She pulled the thread up with delicate fingers and admired the outcome. The pillowcase was coming along nicely, and the pattern was rather pretty. The door opened, and a servant entered the room, with their head bowed. He approached Madeleine and whispered something in her ear. Then he handed her a letter. The Dowager Duchess was immersed in her own sewing and did not notice any of this. Caroline stared at Madeleine, who shook her head minutely, eying Her Grace.
Excitement filled her. The letter had to be from Mr. Langley. Why else would the servant not have brought it directly to her? It was clear this was a letter that her aunt must not see. She needed to find a way to leave without raising any suspicions. Her aunt had not left her side for the entirety of that day. She pulled the needle through the material once more and had an idea.
Bracing herself, she pierced her finger with the sharp needle. A tiny trickle of blood appeared, and surreptitiously she turned her finger, so a few drops of blood fell on the skirt of her gown.
“Ah,” she wailed, standing up at once, holding her skirt out.
“What is it?” The Dowager Duchess looked up, startled.
“I pierced my finger.” She put her finger between her lips. “Oh, my gown. Look, there’s a stain!”
“Calm down, dear,” her aunt said. “Madeleine will be able to sort this out.” At her words, Madeleine leaped forward.
“Of course, Your Grace.” Madeleine curtsied.
“Go and change,” her aunt commanded.
“All right,” she replied and left the room. She and Madeleine hurried to her room. Her heart was beating rapidly at the prospect of reading Mr. Langley’s words again.
“I should take the gown to clean right away,” Madeleine said once they were inside the bedroom.
“The gown can wait,” she said. “Where’s the letter?”
“But the gown—”
“I don’t care about this gown, I just want to read the letter.” She held out her hand.
“All right, but it was strange what the servant told me,” Madeline said, taking out the letter from her skirt pocket.
“What was strange?”
“This was left in the servant’s room, pushed through the window.” Madeleine looked concerned. “It was addressed to you.”
“Through the window?” Caroline took the letter and noticed the handwriting on the front was not Mr. Langley’s. “That’s very strange.”
“The window is very small and hard to see from outside,” Madeleine explained. “The servant told me whoever sent it must know this house. The window next to theirs is by the kitchen, and they look alike.”
Slowly she unfolded the letter, her fingers trembling slightly. Her breath quivered, and she almost dropped the letter as she read the now familiar handwriting.
Dearest Lady Caroline.
I am sorry for shutting you out before, but I had no choice. I will not put you in danger, I will not permit that. However, you do deserve an explanation. I cannot write it lest this note ends in the wrong hands. Do not write to me, my house is being watched. Instead, I pray that you will meet me next Friday at noon. I will stand at the enclosure by the backroad—you know of which place I write. Please make sure no one sees you leave.
With hopes that we will see each other soon,
Emma.
Caroline was completely speechless.
What can this mean? Is Emma in danger?
Chapter 20
Jasper sat at the breakfast table in the Featherstone manor. His day was going to be a long one, and he needed to prepare, but it had been too long since he had seen his sister. Lord Featherstone was reading his newspapers, not paying Jasper or his family much attention.
“Are you still working for the Lord Chief Justice?” Selina asked him, her voice conversational, but he knew what she was really talking about.
“I am,” he replied, putting his coffee cup on its saucer. “He offered me additional work during my last visit to Brighney Manor.”
“That’s great!” Selina beamed at him.
“Ho-ho!” Lord Featherstone barked, crumpling his newspaper and peering at Jasper. “What is this I see here?”
“What on earth are you on about?” Selina chuckled, turning to look at her husband.
“You have been here half the morning and didn’t mention that!” Lord Featherstone pointed at the paper.
“Ah,” Jasper said quietly. He now saw that his brother-in-law was reading the Examiner.
“Jasper?” Selina looked between him and her husband.
“I wrote a small article,” he replied.
“You did?”
“This is terribly clever,” Lord Featherstone said, now hidden behind the paper again.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Selina asked. His reply was interrupted by a cackle of laughter from Lord Featherstone. “You certainly didn’t hold back, now did you?”
“I wrote only the truth,” he replied.
“Jolly good, chap.” Lord Featherstone stood up, still holding the newspaper. “I will take this with me to the club.” He kissed Selina on the cheek and left the room.
Once Jasper and Selina were alone in the room, she turned to face him. “This is unlike you.”
“What is?” He was being deliberately dismissive.
“Jas,” she said exasperatedly.
“Fine.” He looked around making sure no one was within earshot. “I didn’t write the article.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lady Caroline wrote it,” he said. At that, Selina gasped.
“Something has happened,” she stated.
“I—” he began.
