by Rose Gordon
The very brief moment had passed. Caroline followed Alex’s lead down the hall to the drawing room.
As soon as she entered the room her eyes fell on a woman with silver-streaked black hair who was enthusiastically playing the pianoforte. Even if Andrew had not referred to her as “Mother” in the hall, Caroline would have known instantly who she was. Their looks were not identical by any means, but what they did have in common made it obvious they were mother and son.
“Grab your gal, Alex,” the dowager countess called from behind the pianoforte. “I’m about to play a waltz.”
Caroline’s eyes grew wide as Alex held her in a tight, close embrace. They were the only two in the middle of the floor. The others were on settees and chairs that had been pushed up against the walls to allow room in the middle for dancing.
The music started and Caroline nearly tripped over Alex’s feet as he moved. Panic washed over her. She’d never been allowed to share in Olivia’s dance lessons and she had no idea what to do.
“Alex?”
He looked down at her, trying to move her backward. “Something amiss?”
“Yes.” She glanced at the others, hoping they didn’t see how much she was struggling as she stepped backward to avoid being knocked down.
Alex stopped moving. “Caro, do you not wish to dance?”
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “I just think I need to sit for now.”
Alex blinked. “Oh, Caro, I’m sorry. Yes, let’s sit.” He ushered her off to the side of the room and moved the pillows off a settee to make room for both of them.
The music abruptly stopped and Andrew’s mother jumped off her bench. “Everyone needs to get their derrieres onto the floor this minute. I am not playing for my benefit.”
Four couples immediately took the floor.
“She sure knows how to get people to do what she wants,” Caroline remarked.
“That she does.”
Caroline mindlessly flicked the nail of her middle finger with her thumbnail, creating an annoying little click, click, click sound as she tried to make her eyes look anywhere except to where Alex was tapping his foot in time with the beat. He wanted to dance. She swallowed hard. “If you’d like to dance with one of your cousins or your aunt I won’t mind.”
His foot stopped. “No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? I know you want to dance, Alex. Don’t try to lie about it.”
“I’m not lying. I just don’t wish to dance with them.”
“But you want to dance.”
“Of course I do. With you.”
She clenched her teeth. “I’m sorry to have ruined your fun.”
He shrugged. “You didn’t. If I can’t dance with you, sitting and talking to you is second best. Besides, we’ll have another chance to dance.”
“Pardon?” When did he think they were going to have another impromptu dance?
“Next time,” he simply.
Her heart skipped a beat. The prospect of a next time filled her with both hope and dread. “Alex,” she said, licking her lips. “I don’t think there will be a next time.”
His eyes snapped to hers. “What do you mean?” His voice sounded like it was ripped from his throat.
“I...the reason I—” She looked down at her slippers. “I can’t dance.”
“I know. I understand that.”
“No,” she said, still staring down at where her toe was drawing shapes on the floor. “I don’t know how to dance.”
“Wait.” He encircled her wrist with his fingers. “The reason we’re sitting here is because you don’t know how to dance—not for any other reason?”
She nodded. “I never learned how.”
“I don’t pretend to know why not,” he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. “Will you come out there with me?” He looked out at the middle of the floor. “We don’t have to do the steps, just come out there with me and let me hold you in my arms.”
“All right,” she said with a swallow.
Abruptly, he jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms. His right arm held her around the shoulders while his left arm wrapped around her lower back, his fingers lightly resting on her ribs.
She leaned her head on his chest and let him sway her, only moving her feet every few beats.
“Caroline,” he whispered, capturing her full attention. He hadn’t called her by her full name since the day they’d discovered her broken telescope.
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
She obeyed.
“I’m not a romantic,” he said, his voice silky. “And I know you deserve all the romance the world has to offer. Unfortunately, I cannot provide such, so I hope you’ll accept what I do offer.” He paused and Caroline read in his eyes the question his mouth had yet to speak. “Caroline, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed before her brain could remind her mouth they were surrounded by a room full of people.
Alex’s lips didn’t turn up into the grin she’d expected. Instead, they descended on hers in the sweetest kiss she’d never imagined.
Chapter 15
Alex paid no mind to all the noise going on in the room around him. He was too focused on tasting the sweetest lips a man could ever know. Under his, Caroline’s lips moved and responded in a way that made him crave more. More kissing. More of her. More of everything.
He pulled back before his lusty thoughts gave him away.
“Congratulations,” Andrew said with a cough. “However, that was only the proposal. Best keep something for the wedding night.”
Caroline blushed and Alex squeezed her affectionately. “Don’t listen to him. He ought to be ashamed of himself for the things he did in my house.”
“Ought to be, but I’m not,” his friend said, hugging his wife with one arm.
“Now that I’m your betrothed, I have a few questions for you,” Caroline said after the rest of the group had offered their congratulations and had gone back to dance.
