“You did?” Caroline glanced at Rebecca and then pinned Cara with an expression of utter befuddlement. “Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”
“Has Lance proposed?” Elaine bounced with unveiled enthusiasm. “May I stand with you at your wedding?”
“Of course.” Cara nodded. “But Lance has yet to make an offer, so let us not put the cart before the horse. And Alex’s estimable captain refused my request to cease our arrangement.”
“What?” Alex furrowed her brow. “I do not understand.”
“Jason is determined to aid my cause, so he could not possibly have any interest in me.” Cara mulled the events of the previous evening. “But he believes a change in tack would be more effective.”
“How so?” Caroline asked. “And what does he have in mind?”
“Well, he surmises the reason we have not met with success is because his courtship, up to now, has been largely unconvincing.” Cara squeezed Alex’s hand. “He also insists it has been too insubstantial to rouse a sufficient response from Lance.”
“Have you gone mad?” Brie inhaled sharply. “You revealed the identity of your intended?”
“No.” Cara checked her tone and took a second to compose herself. “I am not daft, and I spoke in the general sense.”
“So the course of your conversation dealt with his suit in the abstract?” Rebecca inquired.
“Yes.” But Cara did not admit the whole truth, because Alex was correct. Something about Jason’s demeanor had seemed almost predatory. “How else would I refer to it?”
“I do not know.” Alex shrugged. “While I am loathe to mention the possibility, I was wondering if Jason could be forming a sincere attachment to you.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“You must be crazy to suggest such insanity.” Yet Alex had given voice to Cara’s precise thoughts. “Captain Collingwood is unquestionably yours to command. The man adores you.”
“I am no longer assured of his regard.” Alex stood and paced before the fireplace. “Though I cannot say exactly what has changed, Jason acted out of character at the Atherton’s. He was a stranger to me. And from what I gather, Lance and Jason have become close friends. In fact, Lance intimated he plans to name his firstborn for Jason.”
“I think you put too much stock in polite conversation.” Since Lance had long since declared his intent to name his heir for Thomas, Cara remained unconvinced of Alex’s assertion. “In any case, what does it have to do with me?”
“Lance told me Jason speaks very highly of you.” Alex halted and appeared on the verge of tears. “Apparently, Jason holds you in great esteem.”
A sneaking suspicion formed in Cara’s brain. “But that does not mean--”
“Lance claims Jason is besotted with you--those were his words.” Alex sobbed. “That you are unlike any woman Jason has ever known.”
Cara reflected on Jason’s altered behavior and shuddered. At the Atherton’s ball, when they danced, he had held her so close she almost could not breathe. Later, when they sat beside each other in the rose garden, he had brushed his hand across her thigh, and she had almost revisited her supper. Then, she had reasoned it indicated nothing more than familiarity, born of the process of their mock courtship, whereupon Jason had grown comfortable in her presence. Never had it occurred to her that the blonde giant might be campaigning, in truth.
“Cara, what are you thinking?” Alex queried in a somber tone.
“Nothing.” She lied.
“Telling falsehoods is not your forte.” Alex cast a lopsided grin. “And you could never fool me, given that your face is white as a sheet.”
“Oh, dear.” Caroline hugged her belly.
Covered in gooseflesh from top to toe, Cara rubbed her forearms. “Now that you mention it, something did happen last night.”
“Spare no detail.” Alex all but ran to the sofa and plopped beside Cara. “I will have the whole nasty affair, or I shall scream.”
“Which will solve nothing,” Rebecca admonished. “Take it slow, Cara.”
“This is dreadful.” Cara tapped a finger to her chin. “And I know not where to start.”
“Try the beginning.” Alex inched closer. “It always works for me.”
Cara bit her lip. “Jason was different at the ball.”
“How so?” Brie prompted.
In her mind, Cara replayed a troubling scene. “Well, there was something in the way he held me--when we danced.”
“Did he thrust his hips to yours?” Alex pressed her clasped hands to her chest.
