A Little Bit Scandalous (5 page)

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.”

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 doing 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.”

“He’s not a merchant’s son. His father is a Baron.”

The Duke gave a snort of derision. “Worse still. At least a merchant’s son would have money. Let his family care for him. Now then, can you stand or do you need assistance for that as well?” he asked.

“He has no family, we must care for him. This is all my fault,” Roe said.

“You should have thought of all of that before you went on this little holiday. I owe that boy nothing.”

“Father, please, he is my friend,” Roe begged. He was too dehydrated for tears to form, but his eyes burned nonetheless.

“He is nothing to me. Now enough.” He held up his hand and Roe knew any further arguments would be futile. If he had the strength he’d refuse to go himself, but he knew that would not work, either. “I shall go and find a nurse and get you a wheeled chair.”

Roe rolled toward Christopher. “I’ll convince him. We’ll come back for you.”

For a moment, Christopher’s eyes seem to clear and something like a smile twisted his cracked lips. “Only you, Roe, are misguided enough to believe a duke could ever give one whit for the son of a baron.”

Roe couldn’t even argue with his friend. The Duke was an ass. He cared more for propriety than for human life, more for preserving the classes than for the worth of a man. But Roe was not his father’s son and he would rise above his class. “Then I will come back for you. As soon as I’m able, I’ll come get you myself.”

“Promise me,” Christopher said again, his voice hoarse and breaking. “You’ll take care of Caroline.”

Roe stared at his friend, willing the situation to be different. “They’ll take good care of you here,” he told him though he knew that wouldn’t be the case. It wasn’t that they had been treated poorly, but they needed far more intensive care to survive this.

“Promise me, Roe,” Christopher said again. He winced as pain shuddered through him.

“I promise. Whatever it takes, I’ll make certain Caroline is cared for.”

Christopher made some movement with his head that Roe assumed as a nod. And then the nurse arrived with his wheeled chair and Roe was hefted into it. He didn’t take his eyes off his friend until they’d wheeled Roe out of the room.

He could still hear Christopher’s pleas begging Roe to make certain Caroline was well cared for. Not a month later, Roe had received papers in the post. Christopher had legally named Roe the girl’s guardian before succumbing to his illness.

Roe shook himself and took a few deep breaths. That had been the last time he’d seen his friend. Feeling somewhat nauseated from his memory, he decided to skip the evening meal. He entered his townhome, realizing it was probably far later than he’d thought as the lights had already been doused. So, he was surprised to find Caroline waiting for him in his study. Well, wasn’t this just perfect? Leave it to Caroline to be where he’d least expect her.

“You’re up late,” he said.

“You’re home late.”

He fought off a smile. “Yes, well, I take it you both took the day to make yourselves comfortable in my absence,” he said. He came into the room but didn’t bother to sit behind his desk. Instead, he sat in the chair across from hers. He leaned back, straightening his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankle.

“We were quite comfortable at Aggie’s house before you came in bellowing like a cretin,” she said.

His brows rose. He’d forgotten how sassy she could be. “
Cretin
? I haven’t been called that in a while.”

“It has been a while since you’ve been to Chanceworth Hall.”

Guilt stabbed at him, but he swiped it away. He didn’t have time for guilt. “Parliament,” he said. It would be a legitimate excuse if he did a damned thing in Parliament, which he didn’t. He voted when necessary, voiced a rare opinion when he bothered to listen to the discussion, but in truth, no one would miss him were he to leave. But he was a duke, and that was supposed to mean something.

“Yes, you are so very important,” she said, rolling her eyes heavenward.

“Indeed.” He eyed her for a moment, taking in the sight of her. Tonight, she was dressed as a woman should be, in a soft green dress that highlighted her eyes and made her hair appear even darker. Caroline Jellico had always been beautiful. Even as a girl, she’d been a pretty little thing. And then she became a woman and such a temptation that Roe had been relieved when she’d left to live in the country.

A good and decent guardian would have; he would have demanded she stay in London until she found a suitable husband. But he’d simply sent her on her way, quite relieved she wouldn’t be living under the same roof as him—as she was now.

Five years ago, he’d wanted nothing more than to peel off her clothes and make her his own. He hoped he’d come to his senses since then. He hoped she had come to hers as well. It was past time she found a husband.

“Tell me, Caroline, how much money have you won since playing at Rodale’s?”

She grinned in spite of herself. “Fifteen hundred pounds.”

He released a whistle. “Impressive. And what do you plan to do with it?”

