“Perhaps it is time for me to share with you, as well,” Caroline said. She took a drink of her brandy and poured another. When she lifted the bottle to him, he nodded and she poured for him, as well. “I will explain why I wear these,” —she removed her spectacles— “and why I wear this.” She produced a gold chain he recognized, one he had given her four years earlier.
“You kept it?” he asked in astonishment.
She nodded. “I did. It is a reminder of iniquity, and how bad experiences can define a person. Yet, their effects do not have to be adverse. No, at times, they can turn into good.”
Chapter Nineteen
The confession William shared with Caroline both warmed and pained her heart. Upon hearing his story, she thought about her own life and the choices she had made, thus prompting her to share a bit about her experiences, as well.
“Our adverse experiences can have good outcomes,” she said.
He frowned. “I’m afraid I do not understand.”
She smiled as she poured them each another measure of brandy, careful to not fill the glass too full again. “Two weeks after I left your home, I arrived at the house of a baron. In the beginning, I dismissed his comments on my beauty as simply kind words from a lonely man. He was thrice my age, what harm could he be?” She sighed. “The following week, he asked me to join him in his bed.”
William sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said in a sad tone.
“Not wanting a repeat of what I had endured before, I agreed.” She raised a hand when his eyes went wide in surprise. “While he waited in his room, I returned to mine, collected my meager items, and sneaked out of the house.”
“I cannot help but feel responsible…”
“I know,” she interrupted. “There is more to my story. I told you before how I slept in places such as this, alone and fearful, much like you in that prison, wondering if you would awaken to see a new day.”
He nodded. “You have.”
“I had never thought myself beautiful before, but as more men took notice of me, I realized that I had to do something in order to keep them away. Therefore, I purchased the spectacles in order to hide myself, or at least I thought they would help, for I trusted no man. Not until I met Doctor Brown.”
“I’d like to meet this doctor one day,” William said with a grin.
“I would like that, as well,” Caroline replied. “Anyway, at night, alone, I would play with the necklace, angry at you and for what had happened to me. By the time I reached the Doctor, I had lost the will to live, for I believed all in the world were evil. However, all of that, everything I had endured, had brought me to his door, which in turn, provided me the opportunity to learn under his care. This necklace was once a symbol of all that was wrong with the world; a reminder of what you were and what you had done. However, now it means something else entirely. It now reminds me that, no matter how horrible life might be at any given moment, it will pass and allow good to return once more.” She looked up at him through watery eyes. “You have shown me that, William. It is you who has given me hope again.”
She placed the spectacles aside. “I no longer need to wear those to hide, for I no longer carry the anger I once had.” Then she touched the necklace. “However, I shall continue to wear this, for it reminds me of the man who gave it to me and how he became my friend in the end.”
He caught her off-guard when he leaned forward and embraced her, and for the first time in a very long time, she allowed the tears to flow unheeded. “I will miss you,” he whispered, “for you are my only friend. And I cannot imagine having another.”
Caroline sat back and looked at the man who had hurt her all those years ago. Her hand moved to his cheek of its own accord. “I will miss you, too.”
***
They passed into Cornwall the next morning as expected, and Caroline felt exhausted not only from the long journey but also from the expression of her feelings the night before. She had never considered how much of a burden it had been for her until she was relieved of it. Now, she felt lighter than she had in a very long time.
When the coast came into view, she was amazed as she looked off into an expanse of nothing but rolling waves. “I have never seen anything like it,” she said in awe.
“The ocean?” William asked. “You have never seen it?”
Caroline laughed. “No. When do you believe I would have the opportunity to holiday near the ocean?”
“My apologies,” William murmured. “I did not mean…”
“No, I am sorry. Of course, you would not know my past.” She sighed. “Do you remember the first time you viewed the ocean?”
He smiled. “I do, actually. I was no older than five. I called it a ‘big bath’.”
Caroline giggled. “Out of the mouth of babes.”
“Indeed,” he said with a light chuckle. “Evan and I played in the waves…” He shook his head. “It does not matter now.”
Caroline offered him a smile. His anger for his brother was still great, and she did not blame him. Perhaps changing the subject would be best. “When we retrieve the money, you may spend a day in the ‘big bath’ if you would like. However, you must find someone to fill it.”
She was pleased when he threw back his head and laughed.
Not long after, they left the main road and headed toward the cliffs on a small trail. To their right was the ocean, and Caroline could hear the crashing of the waves against the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs.
They rode on for some time until they reached the only tree they had seen since leaving the main road.
“This must be the tree about which Ezra told me,” William said as he stood in his stirrups and looked around. “I see no other in this area.”
Indeed, the landscape was nothing more than flat jutting portions of land with short grass and dots of scruffy bushes no higher than Caroline’s waist.
He clicked his tongue and kicked his horse. “We are not far.”
Caroline urged her horse forward, following him along the path that ran alongside the cliffs until they came to an opening that showed a small beach.
