Chapter Five
Gabriel stood at the window of his study, gazing out at the waning storm as he drank his tea.
Yes, tea—a strong cup in place of his customary brandy.
He could not stop thinking about the lovely Miss Elizabeth Vickers.
Just two days ago, when he was in London, he had first heard of the American heiress, who had arrived in England less than two weeks ago.
The gossip he’d overheard at the Lyon’s Den had alluded to the incomparable beauty of Miss Vickers and of her equally charming cousin—so alike in appearance that the two might easily have been mistaken for sisters.
He had to admit to himself that he was intrigued by Miss Vickers, who had been bound for the house party at Lady Ashbourne’s, given on behalf of Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon.
The same house party he and his mother had been invited to.
Given Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s side enterprise as the ton’s preeminent matchmaker, he could only assume that Miss Vickers’s attendance was for the purpose of making a match.
The question was, would the American heiress decide to forgo attending in light of her recent accident?
Gabriel himself had not intended to go. For three years, he had avoided the gatherings of the ton as much as possible, knowing full well that every ambitious mama watched him with hawklike vigilance at each rout and ball.
Yet in the present circumstances, it was unthinkable to allow Miss Vickers to travel unescorted.
Newly arrived in England, the young woman had just suffered a carriage accident that might have caused her grievous bodily harm or emotional distress, particularly if her maid or the boy driving the carriage been injured more severely than he had.
Gabriel could not, in good conscience, permit Miss Vickers to attend Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s house party unaccompanied.
He had already checked on the lad following Dr. Baker’s examination. The physician had assured him that the boy had suffered a mild concussion to the back of his head and a few cuts and bruises, and, given his youth and all-around good health, would recover in a few days.
Gabriel had smiled down at the lanky youth, who seemed younger than fourteen—he was all legs and arms. How in the world had he managed to control those horses as far as he had in that storm? “Billy, driving a carriage without permission was a foolish thing to do.”
“I’ve driven carriages before,” Billy insisted.
“And you might be a good driver under fair weather, but anything can happen on the road. And the fact remains that you’re a lad—and your inexperience led to an accident.
It could have been bad for you if Miss Vickers or her maid, or even the horses, had been hurt.
It could have been worse if you’d taken a bad fall.
” Gabriel had already checked with Grimes, his stable master, and was relieved that the horses were none the worse for wear.
Grimes had seen to their care, watered and fed them, and given them a good brush-down.
The horses had had one or two minor abrasions that Grimes had taken care of with a special salve.
At the youth’s wide, worried eyes and sharp intake of breath, Gabriel had softened his tone. “Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. Carriages can be mended, but sometimes people cannot.” His chest tightened at the memory of the accident that had wiped away half his family and his future wife.
“I will, Your Lordship,” the boy had said stoically, blinking back tears. “I-I didn’t know we’d have a storm like this. And Mama needed the money bad for our family. That’s why I pretended to be Da.”
“Taking care of your family is very admirable,” Gabriel had said, feeling the weight of his own failure to his own family.
Billy had nodded and, with a sudden grin, said, “She’s a right angel, that Miss Vickers is.
And a real looker, too! She got herself and Alice out of that carriage and used a parasol to keep the door open.
Can you reckon that? Alice told me so when she brung me dinner before you came.
Miss Vickers saved m’life, she did, and she promised she wouldn’t tell my da… ”
“You’re a lucky lad, Billy,” Gabriel had said, ruffling the boy’s hair.
“But next time your father is indisposed, you would do well to seek his master’s leave before taking the reins.
In the meantime, I shall ask our driver, Donald, to give you some proper instructions on how to handle the reins of a carriage in various situations. But only when you’re feeling better.”
“You would do that for me, my lord? After what I done?”
“Of course I would. You stepped in when your father could not. That is the mark of a good man in the making.”
The boy had nodded gravely. “I promised my ma I’d never touch the drink. Sometimes when Da is in his cups, he… Well, he isn’t hisself.”
“I understand, Billy,” Gabriel had said softly, guilt pricking as he thought of his own self-indulgence.
Gabriel had no children of his own, but he was Caroline’s guardian, and no matter his own pain and guilt, it was his duty to see that the child grew up safe, loved, and well protected.
His mother had been right. It was past time he ceased wallowing. Even if only for a few weeks each year, he had shamed himself with drink and gaming. That must end, he resolved, as he downed the rest of his tea and set the empty cup down on his desk.
Knowing his mother, she’d find out all there was to know about the American heiress.
She’d invited Miss Vickers for breakfast with her in the morning.
Gabriel would not be there, as he would be setting out at dawn with his men to oversee the recovery and return of the carriage and Miss Vickers’s trunks.
They’d decided it was too late and too dark to do it tonight.
Not to mention the roads were still in rough condition as the storm abated to light rain.
He felt compelled to see the site of the accident and the state of the carriage as a result. He knew why he was driven to do this…because he had not been there when his sister’s carriage careened off the bridge three years ago.
His mother would likely find out if Miss Vickers had decided to go ahead and attend the house party or return to London once the roads became passable in a few days.
Gabriel thought back to Billy’s outrageous statement, referring to Miss Vickers as a “looker.” The boy had had stars in his eyes as he told Gabriel everything.
Miss Vickers had gotten them out of the carriage and helped Billy.
Damn, but Gabriel had had the same reaction himself.
Not only was Miss Vickers beautiful, but she was also resourceful and courageous.
He folded his arms over his chest and continued to gaze out the window at the clearing sky and the moonlit night.
He had cared about Juliet. She had always been there, as Olivia’s best friend, and he had only begun to get to know her for herself in the year before the accident.
She was beautiful but completely opposite to Miss Vickers.