“And what would those be?” Alex bent his head to bring his mouth by her cheek so he could shower her with kisses when the rest weren’t watching.
“It’s about earlier. Your scandalous deed at the nitrous oxide party,” she said quietly, digging her fingers into the back of his hair.
He groaned. “I’ll tell you the story another day. It’s not something I want a lot of people to know about.”
“Because you took your clothes off?”
He swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat. “Partly. There’s more to it than that. I’ll tell you everything after we’re married and it’s just you and me. Will that do?”
She nodded against his chest. “Yes. Just don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” he promised. During his earlier confession to Lady Olivia about taking his clothes off at a nitrous oxide party, he might have left out several important details. Details he hated to remember, but details he owed to Caroline all the same. She was to be his wife, his future. She had a right to know his past. Even the parts he’d rather not remember.
“Nephew,” Uncle John called from across the room. “Just out of curiosity, when do you think you’ll have your wedding?”
“Soon, I expect,” he answered, still swaying Caroline.
“Don’t you think you need her guardian’s approval?” Benjamin asked.
“He’ll give it.” Alex looked down at Caroline. She’d stopped swaying with him. “Do you not think he’ll give it?” he asked quietly. Marcus had all but given it already. Surely she wasn’t worried he’d refuse.
“He will,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “I think we should go.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “You wait here. I’ll send for the carriage and Nettie.”
Quickly, Alex ran down the hall to the butler and asked him to ready the carriage. He walked back in the room and spotted Caroline sitting on the fringe of the room, staring down at her fingers that were twisting the fabric of her skirt. Somethin
g was off, he just didn’t know what.
She looked up and gained her feet. They said their goodbyes and walked down the hall. He stopped. “Do you need to do anything before we leave?”
“No. I’m just ready to go home.”
He sighed and walked her to the carriage. For having a female condition that normally led to frequent visits to the necessary, Caroline had not been once.
Once in the carriage, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up close to him. Nettie was in the seat across from them, but the low light of the moon made it hard to see her.
Thinking talk of a wedding was a safe subject for a young lady who suffered a condition that made her prone to vapors, he asked, “Would you like to talk about our wedding?”
She shrugged her response.
He resisted his strong urge to sigh. “Do you have anything in mind?”
“No. Not really.”
He threaded his fingers into his hair and pulled. “Do you want a London wedding?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was astonished they were not followed by a silent prayer she’d say no. He may not be able to afford to wait for her to plan a London wedding, but if she did say yes, he’d do anything in his power to make sure she got it, even if he had to get on his knees and beg Marcus to accidentally burn that betrothal agreement.
She snorted. “No. I have no one to invite.”
His heart twisted. She was right. Besides his family, most of whom she’d met today, she only knew three other people to invite to the wedding—one of whom would not be a welcomed guest. He’d always known he was unusual and an outcast from Society for his unusual interests, but until now, he’d never realized just how much his family had always supported him by looking past what the world saw or thought and accepting him in spite of his strangeness.
“Do you think Miss Green will stand up with you?” he asked hoarsely.
“I think so.” Caroline rested her head on his chest.
He moved his fingers to her head and idly played with the curls overflowing her coiffure. “What of Marcus? Will he walk you down the aisle?”
“I don’t know. He might not want to go out in public. Then again, he might think it’s a small price to pay to be done with me.”
The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable, even for him. She wasn’t on her courses; she was angry with Marcus. “Why did Marcus make you cry?” he asked, irritation for Marcus and whatever he did to upset Caroline chilling his tone.
“Who told you that?”
“He did.”
“Then he should have told you why.” She ran her fingers along the top edge of his waistcoat.
“He didn’t know why. He just said you’d been been having a rough couple days with—” He broke off and waited a moment for his unease to ebb. “I’m the one who came to the conclusion it wasn’t a female complaint but something he did. Now, tell me what it was.”
She jerked her head off his chest. “Excuse me? You cannot demand I tell you anything. Besides, you and Marcus have no business discussing me, especially something so personal, not to mention indecent. Do you always ask him about my moods before you come to greet me?”
“No. He was waiting for me outside today and said—”
“Said what?” she snapped.
Heat crept up his face. “He may have mentioned you were going through an emotional stretch just now.” This awkward conversation would make him think twice in future before asking what was wrong.
“Oh, good gracious! It all makes sense now. All day, you thought I was having my monthly. No wonder you kept asking if I needed privacy and didn’t question why I didn’t wish to dance.” Laughter overtook her, each peal taking a little more sting out of the argument they’d just had. “Oh, I can’t want to tell Emma! She’s going to die!”
Alex stayed quiet. It was probably best to wait for her to speak first.
“Alex, not that it’s your business, but I am not having my courses. And if I were, unlike Olivia, the whole house would not know about it. Black moods, tantrums, and screaming are not my way.” She brought her head back to rest against his chest. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It wasn’t very well done of me. But yes, I am upset with Marcus. However, there’s nothing you can do to fix it, and I’d rather not speak of it.”
