“But you have turned your fortunes around. Even Lady Clara deemed to notice you. It must mean you are doing very well for yourself.” She bit her lip and he couldn’t help but smile. Apparently she not only shared his feelings of inadequacy when it came to society but she also experienced the same jealousy when she saw someone who was doing well for himself. He’d had the same feelings before his own fortunes had changed.
“And Somersett noticed you.” He couldn’t quite keep the growl out of his voice.
“That is different entirely.” She turned away then, moving toward her chair.
He followed, wanting to remain close to her. “How so?”
“Well, it highlights our current difference in fortune, I would say. Lady Clara would not publicly ogle you if she didn’t consider you a candidate for a match. While Lord Somersett—“ A lady didn’t say it and so she didn’t finish but Tom knew what she meant. He wanted to have an affair with her, not marry her. If he ever caught that man alone in an alley…
“Your fortune could just as easily turn around.” He tried to offer some measure of comfort. Truth be told, a wild plan to marry her himself was forming in his mind. It was ludicrous. They’d known each other mere hours but he could gaze upon those eyes forever. Her vulnerability pulled at something deep inside him, this need to protect.
“It would take a miracle.” She looked at him then and he saw an intensity in her gaze, like that of earlier, when he had been on the scaffolding. There was more going on here than met the eye. For all her sweetness and lack of artifice, she was hiding something, he would bet his life on it. She knew something. He’d brought a secret to London and somehow she knew.
Tom sat straighter, withdrawing from her. Disillusionment made it difficult for him to look her in the eye any longer.
He’d been caught up in the moment, but at least he had to come to his senses before he’d done something truly unforgiveable like propose to this mysterious stranger. The last thing he needed was a woman to complicate his life. He forced a polite smile. “Then I wish you a miracle.”
Chapter Two
Caroline watched as he withdrew. Drat. What had she just said? Normally, she could keep a false smile on her face, ask a gentleman lots of questions about himself, and then quietly lift his coin purse from his pocket.
They always assumed they lost it. And they assumed she was a fortune-hunting lady bent on ensnaring a marriage proposal rather than the money in their pocket.
She didn’t dissuade them of this notion. It kept her thievery well hidden. But in her heart, she had no intention of marrying a lord. She had spent her entire life being a lady who was less than her counterparts. She wouldn’t have her husband think it. She would marry a nice merchant or businessman who wouldn’t look down on her for living in a theater. He might even be glad to have a wife with any connection to the peerage.
But she couldn’t keep her mask on with Tom, she kept revealing her feelings. It should be so simple. Tonight, she need only make small talk. She just had to take a pin, or purse, and then use it as an opportunity to see him again in order to return it.
She knew what her cousin wanted. Eventually, she would try to gain access to his home, where she could steal this mystery object, but first she needed to learn all about the object and him. It was well beyond her normal skill set. Coupled with the fact that she couldn’t seem to deceive him at all, it was a near impossible task.
She laughed attempting to cover her gaff. She’d allowed him to see her desperation. It had frightened him away. “That was rather dramatic of me. I meant my cousin and this theater need help.” She waved her hand as though swiping away her words. “Crimson has done wonders with it, but it simply isn’t enough.”
She saw him relax and she relaxed a little too. She wasn’t going to tell him about this yet but she needed an excuse for her dramatic declaration. It had made him uncomfortable and she was still puzzling out why. Perhaps he just didn’t like overset ladies. But she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something to Crimson’s story. Some force that had changed his circumstance? If even the priest believed it…but that was a question for another day. Right now, she simply needed to earn his trust.
“This theater is packed, how could it not be enough?” As to make his point, his eyes scanned the crowd.
She paused, wondering how best to proceed. “Tickets can only be sold at a certain price and there are only so many seats.” She stopped, letting those words sink in. Caroline had always been able to read people and what she saw in Tom was a man who liked to help others. Perhaps he could suggest the expansion.
“I begin to understand. But any business doing this well should be a success.” He quirked an eyebrow. A perfectly arched, handsome eyebrow. Gads even his eyebrows were perfect. They framed his dancing brown eyes in the most captivating way. One corner of his sensual mouth lifted in a small smile.
She took a steadying breath. She had sat like this with many a lord, but none had had this effect on her. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, there was something open and honest in his face that made her want to whisper her darkest secrets. She could never, of course. He’d run the other way. But, for her purposes today and her own need to share, she would tell him what she admitted to very few. “When my father passed, he left a mountain of debt. Even as child, I knew something was wrong. It was in the way other members of the peerage looked at me with pity. The way my father acted defensive. It wasn’t until I was older that I understood.”
She paused as what could only be described as empathy crossed his face. He didn’t pity her, he understood. Something inside shifted, lightened at the thought of being able to share without judgment. “My cousin, he wanted this theater. So he took the title and the debt but…” She looked away then, the rest didn’t need to be said. His hand reached for and held her gloved one. Even with the fabric, the warmth of his touch was comforting.
