by Robyn DeHart
“No, of course not.”
“What made you think this would even work?”
“It is working. It has been working for the past two months. You are the only one who could possibly recognize me,” she said. “Were it not for your blasted pride, you wouldn’t have had to go in the back room to see the boy who always won. Then you never would have known it was me.”
“I could say the same for your pride as evidenced by your presence here tonight.”
“Touché.”
“In any case, you weren’t the only reason I went into the back room that night. Merely a convenient excuse.”
“Cabot?”
He nodded. “I’ve tried to hire him and he refuses me. I thought if I met him in person, under different circumstances…” He waved his hand dismissively. “It matters not.” He shook his head and was quiet a moment before he spoke again.
“I knew you were a woman when we played last.” He rubbed his face again, then the back of his neck. “I didn’t realize what woman, but I knew you were a woman. It’s only a matter of time before others realize the truth.”
“That’s ridiculous. If you had simply stayed out in the front room where you belong, then none of this would have happened. Now you’ve drawn attention to me. Unnecessary attention, I might add.”
“Where have you been staying?”
“Your Aunt Aggie’s.”
His jaw clenched and he released a seething breath through his teeth. “Does my mother know what you’re doing in London?”
She paused a moment before answering. “It was her idea.”
He shook his head. “That I should have seen coming. This game is over and we’re going over there right now. I have much to discuss with my dear mother.”
…
They rode over to his aunt’s townhome in silence. Roe had more he wanted to say to Caroline, but he needed to speak with his mother first. He’d expected it to be a woman dressed as a boy, but he’d never expected to see his own ward standing in his study. He’d been her legal guardian since she was fifteen, but it had been several years since he’d seen her last. She lived full-time with his mother at his country estate in Dorset, and in truth, he hadn’t been there in far too long. He’d simply allowed his mother to oversee anything that needed doing.
Caroline had come to London when she’d turned eighteen, and his mother had introduced her to polite Society. At the time, Roe had not expected it to take her long to attract several suitors and marriage proposals. But she hadn’t even stayed the entire Season.
The night before they’d come to London Caroline had offered herself to him—proposed marriage, if a woman could do such a thing. By then she’d grown into a beauty, tall, lithe, and every bit woman. She’d said she wanted only him, that she’d make him a good wife.
He’d been so surprised, so entranced by her words and the heartfelt expression in her eyes, he’d been tempted, but not tempted to marry her. He’d been so close to saying yes simply so he could scandalize her in every way imaginable. Then the irony of it all had hit him. She spoke of tenderness, and he thought only of the carnal things he could do to her. The disparity of her innocence and his lust stopped the words in his throat.
He’d told her he couldn’t, that it was because he was her guardian. And that was the truth. Her brother had entrusted him to care for Caroline, to see that she had the best in the world. Roe knew that he was not the best the world could offer, so he’d sent her away.
The carriage jolted to a stop in front of his aunt’s townhome. He escorted Caroline into the blue parlor where he knew his aunt would be. It was her favorite room and when he had occasion to visit her, usually the third Sunday of the month, he always found her there. As he and Caroline stepped into the room, her hat removed, hair unbound, it was no doubt quite evident what had happened.
“Oh dear,” Aggie said.
His mother stood and glided over to him, always the picture of composure and grace. “Monroe, love, it’s so good to see you.” She embraced him.
It was good to see her, too, but damnation, he was furious at the moment. “I’m angry with you, Mother,” he said, though he allowed her to hug him.
“Yes, that sort of thing happens time and again,” she said, seemingly not bothered by his anger. She patted his cheek and smiled warmly at him. “Caroline, why don’t you go change your clothes?”
Relief washed over Caroline’s features and she quickly fled the room.
“Aunt Aggie, you’re looking well.” Roe gave her a slight bow. “Mother, do we need to go to another room to speak privately?”
The duchess rolled her eyes heavenward. “Aggie, be a dear and see if Caroline needs any assistance.”
His aunt stood. She stopped by Roe, put her hand on his arm. “I told them it was a bad idea.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.” He waited until they were alone, then turned to face his mother. She was still such a pretty woman, poised and unflappable, and she faced him head on, her green eyes set, that stubborn chin of hers tilted ever so much.
“Say what you must,” she said.
“What the devil were you thinking? She could have been attacked, beaten, or raped.” He shook his head. He made an effort to soften his tone. He refused to speak to her the way his father had, since she’d dealt with enough of that when the man had been alive, and she didn’t need it from her son, too. “Did none of that occur to either of you when you concocted this foolish plan?”
“Don’t be daft, boy. I’m not an idiot.” Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. “Of course we considered all of those things. She was not in Rodale’s alone.” She walked back to where she’d been sitting and resumed her seat.
“Does Justin know?” The thought occurred to Roe quickly, and at once, he was furious with his brother.
“Of course not. I doubt Justin would have allowed such a thing.”
Roe paced the length of the room twice before sitting across from his mother. He leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees.
