Chapter 29
A Choice Made in Moonlight
Caspian couldn't sleep.
He'd tried. He'd gone through all the motions—changed into sleeping clothes, dismissed his valet, climbed into bed. But sleep refused to come.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the banquet. Millicent's drunken accusations. The wine arcing through the air. Caroline's perfect composure as she handled the attack with grace and wit.
The way the entire hall had applauded her.
She'd been magnificent.
But underneath the pride he felt, something else churned.
Millicent's words: "You trapped him. Everyone knows it. You used a seduction spell. Got yourself pregnant. Forced the Duke into marriage with your scheming."
It was all true.
Caspian had known it from the beginning, of course. Had been there when Caroline sobbed that the spell was meant for Percival. Had heard the confession, seen the devastation on her face when she realized she'd caught the wrong man.
But hearing it announced publicly, thrown in Caroline's face in front of eighty witnesses...
It had brought everything back. The garden. The spell. The overwhelming magic. The intimacy that neither of them had chosen freely.
Waking up to her horror and his own guilt.
The forced marriage that followed.
Caspian gave up on sleep and rose, pulling on his evening clothes minus the coat and loosening his cravat. He needed air. Space. Movement.
The gardens called to him.
He made his way through the quiet estate, nodding to the guards who were too well-trained to comment on their lord wandering the halls in the middle of the night.
The western gardens were peaceful in the moonlight, the fountain's gentle splash the only sound.
Until Caspian saw her.
Caroline sat on the fountain's edge, her nightgown and robe pale in the silver light. Her hair was loose, falling around her shoulders. She was running her fingers through the fountain water, lost in thought.
Mochi sat nearby, grooming his paws. Shadow lay at her feet, his head resting on crossed paws.
She looked beautiful. Ethereal. And terribly, heartbreakingly sad.
Caspian's feet carried him forward before he consciously decided to approach.
Caroline turned at the sound of his footsteps, her eyes widening slightly.
"Caspian," she said softly. "I didn't expect... you couldn't sleep either?"
"No," Caspian admitted, stopping a few feet away. "The evening was... eventful."
"That's one word for it," Caroline said with a weak attempt at humor.
Silence fell between them, heavy with unspoken things.
"Are you all right?" Caspian asked finally. "After what Millicent said—"
"What Millicent said was true," Caroline interrupted, her voice steady despite the way her hands trembled slightly. "That's what I can't stop thinking about."
Caspian went very still.
Caroline looked up at him, moonlight catching the tears gathering in her eyes.
"I trapped you," she said quietly. "With a spell. Got pregnant. Forced you into marriage. Everything she said—it's all true."
"Caroline—"
"No, please, let me finish." She stood, facing him directly. "I've been trying so hard these past weeks to be better. To make this marriage work. To be a good wife to you. But I can't... I can't move forward without addressing what happened. What I did to you."
Caspian's chest tightened. "You didn't do it alone. The spell—my power made it worse. I should have been able to resist, but I couldn't—"
"It was my spell," Caroline said firmly. "My trap. My choice to use love magic in the first place. You were just... you were an accident. The wrong person in the wrong place."
She took a shaky breath.
"And you've been trapped ever since. In a marriage you never wanted, with a woman who resented you, carrying a responsibility you never chose."
"Caroline, where is this going?" Caspian asked carefully.
"I want to give you a choice," Caroline said, and her voice broke slightly. "The choice you never had. The choice our families took away from both of us."
She met his eyes directly.
"Do you want a divorce?"
The question landed like a physical blow.
Caspian stared at her, his mind going completely blank.
Divorce. She was offering him divorce.
Freedom from the trap. From the forced marriage. From the woman who'd—
Who'd changed. Who'd become kind and thoughtful and genuine. Who made him laugh. Who cared about his safety enough to commission an enchanted pendant. Who'd handled a public attack tonight with more grace than most nobles could manage in their entire lives.
Who he'd started to—
"I know it would be scandalous," Caroline continued, misinterpreting his silence. "But we could manage it quietly. Arrange something discreet. I could return to my family estate, raise the child there. You could... you could be free."
Her voice wavered on the last word.
Caspian's thoughts raced. Did she want the divorce? Was she asking because she wanted out? Because despite everything, despite the changes, she still wished she'd caught Percival instead?
"Are you still in love with him?" Caspian asked, the words coming out rougher than he intended. "With Percival?"
