“It is good to see you, Lord Royston,” she purred.
“You are looking lovely in your blue gown, Lady Ferrier.” Damon’s eyes roamed over her. He turned his head and met angry blue eyes staring from across the table.
“Lady Sara, how nice to see you and Lady Joan,” he greeted his wife’s two friends. “How are you?”
“We’re fine, Lord Royston, but we were wondering where Lady Royston is tonight? Is she in town?” Joan’s voice rang clear across the table and several heads turned.
Damon forced himself to smile. “She is well, but preferred to stay at home this visit.”
“How strange for a new bride,” Sara retorted.
Damon flushed and cursed under his breath. “If you’d like to see her, we are having a house party in a few weeks. I hope you can both attend. I’ll have Caroline send you a note about the exact date.” Damon turned and smiled at Marguerite. “Perhaps you and your brother can also attend?”
“We’d be delighted,” Joan answered for her and Sara, bringing his attention back to them. “I’ll write our acceptance to Caroline tonight.”
Damon forced a smile and turned defiantly back to Marguerite. Nevertheless, he soon found himself bored after the dinner and left the ball after only one dance with Lady Ferrier.
Early the next morning, Damon went to see his solicitor to take care of some business. He would set out for home sometime in the next day or two. He’d post a short letter today to Caroline about the impromptu house party he had arranged.
* * * *
The rooster crowed and woke Caroline. The darkness of the night was just beginning to lighten in the weak sunlight. She put on her robe and went to stand at her long window facing east. Servants moved around the yard, beginning their morning chores.
She’d dreamed of Damon last night, but refused to think about him anymore. Her maid brought hot chocolate and helped her dress. Caroline thanked her and went downstairs for breakfast. She halted on entering the dining room. Charles sat at the head of the table with the morning paper spread out around him.
He looked up, nodded coolly, and picked up his cup of coffee.
“Perhaps you did not understand me the other day, Charles. You are not welcome in this house without an invitation,” Caroline said firmly.
“You are not in charge, my lady, I am. Now have your breakfast and be quiet. I never could stand noisy, meddlesome women.” Charles pulled the paper up in front of his face.
Caroline stood still as a statue. She had never been so furious at another human being. Deliberately, she walked around the table and snatched the paper out of his hands throwing it on the floor.
“Matthew,” Caroline called to one of the footmen standing right outside the door.
“Yes, milady. May I get something for you?” Matthew asked. Then sensing the ire in the room, he looked from Caroline to Charles.
“Mr. Royston is leaving. Would you get his hat and coat please?” Caroline did not move from Charles’s side.
Charles didn’t speak, but the silence was more eloquent than words. When Matthew brought his coat and hat, Charles rose slowly and took them from the footman. He put them on, bowed to Caroline, and casually walked out of the room to the front door. She heard it shut quietly on his exit.
Caroline collapsed on her chair and crossed her arms. She took deep breaths to calm herself.
“Milady, are you all right?” Matthew asked.
“Yes, please ask cook to send me some hot tea and scones.” She glanced at his worried face. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”
She held her hands tightly to stop the trembling. Tears started to form on her lashes, and she bowed her head.
Whatever am I going to do? My husband abandoned me, and Charles hates me and would like to do me harm.
At that moment it all seemed hopeless. She could run away to her parents’ home, but Damon had the right to drag her back, and he would. He’d get pleasure in seeing her upset. Obviously, he cared nothing for her, or he would have returned by now.
She pulled her lace handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. She was not a weak woman. She did not intend to give up. What had her mother said about getting more from a husband by being sweet? It was time to use any ammunition she had to win this battle.
* * * *
A party? How could she prepare for a house party of ten to fifteen people in ten days? Caroline sat at her desk in a small room at the back of the house. She had designated the room to be her private sitting area. It was where she could do her correspondence or read. Having just returned from her morning ride, her heart had lifted when she saw Damon’s letter in the morning post.
Caroline had come straight back here to have some privacy. She’d opened the letters with shaky hands. But there was not a word about how was she or anything. The message was blunt and to the point. He would be home in two days’ time from when he mailed the letter. A week after his return the house guests would start arriving.
Damon did suggest his aunt would help her with the preparations. As if I’m not capable. “Mrs. Parker,” Caroline called down the hall.
“Yes, milady?” Mrs. Parker peeked out of the drawing room. “How may I help you?”
“Come and join me, Mrs. Parker. I received a letter from Lord Royston. He will be returning soon. A week later, we can expect ten to fifteen guests coming for a house party. How do you suggest we prepare in the short time we have to do everything?” Caroline held her letter crumpled in a ball in her fist.
Mrs. Parker hesitated. “Let me think. We have enough rooms. I’ll have the maids dust and put fresh linen in each room. The footmen can make sure each fireplace is set and ready to be lit.”
“Do we need more help?” Caroline asked.
“We could use some help in the kitchen and in the stables for the horses. I can hire help from the village.”
“Good,” Caroline said, agreeing. “Don’t spare any expense. After lunch we’ll plan out the menus. I had better send an invitation to Lord and Lady Sommerplace and Hannah immediately, in case Lord Royston has not spoken to them yet.