“All right, we won’t speak of him any longer. But I do wish to ask you something about our wedding. You said you wouldn’t like a London wedding, but what about a long engagement?”
Her fingers once again set out to explore his chest. “No. There’s not really a reason to have a long engagement if there’s to be hardly a wedding.”
His thoughts exactly. “Would later this week be acceptable? I’ll leave tomorrow to get the special license.”
“I’d like that very much.”
He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “We’re here.”
The carriage came to a stop and Alex helped her down. He escorted her up the steps, inside, and to the bottom of the grand staircase.
“It’ll take me a few days to get that license.” He cupped her chin with his hands. “I should be back no later than week’s end. Will that be enough time for you to be ready?”
She nodded and smiled a smile so bright he almost hated to extinguish it with a kiss. Almost.
He lowered his mouth to hers and covered her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him closer, his fingers digging into the back of her thick hair. His impulse was to deepen their kiss, then, remembering where they were, he pulled away.
Flashing her a smile, he whispered, “I had better speak to your guardian about the wedding.”
Walking away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done. At some point in the past days, an imaginary string had developed that connected her body and his heart, and whenever he turned away from her, the pull on that string became nearly impossible to resist.
“Marcus,” he called, entering the man’s private sanctuary.
Marcus was sitting in his chair, head bent, hair wild, and looking absolutely defeated. He must have heard tale about what happened today. Alex didn’t plan to bring up his actions from earlier. If Marcus asked him why he had treated Lady Olivia that way, he’d explain any of the details she might have left off. If not, he wasn’t volunteering anything.
“I understand your day was better than mine.” Marcus gave a weak smile. He put his quill down and propped his feet up on the desk.
“You understand correctly,” Alex said. “We’d like to get married later this week if that’s acceptable with you.”
“Is it acceptable with Caroline?” Marcus scraped the edge of one boot across the other.
Alex nodded. “She said it was.”
“You’re not pushing her, are you?” Marcus plucked his quill off his desk and twirled it between his fingers. “I know you don’t wish to marry Olivia, but I don’t want Caroline cheated due to your haste.”
“I’ve already offered her a long engagement and a London wedding. She declined. She said she didn’t have any guests to invite.”
Marcus groaned and made a face. “I’ll speak to her about it later. Just be prepared, if she does want a fancy wedding, she’ll have it.”
“Very well. I don’t expect she’ll change her mind though.”
“You seem awfully certain,” Marcus said with a snort, leaning back in his chair in a way that lifted the front two legs off the floor.
“That’s because I am. I’m also certain that she’d like you to walk her down the aisle.”
Marcus anxiously tapped his quill against the side of his scarred face. “I don’t know, Alex. I’m not one for social events. You know that. I’ve only left Ridge Water maybe half a dozen times in the past twelve years.”
“There won’t be that many people there.” Alex crossed his arms. “I’d say fourteen at most, including you.”
Dropping his quill to his desk, Marcus grunted. “Do you honestly think she’d want me to come? I’ll steal all her attention.”
&n
bsp; “Nonsense,” Alex replied easily, flashing Marcus a grin. “I’ll be doing that. Everyone will be in a state of shock because I’m actually getting married.”
Marcus shook his head and took his feet off his desk, bringing all four chair legs safely back to the ground. “You know what I meant.”
“I do.” Only a complete fool couldn’t have guessed what he was talking about. “I don’t think that will happen.” He uncrossed his arms and idly picked at this hangnail. “Even if that does happen, I think Caroline would consider it a small price to pay to have you there.”
Marcus shut his eyes and swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple could have been seen bobbing from across the room. “Are you sure she’d want that?”
“To have her only male relation walk her down the aisle? Absolutely. Whether you know it or not, she adores you, Marcus, and I think it would hurt her far worse if you don’t come than if you do and ‘steal her attention’.”
“I’ll be there,” he said softly.
Alex gained his feet. He’d wanted to talk to Marcus about the events of the nitrous oxide party, but Marcus didn’t look in the mood to rehash the past. However, there was something he would bring up. He owed it to Caroline to help make things right between her and Marcus before she left his house and started a life with Alex. Actually, both Caroline and Marcus deserved that.
Shifting from foot to foot, he tried to decide just how to word what he needed to say. Finally, he swallowed his pride and blurted, “I think you should know Caroline is not suffering the complaint you seem to think she is. She’s been crying because you hurt her feelings.” The words were out so fast he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved he’d gotten it over with, or to feel a complete idiot to have just said it like that.
Marcus blinked at him three or four times. “I’m not sure I want to know how you discovered the first statement you told me,” he said carefully. “But I do appreciate your discovering the truth of the second and telling me.” He rested his hand on his cheek and swiveled left and right in his chair. “I suppose I should go speak to her,” he said at last, looking to Alex for what Alex assumed was confirmation.