Bleachley.
'Can you tell me if he is married?' Charity asked. 'He left Boston so suddenly, and without a word of explanation.'
'No,' Bradford answered. 'He isn't married. He returned from the Colonies several months ago and is now living in his home on the outskirts of London.'
There was much more to tell, but Bradford was reluctant to go on. From Charity's reaction to the news that Bleachley was back in England, he realized that the two must have formed an attachment while Paul was in Boston. Her eyes filled with tears and Caroline tried to pull away from Bradford's hold to offer her comfort. Bradford wouldn't allow it. He pulled a linen handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Charity, and then suggested that she return to her uncle and that they would shortly follow.
Caroline smiled when she saw the handkerchief. There wasn't a bit of lace on it. It wasn't like Brummell's bit of fluff at all.
'Is she in love with Paul?'
Bradford's question demanded an answer. Caroline nodded. 'He made promises he didn't keep,' she replied. 'He has broken her heart.'
'Paul is also broken,' Bradford said. 'I imagine that he loved her or he wouldn't have made any promises. He is an honorable man.'
'You're mistaken,' Caroline argued. 'Charity told me that he asked her to marry him and that she accepted. Then he disappeared.'
Bradford continued to hold Caroline's hand as they strolled toward the doorway. 'I will tell you what I know, but you must think long and hard over it before you decide if you will tell Charity. What I am about to say will only cause your cousin added pain, and I think that perhaps she should be spared the truth.'
Caroline turned so that she faced Bradford and blocked their way. 'Then tell me and let me decide,' she demanded.
'Paul was injured while in Boston. There was an explosion and his ship was destroyed. He almost died and will carry the scars for the rest of his life. He lives like a hermit in a small cottage about an hour's ride from here and will not even allow his relatives to see him.'
'Have you seen him?' Caroline asked. She was appalled by the story and ached with concern for her cousin and Paul Bleachley.
'Yes, shortly after he returned to London. He has lost the use of one arm, and his face has been disfigured.'
Caroline closed her eyes and shook her head. 'I believed the worst of him when he disappeared like that, but Charity never accepted that he willingly abandoned her.' She took a deep breath and then said, 'Describe his face to me. Don't think me ghoulish, Bradford. I need to know in order to tell Charity.'
Bradford shook his head. 'You aren't listening to me. Paul won't even let me see him anymore. And I have known him since we were children. One side of his face was burned and his left eye protrudes from the socket. He is no longer handsome.'
'She never loved him because he was handsome,' Caroline argued with conviction. 'We Richmonds are not so shallow, Bradford. It's what I was trying to tell you earlier. Wanting someone because he or she is attractive is not important. Charity has more substance to her than you realize.'
She took hold of Bradford's hand, unaware of the affectionate gesture she was making and his reaction to it. He knew that she wasn't conscious of what she was doing, understood that she was only concentrating on what he had just told her, but still felt a small victory over the touch. It was a beginning and he recognized it as such.
It was true that he could force a reaction from her. She had responded to his kiss, but he had had to initiate it. The touch was somehow symbolic to him. Bradford found himself smiling inside.
'The family has given Charity a nickname. They call her Butterfly,' Caroline said. 'She does seem to flutter about like one, and she is as pretty as a butterfly,' Caroline continued. 'But she's also strong. She loves Paul Bleachley and I don't believe that his injuries will change her heart.'
'Then you plan on telling her?' Bradford sounded worried. 'Paul's my friend and I won't be a party to causing him more pain. The man's been through enough.'
Caroline nodded. She understood his concern and admitted that if the situation were reversed, she would probably be as protective as Bradford. 'You will have to trust me in this matter,' she told him.
It would have been easier if she had asked him to hand over his fortune, or his right arm for that matter. Trust! It wasn't possible. Bradford's face returned to its hard, cynical expression. Caroline noticed the abrupt change and the firm set of his jaw and mouth. But having been kissed by that same mouth, having touched the softness beneath the rough facade, Caroline knew the look of granite was just a way of blocking what he was truly feeling. 'I assume, from the way you are looking at me, that my statement doesn't please you,' Caroline stated. 'You don't wish to trust me?'
He didn't answer her, and Caroline frowned with puzzlement. She decided to let the matter drop and let go of his hand. 'Thank you for telling me about Bleachley,' she said. Before he could stop her, she hurried toward the open doorway. She paused at the entrance and turned back to look at him. 'And thank you for apologizing. I know it was difficult for you.'
Bradford was at first irritated by being so casually dismissed and then saw the humor in the situation. He was the Duke of Bradford and he realized that Caroline Richmond wasn't the least impressed. He caught up with her and grabbed hold of her elbow. 'I did not apologize.'
Caroline glanced up with a smile. 'But you would have, if I had given you more time.' She turned back to look at the crowd then, dismissing him once again.
Bradford started laughing. He hadn't smiled or laughed in such a long time, and he knew that she was correct. If given enough time, he probably would have apologized. She was right about that and she was also correct about his thoughts of an arrangement. He might have made her his mistress, regardless of the consequences, if she had been willing. He had been rash, assuming that she was like most of the other women he had known, and now he found that he would have to reevaluate his position and his course of action.
Caroline Richmond confused him and he didn't like admitting that at all. She spurned his title and his money, and he almost believed her. Didn't she know what he could offer her? He couldn't accept that material offerings were not important to her. She was a woman, after all. But she was more clever in her game than most. And more obstinate. Well, he wouldn't be deterred. No matter how difficult the challenge, he would conquer. He wondered if she realized what she was up against. Obviously not, he decided. He realized that he was frowning now and quickly changed his expression to show none of the emotions warring inside.
Caroline had stated that she wanted someone considerate! In all of his years, Bradford knew he had never been thought of as such. Brutal and ruthless were easy descriptions he had heard whispered about him in the past. But considerate? He didn't even know exactly what that meant. He would find out, of course. If she demanded consideration, then by God that's what she would get.
'There you are, Daughter.' Caroline's father's voice interrupted Bradford's thoughts. She had just reached the entrance to the ballroom when she was intercepted by the earl. 'It really isn't the thing, darling, to take off like that.'
'I'm sorry, Father,' Caroline answered, looking contrite. She placed a quick kiss on his cheek. 'I was carried away,' she added, glancing back toward Bradford.
'Yes, of course,' her father agreed. 'Understandable your first night out. Are you having a good time?' he inquired with a smile of expectation.
Caroline knew what was expected of her and immediately replied, 'It is all quite wonderful, and I have met so many interesting people.'
The affection was obvious in her tender gaze as she smiled at her father, and Bradford found himself envying the special relationship that existed between the two as he joined them. He thought it remarkable, too, since he had learned that Braxton had sent his daughter to the Colonies and had not seen her in fourteen years. That course of action obviously hadn't strained her love for him, and Bradford thought that unusual.
'I knew you would enjoy yourself. And you, Bradford?' her father continued, beaming. 'Are you enjoying the evening?'
Before Bradford could answer, Braxton continued, 'You have caused quite a commotion tonight. You don't usually attend these functions, do you?'
