by Cheryl Holt
Finally—finally!—Sybil emerged. She walked over to Caleb, and they huddled together.
“Did she tell you what happened?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’ll let her tell you herself.” Sybil clucked her tongue. “Would you kill Gregory Grey for me? And his father? Would that be an awful favor to request?”
His temper flared. He’d suspected Gregory Grey was the culprit. “I could kill them. I don’t have any problem with that conclusion.”
Sybil smirked, then raised a brow. “I like her.”
“So do I.”
“I think she’ll be perfect for you.”
He shrugged noncommittally. “You might be right.”
“You certainly took your time deciding she was the one.”
“I haven’t decided that,” he claimed.
She simply flashed a look that told him he was being ridiculous. “I’m needed at the club, so you’ll be alone with her.”
He tamped down a wave of delight. “I won’t misbehave.”
“I didn’t insist you act like a saint. If I were a matronly sort of woman, I’d warn you not to go in there, but I’m not your mother, and I’m definitely not her chaperone.”
“I wouldn’t listen to you anyway.”
“I recognize that fact, so figure out what you want from her. Don’t be stupid about it.”
“I’m never stupid about anything.”
She scoffed. “You’re the stupidest man I know. Except for your brother. He’s worse than you are.”
“I won’t argue the point.”
“We’ll talk in the morning about what’s to be done with her—and her relatives.”
“I’m moving against Gregory in the courts, but I can speed up that process.”
“Good.”
“I’m working to attach their property to secure the debt. It belongs to Gregory’s father, but Gregory is the heir, so it will be his someday. My lawyers are pursuing that angle.”
“Maybe, before you’re through with them, you’ll end up owning the estate, and you can present it to her as a gift. It would be damages owed for what she’s endured.”
“I like that idea.”
“You can also murder them.”
“Without batting an eye.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She patted him on the chest and sauntered away, then he spun the knob and tiptoed into Caro’s room. He’d expected her to be asleep, but she was awake and waiting for him.
She was in bed and leaned against the pillows, the blankets pulled to her waist. Sybil had produced a robe for her to wear, and she appeared snug and relaxed, her condition a hundred percent improved from when she’d stumbled into his club.
A thousand comments swirled between them, then he asked, “What on earth happened to you? I could have sworn you were safe and sound when I fled Grey’s Corner. You’ve given me the fright of my life. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just so glad I staggered in your door. If I hadn’t, I truly can’t imagine what might have become of me.”
She held out her hand, and he dashed over and clasped it as tightly as he could. He eased a hip onto the mattress and dipped down to kiss her.
“I like Sybil,” she said when he drew away.
“She likes you too, which is amazing because she usually doesn’t like anybody.”
She batted her lashes in a teasing way. “It’s my abundant charm. It simply flows out of me.”
“Why are you in London? What’s wrong? Please inform me in a bland manner so I’m not inclined to rush out and commit a homicide.”
“Well, after you departed, I stuck to my guns and called off the wedding, but my uncle refused to consider it. He even had our vicar come over to perform the ceremony, in an attempt to force me into it, but I wouldn’t comply. My uncle was so angry that he locked me in my room.”
“The bastard,” he muttered, then he hastily said, “I apologize. I don’t mean to be crude.”
“The derogatory term is completely fitting, so I’m not offended. One afternoon when he was out of the house, our housekeeper, Mrs. Scruggs, snuck in. A footman had overheard Gregory conspiring with my uncle. They were secretly planning to put me in an asylum.”
“An asylum? Seriously? On what grounds?”
“They intended to claim I was suffering from hysteria. If they’d managed to obtain a court order, Mrs. Scruggs feared I’d never be released. She slipped me some money, and I ran away to London.”
“I don’t understand any of this.”
“Neither do I. It’s not as if I’m a great heiress.” She sighed, looking young and vulnerable and desperately in need of a strong ally. “My cousin, Janet, is here in the city. She ran away too, and I’ve been searching for her, but I couldn’t find her.”
“London is a very big place.”
“I know, and I shouldn’t have come, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was so scared, and I’ve been acting like a dunce.”
“If you had money,” he asked, “how did you wind up so bedraggled?”
“I was robbed! And all my belongings were stolen!”
“Oh, no.”
“When I strolled by your gambling club—quite by accident, I might add—I was at the end of my rope.”
“We’re lucky you arrived before your calamity grew any worse. You should have sought me out sooner, you silly girl.”
“Yes, but as I mentioned, I haven’t been thinking clearly. I’ve made one bad choice after the next. I’d given up and was heading home. I decided I’d be better off in an asylum than wandering the streets with no funds and no friends.”
“I missed you,” he admitted. “I almost traveled to Grey’s Corner a hundred times to fetch you away.”
“I missed you too, and I still can’t believe you abandoned me there.”
“I am very stubborn, but I should have listened to you. It’s blatantly obvious that you have no ability to take care of yourself. You’re not a woman who should be left to her own devices.”
