“You’re enjoying the picture of it though, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I am,” Caroline answered. “We must get back inside before we are missed.”
Bradford let her believe that there was a possibility that they had not been observed leaving together. He knew the truth, that by now everyone inside was whispering speculations and spreading tales. Nothing of importance was missed by the hawk eyes of most of the ladies inside. And from past experience, the Duke of Bradford knew that anything he did caused gossip.
Caroline’s reputation wouldn’t be soiled because he was paying attention to her. Besides, if he educated her in this matter, she would insist on returning to her father’s side. He wanted only a minute longer with her, he told himself, just one more minute alone.
“We shouldn’t have kissed and we shouldn’t have spoken with such familiarity to one another. We don’t know each other well enough to confide such things,” Caroline stated. She was about to tell him that she hoped he would forget the entire conversation, but Bradford’s next remark threw her off balance once again.
“I know all about you,” he boasted. “You have lived with your aunt and uncle on a farm outside of Boston for the last fourteen years. Your uncle has embraced Boston as his home and has turned his back on England. Your cousin, Charity, is more like a sister to you. Though she is older, by six months, she follows your lead most of the time. Your father, the Earl of Braxton, is now considered eccentric and has lived as a recluse for many years. You are handy with pistols though at one time you used to get physically ill whenever you touched one. You considered that a flaw and worked until you overcame it. Is that enough for you? Are you convinced that I know all about you or should I continue?”
Caroline was amazed by Bradford’s comments. “How have you learned all this?”
“It isn’t relevant,” Bradford returned.
“But why have you—”
“I am interested in you,” Bradford interrupted. The statement was spoken in a quiet voice. His expression turned serious and Caroline found herself becoming nervous all over again. “Caroline, I always get what I want. When you get to know me better, you will accept.”
“I don’t want to hear this!” Caroline made the protest in a fierce whisper. “You sound like a child who has been overindulged.”
Bradford wasn’t offended by her comment. He shrugged his massive shoulders and replied, “You’ll have to get used to me, I suppose. But in time, you will accept. I won’t be defeated, Caroline, only delayed.”
“I have heard that many of the married ladies in England take lovers,” Caroline said. “Is that why you suggested that I become your mistress?”
“I never suggested you become my mistress,” Bradford said. “You are jumping to your own conclusions, Caroline. But yes, there are those who bed other men once they are married.”
“Then they are to be pitied,” Caroline remarked. Anger sounded in her voice. “They not only betray their husbands, but also make a mockery of the vows they have taken.”
Her statement pleased Bradford but he didn’t let her know it. He waited for her to continue. “You say that you know me well, yet you insult me by believing I am like one of your English ladies. You are the one who has jumped to the wrong conclusions.”
Bradford had difficulty following her argument. His confusion showed and Caroline sighed with exasperation. “I am waiting for an apology.”
For his answer, Bradford leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I warn you, Caroline. I won’t be swayed. I will have you.”
Caroline started to argue with him and then realized how futile it would be. The man’s mind was set and she knew she couldn’t change it. “You make it sound like a challenge.”
“It is a fact,” he replied, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
“And if it is a challenge,” Caroline said in a soft whisper, “then you are my opponent. I warn you, milord, I don’t play games I can’t win.”
“I think, Caroline,” Bradford returned in a whisper that touched her heart, “that we will both be winners.” He sealed his promise with a long, satisfying kiss.
“Lynnie, whatever are you doing!” Charity’s voice penetrated the shared kiss between Bradford and Caroline. “Oh, it is you, milord! I knew you would pursue my cousin, but you really mustn’t be out here by yourselves. I don’t believe it’s at all proper.”
Charity smiled at Bradford when he pulled away from Caroline. “Didn’t I tell you, Caroline, that he was taken with you?”
Bradford grinned and Caroline groaned. She had just been caught in a most awkward position, and there wasn’t any way she could convince Charity that she wasn’t a willing participant. Good heavens, her arms had been clinging to Bradford’s shoulders.
“Quit smiling and explain yourself to my cousin,” Caroline demanded as she nudged Bradford’s arm.
“Certainly,” Bradford answered. “But first, allow me to introduce myself,” Bradford stated with mock seriousness. Caroline, reading the vast amusement lurking in his eyes, decided to intervene.
“Charity, this is Bradford. He’s a duke,” she added almost as an afterthought. “And it was a good-bye forever kiss that we just shared, wasn’t it, milord?”
“Good-bye until tomorrow,” Bradford returned. He ignored Caroline’s more determined nudge and took hold of Charity’s hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Charity.”
Bradford and Charity exchanged pleasantries and then she asked, “Do you happen to know a man by the name of Paul Bleachley?” She glanced over at Caroline for approval and her cousin nodded encouragement with a gentle smile. She knew how important the matter was to Charity and felt guilty that she wasn’t helping more.
“I do.”
Bradford’s quietly stated reply caused quite a stir. Caroline grabbed him by the arm and tried to turn him back to face her, but it was like trying to move a rather large elm tree. He was firmly rooted to the ground.
Charity also tried to gain his full attention, tugging with insistence on his other arm. “Have you seen him recently?” she asked in a breathless voice.