Swimming in unease, Cara swallowed hard. “Yes.”
Alex gasped. “Was he---did you feel his--oh, you know what I am asking.”
“I get your meaning.” Cara knew only too well. “And the answer is no.”
“Are you sure?” Alex opened and then closed her mouth. “Would you have known if you felt it?”
“Definitely.” Cara nodded. “Lance always gets that way when we waltz.”
“Ugh.” Sabrina wrinkled her nose and frowned. “That is far more than I wish to know about a man who is, for all intents and purposes, a brother.”
“I, for one, am fascinated.” Elaine rested her elbows to her knees. “To what do you refer?”
“That is a topic for a later discussion,” Caroline replied. “When you have set your cap for a particular gentleman.”
“Perhaps I have already selected my candidate.” Elaine averted her gaze. “And he is not a member of the Brethren.”
“What?” the ladies declared in unison.
“Sisters, focus, please. Once I have married Lance, and Alex has wedded Jason, we can aid Elaine in her pursuit.” Cara rolled her eyes. “Now then, where was I? Oh, yes. When Jason and I were in the garden--”
“He kissed you,” Alex asserted.
“No.” Cara groaned. “Will you let me finish?”
“Then what happened?” Alex shouted.
“All right.” For good or ill, Cara owed her lifelong friend unvarnished honesty. She counted to three and blurted, “He put his hand on my thigh.”
Alex shrieked and clutched her throat.
“Now you catch my drift.” Cara tucked a wayward tendril behind her ear. “I thought it was innocent, but given what you have told me, I am not so certain.”
“I do not believe it. My beautiful captain wants you.” Alex slapped a fist to a palm. “Oh, I will kill him!”
“Easy, dearest.” Caroline grimaced. “You are jumping to conclusions.”
“And why should I not?” Alex’s usually carefree visage flushed red as a tomato. “Jason is jumping on Cara.”
“Captain Collingwood has done no such thing.” Rebecca studied the hem of her sleeve. “But something is amiss.”
“Well that is the understatement of the year.” Alex humphed, leapt from the sofa, and resumed pacing the floor. “He said I had fine eyes. I am going to punch him so hard he will resemble a sweep who has cleaned one too many chimneys.”
“Becca, what troubles you?” In light of the former spy’s distinguished service to the Crown, Cara trusted Rebecca’s instincts. “Do you suspect Jason is sincere in his affection?”
“I am uncertain.” Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck. “But we would be unwise not to take note of his new tack, as I think we are missing important pieces of a much broader picture. And I would caution you not to overreact, until we gather more intelligence.”
“Oh, how intriguing you make it sound,” Elaine gushed. “Would that my own courtship could be so fascinating. Do not be angry, Alex.”
“I am not angry, I am bloody furious. The devil himself would flee in the face of my wrath.” Alex bared her teeth, and her nostrils flared. “Just wait till I get my hands on Jason, and hell will freeze before he puts his on me again.”
“Alex, you are weaving unsustainable conclusions from whole cloth.” Swamped by a mixture of confusion and guilt, Cara pondered how Lance would react should he learn of his competitio
n. “Please, do not let emotion cloud your judgment, else you may do something you live to regret.”
“He touched you.” Alex shrieked. “That is enough, in my humble estimation, as he has no business conducting himself in such vulgar fashion with anyone but me.”
“But his good opinion means little to me beyond friendship.” Cara rued the day she enlisted Jason’s aid, because his involvement in her scheme resulted in injury, however imagined, to Alex. “I am so sorry you are hurt, Alex. Never would I consciously cause you pain.”
“But you are blameless, Cara.” Without warning, Alex marched straight to Cara and hugged her. “You are my sister as I am yours, and I know you would never play me false.”
“I am grateful for your confidence.” Cara held Alex at arm’s length. “And as I stand here today, I vow no man, Brethren or otherwise, shall ever come between us.”
Alex dipped her chin. “And I the same.”
“Crisis averted,” Rebecca declared. “And not a moment too soon, as now we must strategize.”