“Don’t lie to me. You know I will never betray your confidence,” she said.
“I don’t know what I can do.” He admitted, both to her and also himself.
“You fight for her.” Her eyes twinkled with emotion. “I can see you love her.”
“You do?” He felt uncomfortable talking about Lady Caroline, but he felt he had to tell Selina more. Tell her everything.
“I know you, sweet brother.” She took his hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I fear that I will lose her.” His voice was somber and hushed.
“Tell her how you feel,” Selina said encouragingly.
“I cannot,” he objected vehemently at the ludicrous idea.
“You must. The world is cruel and filled with injustice, but all you can do is keep your head held high and be honest,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said after a short pause. He had kept quiet his fear that she had already been taken away from him.
Caroline was stalling. She stood in front of her mirror and tried to find something to change, but already she had changed gowns four times. If she would stay in her room much longer, her aunt would no doubt come and fetch her herself.
Lord Estaria had arrived, and they were going to spend the afternoon together, and then he was going to join them for dinner. She felt this was all happening too fast. The Season was not halfway through, yet she felt this overwhelming pressure being applied to her.
Finally, she left her room to meet with Lord Estaria. He stood in the drawing room, dressed impeccably as he always was. “Lady Caroline!” He turned as she entered the room and bowed his head low.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, My Lord.” She sat down on the small sofa near the fireplace, and he sat across from her. A moment later, a maid came into the room with a tray with tea and biscuits.
Caroline was pleased to have something to do, as neither of them seemed particularly loquacious that day. After she had handed him his cup, he finally said, “The Dowager Duchess was most kind to invite me to dinner.”
“You are most welcome,” she replied. This was becoming unbearably tedious. They sat and drank their tea in complete silence again.
“Perhaps we should take a stroll in the garden?” She suggested.
“What a lovely idea,” he replied politely. They left the room, and as Caroline walk
ed past Madeleine, she rolled her eyes discreetly. Madeleine giggled but stopped at once at the scowling look on Lord Estaria’s face. They were walking toward the door that led to the garden when Lord Brighney appeared from the parlor.
“Lord Estaria, good to see you.” Her father looked between her and Lord Estaria, looking pleased.
“Lord Brighney, how do you do?” Lord Estaria replied.
“When did you get back home?” Caroline asked.
“Not long ago. The court was absolutely buzzing today.” Lord Brighney chuckled. “There was an article in the Examiner, by our very own Mr. Langley,” he added.
“Article?” Her heart jumped a beat. She had not expected Mr. Langley to be so quick.
“Oh, yes. He wrote about inheritance law, or critiqued it, more like.” Her father shook his head, good-naturedly.
“Is that so?” Her breathing was rapid, and she had to fight back the wide smile that wanted to paint her whole face.
“Have you read the article?” Lord Brighney asked Lord Estaria.
“The Examiner is a contemptible newspaper,” Lord Estaria scoffed.
“I will have to ask him more about it tonight,” her father said, paying no attention to Lord Estaria’s retort.
“Tonight?”
“Yes, I invited Mr. Langley over for dinner again,” he replied. She felt Lord Estaria gazing at her intently.
“Well, we ought to get going,” she said, turning to Lord Estaria.
They walked out into the garden, and she thought desperately of anything to talk about, begging her heart to not spill out Mr. Langley’s name. The result was that she spoke an awful lot about flora and fauna. But her step was lighter.
He will be here tonight.
Then her heart sank.
What will Mr. Langley think of me once he sees Lord Estaria at dinner? He will know that we are courting. I cannot bear to see his disappointment.
Jasper stepped out of the carriage and ran his hand through his hair. He had arrived at Brighney Manor once more, although he could not remember feeling this anxious ever before. The butler let him inside and escorted him toward the parlor where Lord Brighney stood. When he entered the room, he saw that Lord Brighney was not alone. A tall, thin-looking gentleman stood next to him.
“Mr. Langley, I’m glad to see you,” Lord Brighney said, handing him a drink. “This is Owen, the Marquess of Estaria,” he added.
“Pleased to meet you, My Lord,” he replied. Lord Estaria emptied his glass and took in Jasper’s appearance.
“How do you do, Mr. Langley,” Lord Estaria said in a bored voice.
“So you are the solicitor that Lord Brighney speaks so highly of,” he added, emphasizing the word solicitor.
“I am.”
“What a quaint profession, being surrounded by petty criminals all day.” Lord Estaria turned to refill his glass.
“Well, Mr. Langley is excellent at his job,” Lord Brighney said. “We must discuss your splendid article.”
“You are kind, My Lord,” he replied. The butler arrived to inform them that dinner was served. The three of them left the parlor and walked to the dining room.
