by Robyn DeHart
Millie covered Caroline’s hand with her own. “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course,” Millie said, inclining her head. “I would expect nothing else from you.”
“I’m furious.” So angry she truly wanted to scream. To go and find Roe and pound on his chest and demand he take it back. She’d wanted to marry him, she still did, and she couldn’t deny that. But not like this, not as a duty. She wanted him to love her. She hated that about herself, but it was the truth. When he looked at her, she wanted him to see the woman he’d chosen, not the woman he was responsible for.
Millie inclined her head knowingly. “I would be angry, too. In fact, I shall be furious on your behalf.” She nodded once more. “Most indignant.” Millie sighed. “I suppose you are going to refuse him.”
Caroline looked up. “Of course not. Why ever would I do that?”
Millie smiled. “Good girl. Very practical of you. Now then, what shall we do about it?”
“I haven’t any notion.”
“I do.” Millie leaned her head closer as if they were conspiring on a most dangerous secret. “I suggest we spend a great deal of his money. If you are to be a duchess you will need an entirely new wardrobe, not to mention you probably want to redecorate some of the house. It hasn’t been changed in so long.”
Caroline tried to smile, she did, but found it impossible to pull off. “It sounds like a magnificent plan, Millie, and I suspect that tomorrow I shall be delighted to do that very thing. At the moment though, I need to be alone.” She paused before leaving the room.
Millie smiled warmly. “I know it does not seem so right now, but trust that all will be well. I do wish my dear son had been a little more tender with his words, though I couldn’t be more delighted to have you as a daughter-in-law. You know I already think of you as a daughter.”
Caroline kissed Millie’s cheek and then left the room. She couldn’t say anything else. She was already dangerously close to breaking down into tears, and though Millie had seen her cry before, she’d never seen her cry about Roe. At least she hadn’t and known that Roe was the cause of her tears.
Caroline grabbed her cloak and reticule, slipped out the front door, and hailed a hack. She gave the driver the address, then sat back and looked out the bare window. London bustled about around her as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn’t had the best night of her life in Roe’s bed only to wake up to find everything had turned upside down. He’d been so tender in bed, whispering naughty things to her. They’d laughed and touched until the early morning light, at which point she’d fallen into a very sated and exhausted sleep.
She thought that night had meant something to him, something other than duty or responsibility or consequences. She didn’t want to be anyone’s consequence. She felt as important as a tea kettle, something to be passed along from one family member to the next.
She was a burden and it was all she’d ever be. Of course, now everyone would call her Duchess. But she’d know the truth. She’d know why Roe had actually married her.
Caroline stood in the entryway of her family home. The men Roe had hired to do the repair work here were off work for the day, so she was able to be alone with her thoughts. They had done an excellent job repairing the stairs; she couldn’t even tell anything had ever been wrong with them. They looked lovely.
What would she do with this house now? She wouldn’t need to live here as she’d live with Roe. But this was hers, truly the only thing she owned in the entire world. Certainly there was something she could do with it. She made her way around the house, checking each room and hoping the solution would pop into her head.
In a way, she felt relieved she wouldn’t have to live here. She’d been uncertain about it, nervous, perhaps a little frightened about the entire ordeal, but she’d been in such a hurry to get away from Roe and this perpetual feeling that she had no real place in this world, that she’d only ever be a burden on the people closest to her. Now it would seem that would always be the case for her.
The work the men had done upstairs was equally as impressive as the fixes downstairs. Roe certainly knew what he was doing when he hired them. She could at least thank him for that.
A door slammed downstairs, and for a moment Caroline’s blood ran cold. She shook off the feeling. She was distracted and the noise startled her. Perhaps the men had returned to work today. She made her way down the staircase, and she could see from the shoes that two people stood in the entryway. As the bulkhead cleared, she saw that it was Mr. Lamb and one of the girls from Dover House. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was Gretchen and that Mr. Lamb held a pistol in his hand. It was pressed firmly against Gretchen’s side. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she made no sound.