Caroline's eyes widened in shock. "What? No! Absolutely not."
"You were obsessed with him for years," Caspian pressed. "The spell was meant for him. Everything was meant for him."
"And I was an idiot," Caroline said firmly. "I spent years chasing someone who never wanted me, never saw me, never cared. I wasted so much time on a fantasy when..." She paused. "When reality turned out to be so much better."
Caspian's heart stuttered. "Better?"
"You're kind," Caroline said softly. "Patient. You brought me a puppy when you came home from battle. You let me redecorate your entire estate without complaint. You practice dancing with me in the evenings. You find it endearing when I make happy sounds about dessert."
Her voice grew stronger.
"You're everything I didn't know I wanted. Everything I was too blind to see. And I don't deserve you, but I—" She stopped, blinking back tears. "But I want to be better. For you. For us. For this marriage."
She took a shaky breath.
"But if you don't want that. If you'd rather be free of me, of this trap I created, then I want to give you that choice. Even if it breaks my heart."
Caspian stared at her, his mind reeling.
She thought he wanted out. Thought he was trapped and miserable. Thought he'd rather be free than married to her.
When the truth was—
"What if I don't want a divorce?" Caspian asked quietly.
"But... but I trapped you. The spell—"
"Was an accident," Caspian said. "A terrible accident that neither of us chose. But Caroline..." He stepped closer.
"I don't want you to feel trapped," Caroline whispered.
"Caroline—" Caspian started.
"Would faking my death be better?" Caroline asked suddenly, her tone shifting to something almost manic. "For you, I mean. Less scandalous than divorce. You'd be a widower instead of a divorced man. Much more sympathetic."
Caspian blinked. "I'm sorry, did you just suggest faking your death?"
"It's an option," Caroline said, starting to pace. "Actually, now that I think about it, it might be the best option. Clean break, no scandal, you get to move on with your life..."
"Caroline—"
"We could stage a carriage accident," Caroline continued, warming to the topic with disturbing enthusiasm. "Traveling to visit my parents, the carriage goes off a cliff into a river. Very tragic. Very convincing. Body never recovered because of the current—"
"We don't have many cliffs near Frostholme," Caspian said, too stunned to do anything but point out the logistical flaw.
"Then we travel somewhere with cliffs!" Caroline said. "That's easy enough. Or—oh! Kidnapping during a shopping trip. Masked bandits attack, very realistic, they demand ransom—"
"I would pay the ransom," Caspian interrupted.
"Well yes, obviously, but they don't know that, so when you refuse—for the sake of the plan—they eliminate the problem.
" Caroline paused. "Actually, that's too dark.
What about attacked on the road while visiting my parents?
Blightspawn that wandered past the border defenses.
You wouldn't even be there, perfect alibi. "
Caspian stared at her. "You've really thought about this."
"I'm thinking about it right now," Caroline corrected. "Oh! Boating accident. We take a romantic boat trip, storm hits, I'm swept overboard—very tragic, very romantic—"
"You can't swim," Caspian said.
"EXACTLY!" Caroline's eyes lit up. "Very convincing! And then I'd need a cottage, of course. Small but comfortable. Maybe in the countryside somewhere. I'd need a new name—Catherine? No, too similar. Carolyn? Still too close..."
She was pacing faster now, her hands gesturing animatedly.
"I'd need servants," Caroline continued. "At least two or three. Can't manage a household alone, especially with a baby. Oh, and good cooking staff is essential—I'm eating for two, after all. Maybe somewhere near a market town? For shopping?"
Caspian felt something that might have been laughter building in his chest.
She was genuinely planning this. Actually mapping out her fake death and subsequent comfortable cottage life with the same enthusiasm she'd brought to redecorating Frostholme.
"And there's the matter of finances," Caroline continued thoughtfully. "An annual stipend would be more reliable than a lump sum. That way I don't have to worry about budgeting too carefully. Plus expenses for the baby—education, clothes, toys, eventually tutors..."
She paused, cleared her throat, and turned to look at Caspian with a very pointed expression.
"Of course," she said, her voice taking on a particular tone, "I would need financing for this plan. The baby and I must live comfortably once we disappear."
The laughter Caspian had been suppressing finally broke free.
He laughed—actually laughed—head thrown back, the sound echoing through the quiet garden.
Caroline watched him with growing indignation. "I'm being serious!"
