by Cheryl Holt
She hadn’t yet spoken to Gregory, and she had no desire to bump into him. She simply wished he’d corral his London friends, load them into a carriage, and head for town. Then she’d like him to stay there forever.
She supposed she should locate a servant and deliver a message that she was indisposed, but she couldn’t be bothered.
She was in a peculiar condition, excited, sad, and scared about the future. She’d been miserable for so long, without really knowing that she was. With her abrupt decision to break off her engagement, she felt lighter, as if she’d been carrying a heavy burden and it had been lifted away.
At the whimsical thought, she smiled, and there was practically a spring in her step as she neared her door.
She wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings, so she jumped a foot when a very angry woman said, “There you are, Miss Grey. It’s about time you arrived.”
Mrs. Starling emerged from the shadows, and she exuded such a sense of menace that Caroline was a tad frightened. She glanced over her shoulder, pondering whether she should run in the other direction, but she didn’t move.
Grey’s Corner was her home, and Mrs. Starling was an unwanted guest. Caroline wasn’t afraid of her.
Still though, Mrs. Starling was taller, bigger, and wider. She towered over Caroline, looming up in a threatening manner, and Caroline warned herself to hide any unease. Mrs. Starling would be emboldened by an attack of nerves.
“May I help you?” Caroline asked. “You’re quite a distance from the main section of the house. Are you lost? Shall I guide you to the front foyer?”
“I’m not lost, Miss Grey. I figured we should have a little chat.”
“On what topic?”
“You have been spreading lies about me. You have maligned my character and gossiped about me with Samson Grey—to my great detriment.”
“It’s the truth Mrs. Starling, so you can’t accuse me of gossiping.”
“I am not involved in an illicit relationship with Gregory. He and I are just friends, and I cannot ignore the slurs you’ve spewed about either of us.”
“You don’t live with him? You don’t openly cohabitate? If I traveled to London and searched his closets, I wouldn’t see your clothes hanging there?”
Mrs. Starling’s cheeks heated. “No, you would not!”
“I don’t believe you.”
She circled around Mrs. Starling, eager to slip into her room so the ghastly scene would conclude, but the insane shrew grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop.
“I’ve agreed to leave,” Mrs. Starling said, “but only because I won’t cause any trouble.”
“It’s too late to pretend you haven’t caused trouble.”
“Don’t you dare tell anyone that you ordered me to depart. I better not hear that you’ve been disseminating false stories. I will not allow you to harm my reputation any further. Keep your mouth shut.”
“Or what?”
“Cross me, and you’ll learn how I can lash out. I guarantee you won’t like it.”
“Mrs. Starling, I declare that you are too ridiculous for words, and I can’t wait until we’re shed of you.”
Caroline jerked away and continued on. Thankfully, the witch didn’t try to stop her again. Nor did she hurl any other insults.
Caroline scooted into her room and closed the door. She didn’t slam it as she was yearning to do, merely because she wouldn’t let Mrs. Starling realize how furious she was.
Very quietly, she spun the key in the lock. She pressed her ear to the wood and listened until the vicious harpy stomped away. Then she staggered to the bed and sank down.
“What next?” she asked aloud, then she shuddered with distaste and flopped down onto the mattress.
Caroline slipped out a rear door and onto the verandah. She’d avoided supper and had hovered in her room, not terrified by Mrs. Starling’s visit precisely, but not keen to wander any deserted halls where she might bump into the deranged woman again.
She’d thought, when she didn’t stagger down for the meal, that Caleb might knock to learn why she hadn’t arrived, but he hadn’t visited. Or she’d expected Gregory to show up and inquire about her crying off from their engagement.
Why hadn’t he sought her out? Didn’t he care that she’d changed her mind? The more likely scenario was that he assumed she hadn’t been serious, that she’d simply been having a female tantrum and it would pass.
Unfortunately for him, she was already so far down the road from the notion of marrying him that she could scarcely remember it had once been a reality.
She wanted a different ending for herself. Might Caleb Ralston become part of her new and exciting path? She certainly hoped so.
The servants were competent, and while she liked to imagine she was indispensable, the house was running just fine without her. In the windows, she could see guests chatting, drinking, and playing cards. Dancing was about to start.
She might have been invisible, with her absence proving her presence to be unnecessary for any reason.
Out in the garden, a couple was furtively hovered in the shadows, as if they were trying to conceal the fact that they were together. She peered closer and realized that it was Janet and Blake Ralston. Caroline had been introduced to the younger Ralston, but she hadn’t shared more than a dozen words with him.
He was as handsome as his brother, and with him wearing his uniform, he looked extremely dashing. When he walked through a parlor, the ladies sighed with pleasure.
As Caroline spied on them, Blake dipped down and kissed Janet on the lips. He drew away and whispered a comment in her ear, and Janet giggled as if she were a blushing debutante.
Caroline froze in her spot, struggling to decide what her opinion should be about what she’d witnessed. Janet was twenty, and she should have been betrothed and marching toward her own nuptials, but she insisted she wouldn’t ever wed.