Bradford took hold of Caroline’s hand and pulled her into his side. Then he gave Charity his full attention. His thumb rubbed against the palm of Caroline’s hand as he listened to Charity explain how she had met Paul Bleachley.
“Can you tell me if he is married?” Charity asked. “He left Boston so suddenly, and without a word of explanation.”
“No,” Bradford answered. “He isn’t married. He returned from the Colonies several months ago and is now living in his home on the outskirts of London.”
There was much more to tell, but Bradford was reluctant to go on. From Charity’s reaction to the news that Bleachley was back in England, he realized that the two must have formed an attachment while Paul was in Boston. Her eyes filled with tears and Caroline tried to pull away from Bradford’s hold to offer her comfort. Bradford wouldn’t allow it. He pulled a linen handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Charity, and then suggested that she return to her uncle and that they would shortly follow.
Caroline smiled when she saw the handkerchief. There wasn’t a bit of lace on it. It wasn’t like Brummell’s bit of fluff at all.
“Is she in love with Paul?”
Bradford’s question demanded an answer. Caroline nodded. “He made promises he didn’t keep,” she replied. “He has broken her heart.”
“Paul is also broken,” Bradford said. “I imagine that he loved her or he wouldn’t have made any promises. He is an honorable man.”
“You’re mistaken,” Caroline argued. “Charity told me that he asked her to marry him and that she accepted. Then he disappeared.”
Bradford continued to hold Caroline’s hand as they strolled toward the doorway. “I will tell you what I know, but you must think long and hard over it before you decide if you will tell Charity. What I am about to say will only cause your cousin added pain, and I think that perhaps she should be spared the truth.
”
Caroline turned so that she faced Bradford and blocked their way. “Then tell me and let me decide,” she demanded.
“Paul was injured while in Boston. There was an explosion and his ship was destroyed. He almost died and will carry the scars for the rest of his life. He lives like a hermit in a small cottage about an hour’s ride from here and will not even allow his relatives to see him.”
“Have you seen him?” Caroline asked. She was appalled by the story and ached with concern for her cousin and Paul Bleachley.
“Yes, shortly after he returned to London. He has lost the use of one arm, and his face has been disfigured.”
Caroline closed her eyes and shook her head. “I believed the worst of him when he disappeared like that, but Charity never accepted that he willingly abandoned her.” She took a deep breath and then said, “Describe his face to me. Don’t think me ghoulish, Bradford. I need to know in order to tell Charity.”
Bradford shook his head. “You aren’t listening to me. Paul won’t even let me see him anymore. And I have known him since we were children. One side of his face was burned and his left eye protrudes from the socket. He is no longer handsome.”
“She never loved him because he was handsome,” Caroline argued with conviction. “We Richmonds are not so shallow, Bradford. It’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. Wanting someone because he or she is attractive is not important. Charity has more substance to her than you realize.”
She took hold of Bradford’s hand, unaware of the affectionate gesture she was making and his reaction to it. He knew that she wasn’t conscious of what she was doing, understood that she was only concentrating on what he had just told her, but still felt a small victory over the touch. It was a beginning and he recognized it as such.
It was true that he could force a reaction from her. She had responded to his kiss, but he had had to initiate it. The touch was somehow symbolic to him. Bradford found himself smiling inside.
“The family has given Charity a nickname. They call her Butterfly,” Caroline said. “She does seem to flutter about like one, and she is as pretty as a butterfly,” Caroline continued. “But she’s also strong. She loves Paul Bleachley and I don’t believe that his injuries will change her heart.”
“Then you plan on telling her?” Bradford sounded worried. “Paul’s my friend and I won’t be a party to causing him more pain. The man’s been through enough.”
Caroline nodded. She understood his concern and admitted that if the situation were reversed, she would probably be as protective as Bradford. “You will have to trust me in this matter,” she told him.
It would have been easier if she had asked him to hand over his fortune, or his right arm for that matter. Trust! It wasn’t possible. Bradford’s face returned to its hard, cynical expression. Caroline noticed the abrupt change and the firm set of his jaw and mouth. But having been kissed by that same mouth, having touched the softness beneath the rough facade, Caroline knew the look of granite was just a way of blocking what he was truly feeling. “I assume, from the way you are looking at me, that my statement doesn’t please you,” Caroline stated. “You don’t wish to trust me?”
He didn’t answer her, and Caroline frowned with puzzlement. She decided to let the matter drop and let go of his hand. “Thank you for telling me about Bleachley,” she said. Before he could stop her, she hurried toward the open doorway. She paused at the entrance and turned back to look at him. “And thank you for apologizing. I know it was difficult for you.”
Bradford was at first irritated by being so casually dismissed and then saw the humor in the situation. He was the Duke of Bradford and he realized that Caroline Richmond wasn’t the least impressed. He caught up with her and grabbed hold of her elbow. “I did not apologize.”
Caroline glanced up with a smile. “But you would have, if I had given you more time.” She turned back to look at the crowd then, dismissing him once again.
