. And I thank you for coming to my rescue.” Caroline shrugged. “Not many people would have stopped for me.”
“I’m sure they would have.”
Caroline snorted. She highly doubted it. She wasn’t important enough for anyone to care. Brandon coughed and stepped away, rubbing the back of his neck. He was looking a little bashful.
“Actually, I came here with a proposition for you, Miss White. One that might be beneficial for both of us.”
“A proposition?” Now Caroline was wary. “How do you mean, Your Grace?”
Brandon was moving from foot to foot. But he ploughed on, never looking away as he spoke.
“My mother, the dowager duchess, has been pressuring me into finding a wife. She’s very eager that I marry but I’m not interested in looking for a wife. However, mother is determined to match me up and has many young women lined up for me to take my pick. And this will happen when I go for my annual visit in a few days.”
Caroline thought she was mishearing things. Was he actually suggesting…?
He couldn’t be. But from the earnest look on his face, the duke was serious.
“Let me guess: you want someone to pretend to be your wife to head her off.”
“Exactly.”
Chapter 4
A Tempting Proposition
Brandon looked relieved that she understood. But Caroline didn’t. She didn’t really understand why the duke didn’t just refuse; he was a duke after all. He could turn down all offers of marriage if he so wanted. And to ask her, someone he briefly met…this sounded suspicious.
“Listen,” Brandon looked sheepish, fiddling with his cuffs, “I know it’s not orthodox…”
“It’s not orthodox to ask someone you know, never mind a complete stranger,” Caroline pointed out.
“Well, I thought about it as a way for both of us to be rescued.”
“I don’t understand that.”
Brandon began to pace.
“We both need rescuing, Miss White. Me from a marriage I don’t want and you from a cousin who wants your money. Pretending to be married could be beneficial for both of us and we would get people to leave us alone.”
Caroline stared at him. He genuinely thought that would work. There were a lot of things wrong with it but Brandon seemed adamant that it would work for both of them. Maybe for him but he wasn’t thinking about it in the longer term.
However, the thought of having Carlton back off from her for a while because he thought she had married someone else was incredibly tempting. Caroline would love to have a reprieve. At the moment, Carlton was calling every other day and Caroline was getting fed up calling for the constable. This would be a nice reprieve from him.
“Listen, all you need to do is turn up to Mother’s house in Newcastle with me, introduce yourself to her, and that’s pretty much it,” Brandon said earnestly. “You don’t need to do anything. Nothing that you feel uncomfortable with.”
“You mean like the usual husband and wife duties?” Caroline queried.
Brandon shook his head quickly.
“No, of course not. Nothing like that. You’ll be treated like a lady, I promise.” He placed a hand over his heart. “With the utmost respect from me. You’ll be helping me out of a bind.”
“Why don’t you just tell your mother that you don’t want to marry who she has picked out? You are a duke and she shouldn’t have any control over you.”
Brandon made a face.
“I’ve done that before but Mother won’t listen. She knows I have no intention of marrying so finding someone to pose as my wife should have her backing off.”
“You hope.”
“I know.”
He was stubborn. And persistent, Caroline had to give him that. It was a tempting proposition to pretend to be a duchess for a short space of time.
She did need a break from London. Being thrust into the middle of Society was stifling. Perhaps a few weeks north would do her some good and Caroline could get used to her new duties. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.
“All right, Your Grace. I’ll do it. I could do with getting out of London for a while.”
The relief on Brandon’s face was worth her answer.
“Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am.”
From the look he was giving her, Caroline had a pretty good idea.
***
Brandon watched Caroline as she stared out of the window, her book open but unread in her lap. She had been like that since they set off from London. They were barely an hour in to the journey and were due to stop soon for something to eat. But Caroline had been silent, attempting to read, but she was clearly distracted.
Brandon was beginning to wonder if she had been having second thoughts. In the four days since she agreed to pose as his wife, Caroline had kept in correspondence with him, trying to get their story straight. Her letters seemed to show a vibrancy that Brandon didn’t know she possessed, but in person she was like a wilting wallflower. She looked as though she wanted to sink into the cushions.
He sat forward and gently nudged her knee. Caroline started, her face flushing when her eyes snagged his.
“Your Grace.” She swallowed and bit her lip. “Forgive me, I was thinking about something else.”
“I could tell.” Brandon gave her a smile. “Penny for your thoughts or are they secret?”
“Not really.” Caroline sat back with a sigh, giving her book a frown before putting it aside. “I feel like I’m in a strange dream. I never thought when I ended up becoming a woman of wealth that I would be conversing at length with a duke, never mind travelling in a carriage with him.”
Brandon chuckled.
“You would have ended up meeting lots more people of all statuses, not just dukes.”
Caroline shuddered.
“It’s an overwhelming thought.”
If they hadn’t bumped into each othe
r the previous week, chances were Caroline would have faded into the background and Brandon wouldn’t have known she existed. Which was a shame because she was a lovely looking woman. It was just her shyness that held her back although Brandon found it very endearing.
He sat back and stretched his legs, doing his best to not brush up against Caroline. She was so jumpy she would probably jump out the coach.
“How long have you been…I don’t know how to put it…”
“How long since I became a woman of wealth? About three months.” Caroline rubbed her hands over her face. “My servants have been very good in getting me adjusted but it isn’t easy. I’m used to things being a bit more relaxed, doing everything for myself. Now I can’t be a person I want to be; I have to be something I’m not. And I’m not very keen on it.”
“Being something others want to see is something everyone needs to get used to.”
“Did you ever get used to it?”
Brandon hesitated. He had never thought about it; it had just come naturally to him. He scratched his head.
“I don’t know. I guess I have. It’s a natural reaction, I think: you want people to like you but you need to fit into Society without any problems. It takes practice and you’ve been thrown in quickly. It takes a little longer for some but they get there.”
“You think I’ll get there?”
Caroline looked hopeful. She looked incredibly sweet. There was something about her that had Brandon wanting to pull her into his arms and hold her. He shook the feeling away. Now was not the time.
“I’m sure my mother can help with that, if you like. She’s very good at getting people to blend in to where they need to be in life.”
“That is if she doesn’t find out what we’re up to,” Caroline said ruefully.
“She won’t.”
“I’m not very good at lying, just so you know. If she asks me anything honestly, how do I answer her?”
Brandon sighed.
“We’ve been through this already. You just let me answer the questions. And remember what we discussed in our letters. It won’t be much to remember.” Then he remembered what he was carrying and sat up, digging into his pocket. “Oh, I almost forgot. You’re going to need something to make it look more authentic.”
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