Juliet had been petite, with honey-blonde hair and velvety-brown eyes that made him think of a doe.
She had been similar to his sister in temperament and nature, which was why they had been best friends.
He regretted so much…including the fact that he hadn’t even had a chance to get to know Juliet all that well after he proposed.
It was soon after the death of his father, and Gabriel had felt the pressure of his new mantle as the Earl of Ravensthorpe.
And with that, the need to marry and have a family.
But also, the added work and duties of his title.
Yes, he’d wanted the same happy marriage his parents had had. But that never came to be…
A sudden vision of Miss Vickers flashed in his mind’s eye.
He had been outside helping Higgins get the injured boy onto the wagon when he looked up and saw Miss Vickers being escorted to the guest room by Mrs. Flinters.
He could see her clearly through the tall window of the upstairs landing.
Miss Vickers had been completely unaware that he was watching her…
Even in such a bedraggled state, she’d moved with an innate grace that made him wonder what it would be like to hold her in his arms and twirl her around a ballroom to the stirring strains of a waltz…
What am I doing?
He should not be comparing Miss Vickers to Juliet.
Juliet had been his fiancée and had tragically perished because…
Well, he still carried that guilt. Miss Vickers, while beautiful and brave and obviously caring about her maid Alice and her driver, Billy, was here only temporarily.
She had her own life and no doubt her own purpose to meet and marry a nobleman; otherwise, why had she been on her way to a house party hosted on behalf of Mrs. Dove-Lyon?
How had the proprietress of a gambling den managed to secure the attendance of such a wealthy American heiress at her party? Certainly, he knew Mrs. Dove-Lyon to be well-connected in London Society, but normally, her societal functions would not be the first choice of a newly arrived heiress.
He shook his head with a slight smile, trying to shake off the societal nonsense.
Mrs. Dove-Lyon was famously known for helping young men and women find their way into marriage.
Many of his friends had fallen for her clever traps after losing money in her gambling den—several had even warned him about it, and he remained cautious.
Gabriel wasn’t one to lose easily. He carefully watched every player and every move involved in the games he played, genuinely enjoying the thrill of beating the odds.
After speaking with his mother earlier, he had changed his mind about going and penned a quick note to that effect. If Miss Elizabeth Vickers was attending, he’d suddenly realized, he was as well.
Stifling a yawn, he decided it was time he retired for the night.
He checked his watch and noted it was after midnight.
His mother had retired soon after Dr. Baker left.
She always stopped by Caro’s room to check on her granddaughter and make sure she was sleeping before making her way to her own bedchamber.
But given that he generally kept later hours, Gabriel always checked in on Caro before he retired as well.
As he made his way up the stairs, he renewed his vow to be a better guardian and a more attentive uncle to Caro.
When he arrived at her room, he noticed the door was ajar.
Had his mother forgotten to close it? Removing the lit candle from the sconce outside the door, he stuck his head in the bedroom and was alarmed to see that Caro was not in her bed.
Her sheets lay in a rumpled pile on the floor as though they’d been kicked off.
Rushing into her room, he checked under the bed, in her armoire, her toy chest, even behind the heavy window curtains where he’d had a special window seat built in so that she could sit and read.
She’d either had a nightmare and was hiding or was sleepwalking again.
In that first year after the accident, they would often find her in different places.
One time, he’d found her curled up under her bed, clutching her blanket, fast asleep.
Another time, his mother had found her in the copper tub behind the privacy screen. Gabriel checked there as well.
She had stopped sleepwalking almost a year ago and finally begun to sleep through the night.
He saw that the nanny’s bed on the other side of the room was still made.
Irritation flashed through him at his own arrogant assumption that Caro no longer needed her nanny to sleep in the same room.
After the tragedy, his mother had taken to sleeping in her granddaughter’s room.
The child would cry every night for her parents, and his mother seemed to be the only one who could soothe Caro.
Unfortunately, it also meant that his mother was not getting any sleep either.
It had begun to affect her health. She’d lost a lot of weight, and that concerned him greatly—even though he knew his mother’s grief over losing Olivia most likely accounted for the weight loss.
Still, Gabriel had felt desperate. He couldn’t allow his mother to become ill.
Consulting with Dr. Baker, they had interviewed nannies, searching for one who had the experience, the fortitude, and the gentleness to be there for Caro.
Initially, the nanny would sleep in the same room and be there to help Caro get through her nightly terrors.
Mrs. Bumbles had had an impeccable list of credentials and experience and came highly recommended.
Eventually, over the course of six months, the nanny had helped stabilize Caro’s routine so that she was able to sleep through the night.
Dr. Baker had suggested that Caro was well enough that the nanny should be moved across the hall or next door to Caro, and Gabriel had agreed.
And for almost a year, things had continued to improve, at least regarding Caro’s sleep. They had even gotten through the second anniversary of the accident, and Caro had not relapsed. However, she still had not spoken a word since her parents had been tragically taken from her.
But now it seemed that Caro’s sleepwalking was back again. And Gabriel would have to figure out how to get her through this.
Worried, he ran out of the room, intent on waking his mother, but then he heard the sound of a lovely, lilting voice, softly humming from down the hall.
Holding the candle aloft, he noted the door of the guest room was ajar.
The blue room, as his mother had called it after she had it redecorated from its original shades of pale yellow and white.
The bedchamber had originally been Olivia’s room when she was growing up.
And then it was where she and Max had slept when they were visiting; Olivia wanted to be as near to the nursery as possible.
Slowly approaching the room, Gabriel slid around the open door and was completely taken by surprise when he saw a sleeping Caro being rocked in the arms of none other than Miss Vickers, who was humming sweetly to the child.