"I know," Caspian managed between laughs. "That's what makes it so absurd."
"It's a perfectly reasonable plan!"
"You're planning your own fake death," Caspian said, still grinning. "With servant requirements and annual stipend calculations."
"Well I'm not going to live in poverty!" Caroline huffed. "The baby needs a good start in life!"
Caspian stepped closer, his amusement fading into something warmer. "What about cottage security? You'd need guards."
Caroline's eyes widened. "You're right! I hadn't thought of that. At least two guards, maybe three if it's a more remote location—"
"And you'd need to inform your parents," Caspian continued, playing along now. "So they don't actually grieve."
"Oh definitely," Caroline agreed eagerly. "They'd have to be in on it. Though Father would probably insist on visiting, which could compromise the whole 'dead' thing..."
"The treasury costs keep climbing," Caspian observed.
"Well yes, but it's a worthwhile investment," Caroline said seriously. "A convincing fake death requires proper funding."
Caspian shook his head, still smiling. "Or," he said quietly, "we could make this easier and stay married. I'm not certain the ducal coffers could survive your elaborate fake death plans."
Caroline stopped mid-gesture, her mouth falling open slightly.
"You... you want to stay married?"
"Yes," Caspian said simply.
"But—but I gave you an out. A choice. Freedom from the trap—"
"I don't want out," Caspian said, stepping close enough to take her hands in his. "I don't want freedom from you, Caroline. I want..." He paused, searching for the right words. "I want this. Us. The marriage we're building together. The woman you're choosing to be. The life we could have."
"Even though I trapped you?" Caroline whispered.
"Even though we were both trapped by circumstances neither of us chose," Caspian corrected. "But we're choosing this now. Aren't we?"
Caroline looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears—but she was smiling.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I'm choosing this. Choosing you."
"Then we're in agreement," Caspian said softly. "No divorce. No fake deaths. No elaborate cottage schemes that would bankrupt the duchy."
"The cottage plan was very good," Caroline protested weakly.
"It was ridiculous," Caspian said, but he was smiling.
"You suggested the guards," Caroline pointed out.
"I was enabling your absurdity," Caspian admitted. "It was entertaining watching you plan your own demise with such enthusiasm."
"I was being practical!"
"You were being you," Caspian said. "Clever and ridiculous and completely genuine."
He pulled her closer, one hand coming up to cup her cheek.
"I like you," he said quietly. "This version of you. The real you. The one who cares about honey cakes and pets and whether I come home safely from the border."
"I like you too," Caroline whispered. "The you who brings me shadow wolf puppies and lets me spend your money and finds my dessert sounds endearing."
"They are endearing."
"They're embarrassing."
"They're perfect," Caspian corrected.
He led her to a nearby bench, both of them sitting close enough that their shoulders touched.
The night was quiet around them, the fountain's gentle splash and the soft sounds of Mochi and Shadow nearby the only interruption.
"I'm sorry," Caroline said after a moment. "For everything I put you through. For the trap, the resentment, the cruelty."
"And I'm sorry," Caspian replied, "for my family forcing the marriage. For the lack of choice. For the way it all began."
"But we're choosing now," Caroline said.
"Yes," Caspian agreed. "We're choosing now."
Caroline leaned her head against his shoulder. Caspian's arm came around her waist, holding her close.
"For what it's worth," Caroline said softly, "I'm glad it was you. In that garden. I'm glad the spell caught you instead of Percival. Because you're... you're so much better than any fantasy I ever had."
Caspian felt his chest tighten with emotion. "I'm glad too. Even though it was messy and complicated and began all wrong. I'm glad it was you."
Caroline turned her face up to look at him, and in the moonlight, she was breathtaking.
"Caspian?" she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Will you kiss me?"
Instead of answering, Caspian leaned down and captured her lips with his.
This kiss was different from the one in the garden a week ago. That had been tentative, testing, both of them uncertain.
This kiss was a choice. A promise. A commitment freely made.
Caroline's hands came up to frame his face, her fingers threading through his hair. Caspian pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, pouring everything he couldn't say into the touch of his lips against hers.
When they finally broke apart, both slightly breathless, Caroline was smiling.
"That was much better than my cottage plan," she admitted.
Caspian laughed softly. "I should hope so."
"Though I still think the fake boating accident had merit—"
Caspian kissed her again, effectively silencing any further absurd escape plans.