“Thank you, Mrs. Parker. I’m confident we will work quite nicely together and show this lovely home off to perfection.” And I’ll show Damon I don’t need anyone’s help to be the hostess in his home.
Caroline threw Damon’s letter down on her desk. At least I will have something to keep me busy. There won’t be any time to brew over Charles and Damon.
* * * *
Damon arrived home to find his household in an uproar. Furniture was being dusted, rugs pulled outside and beat, and all the brass doorknobs and furniture handles polished to a high shine.
It was midmorning, and he had no idea where to find Caroline. He didn’t want to admit how anxious he was to see her.
He strolled down the hall, glancing in the rooms, hoping to find her. The small sunlight room at the end of the hall had some of her belongings scattered throughout. He had hoped to find her reading or writing letters, but the room was empty.
Damon walked in and took a deep breath. He smelled traces of her fragrance and the lightness of the room reminded him of her. He had started out when he saw his letter crumbled up in a ball on her desk.
He flushed. Evidently she was not glad to hear from him. So be it, at least he had not made a fool of himself rushing to her and sweeping her into his arms.
Damon left the room and went to change. He’d ride out and check the estate and talk with Charles. He’d see Caroline at dinner tonight. He strode upstairs to his room. His chest ached. Seeing her distain for his letter had been like a punch to his breast bone.
I will not care. He repeated the thought many times on his way to the barn.
Chapter Ten
“His lordship has arrived, milady,” Buckley commented to Caroline when she returned from the flower gardens with her arms full of fragrant flowers. She had picked them for the many vases placed around the house and in each individual room.
Caroline’s
face flushed and her heart jumped. He was home. “Where is he, Buckley?”
“He has gone out to tour the estate and talk with Mr. Royston. He informed me he would return for dinner,” Buckley said in his usual formal voice.
Caroline had noted Buckley always became more reserved and formal if he was upset. She patted his arm. “That is good. It gives me a chance to freshen up and look my best tonight.”
Holding her smile, she handed her flowers to one of the downstairs maids and slowly climbed the stairs to her room. Once inside she let her shoulders slump. This was a battle and she must keep to her plan. There wasn’t time for tears and regrets.
Caroline dressed in a new gown Damon had not seen. It was made of gold taffeta and rustled when she walked across her bedroom. The dress had small cap sleeves and a low-cut bodice. Agnes, her maid, brushed her hair and was about to braid it.
“Leave it down.” Damon spoke from the doorway to his room.
He had dressed in black with a silver vest and white shirt. He leaned casually against the doorframe, surveying Caroline with a cavalier expression. Agnes bowed and hurried out of the room.
Caroline stood and faced him. “It is good to have you home, my lord.”
“So formal? Damon will do. I see you are as lovely as I remembered.” He walked further into the room.
She wanted to go to him and put her arms around his neck and lean into his hard body, but she couldn’t get her feet to move. If only he showed one true sign of being glad to see her.
“I’ve brought you a small gift. It will go well with that gown.” He came close and pulled a jewelry box out of his coat.
Caroline opened it and gasped. A necklace of fine gold threads lay on the white satin lining of the box. She pulled it out. It was made like a mesh collar with a large ruby dangling from the center at the bottom.
“Here, let me help.” Damon took the necklace, and moving her hair aside, he fastened it. It wrapped around her neck and shoulders, the ruby dropping just above her breasts.
“And one other gift.” He pulled out a smaller box from his other pocket. Inside were two matching bracelets made of the same gold mesh with a ruby on the tiny gold lock that fastened the bracelets to her wrists.
Caroline breathed in his musky cologne when he bent his head to secure each bracelet.
“There, now you are officially bound to me. You are mine to command and enjoy.” His hard tone warned her something was amiss.
“I don’t know what you mean, Damon.”
“I think you do. You will do as I say and follow the instructions of whomever I leave in charge. Charles has told me of your visit to Atelstone Hall and of your outrageously impolite behavior toward him.”
“Ah, I thought he might wait a day before filling your head with his venom. Charles hates me and wants me gone,” Caroline said.
“Nonsense, you are being overly dramatic. He will be waiting downstairs for us. You are to apologize to him and accept his authority whenever I am away.” Damon’s eyes were flint hard.
Caroline took a deep breath, trying to control the anger flowing through her and the fear. Charles was already making a wedge between them, causing the divide to ever widen.
“I cannot do that, Damon. I realize you do not believe me, but I fear Charles is not a good person and actually may be a very dangerous man. I will not place my safety in his hands.”
Damon reached out and shook her. “You will do as I say.”
Caroline wretched herself out of his hands and tore off the necklace and bracelets, breaking the fine gold chains.
“Here, I don’t want anything from you. You can beat me or keep me in my room and starve me. I will not apologize or share my home with that man.”
Damon stood struck dumb by her venomous protest. He turned and went out the door. She heard his steps going down the staircase.
Caroline ripped off her gown and put on her white nightgown and robe. She put out all the candles but one and curled up in her chair by the fire.
