Blackhaven Brides (Books 5–8)

by Lancaster, Mary

  “Caroline,” he whispered. “Caroline, are you real?”

  She took his face between his hands. “Yes, yes, I’m here. You were sleepwalking again.”

  His arms tightened as though he’d never let her go.

  *

  Rosa rarely woke in the night. When she did, there was always the faint, comforting glow of the nightlight allowing her to fall asleep again before the fears took hold. Tonight, too, the nightlight was there, along with the unfamiliar feeling of other people in the bed with her. Helen and Alice. And across the room was Maria. She liked all the girls. She was glad they were there, only…she wished her father was here, too.

  At least Miss Grey was on the other side of the door she could just make out in the dim light. For she was sure she could hear distant footsteps. Not him. They couldn’t be him, here at Haven Hall… Still, she needed Miss Grey to tell her so, or even just to see her would show how silly her old fears were. She stood up in the bed, stepped over Helen, and slithered on to the floor before padding across to the governess’s door.

  She opened it without knocking, taking the night light with her.

  Miss Grey’s bed was empty.

  Rosa’s heart began to gallop with fear. She clutched it, trying to calm it, to think. Miss Grey couldn’t have left, wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. Where was she? Had he got her? Was he here in the hall?

  Common sense told her that of course he wasn’t, but still, she needed to know Miss Grey was safe. Had she the courage to go along the dark passage to Papa’s chamber?

  Leaving the door open, she returned to her own room. Her knees shook.

  “Rosa?” Maria loomed up from the couch, whispering her name. “What is it?”

  Without thought, Rosa took her by the hand and dragged her out of bed, and across to the open door, pointing at Miss Grey’s empty bed.

  “You want Miss Grey?” Maria murmured. “Now?”

  Rosa nodded vehemently.

  Maria thought. “She’s probably with Serena. Come on.” This time it was Maria who drew Rosa by the hand to the passage door and along past the landing toward the bedchamber given to Maria’s sister and her husband.

  As they passed the library door, Rosa was sure she heard a noise, and shrank closer to Maria.

  *

  For the second time in his life, Javan woke to find himself gazing into the eyes of Caroline Grey. She took his face between her hands, murmuring words of comfort, her eyes huge with care for him. And the contrast between the horrors of his dream and the sweetness of her presence, her caress, was too great. He pushed against her hands until his mouth found hers, and he kissed her as though he’d never stop. He never wanted to stop.

  Somewhere, he’d registered that it was night and that they were in the library. Beyond that, there was only Caroline, the warm softness of her body pressed to his, her scent in his nostrils, her unique taste on his lips, his tongue. Her instinctive passion inflamed him, driving him beyond comfort to raging lust.

  Something moved on the edge of his vision.

  A familiar voice drawled. “You do know you’re not alone?”

  Caroline gasped under his mouth and sprang back.

  Javan turned more slowly to face his cousin, who was looming over the back of the sofa, only just within reach of the candle’s faintest illumination. “Richard, what the devil?”

  “I was about to ask you the same question. I was here first.”

  “Well, what do you mean by skulking here with no light?” Javan demanded.

  “I was on watch-for-the-intruder duty, remember? Well, I fell asleep and was having very pleasant dreams before you two battered your way in here and woke me up.” Richard rose to his feet and ambled toward them, a smirk on his handsome face that seemed to betoken both amusement and pleasure. “May I be the first to bless you, my children?”

  “Sir, Mr. Benedict was sleepwalking,” Caroline said desperately. “He did not know what he was doing,”

  Is that truly what she thought? Or was she simply trying to save the tatters of her reputation? She needn’t have bothered. Richard might tease, but he would never blab.

  Richard snorted with laughter. “Truly?” he said and took both her hand and Richard’s and solemnly joined them. Javan would have pulled free and sworn at him had not the library door opened again to reveal a whole host of people.

