Chapter Sixteen
Oliver and Emily’s return to Bray Castle was met with no small amount of warmth.
Caroline had arranged for them to reside in the best guest room overlooking the manicured part of the grounds.
“You can smell the ocean if you open the windows and the breeze is just right,” she explained excitedly as their single trunk was hauled into the room.
Emily wore a blue-gray morning dress, elegant in its simplicity, while her husband had opted for buff breeches, a black coat over a crisp white shirt, and a simple knot in his cravat.
They looked the part of English country gentry, and Caroline said as much.
“Then the disguise worked,” Oliver surprised her by replying, a wink directed at his wife.
Caroline could only blink at the uncharacteristic show of levity.
She hadn’t known Gideon’s half brother long, but she already knew that he was far more serious than her husband.
The gesture went over Gideon’s head, of course.
“Caro confirmed you are indeed looking to purchase a small country property,” he chimed in.
“Yes,” Emily replied with a smile. “We have enjoyed the fresh air immensely.”
“I would be more than happy to give you a tour of the area. I’ve lands in Gloucestershire, Cheshire, Northumberland, and Norfolk if you would prefer somewhere other than Kent. I can put you in touch with the right people as well.”
“That would be appreciated,” Emily beamed. “Though Oliver has owned properties before, nothing has been outside of London.”
“Any insight into the areas would be beneficial, thank you,” Oliver added quickly, clearly not wishing to discuss any of the properties Emily had mentioned.
It was becoming more and more apparent to Caroline that the man was much more guarded than his wife, especially when it came to his past and his former profession.
This, of course, piqued Caroline’s interest tremendously. Was he hiding something?
Seeming to recognize her misstep, Emily quickly requested a tour of the grounds. “The party was so lovely, but I saw so little of the castle. I have never been inside such a grand and ancient home before.”
“She enjoys historical accounts,” Oliver explained. “The bookshelves at home are filled with them.”
“Well, then you are in luck!” Gideon chirped. “These halls are dripping with history—Bray family history.” He looked at Oliver, and Caroline watched the unspoken moment that passed between them.
“Why don’t I show Emily around while you gentlemen have some time to yourselves, hm?
” She quickly ushered Emily out of the room and launched into a dramatic retelling of the castle’s history.
It was, perhaps, a bit more elaborate than the one Gideon had shared with her upon their arrival at Bray Castle, but where was the fun in dry recitations of names and dates?
“I truly am so pleased you both decided to join us,” Caroline said once they’d reached the peaceful sanctity of the library.
At one time, the room must have served as a dining hall with its long, narrow dimensions, high ceiling, and elaborate chandeliers.
It served the purpose of a country library quite well and, as Caroline had discovered during her own tour of the grounds, it possessed a more than passable collection.
“The invitation was much appreciated,” Emily said, her voice a little breathless as she took in her surroundings. Her fingers twitched with the need to explore.
“Go on,” Caroline urged with a smile. “Browse to your heart’s content.”
Emily did not require any further urging, and she immediately dashed over to the nearest shelf and began running her fingers along the spines as she read the titles.
Her unabashed joy was infectious. Caroline allowed her as much time as she pleased to peruse the rows, periodically reassuring her that it was, indeed, fine that she selected more than one she desired to read.
Her feet weary from all the walking and the dancing the evening before, Caroline lowered herself onto a settee. “I think I will rest for a little while, if you don’t mind,” she sighed and rested her legs on a cushion.
“Oh, you are exhausted.” Emily’s sapphire eyes were wide with regret. “I shouldn’t have kept you so long.”
“No, no!” Caroline waved away her concern.
“You continue what you are doing while I put up my feet. I enjoy your company and the sunlight in this room is so nice this time of day.” And she was not lying about any of it.
She enjoyed getting to know Emily and her husband, and the warm glow slanting through the windows was undeniably pleasant.
“If you are certain…”
“I am.”
That seemed to put an end to Emily’s protests, and she turned back to her task. “I do not believe I ever learned how you and the marquess met,” Emily commented.
“We have been friends for a very long while.” Caroline paused as she did the math. “A little more than a decade, if memory serves.”
