“With the passing of your parents, Miss Caroline, I see it only reasonable that we marry as soon as possible,” Lord Canton had said to her during his visit. She’d furrowed her brows at him, finding the statement quite odd.
“That will not be happening, Lord Canton. I need time to grieve and process this situation. The last thing I want to be thinking about is my wedding when my heart is so empty,” Caroline said honestly.
“I agree with Miss Caroline,” Lord Murphy had spoken up then. “It is not wise to speak about wedding plans when a funeral is to be planned and attended. The matter shall be readdressed after the funeral.”
“With all due respect, Lord Murphy, as her intended, I feel like I have the highest say in these matters. I am unaware of any official guardian that Lord Goldman appointed in the unlikely case of his demise,” Lord Canton said, making Caroline start to really dislike the man.
“And until an official guardian comes forth, or any other living relative, I shall take this duty very seriously, since Lord and Lady Goldman entrusted me with her safety while in town. Now, Miss Caroline has many other visitors to receive this morning. I encourage you to be on your way,” Lord Murphy said.
Caroline noted the tone of his voice and how high it raised in volume as he spoke. She looked at Lord Canton then and saw that his eyes had grown wide with surprise. She smirked, thinking it was a good look on him.
“Very well,” Lord Canton said as he stood. He then bowed before Caroline but did not pay any parting gestures to Lord Murphy or Gwendolen. Caroline sighed, trying to remember why she had agreed to marry the man.
It probably had a lot to do with her parent’s wishes and the fact she hadn’t received any other offers. But now that William had appeared in her life once more, she wondered if he’d still be interested in marrying. His feelings for her seemed obvious enough. But she would need to hear it from his lips to know for sure if he still had similar intentions towards her.
Caroline wasn’t sure for how long she received visitors, but it felt like the entire day. Eventually there came an end to them, and Caroline was escorted by Lord Murphy to the dining room to finally eat something. She wasn’t sure if she was hungry but reasoned that it would be a good idea to eat.
“How are you feeling, Miss Caroline?” Lord Murphy asked once she was seated at the table.
“Not quite like myself, I do have to admit,” she said. “I feel exhausted, but don’t know whether I would be able to sleep. I know I should be hungry, but yet don’t feel such pains.”
“It’s perfectly fine to feel abnormal,” Gwendolen said as she sat down next to Caroline. Lord Murphy took a seat at the head of the table then.
“You have done well enough today,” he added. “There were many people who wished to pay their respects, and had things been different, there would have been a wake for your parents as well.”
“I understand,” Caroline said with a nod. She understood that her parent’s bodies had been too disformed for a proper wake. Lord Murphy had been advised to bury the bodies as soon as possible because of their accident.
Such grim thoughts caused Caroline’s body to tighten once more. When a plate of food was set in front of her, small minced meat pies and fruit-filled tarts, Caroline pleaded with her body to relax so she could eat something decent. After all, it looked like a very special meal just for her.
“Good afternoon, my dears,” came Lady Murphy’s voice as she joined them in the dining room. She wore a plain day gown of crème cotton and her brown hair hung loosely down her back. She took a seat next to Caroline and was quick to capture her weak hand in hers. “How did you find the well-wishers?”
“Tolerable enough, Lady Murphy,” Caroline said.
“Forgive me for not joining you this day. The passing of your mother has been a terrible loss for me. We had been close in our youth,” she explained.
“I’m sorry. I had not known,” Caroline said, honestly surprised by the statement.
“That was a long time ago—we had only recently rekindled our friendship after seeing you two girls become so close. Life has an amusing way of changing once you are married.”
Caroline nodded, not knowing what else to say. Eventually Lady Murphy let go of her hand and allowed her to take small bites of her food. She couldn’t finish it all but was satisfied that she had at least eaten something.
After the meal, Caroline had expected the ability to return to her bedchamber and attempt to get some rest. She was exhausted and figured she would try to recover her energy. Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes as she felt her sorrow rising up once more. But as she rose from the table, Lord Murphy spoke up.
“Miss Caroline, would you join me in my study. There are a few matters of business that I wish to speak with you about. I shall be sure to be quick in my speech,” he said.
“Of course,” Caroline replied, curious to know what couldn’t wait till later. Once more, Lord Murphy then escorted her from the room and led her down the hall to his personal study.