Bradford started laughing. He hadn’t smiled or laughed in such a long time, and he knew that she was correct. If given enough time, he probably would have apologized. She was right about that and she was also correct about his thoughts of an arrangement. He might have made her his mistress, regardless of the consequences, if she had been willing. He had been rash, assuming that she was like most of the other women he had known, and now he found that he would have to reevaluate his position and his course of action.
Caroline Richmond confused him and he didn’t like admitting that at all. She spurned his title and his money, and he almost believed her. Didn’t she know what he could offer her? He couldn’t accept that material offerings were not important to her. She was a woman, after all. But she was more clever in her game than most. And more obstinate. Well, he wouldn’t be deterred. No matter how difficult the challenge, he would conquer. He wondered if she realized what she was up against. Obviously not, he decided. He realized that he was frowning now and quickly changed his expression to show none of the emotions warring inside.
Caroline had stated that she wanted someone considerate! In all of his years, Bradford knew he had never been thought of as such. Brutal and ruthless were easy descriptions he had heard whispered about him in the past. But considerate? He didn’t even know exactly what that meant. He would find out, of course. If she demanded consideration, then by God that’s what she would get.
“There you are, Daughter.” Caroline’s father’s voice interrupted Bradford’s thoughts. She had just reached the entrance to the ballroom when she was intercepted by the earl. “It really isn’t the thing, darling, to take off like that.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Caroline answered, looking contrite. She placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “I was carried away,” she added, glancing back toward Bradford.
“Yes, of course,” her father agreed. “Understandable your first night out. Are you having a good time?” he inquired with a smile of expectation.
Caroline knew what was expected of her and immediately replied, “It is all quite wonderful, and I have met so many interesting people.”
The affection was obvious in her tender gaze as she smiled at her father, and Bradford found himself envying the special relationship that existed between the two as he joined them. He thought it remarkable, too, since he had learned that Braxton had sent his daughter to the Colonies and had not seen her in fourteen years. That course of action obviously hadn’t strained her love for him, and Bradford thought that unusual.
“I knew you would enjoy yourself. And you, Bradford?” her father continued, beaming. “Are you enjoying the evening?”
Before Bradford could answer, Braxton continued, “You have caused quite a commotion tonight. You don’t usually attend these functions, do you?”
“I have been remiss in my duties,” Bradford replied. “But I plan to change my ways. Tonight has proven to be quite stimulating,” he continued as he glanced at Caroline. “I am enjoying myself immensely.”
“Ah! Here come the marquis and Charity.” The earl waited until both his niece and his brother-in-law had joined the group and then said to Bradford, “You remember the Marquis of Aimsmond?” Caroline noticed that her father’s voice now sounded most formal. She heard the tone of deference and decided that Bradford must be the most significant of the title gentlemen here. She found that amusing, since he was so much younger than her father or her uncle.
Bradford nodded that he did, indeed, remember the marquis. It was the curt nod of a duke, an acknowledgment of a man used to his position. He certainly did know how to be correct! Caroline smiled and couldn’t explain why. His correctness pleased her, added a new dimension to his character. “It is good to see you again, Aimsmond.”
“And you also, Bradford,” the marquis returned with a smile. He turned to Caroline’s father then and said, “Our host has requested a word with us.”
“Of course,” the earl answered. “I will be right back, Caroline.”
“With your permission,” Bradford int
erjected, “I would like to introduce Caroline to the Earl of Milfordhurst and then return her to your side.”
Caroline’s father smiled and nodded his approval. He took hold of Charity’s arm and followed behind the marquis.
Bradford led Caroline off in the opposite direction, toward the far side of the ballroom.
Milford saw Bradford approaching with the beautiful woman at his side and immediately excused himself from the group he was engaged in conversation with. He moved to meet the twosome halfway.
“Caroline, may I present my friend, William Summers, Earl of Milfordhurst,” Bradford announced. “Milford, this is Lady Caroline Mary Richmond, the Earl of Braxton’s daughter.”
“I am pleased to meet you,” Caroline said. She made a small curtsy while she sized up the handsome man taking hold of her hand. He appeared to be very much of a rascal from his grin to the sparkle in his green eyes.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Milford announced with a formal bow. “So this is the lady from the Colonies,” he commented to Bradford. “And is that a new gown you’re wearing?” he asked Caroline.
She was surprised by his question but nodded her head. “Yes, it’s a design of Madam Newcott’s,” she added.
Milford shot Bradford a knowing look and chuckled.
Caroline wasn’t sure what was going on between the two but didn’t have time to dwell on it. Charity joined the group, her full skirt swinging as she came to an abrupt stop. She smiled at Bradford and then at his friend.
Bradford immediately introduced her to Milford. While Charity confided her thoughts about the evening, Braxton arrived and Bradford, ignoring his friend’s widening grin, immediately requested a private meeting.
As soon as Bradford and the earl had moved off to an alcove, Milford saw to refreshments for Charity and Caroline.
Charity continued to control the conversation, and Caroline smiled patiently as she listened to her cousin’s excited comments. She decided, by the way Milford gave Charity his complete attention, that he was a nice man, and easy to like. He seemed to have a gentle nature.
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