She sat at the large desk and took the letter out of her pocket. Carefully she undid the wax stamp and opened the thin sheet of paper.
My darling Charles, I miss you and have been waiting impatiently for you to send for me. Have you forgotten me, my love? I pray not. Please write and at least let me know you have arrived at your uncle’s. I hope the opportunity is all you had hoped it would be. Forever yours, Eleanor.
Eleanor, where had she heard that name? She paced around the room, stopping at the French windows to watch the gardeners working. The older one had sat down briefly on a nearby bench.
That was it! The day she was sitting outside and Sara told her about the papers she found. Sara had said something she read had the name Eleanor on it. Caroline hurried to the desk and picked up the paper. Because of water marks and other deterioration, it was impossible to tell when the letter was mailed. But it didn’t appear to be recent.
What if the present Charles had come across the real Charles and taken his identity? Did he kill the real Charles Royston? If so, how could she find out? She’d like to talk with Damon, but he’d think she’d lost her mind in her dislike of his cousin.
Later tonight when the servants were all in bed, she would come down and do some more searching in this study. The answers were somewhere in this room. That was why Charles got angry knowing she’d been in here. Charles was even more dangerous than she had suspected.
She slid the letter back into her pocket. She would lock it in her case upstairs and she’d read the papers in the satchel that Sara gave her. From now on she would carry the little pistol she had found in her husband’s collection of guns in her reticule. If only Damon would believe her, but she would solve this mystery by herself. She had faith she could do it.
* * * *
Damon pushed his horse hard and didn’t stop because of darkness. He had a churning in his gut telling him to return home. A sliver of moon shone across the meadow as he approached his estate. A small light glowed in one downstairs window.
Stopping his horse, Damon sat and stared at the home he had built. It looked lonely and unwelcoming tonight. If only he had not given Caroline permission to move to Atelstone Hall. Pulling on his horse’s rein, he turned toward the old house.
Several lights were shining from downstairs and upstairs windows. Smoke curled out of two of the chimneys. Moonlight reflected off the lake to the side of the house. Damon caught his breath and his throat ached. It brought back memories of the way he felt as a young man when he arrived back home.
The house beckoned to him in welcome. Damon shook his head. Now I’m becoming fanciful. It’s just a house, nothing more.
He headed to the stables. It was his house, and he would sleep here tonight.
Old Peter look startled at Damon. “Can I help you, Lord Royston?”
“See my horse is cared for, old man. And you don’t have to look so surprised. It is my house after all.”
“Yes, milord. Guess I thought you’d forgotten all about the place.”
Damon frowned but didn’t say any more. His long legs took him quickly to the side door. Quietly, he slipped inside and walked from room to room in amazement. The place sparkled. Any moment he expected to hear his mother or father stop him and welcome him home.
The stairs creaked as he headed to the balcony. He wandered along the aisle of pictures, stopping in front of his father’s and mother’s. He stood there with an aching heart.
* * * *
Caroline heard the creaking stairs. She had been unable to sleep and knew all the noises an old house makes settling for the night. Candlestick in hand both for light and as a weapon, if needed, she crept across her bedroom floor and opened her door a crack.
Her heart quickened and she almost gasped aloud, as she saw Damon standing quietly before his parents’ portrait. Her hand reached out involuntarily in her need to comfort him.
Hearing the slight sound, Damon turned. Blue eyes met gray eyes and stillness settled around them. Damon moved slowly in her direction. Caroline saw the hurt and confusion in his eyes.
When he started toward her, she stepped back into the room to set the candle down. Then she walked into his arms and put hers around him. Her head lay against his wide chest. His large hand brushed over her hair. After a few moments of enjoying the warmth and feel of his body, she put space between them to look up at his unguarded face.
Damon reached behind and closed the door. Then he picked her up in his arms. His mouth came down and covered hers. He gently kissed her lips and cheeks, and her neck as her head fell back exposing it.
“You came home,” she said.
“I came to you.”
He placed her carefully on the bed and quickly stripped himself of his clothes. When he climbed in beside her, his hands reached out, pulling her nightgown over her head. He gathered her close, fitting her body against his. Hands and lips covered her face, neck and shoulders with warmth, leaving shivers of excitement in their wake.
“No.” She pulled him up and pushed him back against the sheets. “This is my time to please you.”
Caroline kissed his strong columned neck and down over his chest. Next she proceeded to kiss his flat stomach, and then her small hand wrapped around his hard cock.
* * * *
Damon’s breath caught as he watched her and felt the flicker of fire she aroused. Her beautiful golden hair glistened in the candlelight and fell around her head in curls.
His dick was so hard. He thought he might explode at any moment. Damon reluctantly removed her hand and pulled her up beside him. Then he covered her body with his and thrust his cock deep into her sweet pussy.
She met his every plunge, raising up and pulling him deeper inside. Caroline moaned his name. Tears trickled out of her eyes as she surged up against him, and tremors of pleasure cascaded over them.