Chapter 21
William was reading over a few business letters when the sound of someone knocking on the open study door brought his eyes up to the sight of his father standing in the doorway. The older man smirked at him as he came in and sat in one of the chairs in front of the mahogany desk.
Bookshelves lined the inside of the study, yet very few of them were currently in use. Sunlight pulled in from the window behind William, providing ample reading light. It felt good on his back when his heart was hurting for Caroline.
“How is your maiden doing this morning?” his father asked. William set the letter aside and focused solely on his father, sighing heavily as he did so.
“She looked like a ghost of herself, Father. At first, I feared she wouldn’t recognise me. She took a moment to even acknowledge me,” William explained.
“Grief has a way of making people do strange things.”
William nodded, knowing how sick his own father became after his mother had passed away.
“I understand her situation. I just wish I could do more for her.”
“When is the funeral for her parents?”
“I’m not sure. I plan to write to Lord Murphy at some point today for the details. It seems that he has taken on the role of guardian and will be caring for Caroline till she is married,” William explained.
“At least someone stepped up for the young lady. It would be terrible if it had been Lord Canton who had made such an offer.”
“I agree. I’m simply going through the post now, but plan to bring to Lord Murphy’s attention the type of person Lord Canton really is. I may have lost my opportunity to speak to Lord Goldman about such things, but I will not lose hope that one day I’ll be able to marry Caroline.”
“Never give up on true love, my boy. It’s worth the effort in the long run,” his father said, a smile appearing on his face.
“I just hope she’ll have me,” William confessed, speaking his deepest fears out loud.
“She will have you, don’t worry about that. I did see the way she watched you the other night at the dinner party. She’s in love with you as much as the day you two were separated.”
“I appreciate your support, Father. All these years, you’ve encouraged me to keep striving, and now it seems we have everything we could ever want for.”
“Ironic how Lord Canton’s plan to push you two away only caused the opposite. He certainly wasn’t expecting you to be so smart with that money.”
William chuckled as he nodded, knowing that it was Lord Canton’s biggest downfall. “All right, Father,” he said, “leave me for a time. I shall join you for the dinner meal but must attend to these matters of business. All looks well, and I want it to remain so,” William said as he picked up his stack of letters and began to look through them once more.
“I’m proud of you, William,” his father said as he stood from the chair. “It’s good to have you home and seeing you work hard.”
“Thank
you, Father. You know, I didn’t just do this for Caroline. I did it for all of us.”
“Don’t worry, son. I know you did. And I know for certain your mother would be so proud of the fine young man you’ve become today.”
The words had William’s eyes tearing up. It was a mighty thing for his father to say, and as he reached for his handkerchief once his father left the study, he remembered that he had given it to Caroline. Just the thought of her calmed his body as he rubbed his eyes on the back of his hand and turned them towards the letters. He would continue to succeed at all costs.
~*~
“Please, have a seat.” Lord Murphy gestured to one of the wing-backed chairs in front of the fireplace, where several candles were lit. A row of large windows made up the far wall, allowing Caroline to see into the gardens surrounding the townhouse. She was starting to think a nice walk would ease her pains, but her attention was soon focused on Lord Murphy as he took to the chair across from her.
“There are a few things I must discuss with you. I had informed your father’s solicitor of my decision to be guardian for you yesterday as soon as Lord Canton told us the news. Last night, his assistant did deliver to me your father’s personal papers, such as his will,” Lord Murphy explained.
Caroline stiffened, wondering what her father would have wanted for her upon his death. “Please, share with me the details. I’m sure it will be published soon in the papers to make it official.”
“Indeed, I expect as soon as tomorrow. That is why I wanted to warn you now of some of the details. When it comes to your father’s title and estates, they have all been detailed to pass to your husband. I can only assume that Lord Goldman never expected to pass so suddenly,” Lord Murphy explained.
“But I am not married,” Caroline reasoned.
“Not yet, anyways. You have secured yourself to Lord Canton by accepting his offer of marriage. The engagement has already been posted in the papers with a date set at the end of the summer. However, it won’t stop other gentlemen from trying to convince you to break that engagement to marry them instead, in hopes of gaining your father’s title and extensive wealth.”
“I see,” Caroline said with a nod. “That sounds all very overwhelming.”
“I’m sure this all seems so, Miss Caroline. I don’t blame you for how you are feeling, for you have the right to grieve. You should also be wearing the colour of grief, as well.”