  Rosa pushed past Mrs. Grant and Lord Tamar to run to Caroline. Lady Tamar tried to stop her sister following, and the result was they all tumbled into the room. They had brought their own candles, and so and were afforded a clear view of Caroline in her night rail, stunned. One of her hands had been grasped by Rosa. The other was still held by both Javan and Richard, neither of whom, in their shirt sleeves, were properly dressed to be in a lady’s company.

  “Miss Grey!” Lady Tamar exclaimed. She sounded more astonished than shocked. “What on earth is going on?”

  The matter was not beyond control. These people were Caroline’s friends. The worst that could happen was that he would have to reveal his tendency to sleepwalk.

  Until Richard said, “It isn’t what you think.”

  And Lord Tamar, who seemed—damn him—to feel protective toward Caroline, pushed forward with a dangerous frown. “And what exactly is it I think?” he demanded.

  “Rupert, the children!” his wife reminded him.

  “What are you both doing here with Miss Grey?” Tamar asked bluntly.

  Caroline pulled her hands free, furiously hugging herself, remembering no doubt the previous time she’d been accused of impropriety and lost her position. With sudden, blinding clarity, Javan knew how to put it right in the eyes of the word. Knew too that life could hold no greater happiness than being married to Caroline.

  He looked from her appalled gaze to Richard’s expectant one, and the words dried in his throat. She’d never believe he loved her now. In any case, was he not insane to put his heart and Rosa’s care in the possession of a woman he’d known less than a month?

  The silence stretched. Caroline would no longer look at him. He refused to do this in front of everyone.

  “We’ll sort this out in the morning,” he said abruptly. “I suggest we all retire.”

  “I don’t—” Tamar began furiously.

  “After,” Richard interrupted, “you all also congratulate me on my engagement to Miss Grey.”

  The blood roared in Javan’s ears. No! The single word crashed through his head but remained unspoken, for Caroline was staring at Richard in shock.

  “This isn’t how we intended it to come out,” Richard said glibly, “but Javan has just given us his blessing in this somewhat unconventional setting, so you might as well know now as tomorrow.”

  This was insane. He couldn’t marry Caroline… But she suddenly grasped Richard’s arm and at last the suspicion fell into place that such an engagement was not unplanned. His earlier remarks had been sarcastic, teasing… Richard was charming, undamaged, and the wealthy heir to a baronetcy. Javan was…less.

  Somehow, he managed a bow. “Goodnight,” he said and pushed his way out of the room, leaving Caroline being embraced by Lady Tamar and Mrs. Grant and Maria all at once.

  Only fury kept the pain at bay.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In consideration of the unexpected guests, breakfast the following morning was to be served in the dining room. After washing and dressing, Caroline woke the girls and left them to dress in their own time. Her plan was to eat breakfast alone and escape for a long, head-clearing walk before she was required to speak to anyone about anything that mattered.

  However, in this she was foiled at the outset, for as soon as she reached the staircase, Richard Benedict strode out of the library and beckoned her inside. Being still furious with him, she hesitated before finally deciding to clear up this silly mess as soon as possible. With dignity, she followed him into the library, without closing the door.

  “Don’t look so fierce, Miss Grey. You should be happy on you
r betrothal day.”

  “I am not,” she uttered, “betrothed. At the very least I insist on being consulted before the fact!”

  “Well, I’d no time to ask you, and if I had, you would only have refused.”

  “And yet here we are, with everyone believing us to be engaged!”

  “Including Javan.”

  Especially Javan. Pain racked her, like a dagger in the heart. How dared he believe it when she had only just kissed him? How dared he?

  “Don’t you see that this is the point, Miss Grey?” Richard urged.

  “If there is a point, it is far too obscure for me.”

  “No one wishes you to be ruined.”

  “I would not have been ruined,” she exclaimed. “Lady Serena would never believe ill of me—”

  “Not even after you were accused of a similar indiscretion with her own brother?”

  Stricken, she stared at him.

  Richard threw up his hands. “You may be right,” he allowed. “But I could not take the chance. I waited for Javan to get in first, but he didn’t.”