What could she do? How could she save herself and possibly her husband from the danger she sensed all around them? Was she being hysterical or losing her mind?
* * * *
Damon joined Charles in the lounge. He poured a whiskey for both of them. “My wife will not be joining us tonight, Charles.”
“I hope she is well?” Charles asked politely.
“I think she’s been working too hard on this house party. My fault, really. I only gave her a few days’ notice, but the house looks lovely, and we’ll be ready for our guests to start arriving at the end of next week. Shall we eat?” Damon put his drained glass down and motioned for Charles to go into the dining room. Damon glanced briefly up the stairs as he passed on his way into dinner. The house was unusually silent.
Even the servants seemed subdued tonight, and Buckley actually frowned at him. Damn the woman, she had apparently become quite entrenched in his home in a short time.
Damon called one of the footmen over to his chair. “Please ask Mrs. Parker to send a tray upstairs to Lady Royston.”
Charles frowned at Damon. “She seems a bit willful to me. I’ve always thought a firm hand and letting a woman go without dinner a few nights makes them more cooperative.”
Damon’s surprised expression stopped any further speech.
Charles picked up his fork and cut into his beef. “Of course, your lady is a very fine woman, and I’ve never had the chance to associate myself with women like her.”
Damon noticed Charles watching for his reaction. Something about Charles’s demeanor tonight was unsettling. Damon shook his head. No, it was all that nonsense Caroline had put into his head earlier.
“Charles, let’s arrange a hunting party for the house guests. The morning after they arrive would be best.” Damon smiled reassuringly at his cousin.
“Don’t worry. I’ll arrange everything.”
“Good. I’m sure Lady Royston can manage some entertainment for the ladies.” Damon ate his meal, and there was no further discussion regarding Caroline.
* * * *
Caroline raised her head at the knock on her door. Had Damon returned? No, Agnes pushed the bedroom door open, carrying a large dinner tray.
“Milord asked Mrs. Parker to send your dinner to you, milady. Is there anything else you might require?” Agnes asked.
“No, this looks delicious, but I’m not very hungry. Leave it, and I’ll try to eat the soup.”
Agnes turned to go, but then she bent down, picking up the discarded jewelry. “Oh, milady, ’tis beautiful, but the gold thread has broken.”
“Please put it in my drawer, and if you would like the gold gown, you are welcome to it.” Caroline pointed out the gown lying across the chair by her dresser.
“Oh, milady, are you sure? I never thought to have anything so fine.” Agnes picked up the gown, and ran her hand across the shiny fabric. Her eyes glowed with pleasure.
“You are quite welcome, Agnes. Please thank Mrs. Parker for this good meal.”
Agnes nodded and, holding the gown close to her, hurried out of the room. Caroline remembered how hopeful she had felt when she dressed this evening. She must not forget she was nothing to him. From this point on, she would be his hostess and keep his house in order, and definitely not allow herself to dream of more.
Pushing the tray away, she blew out the candle. Curled up on her bed, tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Her life had changed miserably.
* * * *
Much later Damon slipped into Caroline’s room. A strip of moonlight lightened the darkness. He walked softly across the carpet to her bed. She lay curled up like a small child. Moonlight fell across her face and he saw traces of tears on her cheeks.
He reached out and brushed a curl back from her forehead. He rubbed the curl between his fingers. Her hair was soft and silky. Leaning closer, he smelled her fragrance of jasmine and her own special scent.
His body quickened with desire. It took all his willpower not to get i
nto her bed and wrap his body around her and in her. Abruptly, he turned and started to walk toward his room. Then he noticed her untouched tray on her small table.
Not eating couldn’t be good for her. Was she so rebellious she would not eat the food he sent to her, or was she as disturbed as he about the unrest between them? She looked fragile curled up in the big bed.
Damon seldom questioned his decisions, but might he be wrong this time? Thank goodness company would be arriving soon. They would create a diversion until he did know what he wanted to do with this stubborn, infuriating, fascinating woman he had married.
He went to his room and undressed. He didn’t expect to sleep. His mind was too full of questions. Damon was used to being sure of himself, and he liked being in control. Nevertheless, he wrestled with conflicting emotions.
Standing at his window, he watched the sun rising over the tree tops. An early morning ride would help clear his head. He pulled on a white lawn shirt and his leather breeches. Devil, his favorite stallion, needed the exercise, and so did he.
Brisk air, a fragrance of wildflowers, and the noisy chatter of the starlings as they flashed about in the sky helped brighten his mood and drove his muddled thoughts to the back of his mind. He recalled similar spring mornings riding across the estate with his father. Damon pulled on the reins, and Devil slowed down and stopped.
He looked out over his estate. He’d not allowed himself to think about his parents much in his years at sea. When he was sailing and going from port to port, it was easy to stop his thoughts. Since coming home, more and more memories were coming forth. If only he could recall the good and wipe the bad ones out of his head.
Turning Devil, he headed back to the house. It was time to eat breakfast and get busy with the work of the day. He left Devil with one of the young boys working in the stable. Damon’s long strides took him quickly to the front steps and into the foyer.
The Viscount's Vendetta (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 14
