Chapter Eight
The following morning, the Swanleigh household packed up to retreat to the country house in Kent for the duration of Caroline and Gideon’s honeymoon period.
Caroline had attempted to insist upon the unnecessary effort and expense, but Gideon remained steadfast in his belief that they take some time away from the stir that would strike London as soon as news of their wedding took flight.
While he was preoccupied with a last-minute meeting with his solicitor, Caroline was busy directing the loading of the last of the luggage when a young woman arrived on the doorstep.
She was angelic and ethereal with white-blond hair and doe-like glittering eyes, full lips, and pleasant curves. In all, she was beautiful.
Caroline paused in the doorway of the home as the young woman sidestepped a footman and reached the top step.
“May I help you?” Caroline asked, hoping her pleasant smile masked her confusion and wariness.
“I believe so. I am Mrs. Emily Black,” the young woman introduced herself in a confident, steady tone.
Her accent was clean, but there was something far more worldly about her carriage than a well-bred lady of her age should have possessed.
If Caroline had to guess, the woman was in her early twenties—likely a few years younger than her.
Caroline inclined her head politely, still no less confused.
The woman read this immediately and quickly pulled a card from her reticule, adding, “My husband and I very recently became acquainted with Lord Swanleigh. I realize now this is likely inconvenient timing with your packing up house, but I wanted to personally deliver my congratulations on your recent nuptials. I read the news in this morning’s paper.
You are the new Lady Swanleigh, are you not? ”
Caroline examined the card only to discover that it was Gideon’s own, engraved with its familiar flourish. This woman could only have possessed it if he’d given it to her.
“I am, indeed, Lady Swanleigh,” Caroline answered, her mind turning over the possibility of this woman’s identity. Hadn’t she mentioned a husband? A recent acquaintance with Gideon?
Her heart skipped.
When she’d come to Swanleigh House to tell Gideon of her pregnancy, he’d been in such a dour mood…because he’d finally located his half brother after years of searching. Could this woman be the wife Gideon had mentioned?
“Your husband isn’t…that is, is he Lord Swanleigh’s…” She huffed, aggravated that she couldn’t spit out the words. “Are our husbands relations?”
A wave of relief washed over the other woman’s delicate features. “It seems that way. I was beginning to fear that you knew nothing of our existence and I just unleashed the secret.”
“Yes, I know!” Caroline said, then added in a lower tone so servants passing by wouldn’t overhear, “Please, do come in.” She didn’t give Mrs. Black an opportunity to demure before she took her hand and ushered her inside and through to the parlor, where they might speak more privately.
“It was not my intention to interrupt your packing,” the other woman said, seeming self-conscious for the first time. “I heard of your wedding and wished only to leave a congratulatory letter.” She held out said letter, which Caroline accepted with aplomb.
“You are not an intrusion or an interruption at all. Please do not ever feel that you are! And you must call me Caroline—is it alright if I call you Emily? We are family, are we not?” Emily nodded, her smile broadening.
“I fear our wedding was a small affair; I feel terribly that an invitation was not extended to you and your husband.”
“Do not dwell on it. This…relationship is so new, and it likely would have introduced more questions than our husbands are yet ready to answer. It is a very delicate time.”
That was the first time Caroline heard Gideon addressed as such, and her stomach did a little flipping motion. In the eyes of Society, that was who he was to her.
“I can understand that.”
“They look so alike that it would have been impossible to pretend otherwise,” Emily added with a chuckle.
“Are they truly that similar in appearance?” Caroline asked.
“Truly,” she replied before detailing the very unconventional circumstances of their first encounter. Caroline found the entire thing utterly hilarious, and she took Emily’s laughter as permission to show her amusement. “It was far from amusing at the time, but I can see the humor in it now.”
“And this occurred at a brothel?” Caroline asked as she wiped away a tear.
Emily nodded and caught her lower lips between her teeth.