  The dagger in her heart twisted. “No,” she agreed. “He didn’t.”

  “And if he had, you would be thinking he did it merely from honor.”

  “It would have been the truth.”

  “Rubbish. It was not honor in his heart when he was kissing you in this very room last night.”

  She flushed to the roots of her hair. “He was confused, waking from dreams to find himself in a place he—”

  “Yes, yes,” Richard interrupted. “Miss Grey, if my cousin is not forced out of it, he will carry on believing he does not deserve happiness. It is your business and mine to show him he does.”

  She stared at him. “By us marrying each other? How much, exactly, does he want me out of his hair?”

  “Don’t be obtuse, Miss Grey, it does not suit you. Look, anyone can see Javan is in love with you. Except Javan, of course, who will have rationalized it so he can wallow a bit longer in the safety of his superior misery.”

  “That is hardly fair,” she said coldly. “Or true!”

  “The love is true,” he insisted. “The rest may be exaggerated by my own frustration. The point is, he married Louisa in haste, encouraged by her parents and his own family, and he repented almost immediately. For good reason. He is determined never to make such a mistake again, particularly not when there is Rosa to consider. He needs a push to win you. I thought last night’s discovery might do it, but he drew back at the last moment, so now we must resort to inspiring jealousy.”

  Caroline closed her mouth. “You are insane.”

  “I promise you it will work. He is already mad as fire.”

  She sank onto the window seat. “No, this is wrong,” she said anxiously. “You cannot push people or their emotions about in this way. But more than that, I will not have Rosa believing I will leave her!”

  This, clearly, was something Richard had not thought of. Though he quickly overcame the objection. “Never mind. Just tell her we’ll live here for the foreseeable future.”

  She regarded him with fascination. “You have an answer for everything. But the truth is, whatever good you imagine you are achieving, you are doing ill by your cousin and by me. I will not spoil things with this dishonesty, and I will not deign to try this manipulation—”

  “Now don’t relapse into righteous indignation,” Richard commanded. “Comfort yourself that you will never have to marry me and trust me. I’ve known Javan since I was born. It’s harsh, but he does need a kindly kick. At the very least, you must not make me out a liar, so let us maintain the fiction for today at least.”

  “No longer,” she muttered as she rose and walked out of the room.

  *

  As it turned out, she had little opportunity either to confirm or deny her supposed betrothal to Richard Benedict. By the time she returned from her walk, Javan had made his farewells to his guests and shut himself up in his study, leaving Marjorie and Richard to wave them off.

  “I’m so glad for you,” Serena said warmly, giving Caroline a final hug. “Though who will teach my wretched sisters now, I cannot imagine!”

  The wretched sisters embraced her with equal enthusiasm and demanded to be invited to the wedding. Caroline actually sighed with relief when their carriages drove off out of sight. There was little sign now of yesterday’s fierce storm, except the sodden, muddy texture of the ground.

  Rosa’s hand crept into hers.

  She forced a smile to her lips. “Did you enjoy the night with your friends?”

  Rosa nodded enthusiastically, although behind the remembered happiness, her eyes were full of questions Caroline could not answer.

  “Run up to the schoolroom,” Caroline said. “I’ll be with you directly.”

  Rosa obeyed readily enough, and Caroline turned her feet in the direction of Javan’s study. Richard leaned against the bannister, watching her. She ignored him.

  A soft rap on the study door elicited no response. She knocked again, more loudly but again she was greeted with silence from the other side. She was sure he was in there and that he knew it was she who knocked. He simply didn’t want to see her. Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against the door for the tiniest moment. Then she walked away and climbed the stairs to the schoolroom.

  *

  Caroline found herself both dreading and longing for luncheon. She wanted to see Javan very badly, and explain, whatever the outcome.

  But when she entered the dining room, Miss Benedict was crying with joy and embracing Richard amidst much congratulation. Caroline stopped dead, gazing upon the scene with consternation. This was becoming ridiculous. She would not lie to these people who had been so kind to her. How Richard could, was beyond her.