Caroline frowned and stepped off the last step. “Mr. Lamb, what the devil do you think you’re doing? Remove that pistol from Gretchen this once.”
He smiled, showing his pointed teeth. “It’s her own damned fault she’s here. This was supposed to be you and me, alone. But somehow she was here when I arrived, and I knew she’d tell the authorities if she saw me leave here with you.”
“Gretchen, love, what are you doing here? How did you find me?” Caroline asked. Not that it mattered now because she was here and Mr. Lamb had a gun. Fear surged in Caroline’s throat, threatening to choke her, but she did her best to ignore it. Showing her own fear would only make things worse for Gretchen.
“I followed him. I knew he was up to something and I wanted to see what it was. He’s been making us steal, me and Fiona and I don’t know. I thought I’d find out where he was hiding all the money. If I could take some of it, then me and the girls could leave and get a house somewhere. But he came here. I didn’t know it was your house.”
“It will all be well,” Caroline said, looking straight into the girl’s pretty green eyes.
“Enough talking,” Mr. Lamb said. “It is time for us all to go for a ride. Come along, ladies,” he said, bitterness clinging to the last word.
Caroline stood firm where she was. “I will not go anywhere with you.”
“Is that so? Get out to the carriage now, or I’ll shoot this girl right here in your front entry.”
She stood there for a moment considering the situation. Instinct told her she could not let him have the upper hand, that she could let him take her and Gretchen away from here, but what could she do? She couldn’t allow him to harm Gretchen. And she couldn’t overpower him. She was half his size. How was it that she had no weapon? Of course she wasn’t in the habit of carrying weapons with her, something she would obviously need to remedy.
She walked to the front door. “I cannot imagine what you want with me. Am I to discover the rest of the board of directors tied up in this carriage of yours?”
“No, just you, I only want you,” he said. The sinister meaning of his words snaked chills through her body. Did he intend to ravish her? Certainly not while young Gretchen was with them. Good heavens, it would seem Caroline had gotten herself into more than a bit of trouble. She climbed into the carriage and the girl followed behind her.
“Sit over there,” he said as he too climbed inside. He had them both sit across from him and aimed the gun at both of them, alternating who would get the barrel of the pistol. “Now then, Miss Jellico, or should I call you Mr. Grey? I don’t appreciate what you’ve been doing. I received notice this morning that I was no longer welcomed to play at Rodale’s. What do you suppose that is about?”
“I really couldn’t say. I have no notion of what you’re talking about.” So Roe had been right. Lamb had recognized her.
“Don’t play daft with me, girl. I know you’re not that stupid. What I want to know is how you became such a damned good player?”
She leveled her gaze to his watery eyes and suppressed a shudder. “I rely on skill rather than luck.”
“Oh, touché.” The carriage rumbled down the street and she tried to reach for the curtain on the small window
to catch a glimpse at where they were, where they were going, but he lifted the gun. “You’ll see soon enough where we’re going. I have something very important for you to do.” He moved the gun back and forth. “Not certain yet what I will do with this one.”
What was he to have her do? Caroline reached over and grabbed Gretchen’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Whatever else happened, she would do everything she could to keep the girl safe.
The carriage rolled to a stop and Mr. Lamb opened the door and climbed out. “Come along, you two, we’re here.”
Caroline climbed down the steps and found herself standing on Tilney Street, the row of brown brick townhomes stood in front of her, tall soldiers guarding the castle. Mr. Lamb poked the pistol into her back and pushed her forward.
“This one,” he said. “Number 234, up those stairs.”
She did as he bade, Gretchen holding tightly to her hand. Perhaps this would be her moment to escape? Surely, he wouldn’t want the residents of this house to know he’d taken hostages. Then Mr. Lamb stepped around them and slammed the big knocker into the door. It opened and a small, round man stood there, spectacles covering his eyes. “Ah, Mr. Lamb,” he said in a voice too deep for his stature. He didn’t so much as glance in the direction of the pistol. “Her ladyship is in the yellow parlor. You and your guests…” He eyed Caroline and Gretchen with suspicion. “Can go and see her in there.”
