The Ice Queen

by Sasha Cottman

  “I tried Eve’s room, but all her best gowns are gone,” replied Caroline. She had searched her sister’s wardrobe earlier, hoping to find something which she could use. Eve had always been one for wearing stronger colors and gowns which skirted the edge of propriety. But she had taken all the most elegant gowns with her when she eloped.

  “The ball is still a week away. We shall make an early morning visit to the modiste and see what she has that can be readily made up for you. We should also commission a gown for your engagement ball, since it is now merely a matter of time before an announcement is made,” said Adelaide.

  The following morning, Adelaide and Caroline were on the doorstep of the modiste an hour before she was due to open. Adelaide had sent word as soon as she and Caroline had spoken the previous day, and being one of the modiste’s best customers, she had been granted a special appointment.

  “Being out of season, my seamstresses have been able to catch up on making stock. I have a selection of gowns that you might find suitable,” said the modiste.

  Caroline and Adelaide stepped into the showing room of the salon. Before them were five gowns, draped over low sofas. Caroline’s eye was immediately drawn to a crimson gown. She looked to her mother and Adelaide nodded. The deep, rich red was the color of a fiery summer sunset. It held the promise of passion and love.

  Taking the gown and draping it over her arm, she knew it was the perfect one to wear at the ball. A night when she would finally show the world that Julian had captured her heart, and she was ready to take her place by his side.

  She was counting down the days until they appeared together as a couple at a formal event.

  “It’s perfect,” she whispered.

  “Try it on,” replied Adelaide.

  In the fitting room, the modiste and her team of seamstresses pinned the gown to hug Caroline’s figure. While they worked, she stood and watched herself in the mirror. In her face she saw someone she did not recognize. Gone were the hard edges of her lonely existence. In their place were the beginnings of the warmth that came from newfound happiness.

  “You have the look of a woman in love. I am so proud of you for having opened your heart,” said Adelaide.

  “Ow, you, foolish girl!”

  Adelaide and Caroline looked at one another as they heard the outburst from the adjourning fitting room. The modiste made her hurried apologies and left the room.

  “It is not good enough. If you cannot afford to employ skilled seamstresses, you should not expect my custom.”

  “I am sure it was an accident, your highness. All my girls have been highly trained. But I shall make sure a discount is added to your bill,” replied the modiste.

  “Some women do not know how to behave. I am sure the seamstress did not mean to prick her,” said Adelaide in a hushed tone.

  Caroline and her sister had been taught from an early age to remain still while their gowns were being pinned. The occasional accidental prick from a dressmaker’s pin was a minor inconvenience in the creation of a new gown.

  “Whoever she is, I would not want to cross her,” replied Caroline.

  When she returned, the modiste was red-faced and wiping away tears.

  “Who was that?” asked Adelaide.

  The woman composed herself. “The Countess of Lienz. She arrived unannounced just after you and demanded a fitting. Most of her luggage is apparently still on board her husband’s yacht and she needs clothes. I could not refuse.”

  Caroline frowned at herself in the mirror. She should have recognized the voice, but Julian’s mother had sailed for the Continent weeks ago; so, what was she doing back in London?

  As quickly as good manners would permit, she and Adelaide finished with their appointment. Once they were seated in the privacy of the Saunders family town carriage, Caroline confided the truth of the house party to her mother.

  “That could have been very embarrassing if Lady Margaret had not been so quick to smooth things over. And Lord Newhall does not know the countess is in town?” said Adelaide.

  “No. I am certain he would have made mention of it to me if he did. The countess has a priceless piece of estate jewelry with her, and Julian is most keen to retrieve it. If he knew she was in town, he would be knocking on her door and demanding the return of his property,” replied Caroline.

  “Well then, you shall have to speak with Lord Newhall when next you see him,” said Adelaide.

  As soon as they returned home, Caroline retrieved Eve’s favorite black cloak from her wardrobe. She had no intention of wasting any time to see Julian.

  The cloak had been used many times when Eve and Francis had slipped out of the house and gone to secret parties without their parents’ knowledge. But Caroline knew her mission for later this evening was more important than attending an illicit gathering of the younger members of the ton.

  She had to warn Julian that his mother was back in town.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Caroline waited until after supper that evening, then cried off spending time with her parents and headed up to her room.

  When her maid came to help her ready for bed, a fully dressed Caroline slipped a coin into her hand and sent her away.

  The rear garden at Dover Street had a break in the fence which was hidden by a bush. The younger Saunders siblings had an understanding with the family gardener not to have the hole repaired.

  Stepping out into the dark garden, Caroline made her way to the fence and climbed through. Once she was in the laneway, she pulled the hood of the cloak over her head. If she passed anyone on the street, she would be incognito.

  When she turned into James Street, a distance away, she spied Newhall House. She hurried across the road and made her way to the front steps of Julian’s townhouse.

  When the butler opened the door, he took one look at Caroline and started to close the door. “I am sorry, madam. You must have the wrong house.”