“There,” he pointed.
She squinted but could make out nothing, so she followed him down a path that led to the beach. “Oh, William!” she gasped. “It is lovelier than I imagined!” Indeed, she had never experienced any place like it in her life. Before her lay a wall of large boulders that separated them from the sand of the beach. The great ocean lay before her, and the waves rolled up the sand only to retreat almost immediately. She closed her eyes and inhaled the saltiness of the air and found it refreshing.
William scampered over one of the boulders. “We are close,” he said with a grunt as he traversed another large rock.
Caroline glanced at the horses they had hobbled to a nearby bush. “Our things?” she called after him. “Will they be safe?”
“I see no one about,” he called back. “We will not be long.”
The words saddened her, reminding her that very soon, once the money was split between them, they would part ways. Well, what did she expect? They had an agreement.
Leaving the horses behind, she followed where he had crossed the rocks. When she reached the beach, she stopped to catch her breath. “It has been a long time since I’ve been climbing,” she said as she placed her hands on her knees.
“Yes,” he said with a laugh. “It is been many years myself.” He shaded his face with a hand. “There!” he said pointing to the opposite side of the beach. “I believe that is the cave Ezra mentioned.” He began to job across the sand, and Caroline groaned as she followed at a much slower pace. “Hurry,” he called back to her. “Our treasure awaits!” He laughed with clear glee when he turned back around.
The mention of the treasure brought about a mixture of emotions. On one hand, she was excited to have turned treasure hunter. Would it be a great amount? Or would they be surprised it had already been found?
On the other hand, it would mean the end to the advent
ure; and end to their time together, and she found that idea sad.
They stopped at the entrance to the cave, and William placed a finger to his lips indicating Caroline was to remain silent. She nodded that she understood, and they both listened. The only sounds were the waves on the beach and the occasional seagull.
“I believe it is safe,” he said. Then he waved her to follow.
Caroline squinted and waited for her eyes to readjust to the darkness of the cave. The air was chill, and wetness clung to the walls and dripped from the ceiling. The smell of wet earth permeated the air, and goose bumps pebbled her skin. The floor was a mixture of sand, earth and stones, and at one point, Caroline lost her footing. She let out a small cry, but her breath caught when William wrapped his arms around her waist to prevent her fall.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I-I believe so,” she replied. Time seemed to stand still as they stared into one another’s eyes, but she found she was disappointed when he released her.
“Do you mind?” he asked as he held out his hand to her.
She felt her cheeks heat. “Please,” she replied as she took his hand.
Hand in hand, they continued on several paces when it opened up into a large area that Caroline could only describe as a room. However, rather than furniture, it had large stones and small boulders.
“I do not see any treasure,” she said with disappointment.
“What good is a treasure that is not hidden?” William asked with a light chuckle. He released her hand and walked over to a large stone in the corner. “It is here.” He studied the stone for a moment. “I cannot imagine how he moved such a large rock.” Grunting, he pushed against the rock, and it teetered to and fro before finally spilling over.
However, again, Caroline experienced a sense of disappointment, for no sacks or chests of coins and jewels appeared behind the stone, only a gaping hole. “Has it been taken?” she asked.
“No. It is simply hidden.” He knelt down and reached into the opening, his head and torso disappearing from view.
When his legs and feet also disappeared from sight, a sense of dread washed over her.
What a silly notion, she thought, to be afraid simply because he has crawled through a hole.
She waited a moment longer, and still he had not returned. She went to the opening and leaned over. “William?” she called out. She waited, but no response came, and that same feeling of dread returned. “William!”
His face appeared within inches of hers. “It is here!” he shouted only to pull back. “My apologies,” he added with a laugh.
Although her heart was attempting to burst from her chest, she joined in his laughter. “You frightened me.”
“There are two bags here,” he said. He turned, and she heard a muted grunt come from the hole followed by a scraping sound. “Will you be able to pull it out? It is heavy.”
“I believe so,” she replied. She took hold of the top of the sack, and it was indeed heavy but not so much so that she could not drag it across the floor of the cave.
She returned to the hole to find another sack waiting, and with screaming back and leg muscles, she managed to drag it to where its partner was.
When she returned this time, she let out a laugh, for all she could see were the legs and feet of William sticking out of the hole.
“What do you find so humorous?” he asked, his voice still muted.
“Nothing,” she replied, yet she could not stop her giggles. His legs shifted back and forth and his body wriggled as he backed his way out of the hole. She rushed over to offer him aid in standing, which he took.
“We have done it!” he said with a wide grin. “The treasure is ours!”
The treasure, she thought. She knew he spoke of what the sacks contained, but it was as if he spoke of something different. Then she realized that she still had hold of his hand, and she released it with the pretense of brushing sand from her dress.
“Shall we?” she asked.
“Indeed,” he replied, that grin as wide as ever. He hurried over to the first sack and undid the cloth that held it closed.
“Caroline, look!” he said with a gasp.