“Very good,” Mr. Lamb said. He moved them toward the last door of the corridor that opened to the right. “Lady Winguard, I’ve come to discuss our arrangement.”
“It is about time, Nigel, my patience wears thin.”
Caroline recognized the voice and looked around Mr. Lamb to find Lady Winguard sitting there. “Sweet Hildy” as she’d introduced herself to Caroline at the board meeting.
“Hildy, I’m so pleased to see you,” Caroline said. “It would seem Mr. Lamb has seen fit to kidnap me and Gretchen, and I would greatly appreciate your assistance.”
Hildy looked at her and smiled sweetly, but there was nothing kind about her eyes. She said nothing to her, rather looked back at Mr. Lamb. “What is Miss Jellico doing here?” she asked, ignoring Caroline’s question.
“She is the answer to my problem. Mother, she is the best card player I’ve ever seen. She can beat anyone. I will earn the money I owe you back, plus more,” he said with a grin.
“I’ve told you on countless occasions never to call me that,” Hildy snapped.
“Yes, of course, Lady Winguard, my apologies.”
Caroline swung around to look at Mr. Lamb in shock. “She’s your mother?” That was why Hildy had been so against them investigating him, she had been trying to protect her son.
Hildy shrugged. “A youthful discretion. Our relation is not a well-known fact.” She turned back to Nigel. “Even if she is that good, how many nights will she have to play to earn back that money? You are in so deep, Nigel.”
“One night. Tonight,” Nigel said.
“You kidnapped me! You must be mad if you think I’ll play for you!” Caroline said.
Hildy patted her on the arm in a reassuring manner and smiled. “Now, dear, there’s no point in throwing a temper tantrum.” Then she looked at Nigel. “How do you suggest we do that?”
“There is a high-stakes game later today at Pollard’s,” he said. “We buy her in, let her play, and then enjoy her winnings.”
“I will not play!”
Hildy tilted her head thoughtfully to the side. “My dear, as women we do many things that are distasteful.” She looked at Mr. Lamb, frowning. “But I’m afraid I must agree. She is a lady. You can’t drag her into a gaming hell. They won’t let her play.”
“She’s been playing at Rodale’s for months, dressed as a man. We’ll dress her up and no one will be the wiser.”
“How very peculiar.” Hildy smiled benignly. “Well that does change things.”
Caroline’s heart thundered in her chest. “And if I refuse?” Though she feared she already knew the answer to that question.
“Then we’ll kill Gretchen and her two sisters. That enough incentive for you?” Mr. Lamb asked.
“If she’s as good as you say, I won’t want to let her go,” Hildy said with a devious grin. “I could use a new source of steady income.”
“That’s ridiculous. Monroe will find me,” Caroline said.
“He won’t know where to look for you, my dear. No one in London knows of my relation to Mr. Lamb. That isn’t even his real name,” Hildy said.
Caroline didn’t argue. The woman was quite clearly mad so there would be no point in discussing this any further. But Caroline knew Roe would find her. He’d have to, he’d proposed, certainly that mean he cared somewhat for her.
Hildy glanced at Caroline. “Are you good?”
“I am.” Caroline looked from one of them to the next. This conversation was absurd. How could they calmly discuss this? “I can count the cards, figure out the probabilities, make my plays based on that,” Caroline said.
Hildy waved her hand. “I don’t care how you do it. I just want you to do it.”
“So if she earns back your money, then you shall give me my inheritance?” Mr. Lamb asked. “Allow me to purchase a decent house. I tire so of living in that tiny, dirty flat.”
“We shall see,” Hildy said.
…
Later that evening when Caroline still had not returned home, Roe’s mother came to him quite concerned.
