The Lady Gambles

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘No, Dominic, I must not.’ Her unblinking gaze challenged him, her chin raised in haughty disdain. ‘I have not had opportunity to tell you before this, but it is already my intention to leave London once I have attended Ben’s funeral tomorrow.’

  ‘To go where, may I ask?’ Dominic glowered down at her.

  ‘No, you may not ask—Dominic!’ She protested as he reached out and took a tight grip of her wrist. ‘You will not be able to force my compliance simply by the use of brute strength.’ She spoke calmly and clearly, her gaze reproachful as she looked up at him.

  Dominic had no wish to force her compliance or hurt her in any way. But just the thought of the likes of a man like Brown ever being in a position to cause her harm caused a painful tightening in his chest.

  As did the thought of Caro leaving London. Leaving him…

  He also wondered, if not for their present heated conversation, whether she would have even bothered to inform him of her intention to leave London, let alone confide where he might be able to find her if he wished to see her again.

  If he wished to see her again?

  Dominic released his grip on Caro’s arm to step sharply away from her, a frown darkening his brow as he studied her between guarded lids. There was no doubting that she was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman. Or that just looking at her now in that green gown, and imagining the naked curves beneath, filled him with the need to once again make love to her. But surely that was all she was, or ever could be, to him? Just a beautiful young woman who—for the moment—he felt a need to protect? To imagine she might mean any more to him than that was unacceptable to a man who had long ago decided he did not want or need one particular woman in his life. Especially if that woman was one he might care for enough that her death would drive him to the same brink of madness his father had suffered after the death of Dominic’s mother.

  He shook his head. ‘You know I cannot allow it, Caro.’

  ‘Why not?’ For Caro to dare to hope that he might feel some of her own regret at the thought of them parting would, she knew, be too much to ask.

  He looked irritated now. ‘Because Brown is still a threat.’

  ‘To me?’

  ‘Caro, how do you imagine Brown even knew to visit you here at Brockle House?’

  Her eyes slowly widened. ‘He had us followed yesterday?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Dominic bit out curtly. ‘And until he is…dealt with, I must insist, if you will not agree to go to my estate in Berkshire, that you at least agree to remain at Brockle House for now.’

  Caro looked at him searchingly, noting the grim determination of his expression, the light of battle in his eyes. ‘You intend to deal with Mr Brown yourself, do you not?’

  Dominic drew in a harsh breath, wishing not for the first time that Caro were not as astute as she was beautiful. Or so forward in voicing her shrewd opinions and observations. ‘It is for the law—’

  ‘Dominic, I have asked several times that you not treat me as a child or an imbecile!’

  He sighed deeply at her obvious irritation. ‘Very well, then. Yes, if the law is not enough to bring Brown to justice, then I will feel no hesitation in dealing with him myself.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I think it best if you do not know the details.’

  ‘Dominic.’

  ‘Caro!’ he exclaimed in exasperation. ‘Is it not enough to know that I respect you, admire you, even like you?’ he added ruefully. ‘And that it is because I feel all of those things for you that I do not wish to involve you any further in this mess than you already are.’

  Caro knew from the implacability of his tone that Dominic really would tell her no more on that subject. Just as she knew that having his respect, admiration and liking, whilst being secretly cherished, could never be enough for her. She wanted him to feel so much more than that. Needed him to love her in the same way she had realised she loved him. Completely. Irrevocably.

  Who could have ever known that, in coming to London in this way, she would meet the man she was to fall so deeply in love with? Certainly not Caro. She had thought only to avoid being coerced into a marriage she did not want. Instead she had met the man whom she would love for the rest of her life and he didn’t want to marry her…

  Caro stepped away from him, her trembling hands clasped tightly together in front of her, knowing that her pride would never allow her to let him see how deeply she had fallen in love with him. ‘I accept that for the moment it is best that I remain here. But I do wish to leave as soon as you feel it is safe for me to do so,’ she added firmly.

  Dominic looked at her between narrowed lids. ‘With the intention of returning to your family?’

  ‘Yes. And please do not ask me where or who that family is,’ she said ruefully as she could see that was exactly what Dominic was about to do. ‘As with your own actions concerning Mr Brown, it serves no purpose for you to know the details of my destination.’

  He straightened abruptly. ‘And if you need to talk to me at some point in the future?’

  If she found herself with child, he meant… ‘Then I will know where to find you,’ Caro dismissed evenly.

  Dominic sighed. ‘You know, Caro, I do not have so many people I consider friends that I can simply allow one of them to just up and leave London and for ever disappear.’

  Dominic thought of them as being friends?

  Knowing how and why, after hearing the sad tale of his parents’ deaths, Dominic shunned emotional attachments of any kind, she could not help but feel flattered that he should think of her as a friend. Unfortunately, she wanted to be so much more to him than just a friend!

  ‘I am sure that you have many more friends than Lord Thorne, Drew Butler and myself,’ she said lightly.

  ‘Perhaps,’ Dominic conceded drily. ‘Osbourne and I have just spent the past month in Venice with one of our oldest and closest friends.’

  Venice?