“In light of the disasters I’ve experienced, I have to agree with you.”
“I don’t dare let you out of my sight ever again.”
He climbed onto the mattress and nestled her to his chest. They were quiet, lost in thought, then she said, “I don’t know what to do now.”
“You don’t have to figure it out immediately.”
“I don’t have a penny to my name, and I don’t have a stitch of clothing. I’m an indigent beggar.”
“Sybil dug up a few garments for you. They’ll be fine for tomorrow, then we’ll buy you what else you require.”
“I hate that I’ve imposed.”
“You haven’t imposed. I’ve recently earned an obscene fortune. I can afford to purchase a gown or two for you.”
She chuckled at that. “I’m so relieved that I’m here, but I’m afraid of my uncle. What if he finds me? Could he yank me away from you? Could he force you to hand me over?”
“I would never permit it. I swear it to you on my life.” He stated the vow firmly, vehemently, and he truly meant it. He’d murder Samson Grey before he’d allow him to move against her. “Don’t fret about it. I want you to rest and recuperate. At the moment, that should be your only concern.”
“Why is he so adamant that I wed Gregory?” she asked. “It’s been vexing me. What is your opinion? His behavior is so bizarre, and I’ve been driving myself mad, trying to deduce their reasoning.”
“I have no idea, and we’re not debating it tonight. Stop worrying. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir.”
She gave a mock salute, and it had him laughing, but also wondering if he was about to marry her. Was that what was approaching? Were his bachelor days over? For once, the prospect didn’t sound quite so terrifying.
&nbs
p; They were quiet again, and she yawned.
“I feel as if I haven’t slept in a year,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”
“It’s the stress you’ve endured, but with me watching over you, your condition will improve quickly.”
“I’d like to chat until dawn, but I can’t manage it.”
“You don’t have to stay awake. Why don’t you snuggle under the covers? I’m betting you’ll nod off in an instant.”
He lifted the blankets so she could scoot farther down, and he tucked her in as if she were a toddler. They stared for an eternity, neither of them ready to part, and finally, she asked, “Would you sit with me? Just until I doze off? I’m so accursedly skittish, and I can’t bear to be alone.”
Affection rocked him. “Of course I’ll sit with you. I can tarry until dawn if you need me to.”
There was a candle on the table by the bed, and he blew it out. The moon was shining in the window, so it wasn’t completely dark. In the moonlight, she looked small and defenseless, and her vulnerability stoked his male impulses so he yearned to keep her safe from harm, to protect her forever.
He stretched out next to her, and he pulled her into his arms, listening as her breathing slowed.
He thought she was asleep, but she murmured, “Did you hear my old friend, Libby Carstairs, was arrested?”
“The whole kingdom heard.”
“I went to the prison as she was being released, but I couldn’t get close to her.”
“She was released?”
“Yes. Earlier today.”
“I almost went myself, to post her bail. I’ve never met her, but I have such a connection to her—because of my father.”
“You couldn’t have spoken to her. There were tons of charlatans who tried, and the guards were wary of everyone who inquired.”
“Maybe after matters calm for you, we’ll seek her out together. We’ll introduce ourselves.”
“I’d like that.” She was silent for a bit, then she mumbled, “I’m happy.”
“I’m happy too.”
She fit by his side perfectly, as if she’d been created to lie there and no place else in the world. Fate certainly seemed to think she belonged right where she was. His father’s ghost too.
He’d walked away from her once. He couldn’t do it again.
Caroline slowly drifted awake, and she didn’t panic, didn’t peer about nervously in order to recall where she was. She knew: She was at Caleb’s home in London. She was in a guest bedchamber, and he was snuggled under the blankets with her.
When she’d initially climbed into the bed, she’d been wearing a robe, but the belt had come loose. The lapels were open, her nude torso pressed to his clothes.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind awhirl as she tried to deduce her opinion about her predicament. She should have leapt up and demanded he depart immediately, but she was delighted to remain right where she was.
She wondered what would happen with them. From the moment they’d met, it had seemed as if they belonged together, but the only way a man and woman could truly be joined was by marriage. Yet he was a confirmed bachelor who wasn’t interested in matrimony, so what possible ending could they have?
The prior day, he’d been so excited to have her arrive. It was obvious he was still besotted. What might he be prepared to do about it? She was positive about what she wanted—a proposal of marriage—but how could she convince him that he wanted it too?
She studied his handsome face. Even though it was dark out, there was enough light filtering in that she could see him clearly. It wasn’t fair for him to be so attractive. He appeared younger and more content when he was sleeping, and she never got tired of looking at him.
He must have perceived her heightened attention, for he woke up too. He laid a palm on her cheek and asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Much better—now that I’m with you.”
“What time is it?”
“I suppose dawn is approaching.”
“Your expression is so serious. What are you thinking about?”
“I’m worrying about where we’re headed.”
