Chapter 21
David hadn’t expected things to take so long.
After having tea with Joseph, he had gone from meeting to meeting about the various businesses both he and his father were involved in.
How he had managed to schedule everything on the same day, he had no idea.
While it got everything out of the way, it left him exhausted.
He couldn’t wait to sit down and do nothing except stare at the wall. Maybe Caroline could join him, and they could spend time together. It had been a while since they had done that, with Caroline finding other things more interesting than being around David.
Given how he had practically admitted he wanted to marry her, he could understand.
But David still missed her. Not seeing her all day since breakfast had been difficult.
Obviously, he couldn’t bring her with him, but she did have a level-headed, clever stance on things, and her opinion would have been something he would listen to. Caroline was a good advisor.
It was a shame that he didn’t get back until after dinner. David was hungry. There would be food for him, and maybe he could get Caroline to join him. She would have eaten with his sisters, but maybe she would join him as well. That would make him happy.
Hadleigh opened the door for him as David shut the door to his carriage, which trundled off towards the stables. He gave his master a bow.
“Good evening, Your Grace.”
“Hadleigh.” David entered the foyer, tugging off his gloves. “Can you get MrsLazenby to fix something for dinner? I’m really hungry.”
“She’s already made a meal for you and set it aside for when you return.”
“God bless that woman.” Taking off his hat and coat, David handed them to Hadleigh. “How have my sisters been? Have they been behaving themselves?”
“They’re never a problem, Your Grace.” Hadleigh hesitated. “However, Lady Caroline had a visit this morning. From Lady Mary Chadwick.”
David stopped. Did he hear that correctly?
“Lady Mary? What was she doing here?”
“I’m not sure. She came over, spent a few minutes with Lady Caroline in the morning room, and then left. She didn’t look happy, and Lady Caroline has been rather quiet since. Your sisters have noticed something, but she’s not telling anyone what was said between the two of them.”
David didn’t like this. After how Lady Mary behaved previously and Caroline’s opinion of her from their older interactions, he wasn’t comfortable with knowing they had spoken without him present. What was Lady Mary up to?
“Where’s Lady Caroline now?”
“I believe she’s in the drawing room, Your Grace. Shall I ask MrsLazenby to bring your meal to the dining room?”
“Not just yet. Let me speak to Lady Caroline first.”
Hadleigh bowed and walked away. David entered the drawing room, only to find Caroline sitting on the window seat at the end of the room.
She had her legs curled up while slumped down against the wall with a book propped up on her lap.
It was a familiar position that David had found her in when they were younger.
How she didn’t end up with a bad back, he had no idea.
But she wasn’t paying attention to the book. She was staring out the window, her hair loose about her shoulders and hiding her face. Even with the darkness outside turning the window into a mirror, he couldn’t see her expression in the reflection.
He approached her, but he had barely taken five steps before Caroline turned her head and saw him. Her eyes widened, and she scrambled off the window seat, only to tangle herself up in her skirts and land on the floor with a loud thud. She groaned, her eyes closing in pain.
“Caroline!”
David hurried over, falling to his knees beside her. Caroline rolled onto her back, holding up her hands as David reached for her.
“Don’t. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You fell pretty hard.”
“I meant to do that.” Caroline sat up, pulling herself to her feet with the window seat. She dusted herself down. “I knew what I was doing.”
David couldn’t help smiling. He stood up, scooping up her book from the floor.
“Of course, you knew.” He held the book out to her. “Penny for your thoughts? I’ve never seen you look so distracted when you have a book in your lap.”
Caroline’s cheeks were flushed as she snatched the book from David’s hand. Then she hugged it to her chest, almost using it like a shield.
“How was your day? I take it things were busy.”
“So busy that it lasted all day.” David tried to fight back a yawn, but it didn’t happen, and he hid it with his hand. “I’m just looking forward to having something to eat and getting a good night’s sleep.”
“Good idea.” Caroline was speaking quickly. “I think I should be doing that as well. Goodnight, Your Grace.”
“Wait, stop a moment, Caroline.” David frowned as she stopped suddenly, her posture stiff. “What’s wrong with you? You’re making me worried.”
“It’s nothing, Your Grace.”
David hated that she was being so formal. He sighed.
“What did Lady Mary say to you?”