“My mother spent years of hard work building her business, and I am proud that it is known as one of the finest houses for women and men to work, but I understand the stigma that comes from a connection with such an enterprise. I have always handled the bookkeeping and deliveries, and I still do now and then. My husband helps out when needed. We have no plans to cut ties with Lady Night’s, but we do understand that such a connection might be detrimental to your reputations.
It is not something we have yet discussed with the marquess—” Her words died when Caroline grabbed her hands.
“Believe me when I say I am certain that Gideon having family is far more important to both of us than anyone’s background or reputation.
” She leaned in conspiratorially and added, “Besides, he and I are quite notorious ourselves. I am sure it would surprise very few if we were connected to Lady Night’s.
There are far less polished establishments—at least you come from the very best!
” This seemed to comfort Emily somewhat, and she squeezed Caroline’s hands in return.
“Now, might I have your address so I may call upon you when we return to town? We are just leaving for our honeymoon trip.”
“I would like that a great deal.”
Caroline took her directions, a tidy little area not all that far from where Caroline’s own townhouse had been, and they exited into the hallway, nearly colliding with a distracted Gideon.
“There you are, Caro,” he greeted her with a smile so warm that she felt her muscles begin to melt.
His eyes flicked to their guest. “And Mrs. Black! What an unexpected pleasure.” He handed the papers he held to his solicitor, muttered a few words about being in touch, and the man took his leave with a polite nod to the ladies.
“Emily stopped by to pass along their congratulations on our wedding,” Caroline explained.
Her husband’s immediate warmth and pleasure at seeing Emily were not lost on Caroline.
As she suspected, he was desperate for a relationship there; she only hoped Emily and her husband felt the same.
The last thing she wanted was for Gideon to place his hope in people who might let him down—he had experienced it enough in his life.
If this small interaction with Emily was any indication, however, Caroline chose to take it as a positive sign…
even if her husband hadn’t accompanied her.
“How kind of you,” Gideon said with a grin. “And your husband? How is he?” Caroline recognized something cautious and hopeful in his tone, though his pleasant expression did not waver.
There was a flicker in Emily’s blue eyes before she replied. “I hope you understand that his absence is no reflection on his opinion of you, Lord Swanleigh. He is coming to terms with a great deal of new information, and, by nature, he is not a very open man.”
Gideon nodded in understanding, though Caroline did not miss the momentary sadness in his eyes, the color of a dreary day. It made her heart ache.
Together, Caroline and Gideon saw Emily to the doorway and bade her farewell. They watched in silence as she descended the steps and turned down the street.
The butler handed over their hats and gloves. “The carriage is prepared, my lord.”
“Very good,” Gideon replied, all traces of his earlier melancholy evaporated as he turned to Caroline with a blindingly handsome smile and held out his arm to her. “Shall we?”
Castle Bray, the ancient country seat of Gideon’s ancestors, was a remarkably well-kept structure whose foundations dated back nearly two centuries.
Constructed of gray and brown stone, it was sturdy and made up in width what it lacked in height.
The main wings were three stories tall, ending in red slate roofs and neat clusters of spiraled chimneys similar to those Caroline had seen in drawings of Hampton Court Palace.
The grand entrance was the oldest part of the building, Gideon explained.
It was crafted in the old fortress style, square with arrow slit windows and square turrets built into every corner.
It reached nearly two stories higher than the rest of the building.
With its enormous arched gateway and working portcullis, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the Bray men guarding England’s shores from this very place.
In fact, it was precisely why the Swanleigh marquessate had been granted to his family; they and their land had played quite a role in English history.
And she was now one of them.
Caroline found it all more than charming. She was in utter awe of her new surroundings, the fairytale-esque nature of her new life. Despite its age, the most well-used rooms of the castle were beautifully appointed and more modern than she would have expected.
“Not every one of our homes is this well-kept, mind you,” Gideon cautioned her during the tour. “For all their faults, this property happened to be my grandfather and father’s favorite. I have merely kept up the tradition. There is something enchanting about it, isn’t there?”
“I think it’s just remarkable.” This was a place she could see herself relaxing. It was peaceful and secluded, but not too far from the excitement of London or the thrill of the coast. She might even picture herself entering confinement here.