After catching his breath, Damon rolled to his side and faced her. “I didn’t hurt you?”
Caroline smiled and shook her head. “No, I certainly wouldn’t call what I felt pain.”
Damon lay back and looked up at the painted ceiling. The candle had almost burned out, but he could see outlines of cherubs with harps dancing on clouds. What had happened to him? When did he start needing his wife? It frightened him and made him feel weak. He forced himself to sit up and reach for his clothes.
“Stay.” Her voice was soft and low.
“I don’t suppose my room has been cleaned yet?”
Caroline sat up, letting the sheets fall to her waist. Her glorious hair fell around her shoulders and down over her breast.
“Your rooms were cleaned the first day, Damon, but won’t you stay the night with me?”
He pulled on his breeches and shirt and headed for the adjoining door. Part of him wanted to stay, but he refused to let her make him a weak man without resolve.
“I have to be up early tomorrow and would wake you. After tonight, I will be at the new house if you need me.”
* * * *
Damon went through the door without a backward look. He hurried, as if in fear she might somehow stop him.
Caroline lay on her bed fully awake. Moonlight streaked across the carpet. She rose and walked to the windows.
He was like two men. The one who came to her bed and joined her in spirit and love, and then the one who hurried off from fear…But what frightened him? She pushed away her feelings of anger. He had come to her first on his arrival home. She must find a way to bring him home for good.
* * * *
Damon rode to the other house early. No one needed to know he had been to see his wife. Old Man Peter would not say anything. Besides, he was the viscount and this was his estate. He did not answer to anyone.
Charles stepped out of the front door as Damon stopped his horse and dismounted. He smiled at Damon and came down the stairs to greet him.
“I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, Damon.”
“Apparently, not. Did you spend the night here, Charles?”
“I was working on the books late. I didn’t think you’d mind if I stayed in one of the guest rooms.”
“No, I suppose it’s all right this time. Come in and go over the accounts with me. I decided against purchasing the mare. I’m considering taking Caroline with me to London for a few days. I want to be certain everything is in order before I leave.”
“You know you can count on me. I wouldn’t let anything happen in your absence.” Charles’s eyes tightened at the corners and his mouth looked pinched.
Damon observed the change on Charles’s face when Damon had questioned his staying at the new house last night. Damon had an uneasy feeling, and yet he and Charles had been close over the years. He’d given Charles permission to be on a first-name basis with him when others weren’t about. He mustn’t let Caroline poison his mind about his friend.
“Did Lady Royston see you about her allowance?”
“No.” Charles’s lips curled. “She preferred to talk with you. I told her you had left me in charge, but she is far too independent, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“I do mind,” Damon said. “Don’t ever forget, Charles, she is Lady Royston and as such deserves your loyalty and respect.”
“I’m always aware of that, milord.” Charles kept a bland expression on his face.
“Good, let’s go in and have our coffee before we get to work.” Damon led the way into the small dining room with Charles following behind.
* * * *
Caroline felt the nausea fill her throat when she went to get out of bed. She fell back onto her pillows and took several deep breaths. She was relieved to see Nanny stick her head around the door.
“Would you have Mary bring me some tea and biscuits? I don’t know what is wrong with me lately. I seem to have an upset stomach all the time.”
Nanny chuckled. “You must have realized what your body is trying to tell you?”
Caroline paled. “You think I might be with child?”
Nanny rushed over and hugged Caroline. “Don’t be frightened. You and Lord Royston will be happy to have a little one running around.”
“I don’t know. Damon is not used to having me run around his house, much less a child.”
“All men want to have children. Lord Royston needs an heir.”
“It might not be a boy.” Caroline tried to sit up again, but the dizziness forced her back down.
Nanny put a cool rag on her head. “You’ll feel better after your tea, and in a few months this sickness will be gone.” Nanny sat beside her and held her hand. “It doesn’t matter if the baby is a boy or girl. Lord Royston seems very fond of his sister. He’ll love a little girl.”
Caroline frowned, “You seem to give him much finer qualities than I’ve seen. He married me for revenge on my father, as I explained to you. Now he is truly tied to me by our child.”
“My dear, he was tied to you the day you said your vows. He is a viscount. He would never divorce you. His family has had enough gossip said about them regarding his father’s death. He’s a proud man and would do nothing to further besmirch his family name.”
Mary knocked and brought in the tray with Caroline’s tea and biscuits. Caroline pushed the pillows behind her and sat up slowly. Nanny handed her the warm cup and went over to pull back the curtains. Sunlight filled the room.
Caroline sipped the tea and took small bites of the dry biscuit. She looked across at Mary and Nanny.
“I’m not going to tell Lord Royston yet, and you two are not to say a word. Understand?”
“Why put off the inevitable? Sooner or later you will have to tell him, or he will guess,” Nanny said.
Caroline put the teacup aside and sat on the side of her bed. “Mary, I’ll wear my pink housedress today. It will add some color to my cheeks. I will decide when to tell my husband. After all we could be wrong. I have not been examined by a physician.”