“I meant only that we were prepared.” She crossed her legs at the ankles. “Please realize I would never have put her in danger. Caroline was not in there alone. Aggie’s most trusted servant accompanied her, kept an eye on things, and was prepared to remove her if things became questionable.”
“A servant. Splendid.” He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “Mother, I cannot imagine why you thought this was such a grand idea, sending her in there with those men.”
“You are one of those men.”
He pointed at her. “Precisely. And it only took me playing her twice to realize he was actually a she.”
She held up one finger. “Ah, but you have always been more observant than most. You and your brother.” She frowned. “I suppose that means the trait came from your father. Must be the only good thing he gave either one of you.” She waved her hand. “In any case, her disguise was quite good. Even you must admit that.”
“But why a disguise to begin with?”
“Well, she certainly couldn’t go into Rodale’s as a woman,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Caroline would never have been admitted. Or at least she wouldn’t be allowed to play. And she wanted to play.”
“By all means then, we must cater to her every whim.” It was an unfair statement; he knew it as soon as the words left his mouth. There had been no catering when it came to Caroline. She had lost everything.
“Monroe, honestly, the girl has lived such a dull life, trapped in the country with only me to keep her company. She loves to play, which if you remember correctly, is your doing. You taught her the game.” She was quiet for a moment. “She’s quite good, isn’t she?” She smiled broadly.
“That isn’t the point!” His anger was subsiding. It was his mother’s way. She was such a pleasant creature that it was difficult to remain surly in her presence, though his father had managed to do precisely that for more than twenty years.
“You can’t deny it, though I suppose you don
’t have to acknowledge it aloud. I suspect you are going to insist we leave for the country.”
“On the contrary. I am going to insist you come back home with me. I should like to keep an eye on you two for a while, lest I discover you’ve gone to Brighten and are playing in the hells there.” He shook his head.
She reached forward and touched his hand. “I love her, Monroe, as I would my own daughter. I would never have put her in harm’s way.”
He exhaled slowly. “I know you wouldn’t, but honestly, Mother, a gaming hell is no place for a lady.”
“Neither is hiding in the countryside.” He said nothing in response, so she nodded. “I shall go and have our belongings packed. We will be ready to return to your townhome within the hour.”
He knew he should give them a reprieve, allow them to stay here one more night and retrieve them in the morning. But damned if he wasn’t ready to have Caroline under his roof so he knew she was safe. Thankfully, Aunt Aggie’s staff seemed undaunted by the late night packing.
She turned to go, then faced him with a bright smile. “It is lovely to see you again, my boy. I have missed you.”
“And I you, Mother. Now go.”
Caroline would be under his roof, under his protection in the very literal sense. Yet something told him that the only thing he would have to protect her from was himself.
…
“He won’t be angry for too much longer,” Millie said as she entered Caroline’s room. Her eyes rounded in surprise as she watched the maid packing Caroline’s belongings.
“The housekeeper overheard Roe and instructed the maids begin packing straight away.”
“I see,” Millie said. She tilted her head to the maid. “Polly, give us a moment, please.”
The maid bobbed her head, then quickly left the room.
“I’m not so certain about that,” Caroline said. “About his anger, that is. Obviously you know Roe better than I, but he is quite furious.”
Millie waved her hand dismissively. “It shall pass. He never could stay angry for very long. Well, once his father died. Roe did manage to be angry with him for the majority of his life. Then again, he’s probably still angry with him. Can’t blame him. Arthur was never a kind man.” Millie walked over and stood behind Caroline at her dressing table. She undid the rest of the pins in Caroline’s hair and ran the hairbrush through her brown mane. The brush smoothed through her tangles, pulling the stress from her scalp and relaxing her.
“What did he tell you?” Caroline asked looking up at Millie through the mirror’s reflection. She had been a mother, confidante, and friend to Caroline ever since Christopher’s death, when she’d become Roe’s ward.
Millie gave a slight shrug. “What we expected he would if he found out our little scheme. He is concerned for your safety, nothing more.” Her eyes lit when she smiled. “He definitely appreciates your skill with the game.”
“Did he say as much?”
“No, but I could tell,” Millie said.
“But he’s not going to allow me to continue playing?”
“No.” Millie shook her head. “He’s not. But you have played against real players and won, dear. You have done what you set out to do.”
She had, indeed, done those things, but she had not accomplished everything she’d set out to do. She hadn’t shared all of her plans with Millie, mostly because she knew the woman would have told her that raising her own money was unnecessary. Millie would insist that Caroline would always have a home at Chanceworth Hall. But Caroline wasn’t so certain about that. Eventually, Roe would marry, and his wife might not be as hospitable as his mother.
Millie would also offer to pay for everything if Caroline was determined to raise her own money. It wasn’t merely the funds, though. Roe would give her the money; she knew she need only ask. But Caroline felt she’d lived off Millie and Roe’s generosity for too long. It was time for her to make her own way in the world. This had been her chance and damned if she hadn’t ruined it. Had she not been so bloody prideful, bound and determined to beat him in his own house, he would never have recognized her. And she could have continued on as planned.
