Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Caroline woke to an elbow pressed between her shoulder blades.
She shifted, allowing the pressure to ease, and turned over to find Kitty with her mouth hanging open and a deep, heavy snore rattling her chest. Her light brown hair trailed over her pillow and across her face, most of it having fallen out of the plait Lottie had fastened last night.
The woman could sleep quite deeply for one who had endured a shocking event the evening before.
Or perhaps that was part of the reason for her heavy snoring. She was safe now.
Caroline slipped from the bed quietly, careful not to disturb her friend, and pulled on her dressing gown.
She untied her long plait and ran a brush through her hair.
If she had the right of it and Tristan meant to propose again, she would accept him this time.
He had told her he meant everything he’d said, and she felt she could trust him.
He had recalled details that proved he had been paying attention to her for years.
Could she trust that his flirting was authentic?
She hadn’t seen him flirt with others recently as he did in their youth, it was true, but perhaps that was merely because his focus was on helping her with Mr. Dennison.
Letting out a long breath, she pulled on her slippers and snuck from her bedchamber.
Lottie could help her dress in another room if Kitty needed to sleep longer.
But when she went into the parlor to ring the bell, she found her father sitting on the sofa with a cup of steaming tea.
His face was tanned, like James’s, his hair gray and receding.
Long, thick side whiskers trailed down his cheeks, and when he lifted his eyes to her, he was immediately familiar.
The changes from the previous five years were drastic, but he was still her father.
Her breath caught. She’d not seen her father in so long, and she’d missed him. The sense of rightness in having her entire family restored to one house was overwhelming.
“Caro,” he said warmly, setting down his cup and rising with outstretched arms. “Have I been gone for so long? Last I saw, you were practically a child. You have grown into a beautiful young woman.”
She returned his hug, inhaling the familiar scent of tobacco and Bay Rum. “How was your journey?”
“Uneventful, blessedly. There was a slight storm, but we avoided the worst of it.”
“It is good to have you home.” Caroline sat on the sofa beside her father and reached forward to pour herself a cup of tea.
“Pomfrey can bring a meal if you’re hungry,” he said.
“This will suffice for now.” Caroline took a sip, nearly scalding her tongue. “Tell me of your adventure.”
“Oh, no,” he said, laughing. “I would far rather hear about you. Mother tells me you have young Dennison dangling after you.”
“Not exactly. He has yet to make up his mind.”
Father chuckled. “Horse-mad, isn’t he? His father had a decent set of studs. Made a business out of it. You would be comfortable, Caro.”
Would she be comfortable in a home built on horses, surrounded by them?
She had believed her disinterest in the creatures would hardly matter, but it was becoming plain Mr. Dennison would likely value his steeds above his wife.
The conversations surrounding her would forever be about equine matters.
Tristan, however, had a healthy appreciation for the beasts, but no obsession. When she spoke to him, it was clear his attention and focus was on her.
If she was forced to choose a suitor today, it would not even be a competition.
“Tristan Shepherd has been spending time with us recently, as well,” she said.
“Hm.” Father sipped his tea, his mouth bent in a frown. “Is he the older of the brothers?”
“Younger, but he is set to inherit the Shepherd house here in Town.”
“That won’t do. You would be better off accepting Dennison, my dear. He has enough money for the both of you and an estate in the north country.”
Her stomach dropped, the finality in Father’s tone speaking to things he was not saying aloud. His preference was clear. She might have been in her majority, but he was still her father and his blessing mattered to her. His opinion as head of the household still carried weight.
James pushed the door open and crossed to join them, a heavy look on his face. “Good morning.”
“Tea?” Caroline asked. He nodded, so she prepared the cup as he liked it. It was not until she handed it to him that she realized he had not particularly greeted their father. She looked between them as James sat across from her and noted a belligerent set to his mouth. “What has happened?”
“Nothing yet,” Father said soothingly.
James scoffed.
The feeling of foreboding Mama had planted in Caroline’s chest last night grew. “What is it?” she pressed.
James set down his cup. “You may tell her, Father, or I will.”
Father grunted but said no more. The ticking of the longcase clock was the only sound in the room as they waited, James leaving room for Father to say what he needed to.
James inhaled heavily through his nose. “Your dowry is gone, Caro. Sitting at the bottom of the Indian Sea on a sunken ship. I did tell Father it wasn’t wise to invest in merchant ships while the war is still on.”
“The war ended last year,” Father argued.
“Napoleon escaped once; he could do so again. You ought to have given the seas time to settle.”
“It is done now,” Father said harshly.
“Indeed.” James glowered. “Caroline’s dowry is done, my inheritance is done. We’ve nothing.”
The word hung between them, suspended like a cocked pistol.
Caroline set her cup down before her trembling fingers betrayed her.
A cold prickle of fear swept over her skin.
Everything was gone? When Father did not correct James, she knew it had to be true.