Caroline spun around, her eyes wide.
“How do you …?”
“Hadleigh told me. What did she want?”
“It was nothing.”
David scoffed at that.
“Caroline, don’t lie to me. You said that you and Lady Mary Chadwick are not friends. Why was she here, and is she the reason you’re on edge?”
Caroline’s jaw tightened. What on earth had Lady Mary said to her that had made her so scared?
“You can talk to me, you know.” David reached for her, only to stop when Caroline flinched. “I want to know what’s wrong.”
“I’m handing in my resignation.”
The words came out of nowhere, and it took a moment for David to comprehend them. Did she just say she was resigning? His mouth fell open.
“What? But … why?”
“I think you and your sisters will do better without me. It’s best for me that I move on and find another family to work for.”
“Are you serious? That’s the flimsiest lie I’ve ever heard, Caroline!”
Caroline bristled.
“Well, I think Gwen and Henrietta will be fine without me. They’re very bright, and they’re very capable. Besides, Henrietta’s almost old enough not to have a nanny or a governess, so it would just be Gwen.”
“Nanny Drew isn’t a teacher. You are, though.”
“Forgive me, Your Grace …”
“No, I’m going to get a proper answer out of you,” David cut her off. “You would never think like that, and you love my sisters. I can’t believe you’re leaving because of that, especially out of nowhere. And after Lady Mary came for a brief visit.”
“She has nothing to do with my decision.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Caroline’s lips pressed together. She swallowed and closed her eyes. Was she going to cry? She looked close to it.
“I can’t do my job when I’m dealing with a broken heart.”
David felt like she had just slapped him. He stared at her.
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know what I mean. I can’t watch you marry another woman when I have strong …
feelings towards you.” Caroline’s bottom lip trembled, opening her eyes to show him the unshed tears.
“It’s going to be hard for me, and I won’t be able to focus on my charges.
Especially when your duchess will be Lady Mary. ”
“I thought I said I wasn’t going to marry her.”
Caroline snorted.
“Of course you’re going to marry her. She’s what you need for the dukedom.”
“And you think you know what I want more than I do?” David demanded.
Caroline didn’t immediately respond. She began to back away.
“It’s best that I leave. With what there is between us, it’s going to be noticeable.
Even if you don’t marry Lady Mary, it will be someone else.
They’ll see how you and I are together. That’s not respectful of your marriage, and I won’t do that to whoever you marry. I should go now before that happens.”
David began to panic. He didn’t want her to leave. He started after her as Caroline began to walk away.
“Please, Caroline, don’t go! I don’t want you to leave.”
“I have to, Your Grace.”
“Stop calling me that!”
David didn’t realise he had shouted that until Caroline stopped abruptly. She looked back at him, and David saw a tear slip down her cheek. She shook her head.
“I can’t. Now, I need to retire for the night.”
“Alright, fine.” David could tell that she wasn’t going to be swayed on that. He scowled. “We’ll talk in the morning. You and I need to get this sorted out.”
Something in Caroline’s expression said she wasn’t going to do that. But David would make her. He needed her to stay for the girls.
For him.
He watched as Caroline left the room, closing the door softly behind her. And it felt like she was closing the door on him as well.
#
Yet again, David didn’t sleep well. He kept playing his conversation with Caroline over and over in his head, wondering if he could have treated that any better. But he had a feeling the outcome was going to be the same.
What did Lady Mary say to Caroline to make her want to leave?
Did she threaten her? Or did she tell Caroline that she needed to know her place?
David was aware that things weren’t good between the two, but he hadn’t thought Lady Mary would come after Caroline with claws.
And Caroline was refusing to say anything about it.
Despite it being clear that she was scared, she was not saying a word.
David didn’t know whether to admire that; despite everything, she was protecting someone she didn’t like.
She shouldn’t have to do that. David needed to talk to her and figure out what was going on. And he had to find a way to get Caroline to stay. Even if it meant he cut off his courtship with Lady Mary. If she didn’t like it, she wouldn’t become his wife.
But someone had to. David had to secure everyone’s future in his family, which meant getting married. He didn’t want to, but he needed to.
You could always marry Caroline. You love her, after all.
Loving someone isn’t going to keep the scandal away.
Since when did you care about any of that?