“I have a few suggestions about that,” he said. “I don’t believe I can walk away from you again. I have to take steps that guarantee you’re glued to my side forever.”
She assumed he was referring to marriage, but how was she to be sure? Should she inquire as to what he meant? She had no notion of how to begin that discussion, but she suspected they ought to engage in it before they went any farther.
He closed the distance between them and kissed her, so he removed any opportunity to debate the issue. She jumped into the embrace, and it quickly grew heated and out of control.
Gradually, he guided his hand down her body and slipped it under the fabric of her robe. She was naked underneath, and she should have grabbed his wrist and prevented any exploration, but she didn’t.
She was breathless with anticipation, her anatomy alive and on fire in an intensely dramatic manner. He could do many delicious things to her, and she would relish every one of them.
Would she stop him? She doubted it. Their current situation, where they were alone in an isolated bedchamber—and she was undressed—made it seem as if any mischief would be permitted.
He deepened the kiss and started massaging her breast, pinching the nipple, and causing such a ripple of elation to shoot through her limbs that she was bewildered by the raucous sensations being induced.
Much too rapidly, the encounter escalated past any limit she should have allowed. He rolled on top of her and played with both nipples, which was too riveting to describe, and she was anxious to learn where it would lead.
He drew away and nibbled a trail down her neck, to her chest. Before she realized his plan, he sucked a nipple into his mouth and nursed at it. The agitation produced was so shocking that she was afraid she might explode. It felt that debauched.
He kept on for ages, arousing her, tormenting her, as his curious hand wandered down her stomach, then lower. A finger glided through her womanly hair and into her sheath. He stroked it in and out, in and out, as his thumb touched the spot at the vee of her thighs.
Suddenly, she was pitched into a wild, exotic spiral of ecstasy, and she seemed to be flying to the heavens. She raced up and up, reached a peak of sorts, then tumbled down.
As he caught her, he was preening in a completely male fashion that was incredibly annoying.
“What was that?” she sputtered when she could speak again.
“That was sexual pleasure,” he told her, “and a very fine example of it too.”
“Can it occur every time a man and woman are together like this?”
“It can—if the couple is physically compatible. And if the man is adept at performing on a mattress.”
“Am I. . . with child now?”
At her naiveté, he smiled affectionately. “No. You’re not with child. There’s quite a bit more to it than that.”
“How does it happen?”
“It’s difficult to explain.”
“Was that a ridiculous question? I’m twenty-four. I should probably have some idea of what transpires.”
“There are no ridiculous questions, and I find your innocence to be very charming. I spend my nights around so many dissolute scoundrels that I forget there are virtuous people in the world.”
She chuckled, figuring she should be embarrassed by how she’d just carried on, but she wasn’t. She was simply calculating how quickly she could persuade him to bring on the wave of ecstasy again.
“I didn’t know that was possible,” she said.
“We don’t tell you virginal maidens how fun carnal conduct can be. If you had the slightest clue, you’d never behave yourselves.”
“We shouldn’t have done this.” She halted and grinned. “But I’m no
t sorry.”
He grinned too. “Neither am I.”
He slid off her and onto his side, so they were nose to nose. Her robe was open at the front, so her torso was crushed to his.
“I think I have to marry you,” he abruptly announced.
He looked so glum that she laughed. “Was that a proposal?”
“I guess it was.”
“You could sound a tad more enthusiastic. Men marry every day. It won’t kill you.”
“I merely thought I’d always be a bachelor.”
“And I always thought I would be a wife, so if I’m to stay with you, then matrimony is the only path that will satisfy me.”
He physically kicked himself under the covers. “I’m being an ass, and I apologize. Let me rephrase my comment. Caro, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man in the kingdom and say you’ll be mine?”
“I suppose I have to. You’ve had your wicked way with me, so I’m damaged goods. It’s you or no one, so I don’t have any choice.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Could you please sound a tad more eager? If I’m prepared to stop being single, you have to at least pretend to be glad about my horrendous sacrifice.”
“I was being a snot,” she said, “and I apologize too. I would be honored to be your bride. I can’t wait to be your bride.”
“I’m so terrified to have asked you. I’m worried my heart might burst out of my chest.”
“As I mentioned, men wed all the time. You’ll survive. I promise.”
“I hope so. If I die from it, I’ll blame you.”
“I shall make your transition from bachelor to husband as easy as I can. I wouldn’t want to be a widow so soon after I snagged you for my own.”
He was totally overwhelmed, as if he wasn’t sure he should have proceeded, but she wasn’t about to let him renege. Not when he’d finally offered exactly what she’d craved from him.
As to herself, she was disappointed that no words of love had been voiced. Shouldn’t they have been?
She was madly in love with him, and he probably loved her too. Shouldn’t a couple contemplating marriage proclaim their heightened fondness? Love wasn’t usually a factor in matrimonial decisions, but when it was present, wasn’t that a sign of a positive outcome? Shouldn’t it be celebrated?