“For pity’s sake,” she complained, then, braced for anything, she glanced around to discover what they’d arranged.
“I warned them not to lock you in,” Caleb said. “I was certain you wouldn’t like it, but Barrett can be an ogre when he’s riled.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you suppose?”
“I have no idea. I could have sworn I was very clear in London: I’m not ready to smooth over our differences.”
He shrugged from over by the hearth. “I told Barrett you were still too angry, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
A flood of emotions washed through her. She was ecstatically happy to see him, but she was also still incredibly furious over his behavior with Gregory. The dueling viewpoints warred inside her, and she couldn’t decide which one should control her portion of the conversation.
With every fiber of her being, she yearned to race over and fall into his arms. She’d wax on about how much she’d missed him, how sorry she was that they’d fought, how desperately she’d prayed that he would chase her down in the country.
Yet at the same time, she wasn’t prepared to address any of the issues separating them. She feared she’d make concessions she shouldn’t make, that she would accept apologies she shouldn’t heed.
She whirled away and pounded on the door. “Luke, would you let me out? I can’t talk to Mr. Ralston at the moment. I’m too livid.”
“I can’t oblige you, Caroline,” Luke said. “You have to exert more effort than this.”
“Libby! How about you? Will you release me?”
“Luke won’t give me the key,” Libby claimed.
Behind her, Caleb snorted with annoyance. “It’s futile to argue with Barrett. From what I’ve witnessed recently, it’s a waste of breath.”
She glared at him, but her severe look had no effect. He walked to the sideboard and poured himself a whiskey. He leaned against it, sipping his liquor, studying her as a hawk studies a mouse.
The silence stretched out, and finally, he said, “So. . . here we are.”
She pushed away from the door. If they would be forced to chat, she couldn’t bear to have Luke and Libby eavesdropping on the other side.
“It appears you have something to tell me,” she said. “Why don’t you begin, so we can wrap up this farce.”
“You are still so irate. I’m amazed to observe so much temper from you.”
“It’s a secret about me people don’t realize. I have an enormous temper, but I tamp it down and pretend to be content. I must admit that it’s quite refreshing to allow it to fly free.”
“I will confess to deserving a bit of your ire.”
“A bit!” she huffed.
“All right, all right, perhaps more than a bit.”
“Call me mad, but I thought we’d developed a strong bond.”
“I thought so too.”
“Then I discovered I don’t know any details about you that matter.”
“What you see with me is what you get. I spent a decade as a sailor, and I assumed I would die in the navy, but I was swept up in my brother’s mischief, and I had to resign. To support myself—and Sybil—I opened a gambling club. It’s the sum total of my biography. I wish you’d quit blaming me for landing on my feet.”
“I don’t blame you. I simply feel that a man who earns a living as you do—by ruining other men—isn’t a person I should esteem.”
He made a waffling motion with his hand, as if her remark was merely frivolous female babbling. “You constantly chastise me for other men being weak fools, so it’s pointless to mention yet again that I have never ruined anyone. They ruin themselves.”
“You pave the road for their destruction.”
He considered the accusation, then nodded. “I guess that’s a valid assessment.”
“After you left the navy, you could have started any business, but you picked wagering. Why? If you could explain such a corrupt choice, I might not be so judgmental.”
“I’m skilled with numbers and money. It seemed a natural path for me.”
She clucked her tongue with disapproval. She was eager to delve to the heart of whatever topic he’d come to discuss, but their main problem would always be his club. It sat in the center of the room like a huge elephant that wouldn’t move.
“Would you like to hear what I’ve been doing the past few days?” he said.
“Not really,” she replied, when in fact, she’d been pondering him incessantly.
From the minute he’d stopped by Janet’s in the middle of the night and had demanded Caroline answer the door, she’d been anxious for him to return and try again. She’d figured Janet would relent and tell him where she was, and every second she’d loafed at Barrett, she’d wondered when he’d ride up the lane.
In the meantime, she’d pictured him in town, where he was surrounded by rich, elegant people, and she’d been terribly afraid he would decide she wasn’t worth the trouble she’d caused him.
Now he’d blustered in, and apparently, he was determined to hash out their differences. She wanted that. Or maybe she didn’t. Ooh, she was so confused!
“First off,” he said, ignoring her comment that she wasn’t interested in his recent activities, “I got your cousin, Janet, married to my brother.”
“You did it?”
“Yes. I was worried I’d never be able to force them, but Barrett helped me. Between the two of us, they didn’t stand a chance.” There was a pause, where he waited for her response, then he said, “Well? Are you going to thank me?”
“Your brother is an immoral libertine, and ultimately, he behaved in the only appropriate way. Should I be grateful that it took significant effort to accomplish it?”
He scoffed. “You are a hard nut to crack, Caroline Grey.”
“Not usually. I’ve only been obstinate since I met you.”
“I don’t believe that. I think you were always obstinate, and I’ve simply given you excuses to unleash it.”
There was quite a bit of truth to the statement, so she wouldn’t argue about it. Instead, she asked, “Will Blake be a good husband to her? Or will he make her miserable