  Caro stiffened, barely daring to breathe as she looked searchingly at Dominic now. He had recently spent a month in Venice? Where Lord Gabriel Faulkner, Earl of Westbourne since the death of Caro’s father, and now the guardian of all three sisters—the very same man who had sent his lawyer with the offer of marriage to one of the three Copeland sisters, without so much as having met any of them—had resided for the past two years, at least?

  Caro was well aware that Venice was a large city with an even larger population, Venetians as well as other people simply visiting. Nevertheless, she could not help her feelings of disquiet at the knowledge that Dominic had just spent a month there. Where he had no doubt met and socialised with both the Venetian aristocracy and those members of English society currently residing there. Possibly including Lord Faulkner?

  ‘Perhaps you will have the chance to meet him,’ Dominic continued. ‘Westbourne is due to arrive back in England himself in the next few days,’ he explained at Caro’s questioning glance.

  Westbourne!

  Caro’s fears had just been realised!

  Not only did Dominic know Lord Faulkner, but the two of them had obviously been close friends for a number of years. Worst of all, Dominic was expecting Westbourne to arrive back in England any day! No doubt one of the first things he would do was pay a visit to his friend, Lord Vaughn—and Dominic had just told her that he would introduce the two of them!

  Caro moved carefully over to a chair and sat down, knowing her legs were in danger of no longer supporting her. What was she to do? If, as Dominic said, he was expecting the Earl of Westbourne to arrive in England within days—possibly even today—then Caro could not afford to linger in London any longer if she wished to avoid detection, no matter what she might have assured Dominic earlier.

  Not that Lord Faulkner would recognise her as anyone other than Caro Morton here in London. But she had never intended her absence from Shoreley Hall, and the separation from her beloved sisters, to be a permanent one, which meant that Westbourne must one day be introduced to his ward, Lady Carol
ine Copeland. If he had already been introduced to Caro Morton, the repercussions to all of them when that happened would be great indeed!

  Caro had dearly wanted to attend Ben’s funeral before returning to Shoreley Hall, and the thought of leaving Dominic so soon was worse than painful, but the knowledge of her guardian’s imminent arrival in England meant that she had no choice but to leave immediately.

  Caro Morton must cease to exist forthwith.

  ‘Caro?’

  She straightened, schooling her features into the polite social mask recognisable as Lady Caroline Copeland as she looked up and saw the concern in Dominic’s expression. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Will you promise me not to leave the house unaccompanied until this matter is settled?’

  She could not give such a promise and mean it. Not now. ‘I trust I am not so foolish as to even attempt it now that you have alerted me to the fact that Nicholas Brown is watching my every move,’ she answered.

  Dominic nodded, apparently sensing none of the evasion in her reply. ‘I will be out for the rest of the day, but should hopefully be back in time for us to dine together this evening.’

  ‘I will look forward to it.’ They had become almost like strangers in these past few minutes, Caro recognised heavily, Dominic’s friendship with Lord Faulkner, and her knowledge of her own imminent departure from London, seeming to have severed the tenuous bonds of their own friendship.

  Caro could feel the hot burn of tears in her eyes. ‘I believe I will go upstairs to rest.’ Dominic must be made to leave. Now. Before those threatening tears started to fall and he demanded an explanation as to the reason for them. She doubted he would appreciate hearing that it was because her heart was breaking at the very thought of being parted from him.

  Now that the time had come, Dominic felt an uncharacteristic reluctance to part from Caro, even for a few hours.

  Damn it, apart from the friendship he had long held with Osbourne and Westbourne, he had never been a man who allowed himself to become entangled in emotional attachments. And yet he was aware he had formed a friendship of sorts these past few days with both Drew Butler and Ben Jackson.

  And he had formed a friendship with Caro, too…

  A friendship that Dominic knew had come into being because he had ultimately been unable to deny the respect and admiration he felt for the courage and determination she had shown him from their very first meeting. He would feel Caro’s loss all the more keenly once she was allowed to return to her home and family. But it was a friendship Dominic could not, would not, allow to control either his actions or his judgement.

  He drew himself up stiffly. ‘Until this evening, then.’ He nodded to her before turning on his heel to stride determinedly from the room.

  Caro waited only long enough to be sure that he had truly gone before she allowed the tears to fall. Hot and remorseless tears that almost brought her to her knees. At the thought of never seeing Dominic again. At the knowledge that she would never again know the warmth of being held in his arms. Kissed by him. Never again know the wonder, the beauty, of their lovemaking.

  Caro cried until there were no more tears inside her to be shed. Until all that was left was the knowledge that she must leave this house immediately.

  Must leave London.

  And Dominic…

  Once outside Dominic dismissed the carriage he and Butler had arrived in earlier, deciding that the walk to Mrs Wilson’s to check on Osbourne one last time before his aunt whisked him off to the country to recover from his injuries would be far more beneficial in helping to clear his head of the disturbed thoughts that had been plaguing him ever since he had realised how deeply he would feel it when Caro left London for good.

  Except Dominic’s thoughts remained distracted, for the duration of his walk, and whilst he chatted with the disgruntled but resigned Osbourne. And they continued to plague him after he had taken his leave and stood outside on the pavement outside Mrs Wilson’s home.