“She was very distressed this morning after your wretched display of masculinity. Honestly, Roe, she deserves much better, you said so yourself.”
“It is done now, Mother, there is nothing I can do to rectify it.” Had he to do it again he would have brought up marriage in a slightly more sensitive way. But he’d been so damned afraid she’d tell him no that he hadn’t given her an option. Once he’d decided to marry her, the thought of not having her for his wife filled him with dread. But now she seemed to be gone.
So it was that Roe found himself standing in her darkened townhome. She was not there, nor was there any sign of her. He went to Rodale’s and made a quick run through the back room, but she was nowhere to be found. In fact, the room was rather empty. So then he quickly made his way to his Aunt Aggie’s house. As he walked into the blue parlor, he spotted Boomer sitting in a wing-backed chair, reading.
“Just the man I wanted to see,” Roe said.
Boomer looked up at him over his book. The man looked at Aggie and she shrugged.
“Have you seen Caroline?”
Boomer shook his head.
“Is she missing?” Aggie asked, a frown furrowing her brow. “Is Millie simply beside herself with worry?”
“Yes, my mother is quite concerned, but I don’t think Caroline is missing. I suspect she’s gone to play again.” Perhaps she’d decided she needed to win the rest of the money she needed so she could follow her plans of moving out and living on her own devices. His mother had told him earlier when he’d returned from making arrangements for their wedding license that Caroline had left and she’d been distressed, claiming she wanted to be alone for while. That had been more than six hours ago and no one had seen her since.
Damn her stubborn hide. He would find a way for her to continue to play if it was that important to her. And she could keep all her bloody winnings. He couldn’t have her sneaking away though. Then a sickening feeling hit him. What if Justin had been correct and Nigel Lamb had recognized her? He could have come after her, and she could very well be in danger.
“Do you know anyone else I can ask?” Roe asked. “Anyone else who might know where she is?”
“Finley,” Boomer said.
“The gossiping butler, right?” Roe asked. “Caroline told me about him. Where would I find him now?”
“He wouldn’t be at Rodale’s because he’s working. Lord Bromley’s townhome.” Boomer came to his feet. “I’m coming with you.”
The ride to Lord Bromley’s seemed to last an e
ternity. He’d been prepared to find her at Rodale’s. He’d been prepared to catch her in Grey’s disguise, sitting there playing. He’d have been angry, but at least she would be safe. But it simply wasn’t like Caroline to run away. Even when she’d left before, after her proposal to him, she’d told him she was going.
If Lamb had her, though, there was no telling where she’d be. In all of his investigations of the man, Roe had been unable to locate a residential address for him. Roe made a quick stop off at Dover House earlier in the day because he wanted to check in with Mrs. Hancock and let her know that Mr. Lamb was being investigated, and that she should report back to Roe any unusual goings on.
At the time Roe hadn’t known that Caroline was missing, but he knew she hadn’t been there, nor had anyone seen Mr. Lamb. In fact, no one had seen Mr. Lamb since yesterday afternoon.
Once the carriage stopped, Roe wasn’t even certain his feet touched the steps that led up to Lord Bromley’s townhome. Together, he and Boomer stood on the front stoop and waited for someone, hopefully Finley, to respond to their knock.
Finley did open the door, then his eyes rounded in surprise. “May I help you?”
“Do you know where Caro—”
“Have you seen Grey, the boy who plays at Rodale’s sometime?” Boomer interrupted him, saving Roe from revealing Caroline.
He nodded to Boomer, silently thanking him. She might have gone off to play on her own, but she would never do so dressed as herself. She was brazen, but not a fool.
“I have not. Good player, that boy.” He looked behind him, then stepped out onto the stoop with them and closed the door behind him. “But I do have it on great authority that there is a high stakes game going on tonight at Pollard’s. Perhaps he went there and bought into that game. Too rich for me.” The man continued to prattle on, but Roe had already walked away.