  “No, I must speak to Lord Newhall. It is a matter of urgency,” she pleaded.

  She was about to pull back her hood and reveal her identity when, to her relief, Julian appeared in the foyer. “What is going on?”

  The butler pointed to the still-hooded Caroline. “I am sorry, my lord. I was trying to explain to this person that she has the wrong house, that we don’t accept female visitors late at night.”

  Caroline lifted her now unbandaged, left hand and held it up to Julian’s view.

  Julian patted his butler on the shoulder. “Ah yes. I was expecting a visitor; it had completely slipped my mind.”

  The butler’s brow furrowed but he said nothing. Julian dismissed him, then ushered Caroline into a nearby room and closed the door behind them.

  “This is a pleasant surprise, but I don’t recall us agreeing on late-night trysts as being part of the courtship,” he said.

  She flipped back the hood of the cape. Her heart leapt at the sight of him standing so close. “I had to see you. The countess is back in London.”

  The look of surprise on his face told her he had been in the dark regarding his mother’s movements. “Are you sure? I mean, she sailed before I left London.”

  Caroline nodded. “Yes. I heard her voice from another room at the modiste this morning. I asked Francis to make enquiries, and apparently the count’s yacht got into difficulties not long after they sailed. She has been in Brighton for the past few weeks making a nuisance of herself at the expense of the Prince of Wales.”

  “No doubt hiding from me after what she did to scupper the house party. I shall track down her highness and have a not-so-quiet word with her regarding the necklace,” replied Julian.

  “Francis says she is staying at the Austrian embassy. I don’t suppose she wanted to make her presence too widely known until she discovered where you were. If she has any sense, she will be doing everything she can to avoid having to explain herself to you,” said Caroline.

  He smiled at her. “Thank you. I am grateful for your loyalty.”

 
; Caroline rose up on her toes and offered her lips to him. Mere thanks were not what she had in mind when visiting Julian in the middle of the night. Their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss.

  “Who is waiting for you outside?” he asked.

  She chuckled knowingly. “No one. I walked here.”

  The low primal growl he gave in response to her words set her blood on fire. Let him be angry with her. She was ready to take any punishment he decided to mete out, just as long as it ended with her in his bed.

  “That was a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do. Promise me you will never do that again,” he said.

  Caroline worked up her best coy look, but when Julian took her by the arm, she sensed she had read him wrong. He was angry. Not just a little annoyed.

  “Alright. I won’t do that again, I promise. But I had to see you. And if I had come with Francis, then I wouldn’t have been able to stay,” she replied.

  He held her gaze. His look was one of implacability, but she knew he was fighting a battle between social dictates and desire. By all accounts, he should be calling for his town carriage and taking her home. But when he slipped a hand around her waist, she knew desire had won.

  “Just for a short while, after which I will take you home,” he said.

  Caroline pulled on the ties of her cape and it fell to the floor. A satisfying intake of breath from Julian told her she had chosen the perfect gown to wear.

  At the front of the gown, where the laces should have been tied together, she had left them open. With the cape now gone, Julian was granted a full view of the mounds of Caroline’s breasts. He needed no invitation.

  He roughly pulled the gown’s bodice fully open and she exalted as the cool night air kissed her nipples.

  “Oh Caroline, you wicked girl,” he murmured.

  His mouth came down on one of her breasts. He took her nipple between his teeth and gently nipped. Heat pooled between her legs.

  Julian lifted Caroline’s skirts and his fingers soon found her heat. She groaned as he began to stroke deeply. Her hands clutched the side of his jacket, desperate to find purchase as her knees weakened.

  He lifted her and lay her down on a nearby sofa. A lightning-quick fumble with the placket of his trousers soon had his erection free.

  She took hold of his rapidly hardening manhood and stroked. He lay his fingers over hers and guided her in how hard she should hold him.

  Emboldened by his reaction to her strokes, Caroline decided it was time that she took the next step.

  She pushed Julian’s hand away and sat up. Then, taking hold of him once more, she guided his erection to her lips. She heard the sound of his breath shuddering softly as she took him into her mouth. He gripped a handful of her hair while she ministered to him.

  Tension built as she licked and suckled him. She listened as his breath became more ragged.

  “Enough,” he finally gasped, and stepped back.

  Pulling her to her feet, he sat down on the sofa. Julian lifted her skirts and drew her to him. It took only a moment for Caroline to understand what she needed to do. Straddling Julian, she sunk down and took the length of him deep inside her.

  If she had thought their initial encounter at the cottage had been intimate, she quickly discovered this new position took her breath away.

  “Ride me,” he commanded. With his hands on her hips, Julian instructed Caroline in how she should move. Gripping the top of the sofa behind his shoulders, she was able to establish a strong rhythm. She cried his name when she crashed through into her climax.

  His lips sought hers as he pulled her hard down on him. Holding her firmly by the hips he thrust deeper and harder into her. Caroline willed her body to soften and accept his fierce lovemaking. She wanted to be all for this man, to exist purely for his pleasure.