“That long?” Emily sounded impressed.
“I don’t believe I even realized it had been that long until now,” Caroline chuckled and shifted her position.
“And you two were fast friends? You do seem to have a great deal in common.”
“Not immediately, no. We met several times at Society events during my first London Season when I was seventeen. It was not until—” Caroline’s words died.
“Until?” Emily looked over her shoulder at Caroline.
Her heart thudded a little harder within her breast. “Until the scandal,” she finally said, simultaneously appalled and relieved to have the words in the open.
“A scandal?” Emily’s voice rose, but not with salacious glee. She added the book she held to her accumulated stack and turned her full attention to Caroline. “I did not realize there was a scandal.”
Caroline nodded, willing the flashes of memory to stay away as she turned her gaze to the ceiling. She did not wish to cry in front of Emily.
“You do not need to discuss it if you do not wish to,” Emily rushed to reassure her, astutely reading Caroline’s distress, but Caroline was already shaking her head before the sentence was complete.
“You will hear of it soon enough if you spend enough time in Society; I would much rather you learn the truth from me.” She took a slow, bracing breath and then continued.
“I was…assaulted by a man who I believed to be a worthy suitor.” Emily said nothing in response, merely taking Caroline’s hand in hers and holding it firmly, reassuringly.
“We were discovered, and I was blamed for the circumstances, while Lord Fitzwilliam Callbeck received an apology and continued his life as normal.”
“An apology?” Emily squeaked indignantly.
Caroline nodded and swiped at the single tear that had managed to escape and run down her cheek.
“I have spent many years sick with frustration over the unfairness of it all, but I have made a life for myself. With Gideon’s help, of course.
He was one of the few who were not scared off by the scandal and my new title of ‘the Disgraced Debutante.’ He was the reason I had friends and a social calendar. ”
“I am glad you had him, but forgive me for saying I wish someone had seen to the punishment of that Lord Fitz-whatever-you-call-him.” Emily’s eyes flashed with fierce indignation on Caroline’s behalf. It was really quite touching.
“Maybe not to the degree he deserved, but he did not escape entirely unscathed.”
“Good. Do tell.”
“Once again, Gideon came to the rescue,” Caroline began, a smile on her face as the memories started to overtake her sorrow.
“He never did directly ask me what had happened during that evening years earlier when Callbeck and I were discovered in my family’s garden, but he’d gleaned enough information to understand that I had been the victim in the scenario.
I was certainly no seducer—I could hardly look Gideon in the eye when we first became friends!
—and, in fact, it was suspected that I was not the first woman whom Callbeck had injured in such a way. ”
“And he was still allowed to become your suitor?” Emily asked, appalled.
“At the time, I had been sheltered from the gossip by my parents. In doing so, they cursed me. They overlooked Callbeck’s obvious flaws in favor of encouraging a match with a man who stood to inherit a title and decent holdings.
His character mattered not one bit to them.
Gideon, on the other hand, saw things differently…
Are you familiar with the Golden Hell, Duke’s? ”
Emily’s brows rose, and she nodded after a brief hesitation.
“Gideon received his invitation to apply for membership there. He and our friends, Lords Trenholm, Kempton, and Brinley, coordinated their first foray. Blackwood had yet to receive his invitation and was quite sulky about being left out. I believe you met all of them at Gideon’s birthday party.”
“What a lively lot they all must have been at Duke’s,” Emily giggled. She’d certainly read them properly after meeting them only once.
“I am certain the proprietor regretted their admission almost immediately. That visit was cut short, to say the least, after there was a bit of a brawl.”
“A brawl!”
“It took me some time to learn of the events and piece them together from various sources, but, from what I understand, Callbeck approached Gideon at one of the tables. He, like the rest of Society, misjudged the nature of my relationship with Gideon—we hadn’t so much as shared a kiss at that time.
Lewd comments were made. Gideon snapped.
Lord Kempton said he’d never seen a man move so quickly and inflict so much damage in the blink of an eye. ”
Emily gasped and covered her mouth, but not from disgust. She seemed almost thrilled by the prospect of Callbeck receiving a spot of justice at Gideon’s hands.