  He had intended lunching at his club, before returning to Blackstone House for the afternoon to deal with estate business, leaving him free to once again spend the night at Brockle House.

  Yet he did none of those things, as instead, his feet took him back in the direction of Brockle House. Back to Caro.

  His behaviour was totally illogical. Totally unprecedented. He felt a longing to be with her that he knew he should strongly resist. But could not…

  Just as he could not believe his own eyes as he neared Brockle House and saw Caro hurrying towards him. Alone. Dressed in her dark cloak and that unbecoming brown bonnet, which should have been consigned to the incinerator along with those unbecoming gowns, but somehow had not. And carrying the bag in which her few belongings had been packed to transport them to Brockle House.

  Caro came to an abrupt halt, her eyes widening in alarm, as she saw a furiously angry Dominic striding forcefully towards her. It could not be! Dominic had gone off for the day to see to other business. He was not really here at all, was a figment of her imagination, brought about by the chasm of misery Caro had fallen into at the thought of being parted from him.

  ‘Where do you think you are going?’ The grip of his hands on the tops of her arms felt real enough, as did the fierceness of his scowl as he glowered down at her. ‘Answer me this instant, Caro!’

  Dominic was real! He was really here!

  Caro could not breathe. Could not think. Could only stare up into Dominic’s face and know that she loved him past all bearing…

  ‘You little fool!’ He shook her, eyes glittering in the harsh handsomeness of his face as he glared down at her. ‘Do you not realise the danger you have put yourself in by venturing out alone like this?’

  ‘Why are you here?’ She gave a dazed shake of her head. ‘You told me you had other business to attend to for the rest of the day. You said—’

  ‘I am well aware of what I said, Caro,’ he grated. ‘Just as I am aware that you lied to me when you said you would be resting in your rooms for the rest of the morning. You have obviously taken advantage of my absence to pack your bag and make your escape without so much as a word of goodbye!’

  ‘I—’ Caro moistened her dry lips.

  ‘Where were you going?’ Dominic demanded harshly as he shook her slightly again. ‘What—?’ He broke off abruptly, his eyes suddenly wide and staring.

  ‘Dominic?’ Caro could only look up at him uncomprehendingly as those silver-grey eyes turned up into his head before glazing over completely, his mouth becoming lax, and his hands losing their grip upon her arms as he began to sink slowly to the ground.

  Revealing to her frightened gaze the hefty and brutish-looking man who stood behind him, some sort of cudgel raised in his hand, before something was thrown over her head to cut off all sight and she felt herself being lifted and carried away…

  Chapter Eighteen

  Caro had no idea how long she had been held a prisoner in this opulently furnished bedchamber. It had seemed like hours, and yet it could equally have been only minutes. Time had become unimportant to her since she had seen Dominic fall to the ground after receiving that blow to the back of his head.

  None of her anguished thoughts since that time had been for herself; she was far too worried whether that blow to Dominic’s head had been heavy and hard enough to kill him.

  A world without Dominic was unthinkable. Unimaginable. Making a complete nonsense of any concerns Caro might have for her own welfare. She had become the prisoner of Nicholas Brown, of course. There could be no other possible explanation for what had occurred. But none of it mattered to Caro in the slightest if Dominic were now dead.

  She stood up and moved restlessly around the room to end up standing in front of the window. It was barred on the outside and looked out over a walled and secluded garden, with a sheltering of surrounding trees that made it impossible for anyone in any of the neighbouring houses to see either into the garden or the house.

  It was a seclusion she was already aware
of, because the window had been the first place she had checked for escape, once she had managed to untangle herself from the blanket that had been kept about her as she was bundled inside a coach and transported to this house.

  There had been two men inside the coach with her, and although the blanket did not allow her to see their faces, she could easily guess that one of them had struck Dominic, and the second was the man who had stood behind Caro and thrown the blanket over her head. Neither of them had deigned to answer her repeated demands during the journey to know whether or not they had killed Dominic.

  So far she had seen nothing of Nicholas Brown…

  Caro knew that she should be afraid of the man. That the men he employed were responsible for Ben’s death and the severity of the injuries Lord Thorne had received several nights ago. That those same men might also have now slain Dominic…

  And yet Caro felt too contemptuous and angry towards Brown to be in the least afraid of him. Contempt, because all of those acts had been cowardly, administered in such a way that neither Brown nor any of his men were ever in any real danger of injury themselves. Anger, because if Dominic did indeed lie dead somewhere, then Caro felt fully capable of administering that same fate to Brown, if she were given the slightest opportunity.

  A choking sob rose in her throat. Dominic could not be dead! It was a possibility too horrific to even contemplate—

  Caro turned sharply as she heard the key turning in the lock of the door, her chin raised proudly high, sea-green eyes full of the contempt she felt as Nicholas Brown stepped into the room.

  ‘Mrs Morton,’ he greeted with his usual relaxed charm—for all the world as if they were exchanging pleasantries in a drawing room! ‘You’re comfortable, I hope?’ he added courteously as he remained standing in the doorway of the bedchamber.