“What is it that you want, Caroline?” Millie asked in that soft loving voice of hers.
I don’t want to be a burden.
I don’t want to be alone.
But she couldn’t say any of that. Caroline knew that were it up to Millie she’d marry her off to Roe. She’d wanted the two of them together for years. Caroline had wanted it, too, once upon a time. But Roe never had. He’d made his feelings known when he’d told her he could never marry her.
Millie accepted Caroline’s silence and went back to brushing her hair. “I had intended to tell you this tomorrow, but in light of tonight’s events, it seems appropriate to tell you now. Since it’s apparent that we’re going to be staying in London a while, I’ve taken the liberty of transferring my board position with the Dover Street Girls’ Asylum to you. I suspect you will quite enjoy being able to help with the orphans there,” Millie said.
Caroline stared at the woman behind her. Her own eyes filled with tears and she shook her head, unsure of what to say. “How did you know?”
She squeezed Caroline’s shoulders. “You were always so interested in all of my charity work, but this one in particular seemed to be of interest to you. It’s a wonderful institution, and I suspect they could use some new ideas.”
“Thank you. I’m certain I could’ve never gotten such a position on my own.” Caroline had wanted to find a way to work with the girls there, as she’d heard many wonderful things about the building they had restored. Millie used to tell her all sorts of things when she’d return from trips into London. Perhaps now that she had a reason to work with the orphanage, it would be easier to find some girls to build her family. Her house would be restored for something wonderful and she could bring some semblance of a family to girls who perhaps might not otherwise have one.
“You have your first board meeting day after tomorrow.” Millie leaned down and hugged her. “In the meantime, we need to finish packing and move over to Monroe’s townhome before he sends a search party after us.”
Chapter Five
The previous evening, Roe had taken his mother and Caroline back to his townhome, and then sent a carriage to his aunt’s to pick up their belongings. If they were going to be in London, they would be under his roof where he could see to it that Caroline did not don her trousers to gamble at the local hells.
They had not spoken again about her charade. He simply allowed them to go to bed. The following day, he was gone most of the daylight hours, not wanting to have any other confrontations with either of them until he could make up his mind how he felt about all of it.
Damned if he wasn’t conflicted. Caroline was a hell of a player and frankly, deserved to be playing alongside the rest of the blokes at Rodale’s. But that would never happen. And Roe couldn’t risk her being there. If she was discovered to be a woman, her reputation would be destroyed, and he’d never forgive himself.
He didn’t much care if the chit married or remained single, but he’d made a promise to her brother and it was the one thing in his life he adhered to. He would protect her until his own death, because he’d been unable to protect Christopher from his death.
An illness they had both gotten. Cholera. From the trip that Roe had all but mandated they go on. All the way to Persia to find that damned artifact. Constantine’s Shield. Christopher had been fascinated about the legend the moment they’d read about it in the library at Cambridge. But while Christopher had been content to read about it, Roe insisted they go search for it.
They hadn’t found it and they’d gotten horribly ill on the ship returning to England, and Roe’s father found them at a hospital in Hastings.
The cramps surged through him again and Roe doubled over in pain. Even that small movement caused pain to ricochet through his weakened body. He looked over at the cot next to his. Christopher wasn’t doin
g well. His complexion had taken on a deathly pallor and he barely moved.
“Christopher,” Roe whispered.
His friend winced as he rolled his head on the bed sheets to face Roe. His eyes were sunken and dull. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
“Where the devil is my son?” a man’s voice bellowed from the corridor outside of their wing.
Roe knew that voice. He’d never before been so excited to hear his own father’s voice. “Don’t worry, Christopher, my father is here now. He will see that we get the best care. We will heal. I promise.” Roe tried to sit up so that his father could see him when he entered the room.
“Take care of Caroline,” Christopher whispered.
Roe turned to face his friend. “That won’t be necessary. My father has found us. You shall see your sister again.”
Christopher opened his mouth to speak, but Roe’s father took that moment to storm into the room.
“There you are,” he said, taking in Roe’s appearance. The duke shook his head in disapproval. He sneered as he looked around the sparse and dingy hospital room, as though even illness was beneath him. “I suppose this is what you get for going to that god-forsaken country. Well, I’m here now and I’ve made arrangements for a private train car to take you back to London. You’ll have a doctor to care for you every moment until you recover.”
“Father, you have made arrangements for both of us, have you not?” Roe motioned to Christopher’s cot. His friend had closed his eyes again and Roe couldn’t tell if he slept or not.
The Duke’s gaze skimmed over Christopher for the briefest of seconds. “Both of you?” he sneered. “Why on earth would I arrange for the care of this… Boy, who are you?”
Christopher seemed too weak to even answer, so Roe answered for him. “He is my friend. My classmate from Cambridge.”
“And what of his family? His connections? Would I know them?”
Again, Christopher could not answer and in truth Roe didn’t want to, for he knew how his father would react. “I doubt it,” he admitted.
“I am not responsible for that boy, for that merchant’s son.”