“What do you recommend?” Elaine asked. “And can I be of assistance?”
“A lovely gesture, my dear.” Rebecca smiled. “But I think not, as the solution does not require your participation.”
“Give over, Becca.” Sabrina swiped the last piece of shortbread.
“In instances such as these, the simplest answer is always best.” Rebecca lowered her chin and caught Cara in a lethal stare. “You know what must needs.”
“I accept Lance’s proposal, even if I must broach the subject, myself.” Cara squeezed Alex’s fingers. “And you reclaim your Captain Collingwood.”
While the ladies prepared what Cara deemed a premature victory toast of tepid tea, she could not escape the dark sense of foreboding that traipsed her spine. Peering out the window, she wondered how something that should have been so straightforward for two lifelong friends had morphed into a complicated mess, and would she ever get Lance to the altar?
#
Peering out the window, Lance wondered how something that should have been so straightforward for two lifelong friends had morphed into a complicated mess, and would he ever get Cara to the altar?
“Well, I would say last night was a rousing success,” Jason stated in his booming baritone. “At least, for my part.”
It was late in the morning, and after returning from the Atherton’s ball, he had offered Jason accommodations, which enabled them the opportunity to strategize. Sitting at the head of the table in the dining room at Raynesford House, Lance speared a morsel of meat pie, raised it to his lips, and paused. “Brother, you do not know the half of it.”
“So what is next on the agenda?” Jason stretched his arms and yawned. “And you never told me, how did Alex take my sudden change of heart?”
“For now, I recommend we stay the course.” Shuffling the scrambled eggs on his plate, Lance smiled, as he recalled Alex’s melancholy demeanor when she spied what she believed were Jason and Cara engaged in a tryst. “And she swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.”
“Wonderful.” Jason snickered. “Just what my little darling deserves.”
“And my Cara?” Lance braced himself against a welling tide of jealousy. “Was she receptive to your advances?”
“To a degree--you should have seen her. I grazed her thigh with the back of my hand, and I thought she was going to jump out of her skin.” Jason snorted. “I swear, for a minute it appeared she was about to revisit her supper all over my new coat.”
Lance hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he almost fainted. He did not want Cara to welcome Jason’s attention, not that he presumed she would. But how unfair was it that although he knew her interest in Jason was a ruse, Lance was still anxious? “The important thing is you dissuaded her from ending your agreement.”
“Well, not exactly.” Jason averted his gaze. “But I did try.”
“I beg your pardon?” Lance set down his fork. “Are you or are you not still engaged in a mock courtship with Miss Douglas?”
“You would think the answer to your query quite simple, yet it is difficult to assess with any measure of certainty.” Jason shrugged. “We sort of left the situation unresolved.”
“I do not follow.” Lance narrowed his stare. “What do you mean you left the situation unresolved?”
“Cara asked me to cease my suit.” Jason tugged his cravat. “And I politely ignored her request.”
“The devil you say.” Lance raked his fingers through his hair. “Did she elaborate on her reasons?”
“I assure you, I am quite serious, and she did not share her motivations.” Jason furrowed his brow. “But Cara admitted she is prepared to settle for less in regard to her reluctant champion, so I believe she would be more receptive to your proposal.”
“She declared as much?” Based on Collingwood’s assertion, Lance could have danced a merry jig. “You are not mistaken?”
“Indeed.” Jason dipped his chin. “You may rely on me.”
“Excellent.” Lance drew the napkin from his lap, dabbed the corners of his mouth, and tossed the cloth on the table. “Then our pursuits are at an end, for we have met my goal.”
“Hold on there, friend. I have a score to settle with Alex, and until I exact proper recompense for her shenanigans, we will stay the course, as you insisted.”
“But I need to secure Cara’s acceptance--soon.” Lance calculated the days required to secure a license, publish the banns, and plan a suitable ceremony without piquing the ton’s curiosity.
“What are you not telling me?” Jason inquired in a low voice.