  He came with one last hard thrust and then stilled. She cradled his head against her breasts and waited for him to return to earth.

  She longed for more of these evenings. Moments where they could share their love and then spend the night wrapped in each other’s arms before drifting off to sleep in their own home.

  She longed for when she would finally belong completely to Julian.

  Chapter Fifty

  Julian couldn’t stay angry with her for more than a minute and in his heart, he knew it would always be that way. She may have given her love to him, but Caroline held his soul.

  It was bloody dangerous for her to have walked the streets of London at that time of night. He was determined that she would never do it again. The thought of something happening to her or, god forbid, losing her filled him with bone-deep dread.

  Taking Caroline by the hand, he led her upstairs. He would take her home, but first things first.

  Inside his bedroom, he opened the top drawer of his dresser and took out a small blue box. He had made love to Caroline on three separate occasions; the time for playing at courting her was now over.

  He placed the ring in his pocket. Taking hold of her hand, he went down on bended knee, an expectant smile on his face. “Caroline Saunders, you are the love of my life. I place my future happiness in your hands. Will you do me the greatest honor and agree to be my wife?”

  “Yes.” She dissolved into tears as he got to his feet.

  Taking her injured hand in his, he gently placed the diamond and ruby ring on her finger. “I decided that, since ours is a true love match, it was time for the Newhall estate to have a special piece of jewelry commissioned. One that no other previous countess has ever owned.”

  The diamond-set ring, with a circle of rubies, had whispered her name as soon as he’d set eyes on it at Stedman and Vardon in New Bond Street. His father had been a stickler for shopping at Rundell and Bridge but, in the spirit of change, Julian had decided that the ring for his future wife should come from somewhere else.

  Caroline held the ring up to the light from the bedroom fireplace. The flames, reflected in the diamonds, set the rubies to an even darker red.

  “Will you speak with my father before the ball next week?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course. Though it may not be tomorrow. I have a few urgent matters to attend to in the morning.” A meeting with his mother, being the first order of the day.

  They sealed their betrothal with an almost chaste kiss. Caroline’s mewl of disappointment had Julian laughing before pulling her into his embrace. He then proceeded to kiss her thoroughly.

  The following morning saw Julian in a more somber and determined mood. His mother was not going to best him. She had spent years trying to ruin his life and had done what she could to wreck his house party not to mention his reputation.

  The matter of the Crusader Ruby now lay in the forefront of his mind. He had thought to travel to Austria at some point and confront her. But since she was back in London, he was steadfast in his resolve to regain the priceless piece. She would not outwit him again.

  His first task for the morning was not a meeting with Charles Saunders, but rather, with Francis. Caroline’s brother was a close confidante of the Prince of Wales. Julian was leaving nothing to chance. If he had to use every ounce of leverage to force the countess’s hand, he would.

  “Newhall, I was not expecting to see you here. I don’t suppose you get down to the docks very often. If you want more of the wine, we drank the other afternoon, just let me know and I shall send around a case. By the way, did Caroline manage to send word to you regarding the countess?” said Francis.

  “Yes, which is why I am here,” replied Julian.

  He had made discreet enquiries and confirmed that his mother was indeed staying at the Austrian embassy. She was cunning. She knew he could not simply march up to the front door and demand entrance. The Austrian embassy was considered Austrian sovereign soil, and, being married to the Count of Lienz, she would be protected there.

  “I need to retrieve a certain article from my mother. While I am not beyond having her arrested, I thought that with your connections to the Prince of W
ales, you might be able to help find a diplomatic way to resolve the situation,” he said.

  Francis stopped midway through pouring a glass of whisky. Julian could understand the position he was putting him in. One did not call on the friendship of the future king without making a considered reflection of what it may cost.

  “You do know that this may not be an easy thing to accomplish?”

  Francis finished pouring the drink and handed a glass to Julian. “But since you and I are to shortly be related, I feel a brotherly sense of obligation to help you. What can I do?”

  “I intend to make an appointment to speak to Prince Esterhazy tomorrow and ask for him to intercede on my behalf. He knows the work I did in Paris after the fall of Napoleon. The Austrians owe me,” replied Julian.

  “I shall make some private approaches through various channels and see what can be done. I trust a letter from the Prince of Wales’ private secretary would go a long way to help your cause,” said Francis.

  Julian took a long slow sip of his drink. A letter from the future king could be invaluable. “That would be most welcome. I am not sure how much longer the Count and Countess of Lienz will be in London, so time may be critical.”

  Francis chuckled. “You will find out that my family has a lot of connections. Just say the word and I am sure Will could make certain that the count’s yacht was unable to leave port. Funny thing, boats—one minute you think you have them seaworthy, the next, you discover a new problem.”

  Julian already had agents watching the Austrian embassy around the clock. So that, combined with Francis’s words of comfort, gave him the first real hope that he may actually succeed in regaining his family’s heirloom.

  Now he could concentrate on the next task at hand: getting Charles Saunders’ official approval to marry Caroline.

  Chapter Fifty-One