“I understand.” He gave her fingers a squeeze. “What will you do?”
“I will marry. Perhaps my husband can help.” She shrugged, still looking the other direction. He wasn’t offering up the suggestion of expansion. Should she wait? She bit her lip in indecision. It seemed like the perfect time. “We had hopes of expanding into the property that you purchased.”
Understanding dawned in slow degrees. First why Caroline and her cousin had been looking at him so intently, then why he had been invited here. Relief flooded through him. At least they didn’t seem to know his secret.
Still, what they wanted irritated him. Perhaps it was because Lord Wainscroft could have spoken to him himself, but instead he had sent Caroline with her expressive eyes and full lips. Lips that were made for kissing. Not that kissing had anything to do with this. Was she actually worried or was it an act? She lived in a theater with professionals, for pity’s sake.
He sat back in his chair, needing to put physical distance between them because every expression that flitted across her face drew him in.
She must have sensed it because worry filled her eyes and she caught her lip between her teeth again as his hand slipped out of hers.
Some part of him wanted to comfort even still her while the other part chafed at feeling manipulated. It was particularly vexing to him. While both his brothers had married lovely women, the circumstances of their courtship had tied them both in knots. Somewhere along the way, he had decided he would not do that for love. It would be easy, effortless, or it wasn’t meant to happen.
“I’m sorry that your plans have been thwarted.” His voice had a hard edge that conveyed he wasn’t really sorry. He idly ran his hand through his hair. It wasn’t what a gentleman should do but he didn’t really care. “If you’re hoping to acquire the property from me, I regret to inform you that I am not the purchaser. My sister-in-law has set up several orphanages in London and beyond. This is her project. I am simply lending my skills to aid in its development.”
Her mouth formed a small o of surprise. “How generous of you.” She gave h
im a weak smile.
“But I do know the property has been on sale for some time when the priest convinced Charlotte to make the purchase. You had ample opportunity.” His voice softened with every word. He couldn’t help it.
Her eyes acted like a mirror of her emotions. Though she may have brought him here to coerce him, she simply couldn’t be faking her expressions. It would require more talent than any actor or actress he had ever met. Now her expression went from devastated to ashamed. “As I mentioned earlier,” she looked away then. “We didn’t have the funds. It has taken us a long time to save the necessary amount.”
Regret at his coldness sliced through his chest. She simply wanted to find out if there was still a chance to purchase the adjoining building. What was the harm in that? He had to get himself under control, he was jumping to all sorts of irrational conclusions. It was this damned business with the mirror and recent events. It had made him paranoid.
He cleared his throat, “I will write a letter to Charlotte. Perhaps there is a possibility but I can make no promises.”
She turned to him beaming a smile that left him breathless. Bloody hell she was lovely. He wanted to reach for her hand again but it would be inappropriate now.
Crimson stepped out onto the stage. “The show will begin shortly. In the meantime, allow me to entertain.”
The crowd applauded wildly, and Tom relaxed in his seat. Many magicians of the day called themselves Professors of Natural Philosophy and used tricks to recreate scientific discoveries. But Crimson was different. With slight of hand, he crafted magic. Objects appeared and disappeared, and all the while he kept a stream of conversation that had the audience laughing and applauding. His abilities were truly magical.
Caroline leaned over to him then, those lips close to his ear, her hand resting on his chest, almost in his jacket. Her voice, slightly breathless, made the tension building in him clench still tighter. He flexed his fingers to try and relax his body. “He is a truly gifted performer, is he not?”
“Indeed,” he rasped then cleared his throat. By God, she was reducing him to a schoolboy. She leaned back away and he resisted the urge to grab her hand pull her back to him.
The show began, and honestly, if anyone had asked, he wouldn’t have been able to recall a speck of the plot. He spent all of it aware of Caroline, the subtle movement of her body, the sound she made when something delighted her, the smell of her perfume whenever she leaned close. Lavender, he was sure.
It was as though she were casting a spell over him. The more time he spent with her, the more ensnared he became. When intermission finally came, he jumped up. She stood too, and he should have offered to escort her down the stairs but he needed air, a break from the assault on his senses. “If you will excuse me for a moment?”
“Of course.” Confusion and worry flitted across her face.
It sent a small pang of guilt reverberating through him but he needed a moment to sift through his feelings. He made his way down the stairs and into the rush of people. Out of nowhere, someone grabbed his arm. He turned to see the penetrating eyes of Lord Somersett. He drew up to his full height as he stared down at the other man.
“Lord Abernathy,” the other man addressed him coolly.
“Lord Somersett,” he returned the sentiment.
“She is lovely, isn’t she?” He nodded his head toward the box. He glanced up to see her eyes locked on the two of them.
“Quite,” he responded, giving away as little as possible.
“I once received an invitation into her box. I had hoped for an invitation elsewhere but--”
“She is a lady,” Tom gritted out.
“Unfortunately for her, one without a dowry or real position.” He shrugged. “But perhaps, if you consider her as a candidate she is correct in replacing my seat with you.”