Blake Ralston was a sailor, and it was common knowledge that sailors had the very lowest morals. They traveled the globe, where they were exposed to foreign women and cultures and the rules about propriety were very relaxed.
Except for the year Janet had spent at boarding school, she’d lived at their small, rural estate. Blake had been born in Jamaica, then he’d journeyed to England for school and had eventually joined the navy. He was sophisticated and mature in a way Janet would never be.
There was danger percolating for her cousin. Janet would have no idea how to deal with a man like Blake Ralston, and there was no chance he was considering matrimony. It meant he had no business sneaking off with Janet.
What should Caroline’s position be? She wasn’t Janet’s chaperone or nanny, and she definitely wasn’t her mother. If she had to describe their relationship, it was one of a fond, older sister.
Should she talk to Janet? From how happy her cousin appeared to be, Caroline doubted Janet would heed any warnings. Should she talk to Blake Ralston? Or maybe to his brother? She hadn’t heard when Blake was returning to the navy, but perhaps that situation could be hurried along.
She figured it would be prudent to interrupt them before they wandered farther into the dark garden. She went over to the stairs and skipped down them, calling, “Janet! There you are! I’ve been searching for you.”
The amorous pair leapt apart, and their reaction underscored that Caroline was correct to fret over what was occurring.
Janet had been holding Blake’s hand, and she stealthily dropped it. She spun to Caroline, saying, “I’ve been searching for you too.”
“I was hiding.”
“When you didn’t come to supper, I was afraid my father might have locked you in a closet.”
“I’ve been in my room, pondering a few issues. I didn’t think I’d be good company, so I stayed away.”
She focused her scolding gaze on Blake, but it was hard to
shame the wastrel. He wasn’t disturbed in the slightest by her caustic expression.
“Hello, Miss Grey,” he said. “It’s grand to see you up and about. We were all worried you might be ill.”
“No, I was just tired.”
“We were so busy today,” he added, “that my brother and I didn’t have our chat with you.”
“What chat?” Janet asked him.
“Didn’t I mention it?” Blake said. “With your cousin being one of the Mystery Girls of the Caribbean, we have an interesting connection to her. We were supposed to meet to discuss it.”
Janet scowled. “Who told you about her being a Mystery Girl? Your brother? I warned him to be silent about it.” Janet turned to Caroline. “I’m sorry, Caroline. Gregory was drunk and blabbing your secrets.”
“It’s all right,” Caroline said. “I’m glad the Ralston men learned about it. It’s fine that they were informed.”
She always thought it was fine when her tragic history was revealed. It was her kin who were uncomfortable with the story.
She glared at Blake, giving him the direct hint that his presence in the garden was no longer required. In response, the cheeky devil grinned and said, “I should get back to the party.”
“Must you go in so soon?” Janet asked, and she had an aggravating amount of yearning in her voice.
Caroline shot another caustic glare at him, and he nodded that he understood her message. “The dancing is about to begin, and the ladies will be dying to have me as a partner. I hate to disappoint them.”
He clicked his heels and bowed over Janet’s hand. Then he sauntered away. They watched until he vanished into the house, and Janet was beaming with delight, as if he hung the moon.
Once the quiet settled, Caroline said, “You two are awfully friendly.”
“I like him.”
“I think you more than like him. What’s happening between you?”
“Nothing is happening, so don’t glower at me. He’s here for the wedding, and he’ll leave when it’s over. We’re simply flirting.”
“It looks like more than flirting to me.”
“It’s not.”
Janet’s tone was steely and firm, advising Caroline to butt out, but she couldn’t. Not yet.
“He’s older than you are.”
“Not that much older. I’m twenty, and he’s twenty-five.”
“He’s sailed the globe and seen the world. Are you expecting a proposal? For I feel compelled to suggest that he won’t be hoping for that. I’m predicting, after he departs Grey’s Corner, you’ll never hear from him again.”
“You’re probably correct.”
“Please be careful.” Caroline sounded as if she was begging.
“I’m always careful.”
“He might be out of your league.”
“Or maybe he is out of mine. Maybe I’m trifling with him, and his heart will be broken when I’m through.”
“You don’t really believe that. If anyone’s heart is broken, it will be yours.”
“It’s how men behave. They dally with no strings attached. Why can’t a woman behave the same way?”
“Our problem is that we grow more ardently devoted than men.”
Janet smirked, then changed the subject, indicating the topic was closed. “The strangest rumors are swirling. The wedding is off. The wedding isn’t off. You quarreled with Father. You didn’t quarrel. What is the truth?”
“Promise you won’t faint when I confide this, but I found out Gregory is intimately involved with Mrs. Starling. They’ve been a dedicated couple for years, to the point where they live in sin in London.”
“The shrew is Gregory’s mistress?”
“It’s shocking, isn’t it? She’s a guest in our home because, apparently, he couldn’t bear to be away from her for even the few days it would take to marry me.”
