Chapter 5 #2
That was partly the truth, but from the subtle look the young girl gave Caroline, she could see right through it. Caroline cleared her throat and took her hat from the butler.
“It was a pleasure to meet you and Gwen, Henrietta. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown up.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Caroline. David had spoken about you in the past, along with Uncle Joseph.”
“Uncle Joseph? Oh, of course, you already called him that.”
Henrietta shrugged.
“Gwen calls him that. It’s easier said than done to ignore it. David and Uncle Joseph spoke very fondly of you.”
“Did they?”
“Yes.”
Caroline shook her head.
“I shudder to think what they’ve said about me. We were quite … wild when we were your age.”
Henrietta’s eyes glinted.
“I’ve heard all the stories. And I remember David coming back and having to stay in bed because he’d done something stupid to break his body.”
“That wasn’t me.”
“I know. David laughs about it.” The girl shrugged. “It’s just something that happens, that’s all. But your childhood certainly sounded fun. I wish I’d had something like that.”
Caroline didn’t know how to respond to that. She wasn’t about to question why Henrietta was not allowed to do the same thing as David when she was the same age. People changed, and so did lifestyles. Maybe the old duke had opinions about his daughters causing mischief.
The old duke. It was going to be really strange calling David the new duke. Caroline didn’t know how she would cope with addressing him as ‘Your Grace.’ That was going to take a while for her to get used to. David didn’t strike her as a duke, but she had known him a long time.
Putting a title beyond what he had been called before was not something Caroline thought she would be doing. She had imagined the old duke was still alive and wouldn’t have to change how she addressed someone she had known for years.
Her mind was going around and around, saying the same thing in different ways. It was making her light-headed.
“Are you alright, Lady Caroline?” Henrietta reached for her and held her by the shoulders. “You started swaying just then.”
“What? Oh!” Caroline shook herself and smiled at the girl. “I’m just tired, that’s all. It’s been a long day, and I spent more time here than I expected.”
“Then you must wait until I’ve sent for our carriage.”
Caroline jumped at the sudden sound of David’s voice. She spun around and saw him striding towards them. The sight of him approaching was enough for her heart to start fluttering again. Gritting her teeth, she pushed it aside.
“I’m fine. It’s not that dark outside, and I know my way.”
“I insist.” David frowned at her. “What sort of person would I be to allow you to walk back home without a chaperone? Or without any type of transport?”
“Then I can have a chaperone if you’re so worried.”
But David was shaking his head.
“No, because by the time you get to your house, it’s going to be dark, and I don’t want anyone out there when that happens. You know how dark it gets out here when nighttime falls, and I’m sure it hasn’t changed in the last ten years.”
Caroline wanted to protest, but she knew that David was right.
While she could find her way home in the dark, she didn’t want to do it willingly.
And anyone who wasn’t used to it would get lost very easily, which was dangerous with a steep slope going back to David’s house. She chewed her bottom lip.
“I don’t want to put anyone out,” she mumbled. “I feel awful that I’ve taken up a lot of your time already.”
“Nonsense. We were happy to have you. And we took a long time catching up on everything.” David smiled, and Caroline felt light-headed again. “The least I can do is ensure you get back safely. My driver will be able to get you to your home faster than walking.”
He did have a point. Even so, Caroline didn’t want to bother anyone. She liked being able to rely on herself. As she wavered, David signalled at the butler coming out of the drawing room.
“Hadleigh, would you tell Atkins to fetch the carriage? Lady Caroline needs to head home.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Hadleigh bowed and walked away. Caroline shuffled from foot to foot.
“It’s going to take a while before I get used to you being called that.”
“I’m still trying to get used to it myself.”
Henrietta threw back her head and laughed.
“Really?Because you seemed to be enjoying it when we arrived here this morning.”
David shot his sister a glare.
“Where’s Gwen? I thought you two were walking Caroline to the door.”
“Gwen said she wanted to go outside and make the most of the daylight. I think she’s going to watch the sunset.” Henrietta held up a hand. “Don’t worry; Nanny Drew is with her. She’s not going to fall into the fish pond.”
“The fish pond?” Caroline cast David a sly glance. “Isn’t that where you and Joseph …?”