Tom chafed at the words. How dare this man, who didn’t want to offer Caroline marriage, consider his position next to her? His hand clenched into a fist. “It would seem her instincts are in fact spot on where you are concerned.”
Anger flitted across the other man’s face. “But perhaps yours about her are not. Do watch your belongings.” With that, Somersett turned and left.
What the bloody hell was that supposed to mean? Unease flitted through him but it was overridden by his need to protect her. He stomped back up the stairs, no longer needing space.
“Is everything all right?” she asked as he returned.
“Fine,” he responded, his body tightening once again in response to her presence. He was doomed and all the reasons he had raced down the stairs in the first place rushed back. She was wreaking havoc on him.
She gave him that look again. The one that pulled on his heart. The one that labeled her as a woman uncertain of her place in the world. She didn’t lack for confidence because she had clearly put Somersett in his place, but she was lost and needed help finding her way. “What did Lord Somersett want?”
He tried not to sigh. The truth of the matter was he knew neither Caroline nor Somersett very well, if at all. And he was not thinking clearly. While something in Caroline raised this protective instinct within him, he would likely do best to not get involved. “Nothing of import.”
She gave a nod and he squelched another sigh. Intermission was coming to an end and he was hovering there like an indecisive fool. Was he coming or going? Running his hand through his hair, he tossed himself into his chair.
Chapter Three
Caroline looked at Tom sitting in the chair. His strong legs splayed out before him, hand mussing his hair. She had a vision of what he might look like unclothed and in a bed. Heat radiated from her body, an ache forming between her thighs.
Closing her eyes, she tried to slow her racing heart. No man had ever impacted her like this, infusing her with such heat. In addition, he seemed to look straight into her soul, see the dark parts of her.
She placed her hands at her waist, in a small pocket of her skirt, she had stashed his coin purse that she had taken when she had leaned into him. She wouldn’t actually take anything from it. She had only taken the object to return to him later, force another meeting.
But it made her stomach roll to think of lying to him now. There was a person she wanted to be. For a while, now, she had been telling herself she would become that woman when she married. But all at once, she realized she needed to change now.
It wasn’t that she expected to marry Tom or anyone like him. But she would never find a good man being a dishonest woman. Pulling the purse out of her pocket, she knelt to the ground. “I think you’ve dropped something, my lord.”
Grasping her fingers around it, she stood and reached her hand out to his. Confusion marked his brow.
“Is this yours?”
His fingers grasped around it as his eyes pierced into hers, suspicion making them squint.
Heat infused her cheeks. Even when he was looking at her like that, she wanted to touch his cheek, run her fingers along his skin. The silence stretched out between them until she could barely stand it. He assessed the pouch, rolling it in his fingers, then he tucked it into the pocket of his waistcoat. “Thank you.”
Words stuck in her mouth as she tried to respond. She should simply say “you’re welcome” but she wanted to confess so much more. Instead she took the coward’s route. “I find I have a terrible headache. Would you—would you mind if I retired for the evening?”
He stood again, the suspicion replaced with concern. “Of course.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she fled. Crimson was going to have to find another way. She couldn’t be in Lord Abernathy’s company. She was liable to spill her deepest secrets.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she picked up speed as she swept down the empty hall that led to the back of the theater. Praying no one would see her, she dashed past the door to the backstage but luck was not with her and Crimson stepped out as she passed.
“You’re not leaving our fair lord?” He reached out a hand
to halt her progress.
“Yes,” she replied shortly.
“Has he already agreed to give us the property?”
“It’s his sister-in-law’s. He said he would write…” she trailed off.
“And the other item I needed you to take care of?” He leaned closer.
“How would you honestly expect me to divine anything about that? After a single meeting?” She huffed.
“True. Did you secure another?”
“It shouldn’t be difficult. He works next door.” She pulled her arm from his grasp, tired of this conversation.
“You should have—” he started but she cut him off.
“I shouldn’t. I never should have.” She looked him had in the eyes, her chest puffing out. “It’s wrong and you know it.”
“Stop,” he leaned in even further, his breath hissing. “It’s not as though they can’t afford it. They are rich beyond their wildest dreams. We only wish to keep these actors in work and everyone’s bellies fed.”
“It doesn’t make it right.” She shook her head. Samantha and Melody stuck their heads out of the doorway.
“Is everything all right?” Samantha called in her usual sweet voice. She was fifteen and had been living with them since the age of eleven. Her sister, Melody, was only twelve. They had been the daughters of an actress in the company before she had passed. Crimson had taken them in.
“Yes, darling.” She gave the girl a smile. “How is the show?”
“Marvelous,” Melody exclaimed, always brimming with enthusiasm.
“Go check on Cassidy, make sure she enters at the correct time.” Crimson ushered the girls back through the doorway. Then he turned to Caroline. “I need you for this.”
Entrapping a Lord's Love: A Regency Fairy Tale (Fairfield Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 2