“I plan to move into my family’s townhome. The lessee died recently and her family has no more need for the house, which leaves it empty and ready for me.” She inspected her hand and then looked back up at him. “I’ve been told it will require extensive work on the inside.”

Why hadn’t he known that that the house needed repairs? Clearly, he should have taken more interest in Caroline’s property and kept up the maintenance for her. Was there no way in which he hadn’t failed her as her guardian? “There is no need for you to do that. If your house needs work, I shall give you the necessary funds to do so. You need only ask.”

She shook her head. “No, I do not want your money. I want to earn it myself. I have relied on others for too long. It is time I earn my own way in the world.”

He’d also forgotten she was stubborn, ridiculously so. “You plan to find a paid post somewhere? As a governess, perhaps?” She was certainly smart enough, more than smart enough, but it seemed a waste for her to spend her days with spoiled, aristocratic children. He’d been a holy terror to plenty of his governesses. More than likely, he should try to locate them and send them money for all their troubles.

“No, I have no desire to be a governess, but I do have plans.”

“To do?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I shall tell you, but if you laugh, I will never forgive you.” Once he nodded his agreement, she continued. “As I said, I want to care for myself. I should also like to provide a place for other orphans after they’ve gotten too old to live at the orphanage.”

“A boarding house of sorts?”

“More or less.” She set her chin and met his gaze head on. “I want to open my house up to other girls, who, like me, might choose a life outside of marriage.”

His jaw tensed. Her words angered him even as he understood them. Had he ruined the thought of marriage for her? “Do you have enough?”

“Not yet. At least, I don’t believe I do. I’ll know more once I know the extent of the repairs needed.”

He leaned back and eyed her. “And how do you intend to earn the rest?”

Her chin bumped up a notch. “The same way I’ve been earning it.

“This isn’t the time for your jokes.”

“I wasn’t jesting.” Her arms crossed over her chest. “Now that you know I’m playing at Rodale’s, you can keep an eye on me. Ensure my safety.”

“You cannot be serious,” he muttered, knowing she was indeed very serious. When precisely had he lost total control over this conversation?

“It shouldn’t take me much longer to earn the rest of the money,” she said. “I win every time I play.”

“No,” he said sharply. Damn it, he would make her understand. “Absolutely not!”

She came to her feet. “And why the hell not?”

“It is no place for a lady.”

“I’m not a lady when I’m there.” Her eyes flashed with anger and a pink flush settled in her cheeks. She looked wild and beautiful. How had he not recognized her immediately? How had he ever forgotten how lovely her eyes were? He should have recognized their brown depths the moment he walked into the backroom at Rodale’s.

“People will realize you’re a woman. It’s merely a matter of time.”

“They haven’t noticed yet.”

“I did,” he said. “The curve of your throat, the curve of your bottom. And you blush when people talk of sex. A gaming hell is no place for a woman.”

“There are plenty of women there,” she said.

He came to his feet. “Whores. Is that what you want, Caroline?” He wanted to shake her, to scare her with the realities of what could happen to a woman at a gaming establishment.

She swallowed visibly, shook her head. “Of course not.”

“Do you have any notion of what some men would do if they realized you were a woman?” He grabbed her and pulled her to him. Her eyes widened, but she looked up at him unblinking. “Men will want to do scandalous things to you, wicked things.”

Still she said nothing.

He slammed his mouth down on hers. It was a kiss intended to frighten her so he did nothing to restrain his passion. It surprised him, the desire he felt. He knew he found her attractive, had even considered bedding her at one point. But this, the urgency and intensity of his want, took him by surprise. Her mouth was so soft, the curves of her body pressed into his, and lust surged through him. He slid his tongue against hers and not only did she allow it, but she kissed back. Her hands gripped at his biceps. She eagerly took the punishment he offered her. He was not teaching her a lesson, at least, not the right one. She was not afraid of him or his kisses. She wanted them. The realization made him take a step back.

“They would do a hell of lot worse to you.” He stormed out of the room, hoping he appeared angry and that she couldn’t see right through him, see the way she had affected him.

…

Well, damnation!

Caroline put her fingers to her lips, her eyes fluttered closed. She had thought for so long that her feelings for Roe had been a girlhood crush, fleeting feelings of youthful love that meant nothing once she’d grown into a full woman. Yet, that was certainly not how she was feeling at the moment.

Her body had come alive when he’d pulled her close, when he’d pressed his lips to hers. Then he’d kissed her, and it seemed the world had stopped spinning. Even though she knew that he’d only done so as a way of showing her how dangerous and reckless she’d been, it had not been about desire. Except for her.