  Miss Benedict flew to hug Caroline, too. “Oh, I am so pleased!” she exclaimed.

  Over by the window, Javan stood with his back to the room, apparently paying no one any attention. Was he truly hurt? Her guilty heart ached for him…but still he did not turn to see her pain. And it came to her, with considerable pique, that she should not be pitying him. If he truly cared for her, he should have been the one leaping to her defense last night. He was the one who had kissed her, beginning the chain of ridiculous events that had led to this pretense. And yet there he stood, silent and superior, disdaining her and Richard.

  “Thank you,” she said to Marjorie. “I can scarcely believe it myself.”

  “It’s so wonderful! Though what we shall do without you, I don’t know!”

  A quick glance showed her that Rosa looked stricken. Caroline started toward her, but Richard got there first.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “We won’t leave you.”

  He might have meant it only for Rosa, but Javan suddenly looked across at him, as though he’d heard every word. He glanced from Richard to Caroline and then to Rosa.

  A derisive smile curled his lips. “Really, Richard?” he mocked. “Really? Shall I build you a cottage in the grounds, with a rose garden?”

  He knows, Caroline thought in fresh despair. God knows what he thinks of me, now!

  *

  It was, of course, impossible to tell. During his usual afternoon walk with Rosa, he treated Caroline much as he always did—with unconventional civility leavened by his own distinctive humor. Only the growing closeness between them had clearly vanished, and for that Caroline wanted to weep and to shout at him in fury. She refrained, however, and the matter of the engagement was never referred to. At least Rosa seemed to have abandoned her earlier fears.

  At dinner, Richard announced that he had been to Blackhaven and bought tickets for the subscription ball at the assembly rooms next week, and for the theatre tomorrow.

  “I’m sure you’ll enjoy an excellent evening,” Javan said politely. “On both occasions.”

  “I thought we could all go,” Richard said.

  “I’m not a dancing man,” Javan stated. His gaze fell on Caroline, who remembered only too wel
l dancing with him at the castle rout. “I’d rather stay here with Rosa.”

  “Well, the theatre will not be too late,” Marjorie observed. “I could stay in with Rosa if you wanted to go.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Javan said carelessly.

  “I could not go without you, Miss Benedict,” Caroline protested. “It makes more sense for me to stay.”

  “Good lord,” Richard drawled. “Anyone would think the theatre was some kind of punishment. It’s meant to be fun. Miss Grey—Caroline—the world is not so strict with an engaged lady. I believe the presence of your betrothed is propriety enough, but do ask a female friend to join us, if it will make you more comfortable.”

  “I shall take care of that,” Javan said unexpectedly.

  *

  Caroline’s sense of losing control of her life and everyone in it, was further heightened that evening when she discovered Rosa and Richard sitting on the stairs together. It must have been a somewhat one-sided conversation, but it made Rosa smile, and as Caroline passed them to go to her own chamber, Rosa jumped up and hugged her for no obvious reason.

  In her own chamber, Caroline sat down at the desk and penned a note to Lady Tamar, begging for her company at the theatre the following evening if she had no better plans. Only, once she’d given it to Williams to be delivered first thing in the morning, did she bury her head in her hands and acknowledge that this was not solving the problem. She was merely covering the proprieties rather than simply ending this sham engagement.

  Caroline had always tried her best to do right, and had stood steadfast in her own sensible opinions, at least until she discovered evidence to the contrary. Yet somehow, she had allowed herself to be swayed by Javan’s mischievous kinsmen into an unbecoming masquerade that had little to do with saving her reputation. Anger with Javan had mingled with the desire to win him, and somehow, she was engaged to another man she did not want. It made no sense and it was wrong.

  Decisively, she jumped to her feet, seized her candle, and left her chamber. A quick glance showed her that the drawing room was empty, so she knew where to find Javan.