“Humph.” Nanny walked to the door. “You will insist on doing things your own way. Be careful you don’t end up in a corner you can’t get out of.” With that statement, Nanny went out, shutting the door behind her.
“Nanny is a bit more of a tyrant than I remember,” Caroline said.
Mary laughed. “Old folks have a way of saying whatever they think. Your nanny isn’t any different than the rest.”
Caroline tried to smile, but tears welled in her eyes. She walked across the soft rug in her bare feet and stood at the window looking out over the lake.
Once he knew a baby was coming he’d become even more possessive. And she’d never know if he cared for her, or only the fact that she was the mother of his child. I wanted children but not yet. This is too soon.
“Milady.” Mary’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “I have your gown and shoes ready. Do you wish to dress now?”
“Of course. There is much work yet to be done around here.”
Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped the tears from her face. She must get her husband to realize he cared for her before she told him of their child.
She started to walk over to Mary to dress and stopped. What if I’m wrong and he doesn’t love me? How can I live all my life without love? But she had to be right. Her and her child’s happiness depended on it.
When she got downstairs, she saw Damon walking across the front lawn toward the house. She was thankful her queasiness had passed. She pinched her cheeks to add color.
“Caroline, I was hoping to catch you at home.” Damon stepped inside the foyer and shut the door.
“Would you care for tea, Damon?”
“Yes, let’s go in the small parlor.” He guided her with his strong, warm hand at her back.
Caroline sat in a chair by the window. “It’s a lovely day. I was going to ride over and check on the preparation of the grounds for our new school.”
“That is why I have come. I was sure you’d be on your way soon to check on your project.” Damon spoke dryly, but Caroline thought she saw a small twinkle in his eye.
One of the maids brought in the tea tray and some scones, and then she moved quickly out of the room. Damon took the teacup Caroline handed him and took a sip.
“I have to go to London for a few days on business,” he said before Caroline finished pouring her tea.
She glanced across at him. “You have to leave again so soon?”
“I thought we would all go to London. Nanny and Mary will accompany us. You can shop and see your friends. I’d also like to introduce you to several of my friends while we’re in town.”
Hope filled Caroline and warmed her heart. Surely it was a good sign if he wanted to introduce her to his friends.
“I would like to go to London with you. It sounds like a very enjoyable trip. When did you plan on leaving?”
Damon picked up one of the scones and bit into it. He licked the sweet filling from his lips.
Caroline smiled at him. “I always did love scones. My mother warned me I’d make myself sick eating too many of them. I see you like them as well. I’ll remember to always have scones ready for you.” Caroline’s voice sounded husky and low. She saw Damon’s eyes darkened.
He leaned back and took another sip of tea. “We should leave day after tomorrow. Can you be ready?”
“Oh yes.” Caroline smiled. “I promise I will not hold you up.”
“Good. If you would like, I’ll take you to check on the progress of your school. I brought the carriage instead of riding over.”
“I would like to have your input, Damon. I’ll get my shawl. It looks warm out, but even in the summer it can turn cool.” Caroline hurried out of the room and sent Mary upstairs to get her wrap.
* * * *
Damon walked around the clearing and talked with several of the men. Caroline tried to visualize the schoolhouse filled with happy children. This was something that could be of real value to the children on the estate. Several mothers had walked over to the site and waved at her shyly. Caroline stepped carefully around the work area
to speak with them.
“I’ve hired a teacher. She will be arriving soon and will help me order the books. When the schoolroom is finished, classes can begin right away.” Caroline reached out and touched an infant’s hand as he slept in his mother’s arms.
“Your baby is very beautiful,” Caroline said. The pleased mother blushed.
“Thank you, milady. We are thankful for all you are doing for our little ones,” the mother said, and the other two nodded their heads.
Caroline’s cheeks warmed at their praises. “I’m as excited as you to see the children learning to read and do numbers. Everyone should have opportunities.”
Damon had stepped behind her as she finished speaking. “I can see my wife is going to keep me busy with her projects. But I agree with her. This school is a good idea.” He smiled at the women and guided Caroline to the carriage.
“You must be careful, my dear. Some people do not think laborers and their families should be educated and may not react as positively as these families.”
“I know that already, Damon. How do you think I got my name, ‘do-gooder?’ Most of your friends will think you should keep me under better control.” Caroline’s eyes flashed at him.
“Hmm, is that a challenge, my dear? I fear I may not be able to do that without having my whole staff rebel and refuse to work for me. You have certainly won a place in their hearts.”
She stared at him. If only I could win a place in your heart. I think I would not want anything more. Caroline glanced down for fear Damon could read her thoughts, as he sometimes seemed able to do. How can we be so close at times and yet we each still have many unknown qualities?
“Caroline,” Damon spoke as he helped her up into the carriage. “Are you all right? You are very quiet.”
“I’m fine. I was thinking about all I have to do to get ready for our trip,” Caroline fibbed. She settled onto the comfortable carriage seat and they headed home.
The Viscount's Vendetta (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 23
