The earl entered the receiving room and smiled. Bradford was laughing and Caroline looked quite pleased with herself.
The next hour was spent in casual conversation. Caroline's father had no intention of leaving before Bradford, and Caroline couldn't think of a way to get the duke alone.
Both father and daughter walked with Bradford to the entryway. 'I'll look forward to receiving a note from you,' Caroline said as a hint. 'No later than tomorrow morning,' she added, 'or I will be forced to make other arrangements.'
'Are you going to Claymere's bash tonight?' the earl asked Bradford. 'It should prove an interesting evening. Little Clarissa is to play the spinet and her sister is going to sing.'
Bradford couldn't think of anything more amusing. 'I'm going to wear Cook's apron so that the viscount won't ruin my gown,' Caroline interjected. Her father shot her a look that told her the remark was not the thing, and Caroline lowered her eyes in embarrassment. She really must learn to keep her mouth shut, she thought. Heavens, was she becoming a chatterbox like Charity, telling her every thought?
Bradford appreciated her jest. 'Both Milford and I will be in attendance,' he promised even as he wondered how he would twist an invitation out of Clay-mere. He knew the viscount wanted to court Caroline
He couldn't allow it, of course. No one was going to have Caroline Richmond but Jered Marcus Benton.
'Does every party begin past bedtime?' Caroline asked her father. She yawned. The rocking motion of the enclosed carriage lulled her into a sleepy state.
'You're an early riser,' Charity remarked. 'I slept until noon and feel wonderful,' she added. 'Caroline, do pinch your cheeks again. You look pale.' Caroline complied, yawning once again.
'I believe you will both enjoy yourselves tonight,' the earl announced. 'The Claymeres are a fine family. Did I tell you that the viscount's little sisters are going to perform for us?'
Caroline nodded. She closed her eyes for the rest of the journey and listened to the conversation that flowed between her father and her cousin. Charity was in a fine pitch, since Bradford's note had arrived earlier in the evening. The note was scrawled in a bold style and was to the point. He wrote that he would arrive at ten in the morning and would escort Charity and Caroline to Bleachley's. His last line asked, 'Is that considerate enough for you?'
Once Caroline had received Bradford's help, she explained the situation to her father. He agreed to allow her to go, but added that she was to be back by one o'clock so that they could go to her uncle's home for afternoon tea.
Bradford hadn't arrived before them, and Caroline was disappointed. The viscount kept her busy and wide awake. He stepped on her toes more than once and his apologies were more painful than the injury. He simply didn't know when to stop, and his kindness drove Caroline to distraction.
Bradford arrived just minutes before the recital began. Caroline was seated in the back row, with Charity on one side and her father on the other. It wasn't an accidental arrangement. Caroline had forced both of them down beside her so that the viscount would have to sit elsewhere.
Little Clarissa turned out to be a good fifty pounds overweight. She took a long while getting ready and then began to play, again and again, until Caroline lost count of the number of beginnings. The poor girl was trying her best but that proved only adequate. Caroline closed her eyes and tried to listen. And then she drifted off to sleep.
Bradford leaned against the far wall, trying not to let his face mirror his thoughts. He vowed that if that girl began just one more time, he would leap across the audience, grab Caroline, and make for the door.
Milford entered the room, circled the group, and came to stand beside his friend. 'What has you grinning?' he asked his friend in a low voice so as not to disturb the Claymere chit.
'The fact that I am here, suffering this mockery of Mozart so that I can be close to Caroline,' Bradford admitted.
'And where is she?' Milford asked, glancing around the room.
Bradford looked to the back row and then started to laugh. Several people glanced over at him and he nodded a greeting, trying all the while to regain his bored look. 'She's in the middle of the back row, sleeping.'
'So she is,' Milford whispered with a chuckle. 'Smart girl,' he remarked.
Caroline slept through little Clarissa's recital. There was a brief flurry, a slight intermission, while Clarissa waited for her sister to prepare her music.
The Earl of Braxton took the opportunity to change seats, for he was eager to hear Catherine Claymere. The viscount had promised that Catherine was quite wonderful and was gifted with a clear sopranic voice. When Charity followed her uncle, both Bradford and Milford took their chairs. Bradford sat on Caroline's right and Milford flanked her left side. 'Do we nudge her awake?' Milford lazily inquired.
'Only if she begins to snore,' Bradford replied. 'God, she's beautiful when she sleeps,' he said.
'Are you still getting her out of your blood?' Milford asked with lazy interest.
Bradford didn't answer. He had thought, in the beginning, to take what he wanted and then give her up to another. That plan was displeasing now. He was saved from answering when Clarissa launched into the opening for her sister.
It was almost pleasant, until Catherine opened her mouth and began to sing. The sound was ear-piercing. Bradford was pleased by it, however, because the horrid noise jarred Caroline. She visibly jumped, grabbed hold of Bradford's thigh, and let out a gasp.
Then she remembered where she was and what she was about. She blushed, more because she had fallen asleep than because of her odious reaction to the woman screeching like a trapped bird.
Bradford covered her hand with his, and only then did she realize where she had placed it. She pulled away, giving him a disgruntled look, and turned to immediately smile at Milford.
'Tell me your trick so that I may sleep through this ordeal,' Milford whispered.
Caroline had to lean in his direction to hear what he was saying and found herself suddenly hauled back by Bradford.
She folded her hands in her lap and ignored Bradford, staring straight ahead. Bradford stretched and before she could stop him, his arm was draped around her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off but it was a useless endeavor. 'Behave yourself,' she muttered. 'What will people think?'
'That I have staked a claim,' Bradford returned. His fingers began to massage the back of Caroline's neck and she found herself fighting the heady sensation.
'Your friend lacks all manners,' she told a grinning Milford.
'I have told him so on numerous occasions,' Milford whispered back.
She knew, from the silly expression on his face, that she would get no help from him and sighed with exasperation. Then she tried to stand up and find another chair. Heaven help her, she would take a place in the front row and suffer through Catherine's vocal fits if she had to.
Bradford wouldn't let her move. He applied subtle pressure on her shoulders.
'I really wish to be excused,' Caroline whispered. She tried then to outstare him, thinking to embarrass him. She failed with that plan, for Bradford just stared back, grinning a lopsided grin that tugged at her heart.
When Catherine finished singing, there was a polite round of applause. Several people started to stand, including Bradford and Caroline, but then Catherine launched into another song. Everyone collapsed back into their chairs-everyone but Caroline, who took advantage of the opportunity and scooted out of the row. She smiled because Bradford was powerless to stop her.
She hurried up the stairs after asking the maid where she could freshen up. There were several people milling about on the lower floor, but the second story was curiously deserted. At the end of a long corridor Caroline found the washroom. There was a full-length mirror inside and Caroline took her time primping.
She didn't have to pinch her cheeks to give them color now. Bradford had taken care of her pale appearance, just by being there, she thought. He caused her to blush inside and out!
Caroline opened the door and found the hallway dark. Someone had smothered the candles that led the way to the steps. She thought it odd and cautiously made her way down the hallway. She had just reached the top of the stairs when she thought she heard a muffled noise behind her. Caroline began to turn, her left hand casually resting on the banister, when she was suddenly propelled forward.
There wasn't even time to scream. She literally flew through the air and frantically tried to grab hold of the railing.