Her voice came out hoarsely when she spoke. “What shall we do?”
Father sighed. “This house is paid for until April, then we need to return to Surrey.”
“And see what can be done to avoid losing our estate to the bank,” James explained.
Father’s brow furrowed. “If you found a wife—”
“I am doing my best,” James snapped. “It is not de rigueur to be a fortune-seeker, and I am having more trouble than I expected.”
“You should not have to find a rich wife, James.” Caroline leaned forward, willing him to look at her. “Surely there is something else we can do.”
“I would have chosen not to gamble with our inheritances, but that is in the past,” he said tightly.
“Then we ought to leave it there.” Caroline looked from James to her father. Already they had been economizing, so there was little more they could do to retrench household spending. “There is nothing else to be done? Nothing we can sell?”
“The estate in Surrey,” Father said.
James made another frustrated sound. “I have been meeting with our solicitor to determine whether any further measures might be taken to buy us time. There’s not much, it seems. Father sold the plantation in Antigua shortly after I left, but it merely covered its own debts.
” James scrubbed a hand down his face. “If I marry a wealthy woman, her funds could help rebuild the sheep and crops in Surrey. Slowly, over time, we could come about, so long as Father ceases spending the money we do not have on schemes that are destined to fail.”
“I am not a villain,” Father said. “Perhaps there have been some poor choices made, but I did not place wagers or lose our money in cards. I only did what I thought was best to recoup our losses. I could not control the weather.”
A flash of lightning through the window punctuated his point. Rain pinged lightly against the window, darkening the room.
“It was a gamble, all the same,” James said. “It was reckless management, heedless of the opinions or wellbeing of others.”
Father’s brow creased in anger. He set his tea on the table, but Caroline was only partially paying attention. James needed an influx of funds to save the estate. If he could not find a bride…
“Dennison has money enough,” Caroline said.
James’s attention jerked to her. “You are not going to marry Dennison.”
“Whyever not?” Father asked.
James kept his eyes on her, scrutinizing her face. His golden hair fell over his forehead, and he brushed it back. “Because your heart is not set upon him.”
Caroline drew in a quiet gasp. James was fully aware of where her heart was set, if that meant anything.
But she was not so selfish to choose her feelings over the wellbeing of their entire family.
How could she live with herself, knowing she could have done something to save James’s inheritance and her family legacy, but chose her desires instead?
“We’ll need to think of another option,” James said with finality.
She straightened. “Not necessarily.”
He gave her a hard look. “You are not going to sacrifice for me.”
“It is not only for you,” she countered.
The rain hit harder against the window. Caroline lifted her cup and finished drinking her cooled tea.
“I am meeting with our solicitor again today,” James said. “He was going to look into investment opportunities. We shall see what he’s discovered.”
“I hope he has discovered a cave of money for us,” Father muttered.
Caroline could not reply to that. Her heart hurt, knowing Father had played with their inheritances as though they were inconsequential.
Had he left her dowry alone, she could marry the man she chose.
Had he left James’s be, he could have saved their family estate.
But mistakes had been made. She needed to do her best not to remain angry, but it was difficult in the face of carelessness when she and mother had been painstakingly economizing themselves.
Some time and distance would do her a world of good. “I need to ready for the day and see to our guest.” She reached forward and pressed her father’s shoulder, forcing a smile. “I am glad to see you again. Welcome home.”
James stood. “I am no longer thirsty.”
“James—”
“Not yet, Father,” he said.
Caroline needed to lead him from the room before the argument mounted. Any louder, and their personal information would be gossip fodder for the servants. She started from the room and James followed her, closing the door behind them with a snap.
“Do not do anything drastic,” she said, hoping to soothe him.
He laughed humorlessly. “Drastic? I have been working on rectifying this for the better part of a year.”
“Oh, James.” Her chest squeezed, disliking that he had been carrying this alone. “You’ve known that long? You should have written to tell me. I could have helped.”
He shot her a rueful smile. “I had hoped to keep it from becoming as bad as all this. My intent was to spare you.”
“It was noble of you.” She pressed down the disappointment filling her in waves. What had felt like the blooming of possibility last night with Tristan was quickly wilting to dust, but Caroline could see no way around it. Swallowing, she gave him a firm nod. “Now, tell me what I can do.”
James ran a hand through his golden hair and leaned against the wall.
“Manage your guest, I suppose. I leave in an hour to meet with the solicitor, and we will know more then. But I have a feeling he will say nothing different from last time we spoke. I need to find a wealthy wife and tie all her money into the estate so Father cannot touch it. Then we will be safe.”
Caroline nodded, but even as she left his side to return to her room and ready for the day—so long as Kitty was awake now—she was determined to do what she could to help.
James was not the only one of marrying age, and Caroline had the advantage: she already had a wealthy suitor. All she needed to do now was bring him to heel.