“It is none of your concern.” Lance resolved to contact his solicitor, at once. “In light of our--”
“Oh, no.” Jason sputtered and scratched his temple. “Did you compromise Miss Douglas, in truth?”
Unwilling to compound the damage to Cara’s reputation, Lance considered his response with great care. “Well, it was not my intent--”
“I do not believe it.” With mouth agape, Jason eased back in his chair. “Are we talking a few licentious kisses or a full scale seduction?”
Conscious of the footmen within earshot, Lance asked, “Are you finished with breakfast?”
Jason nodded. “I am.”
“My study.” Lance pushed from the table and stood. “Now.”
Lance strode into the hall and turned right, with Jason in his wake. At the foyer, he veered left. When he gained the relative privacy of his domain, he faced his ally. “The situation is such that I am concerned Cara may be in a delicate condition.”
“Hell and the Reaper.” Jason blinked. “Is she increasing?”
“I do not know,” Lance admitted. “Although she denies it.”
“But the possibility exists.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Aye,” Lance said with reluctance.
“Good God, man, what were you thinking?”
“Must I state the obvious?” Lance rested hands on hips and shifted his weight. “I was not thinking.”
“Well there’s a revelation.” Jason whistled in monotone. “Heaven help you if Admiral Douglas discovers what you have done. He will cut off your head and string it from the nearest yardarm.”
“I should be so lucky.” Lance shuddered. “As that is not the part of my anatomy I figure he will remove first.”
“Ouch.” Jason grimaced. “Did you have to say that? The mere thought gives me collywobbles.”
“Can you be serious for an instant?” Lance pressed a clenched fist to his lips. “The one thing still puzzling me is Cara’s reason for rejecting my proposal, thus compelling her charade. Duplicity is not her forte, and it is not her character. I must believe her motivation is, in her mind, a noble cause.”
“You know, I have mulled the situation myself.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. “As you have been friends since the cradle, and your relationship extends beyond innocence, why did she throw you over?”
“I haven
’t the faintest notion.” Lance scratched his cheek and for the umpteenth time attempted to decipher Cara’s actions. “Must confess I presumed she would welcome my suit.”
“I suppose you did it up grand? On bended knee, you presented her with a bouquet of roses and proclaimed everlasting adoration and all that drivel?” Jason rolled his eyes. “Women live for such fluff and fancy.”
Lance shuffled his feet. “Well, not exactly.”
“Oh?” Jason opened and then closed his mouth. “Just what did you do?”
“Given our history and my unique understanding of Cara, I believed the matter straightforward.” In a flash, the weight of the world nestled on his shoulders, and Lance sighed. “I simply presented every logical argument necessitating our betrothal.”
“You did what?” Jason tripped on the edge of the rug and almost fell, face first, into a chair. As he righted himself, he asked, “Are you mad?”
“Collingwood, I do not suppose you can comprehend my actions, given your brief acquaintance with Miss Douglas, but Cara is an uncommonly level-headed woman.” It rankled Lance that Jason presumed to know Cara better than a lifelong friend. “Relying on her intelligence and conviction, I composed an impromptu but convincing explanation of our situation, knowing full well she required nothing more.”
“And yet she turned you down.” Jason arched a brow.
“Believe me, I was just as surprised.” Lance huffed a breath in frustration. “Never did I anticipate rejection.”
“You think me surprised that Cara rejected you after what you just divulged.” Jason rested a palm to his belly and vented boisterous laughter. “Bloody hell, man, I am nothing more than a sailor, and even I know the fairer sex lives in heightened expectation of such an event. You can’t ask a lady to marry you as if you were doing nothing more than writing a report for the Admiral. At least, not if you want her to accept you.”
“But Cara is not like other women.” Lance folded his arms. “She does not demand such humiliating frippery, and we did not embark on a proper courtship, so I cannot be faulted for improvising.”
“Do you imply you never would have proposed had you not compromised her?” Jason appeared flummoxed.
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