Caroline looked down at her dark brown gown, it being the only thing she and Gwendolen could decide upon under such short notice. “Gwendolen has assured me that she will help me acquire some new gowns at the soonest convince,” Caroline said. “I don’t wish to financially burden you, though.”
“It is not a burden, Miss Caroline. Your parents were good people and it’s the least I could do for them. The funeral arrangements have been made for a week from today. It is the soonest that it could be done.”
“That all seems fine,” Caroline said. “I think that’s enough time for things to happen.”
“There is dowry money as well that has been detailed in your father’s will. You are to receive it immediately upon his death. If you like, I shall arrange for your father’s solicitor to retain the money until you are in need of it.”
“Thank you. I would appreciate that very much. I suppose I should take time to meet with the man myself.”
“In time, yes. But it is not vital you do so anytime soon. After the funeral, once you’ve had time to heal, it would be an appropriate time to speak to the solicitor with a clear mind.”
“That sounds reasonable enough. I am simply pleased that nothing more may be required of me this day.”
“My parents both died shortly after I was married to Lady Murphy. A terrible sickness took them both in their old age. Even now, I still miss them. There is nothing wrong with feeling sorrow or needing to take time to simply cry and be sad. I simply advise that you don’t bottle it all up inside.”
Caroline smirked as she nodded. “I appreciate your understanding, Lord Murphy. I am truly grateful that I was here in your household when it all happened. I can’t imagine a kinder guardian.”
“I shall continue to do my best, Miss Caroline. Therefore, there is something I want to ask you in an effort to protect your best interest.”
“Of course. What do you wish to know?”
Lord Murphy glanced away for a moment as he folded his hands in his lap. When he looked back at Caroline, he said, “I did not fail to notice the way you reacted to seeing Sir Robert. I was under the impression that the two of you had only just recently met.”
Caroline sighed as she looked down at her hands. She had assumed that this conversation might happen and thought quickly of a way to explain things to Lord Murphy.
“I knew Sir Roberts when I was younger, about sixteen years old. It was before he had made a name for himself or was considerably wealthy. We had fallen in love, and when I confessed my feelings for him to my father, he forbade us to see each other.
“After that night, I never heard or saw Sir Robert again. Not until at the masquerade ball. It seems he went off looking for fame and fortune to persuade my father to reconsider him.”
“Is he the type of man that a father would consider unsuitable due to character alone?” Lord Murphy asked.
“On character alone, no. Sir Roberts has always been the truest of gentlemen. He simply wasn’t a rank that my father would have considered appropriate for an Earl’s daughter. Regardless for our feelings, we were separated,” Caroline explained. Lord Murphy nodded as he raised his hand and began to rub his chin.
“And it seems like these feelings still exist,” he stated.
Caroline sighed deeply as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she stated very clearly, “Yes, Lord Murphy. I do very much care for Sir Roberts. I had only accepted Lord Canton’s proposal because I saw no other option.”
“Now, do you hope that Sir Roberts will make you an offer of marriage? To break an engagement can have serious consequences when it comes to one’s reputation.”
“I do understand, Lord Murphy. I will not speculate on what Sir Roberts will do, but I do hope that I will receive his offer. I felt quite pressured into agreeing to marry Lord Canton that I would like to think that I could marry for love instead, regardless of how the Ton would gossip about me.”
“As your guardian, I will always be available to counsel with you, Miss Caroline. I wish to know more about the character of Lord Canton and Sir Roberts before I can give you the best advice about your future, and the future of your father’s title and estates. I simply ask that you don’t make any rash decisions. That perhaps you could consider me as someone to speak to before you make anything official.”
Caroline dipped her head, grateful for the Earl even more. “I will be sure to do so, Lord Murphy. I feel at the moment that everything in my future might be a speculation. I know my feelings and emotions, but I wish to understand everything perfectly.”
“Spoken like a wise woman. Now, I have taken plenty of your time this afternoon. I’m sure you’re longing for rest,” Lord Murphy said as he stood to his feet and helped Caroline do the same.
“Thank you again, Lord Murphy, for all that you’ve done. I couldn’t have done all of this without you.”
“I am bound by honour to always help those in need. After all, I have plenty and can offer much to others. I will see you again for dinner,” Lord Murphy said as he opened the study door and allowed her to depart. Caroline made haste in returning to her bedchamber, eager for some rest after being visited by so many. She felt utterly and totally exhausted, climbing into bed without bothering to take off her gown.
A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 18