Curiosity had her rushing to stare down into a bag filled with coins of all sorts—gold, silver, copper, but the majority was gold. She had never seen so much money in all her life in one place, and gold coins came so rarely into her life, she was oftentimes unsure if they did indeed exist at all. And yet, here she was looking at a sack filled with them!
William moved to the second sack, and after untying it, he reached in and pulled out a handful of jewels—necklaces, brooches, rings—all set with every gem imaginable.
“They are beautiful,” Caroline breathed as she removed a necklace lined with emeralds and diamonds.
William returned to the first sack as Caroline rooted through the second, amazed at the multitude of pieces that filled the sack. Then her fingers touched an item that made her pause.
“I believe there is a ledger in here,” she said as she tugged on the book to free it from the jewels.
“Give it to me,” he said.
She passed the ledger over to him and returned to the jewels, which held much more interest to her. As she placed a ring with the largest pearl she had ever seen on her finger, she pulled her hand back and studied the piece in the dim light with a gleeful giggle. Soon, she had several necklaces hanging around her neck and bracelets dangling from her wrists.
“These must be worth a fortune,” she said with a sigh. She turned to find William with his nose buried in the ledger. “Oh, come now,” she said teasingly. “We have found a fast fortune and you spend your time looking at a book? Come! Enjoy in our bounty!”
William lowered the book and looked at her. “This is the treasure I need,” he said. “This is what will redeem me.”
Caroline walked over to sit beside him. “I do not understand,” she said. “That is what you sought?”
“I will explain it all,” he said as he returned the ledger to the sack. “Then we will secure a room.”
Chapter Twenty
Once the sacks had been secured to the horses and covered with the blankets from their bedrolls, Caroline stood beside William and gazed over the beach. Getting the sacks over the rocks had been a chore, but the realization that they were now wealthy lent aid to the haul. They had to remove some of the items and distribute them to the other bags in order to distribute the weight, for the poor animals did not seem to share their excitement in the wondrous find.
Closing her eyes, Caroline took a deep breath, savoring the smells of the ocean and committing them to memory. It would be some time, she suspected, before she would be able to return, for she had grand plans for her portion of their find. The poor were in need of aid now, and she taking a holiday would be of no help to them whatsoever.
How strange it was to realize one had money. Was it just over four years earlier when she had not a farthing to her name? Now, those days were gone for good, for she had more than simply money; she had wealth! Not only would she be able to purchase the building she would use for her charity, she would be able to buy that new dress she had always wanted.
Now, however, was not the time to think of tomorrow, for William stood sullenly beside her, and it was clear he had a tale to tell.
“There was a man by the name of Gregory Colborn, a duke of great wealth and appalling business practices.” He shook his head. “It was that man who Ezra and his brother robbed, for which one man lost his life and the other rotted away in prison.”
Caroline did not miss the melancholy in his tone at the mention of his now dead friend, and she took his hand in hers. It had eased him before; she assumed it would again. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know he was a friend to you.”
William nodded. “Though he was a highwayman, he had a sense of honor about him.” He chuckled. “I realize that makes little sense, but there is a reason he stole from Colborn, and it far surpasses the money
and jewels. His greatest find was that ledger.”
“I’m afraid I do not understand,” she said. “What makes it so great?”
“Written on the pages are transactions of his business dealings,” William explained.
Caroline found it odd anyone would care for notations about business enough to rob someone of it, and she voiced her concerns.
He turned to her, a sad look in his eyes. “The man dealt in trade,” he said. What was it he was not telling her? He sighed heavily. “He bought and sold women.”
Caroline gasped. “Women?” she repeated.
He nodded. “Indeed. Apparently, Ezra’s brother worked for the man, but he soon grew disgusted with what he was forced to do. When he told Ezra about what he had learned, the two concocted a plan to not only make themselves wealthy, but to expose the duke for his deeds.”
“How horrible,” Caroline whispered, imagining women who were traded like cattle. “How could anyone do such a thing?”
“I do not know, nor do I care to understand their reasoning. I made a promise to Ezra that I would finish his work and expose the man and possibly free the women who are under his thumb.”
“That is very noble of you,” Caroline said with a small smile. However, it was clear that there was more to the story.
“Noble? Perhaps. However, it occurred to me after speaking with Ezra that my brother Evan was acquainted with Colborn. If the duke was the engineer behind this organization, and he supplies men with prostitutes as Ezra said, there very well could be a connection between the prostitute with whom I was to meet that night and my brother. I do not know if she was there by chance or not, but I do know she worked for the duke.”
Caroline studied him for a moment. “Do you believe your brother sold women, as well?”
He shrugged. “Over the last few weeks, I considered that exact question, but I still have not come to an answer. One thing I do know for certain is that Evan spoke against me. He had to have been protecting himself and, I fear, the Duke, for that is where his loyalties lie.”
Redeeming The Rake (Delicate Hearts Book 3) Page 12