“I often wonder if Gregory isn’t the most disgusting man in the kingdom, then you tell me this foul tale, and I’m convinced of it.”
“I’ve demanded she leave for London in the morning.”
“Will she? She seems terribly impressed with herself. I can’t imagine she’ll like being kicked out.”
Considering Mrs. Starling’s fit of pique outside Caroline’s bedroom, it was a gross understatement. “She’s not happy about it, but she’s agreed to depart.”
“What about Gregory?” Janet asked. “What about the wedding?”
“I told your father I won’t go through with it.”
Janet gasped with astonishment. “What was his response? Was he incredibly angry?”
“He insisted he wouldn’t allow me to cry off, but it doesn’t matter what he thinks. I never should have engaged myself to Gregory. The only part I regret is that I waited so long to come to my senses.”
“Have you talked to Gregory?”
“Not yet. I haven’t been able to find him, and he certainly hasn’t tried to find me. I can’t decide if he hasn’t been searching very hard or if he’s avoiding me.”
“When you finally confront him, can I sit in the corner and listen?”
“Don’t be flippant about this,” Caroline said. “I’m stirring a morass, and it will get worse before it gets better. I’ll need your support to remain strong.”
“Are you sure you can sever the betrothal?”
“It’s not the Middle Ages, Janet. No one can force me.”
“No, but men have such power over us. There are all sorts of tricks Father can use to coerce you. He’s likely in his library right now, writing lists of the hideous methods he could utilize to make you obey.”
“It won’t do him any good. I’m quite resolved.”
“I’m proud of you.” Janet stepped forward and gave Caroline a tight hug. Then she said, “I want to walk a new path too. We should both march off in different directions.”
Caroline raised a fist, as if she was a radical troublemaker. “The women of the Grey family seize the day!”
Janet chuckled. “If we assert a bit of independence, it might send the Earth spinning off its axis.”
“I will pray the conclusion is not that dramatic.”
They sighed, then Janet scrutinized Caroline in an odd way, her expression becoming calculating and a tad devious.
“You’re positive you’re not marrying him?” she asked.
“Yes. Your father and brother can harangue at me until they’re blue in the face, but they’ll never persuade me to proceed.”
“I would hate to jump out of bed on Saturday, only to discover you’re curling your hair and putting on your wedding gown so we can get to the church on time.”
“There will be no wedding. I guarantee it.”
“So. . . if I wasn’t here on Saturday, I wouldn’t miss an important occasion.”
“If you weren’t here? Where else would you be?”
Janet waved away her comment. “I have no idea why I said that. Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m being ridiculous.” She studied Caroline, then the manor, then Caroline. “Would you excuse me? I forgot to tell Blake something.”
“This flirtation can’t end well for either of you, but I suppose it’s futile to warn you away from him.”
“You worry too much.” Janet flashed a tepid smile. “We’ll chat later. You have to fill me in on the details after you’ve spoken to Gregory. I predict he’ll be an absolute prig to you.”
“I agree.”
“I like this new and improved you!”
“I like me a lot better too.”
Janet paused forever, as if she might whisper a secret, but she didn’t. She smiled again and dashed away.
Caroline watched until she was safely inside, then she headed back to her room. She wasn’t about to stroll through the downstairs parlors where she’d bump into Gregory. If she stumbl
ed on him cooing with Mrs. Starling, she couldn’t imagine how she might react.
He could seek her out whenever he was ready. In the meantime, she had to confer with their housekeeper, Mrs. Scruggs, so they could figure out how to announce that the party was over and the guests should depart for home.
Like a thief in the night, she snuck in the rear of the house. A significant event was about to happen. She could sense it in the air. What would it be? How would she weather it? Where would she be when it was over?
Oh, how she yearned for that significant event to involve Caleb! Why couldn’t it? She was an optimist and would hope for the best.
As she rounded the last corner that would take her to her door, she was delighted to see him standing in the hall, as if he’d been waiting for her.
His sweet regard washed over her so intensely that she must have been glowing. He made her feel as if she was too precious for words, and she hurried over to him and clasped his hands. He dipped down to steal a quick kiss.
“You missed supper,” he said, “and I was afraid you might have experienced some difficulties with Gregory or your uncle.”
“My cousin, Janet, thought they might have locked me in a closet.”
He was aghast. “Would they have?”
She laughed. “No. They like to boss and coerce me, but they’ve never been cruel.”
“I shall pray that stays true.”
“I’m definitely stirring a pot that has everyone boiling. Lucretia Starling stopped by a bit ago.”
“What did she want?”
“Mostly to scare me, I think. And to insist I was completely wrong about her and Gregory, and I shouldn’t spread gossip that might ruin her reputation.”
“What gall.” He snorted with amusement. “She has no reputation to protect.”
“That’s what I told her.”
“I don’t suppose your insult was enthusiastically received.”
“No, but she’s leaving in the morning, so I’m shed of her.”
