Bradford nodded. 'And I'll also talk with my friends in the War Department.'
'When this is finished, you'll have a new war on your hands,' Milford decreed.
They both said her name together.
The next two weeks were unbearable for Caroline. At first she simply refused to believe that Bradford had deserted her. She used every excuse, every argument imaginable, until the night that she came face to face with him at Almacks and Bradford looked straight through her, as if she didn't exist. She had to accept the truth then. It was over.
Charity was outwardly more upset than Caroline. She ranted and raved that Bradford needed a good horsewhipping. And she inadvertently caused Caroline additional pain by telling her all the gossip concerning Bradford's notorious activities. The Duke of Bradford was back in circulation, supposedly bedding most of London's females. He was seen each night, and with a different woman on his arm. He was back to his old ways, gambling and drinking to excess. Everyone, including Charity, believed that Bradford was having the time of his life.
After her encounter with Bradford at Almacks, Caroline declined all further invitations. She stayed home night after night. She wrote a long letter to Caimen, pouring out her heart, but after Deighton had it sent off, she regretted her impulse. The letter would only cause her cousin worry, and there wasn't anything he could do to help her.
The Earl of Braxton had no idea of the strain Caroline was under. She always greeted him with a ready smile and seemed perfectly content to him. He accepted her excuse that she was tired of the constant round of parties and wanted to stay home to concentrate on Charity's wedding plans.
Caroline kept up the deception for her father's peace of mind. She realized her relationship with the earl was superficial at best but she only wished to protect him from worrying about her. He asked about Bradford often, and each time Caroline told him that the relationship had ended.
On Monday morning a letter arrived from Boston. It was filled with the latest news and laced with a multitude of questions concerning Charity and Caroline's activities. Uncle Henry gave his approval for his daughter's marriage and included a request for Benjamin to return to Boston as soon as possible. They were all in dire need of his direction with the new horses recently purchased and the seven foals born last spring.
Benjamin was eager to return. Caroline could see it in his eyes. 'You're homesick, aren't you?' she teased.
'I don't know how we'll manage without you,' Caroline's father remarked. 'We'll go back to starving,' he added. He left them alone then to see to travel arrangements.
Caroline didn't know how she would manage without Benjamin either, although she kept that worry to herself.
'We've been through it together, haven't we?' he asked Caroline.
She smiled and said, 'That we have.' She couldn't resist hugging him. 'I'll never forget you, friend. You were always there when I needed you.'
The following Monday, Caroline accompanied him to the harbor. The earl had provided a fine wardrobe for Benjamin and had included a heavy topcoat.
'Do you remember when you found me in the barn?' Benjamin asked when they said their farewell.
'It seems a century ago,' Caroline answered.
'You're on your own now, child. I'll stay if you ask me to,' he added. 'I owe you my life.'
'As I owe you mine,' Caroline returned. 'Your future is in Boston, Benjamin. Don't worry about me.'
'If you ever need me-' Benjamin began.
'I know.' Caroline interrupted. 'I'll be fine, really.'
She wasn't fine, of course, and cried all the way home.
It was difficult not to wallow in self-pity. Caroline did her best to maintain a cheerful disposition. The first snow covered London and still she did not hear from Bradford.
She accepted an invitation from Thomas Ives and accompanied him to a dinner party given by Lady Tillman. It was a boring evening but by going she pleased her father.
The next day she paid her uncle Milo a visit. Franklin hadn't arrived yet, and she and the marquis had a pleasant conversation. He had heard that Benjamin had left for Boston and asked her to explain her relationship to him.
'I found him in the barn one morning,' Caroline said. 'He was a runaway and had made it all the way from the Virginias.' Caroline didn't give any more details, and her uncle was forced to prod her into telling him more.
'Your father said that he became your protector. Is Boston such a wild and savage land then?'
Caroline laughed. 'I believe you have described me, not Boston. I was constantly in mischief and Benjamin was always there, seeing to my safety. He saved my life more than once.'
Uncle Milo chuckled. 'Very like your mother,' he commented. 'But what about Benjamin? Can he be taken back to the South? Aren't there men who search out runaways for a price?'
Caroline frowned. 'It is true, there are men who make their profit by hunting slaves, but Benjamin is a freed man now. Papa, I mean Uncle Henry, sent Caimen to buy his papers.'
Franklin arrived then and immediately mentioned Bradford's name. Caroline schooled her expression and informed her uncle that she was no longer seeing the duke. That association had ended.
'Then you think to return to Boston?' Franklin inquired.
Caroline was mildly surprised by his question, wondering how he had jumped to such a conclusion. Uncle Milo was infuriated over his brother's remark. She had never seen him so distressed! It took almost an hour to convince him that she had no intention of leaving England, and she was finally able to soothe him.
Franklin then explained that he had heard rumors that she was going back to Boston and that Caroline's father had decided to marry the Tillman woman. According to the gossip, the earl was going to take his new bride and tour all of Europe before settling down with her in the country.
Caroline had just spent a good deal of time calming her uncle Milo, and Franklin's renewed challenge infuriated her. She told him that his remarks were ridiculous. With the situation in France brewing again, her father wouldn't venture outside of England. 'My father isn't going anywhere.'
'Well, if he does, you will move in with me,' Uncle Milo announced. He glared at his brother, obviously waiting for some sort of argument.
'A splendid idea,' Franklin returned. The subject was then dropped.
When Caroline returned home, she found a letter addressed to her. She picked it up from the hall table and went into the drawing room. She was thankful that she was alone, for when she read the horrid message inside, she let out a loud gasp of outrage. The first paragraph was filled with vile, hateful remarks about her character in general. The next paragraph was more specific. The push down Claymere's steps wasn't meant to kill her, only frighten her. And so was the carriage accident. She would die, the writer promised, all in due time. Destiny would be fulfilled, revenge gained! The letter ended with several terrifying descriptions of just how she would be killed.
Caroline didn't know what to do. She put the letter back in the envelope and hid it in her wardrobe. She wished with all her heart that Benjamin hadn't left! And then she got hold of herself and questioned Deighton for a description of the person who had delivered the letter.
Deighton knew nothing about the letter, nor did any of the rest of the staff. Caroline hid her alarm and her motives, saying only that she had found the letter on the hall table and wondered who had sent it. She explained that the letter wasn't signed.
Deighton was upset over the breach in conduct. It was his duty to see the door opened, and someone had dared venture into his territory! He insisted that the door was always locked and felt that one of the maids had opened it without his permission. And now the guilty party wouldn't own up to it.
Caroline left Deighton to his ramblings and went back upstairs. 'I'll bet Marie accepted the letter and is too afraid to admit it. She's always roaming around this house,' Mary Margaret muttered. 'Hasn't done an honest day's work yet. The food is back to being terrible now that Benjamin has left. The stupid woman didn't learn anything! I think Deighton should let her go.'
'Don't be so harsh,' Caroline admonished. She was thinking about Marie's family, Toby and Kirby, and knew that the cook was doing the best job she could. 'Show a little more patience, Mary Margaret. Marie needs the work. I'll have another talk with her soon,' she promised when it looked like her maid was going to protest again.