“Don’t remind me. It took forever to get that pondweed off our clothes. It seemed to get everywhere.”
“And you ended up in bed with a nasty stomach ache afterwards because you ingested so much pond water.”
“I thought I said I didn’t want to be reminded.” David frowned. “And once you get to know Gwen more, you’ll understand why I’m concerned.”
Caroline could imagine. She could see Gwen going from happy to sad so fast it was hard to keep up with, but she also noticed how energetic she was.
It was like she was constantly on the move, just like any normal ten-year-old.
Gwen was more like David than either of them was willing to admit.
Henrietta was calmer, more serene, and it suited her.
Caroline had warmed pretty quickly to both sisters.
David had his work cut out looking after them, but she could see him coping well.
“So,” Henrietta said, looking at Caroline, “are you certain we’re invited to your house? Just to be sure.”
Caroline smiled and squeezed the girl’s arm.
“Don’t panic; you will be welcomed inside. Mother and Father will be delighted to see you’re all grown up.”
“When we were your age, we were in and out of that house almost all day, especially during the summer,” David said.
His expression looked a little wistful. “Mrs Marks was always cooking and baking, and the smells from the kitchen were heavenly. And the soup we had during the winter when it was cold, and we’d been running around in the snow … ”
“I’m sure you can catch up with her on that,” Caroline said. “If you’re really nice to her, she might give you the recipe for the soup.”
“Would she?”
“You just have to behave yourself, and you’ll get what you want.” Caroline winked at Henrietta. “He only ended up getting more soup than us because he thought it was a good idea to slide down a snowy bank with nothing to sit on. He did it every year, and we couldn’t stop him.”
Henrietta’s eyes twinkled.
“That sounds like my brother.”
David groaned.
“Don’t tell her anymore, Caroline. I would like to keep a few secrets.”
“Alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Caroline winked at Henrietta, who bit her lip as if she were trying to stop herself from giggling. “Anyway, I need to get a move on before my parents wonder where I am. I am known for going on long walks, but this is a bit too much.”
“We sent them a note to say where you were, remember?” David tilted his head to one side. “How did you forget that?”
“What? Oh.” Caroline frowned. “Did that happen? I can’t remember. So much has happened in the last couple of hours.”
David smiled. It reached his eyes, as it had been doing all afternoon, and Caroline saw his eyes twinkling. He was certainly a good-looking man now. How he wasn’t married with several little children running around was shocking. Any woman who came across David would be mad to turn him away.
You’re beginning to sound jealous. Back down.
“Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing your parents again,” David went on. “I hope we can make them smile.”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem. They will be more than happy to see you again, although they won’t be able to keep up with your sisters once they start getting excited.”
“They won’t have to worry about that.” David’s expression warmed. “I think you worry too much, Caroline.”
“Can you blame me? What with everything going on with my family?”
Caroline felt her face getting warm. She had told David everything that had happened in recent years, and she was still embarrassed about telling her childhood friend what was going on. But she had to talk to someone, and David was happy to be a listening ear.
He had done that so many times when she was upset and didn’t know who to talk to. Eleanor did the same thing, but it wasn’t the same as David. Caroline wasn’t sure why it was different, but it was.
“Hey.” David moved closer and cupped her chin in his hand. “Don’t be so ashamed about it. There’s nothing you can do about it. And I’m here if you need any help.”
“As long as you don’t give me any financial help,” Caroline said quietly, trying not to fall into his dark eyes. “I wouldn’t accept it, and my parents are too proud.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I know you well enough to know how that will go down.” David regarded her thoughtfully. “But if you need any extra workers to help with the fields, just let me know, and I’ll send some of my own servants over.”
“I don’t …”
“I can afford to pay them extra, and I have a couple of farmers leasing from me. I’m sure we can rustle up a few people when you need it.”
Caroline wanted to protest, and she should; her father was very particular about who worked the land. But they did need more people, and that was coming up soon. She would have to swallow the family pride here.
“Alright. I’ll let you know. But my father will grumble about it.”
David’s smile made Caroline feel weak in the knees.
“You let me worry about Sir Geoffrey.”