The table was tastefully decorated, and there was a festivity in the air that Jasper had not experienced before. He suspected it had everything to do with Lord Estaria’s presence. From the other end of the room appeared the Dowager Duchess and Lady Caroline.
He felt it was impossible, but she looked even more beautiful today. She looked in his direction briefly before curtsying and smiling at Lord Estaria. The Dowager Duchess invited them all to sit down.
“How lovely you were able to join us for dinner again, Mr. Langley,” the Dowager Duchess said, politely.
“It is an honor every time, Your Grace.” He looked up to steal a glance at Lady Caroline. She was taking a sip of her wine, but their eyes locked for a moment. At once he felt flushed with the memory of her touch.
Darling Lady Caroline. How I wish I could taste your lips, sweet as wine. Being near you is nearly unbearable. Your scent makes my body yearn for you; makes me burn with desire.
“We are most pleased that our dear Lady Caroline has agreed to court Lord Estaria,” the Dowager Duchess continued. She raised her glass in the Marquess’ direction, but Jasper had the uncomfortable feeling she was pointing her words at him. He felt a painful jab across his chest. Although he had suspected this, hearing the words made it far too real. But to his surprise, he noticed Lady Caroline staring at him. She glanced at Lord Estaria and shook her head minutely.
“Lord Brighney tells me that you have written an article,” Lady Caroline said. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she bit her lip. The sight was almost too much for him. At once, he was in his office again, holding her body, feeling the shape of her bosom tightly pressed against him. He tried to rid this image from his mind, it was terribly inappropriate. He cleared his throat before speaking.
“I did. It was a matter of great importance to me, and thought this ought to be shared with the world,” he said finally.
“Will you write more articles?” Lady Caroline asked coyly.
“Certainly,” he replied at once. “There are more subjects that are of great interest to me.” He noticed the dull pink flush travel down to her clavicle, and he was thankful he was hidden behind the table. The sight was simply too delicious.
“Fascinating,” she said. “I cannot wait to read the next one.”
“This is hardly reading material for ladies,” Lord Estaria interjected. “Mr. Langley wrote about inheritance law, not gardening,” he scoffed and chuckled cruelly. “I do hope, Lord Brighney, you do not allow her to read such material. I think it has an adverse effect on the delicate.”
“I quite agree,” Lord Brighney said dismissively. Jasper felt immense resentment toward the Marquess. Lady Caroline looked as if she’d been slapped. He longed to take her in his arms and kiss away the tear that was falling down her cheek.
He looked at Lord Estaria and said in a cold voice, “It is such a coincidence meeting you tonight, My Lord, for I had the pleasure of meeting the Duke of Aston recently.” Lord Estaria’s head jerked in his direction, looking stricken.
Chapter 21
For the remainder of the dinner, Caroline felt completely subdued. Her voice was not welcome, her opinion not valid. She could feel Mr. Langley looking at her, but she didn’t dare look at him again. She was too afraid that she would start crying if she saw his kind and understanding face.
As the dessert was brought in, she chanced a glance in his direction. To her surprise, he looked angry, but only for a fleeting moment. He had been observing Lord Estaria, with a grim expression. It made her feel validated, that she wasn’t being delicate.
She ate her pudding slowly, savoring every bite. She brought the spoon to her lips and noticed Mr. Langley was looking at her, or her lips.
His breathing is slow, and it makes me ache for his touch. I can feel that strange, sweet tingling deep inside me again. My dear, Mr. Langley. I wish I could feel your hard body against me again. I long to feel your lips caressing mine.
How she longed to touch him again, to feel his hard body against hers. She brought the spoon up to her lips again, blocking out the sound of Lord Estaria’s voice as he spoke with her father. Her cheeks felt warm. Her desire bubbled within her, a strong combination of pure lust and love.
When her aunt announced it was time for her to leave, she drew a deep breath and bade her father, Lord Estaria, and Mr. Langley, a good night. The steps away from him were heavy. She told the Dowager Duchess that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Slowly, she walked up the stairs, thinking of the time she had surprised Mr. Langley in her father’s office. His strong hand on her waist, possessive and firm.
She sat at her worktable and brought out a piece of paper and began writing. The quill skated across the paper, writing down everything she wanted, what she desired. Her cheeks were pink, and the buzzing in her center continued at an agonizing ferocity. She fo
lded the letter in threefold and sat back in her chair. This was not a letter she could let Madeleine take. This was much too private—the letter was beyond scandalous.
While considering whether or not to chuck the letter in the fire, she heard a sound outside. She hurried to the window and saw that the carriage was being brought in front of the house.
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