He was grinning, as if the situation was funny, but she didn’t deem it to be amusing in the slightest. She removed the tiara and scrutinized the gems, tracing her thumb over them, wondering how someone even shopped for such a thing. It was beyond her comprehension.
How had Gregory become involved with a woman who would relish such pricey trinkets? They’d been poor when they were children, living under her grandfather’s miserly thumb. What had changed him? The money? Or, deep down, had he always been greedy and corrupt?
The satchel slid off her lap, and she was too dumbfounded to reach for it. Caleb snatched it away, the tiara too, and placed them on the table. Then he leaned against the sideboard and stared at her from across the room.
“This is too bizarre to be true,” she ultimately said.
“I agree, except that it is true.”
“I’m speechless.”
“You could shake yourself out of your stupor and say, Thank you, Caleb.”
In a mocking tone, she repeated, “Thank you, Caleb.”
“You should exhibit more sincerity. I mean, let’s review what I’ve done for you the past week: I forced my brother to marry Janet. I unraveled the mystery of Janet’s nonexistent trust fund. I learned you are an heiress. I discovered the massive theft committed by your relatives. I yanked their fingers out of your accounts, so they can never steal from you again. I had them arrested, and I guarantee they’ll be prosecuted and receive appropriate sentences. And I evicted them from Grey’s Corner.”
“Who’s in charge at home?”
“Mrs. Scruggs is holding down the fort until you arrive to take charge.”
“Why would I take charge at Grey’s Corner?”
“Keep up with me, Caro.” He scoffed with exasperation. “Your grandfather mortgaged the property over and over, and after he died, your uncle used your trust fund to pay off the debts your grandfather had incurred.”
“The property is mine?”
“Probably. We have to work out the details, but Gregory and Samson can’t make a claim to it. It was your money that saved it from foreclosure.” He put a palm to his ear. “Was there a thank you in there somewhere? A genuine thank you? If so, I didn’t hear it.”
She smirked. “Yes. Thank you.”
She was completely befuddled, trying to absorb what he’d shared. She was rich. Grey’s Corner was hers. Her uncle and cousin were incarcerated. Everything she’d believed about herself, everything she’d ever been told, was a lie.
“Would you pinch me?” She extended her arm. “I need to be sure I’m not dreaming.”
“You’re not dreaming. This is really happening.”
“What now?” she asked. “How am I to handle all of this?”
“I have some ideas about it.”
She snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
He poured himself another whiskey, and he sipped it, both of them quiet. He’d imparted a thousand wild facts that had altered every aspect of her life, but they hadn’t delved into any of the issues that separated them. He still owned a gambling club. He still helped men ruin themselves.
He was still the kind of scoundrel who would wager over a maiden’s virginity.
“You’re obscenely wealthy,” he eventually said, “so monumental changes are on the horizon for you.”
“I don’t necessarily concur. I’ll still be plain old Caroline Grey, from Grey’s Corner.”
“No, you’ll be heiress, Caroline Grey, a prosperous spinster who resides at her ostentatious manor in the country.”
She chuckled at that. “Who will know? I can’t exactly picture me strolling around the kingdom and blabbing it to people.”
“The news will leak out. This type of secret is difficult to keep. Especially if your uncle and cousin have a public trial. You’ll be in the newspapers, and I can see it now.” He gestured theatrically, as if reading a large headline. “‘Little Caro, Mystery Girl of the Caribbean, is an Heiress! Little Caro Betrayed by her Male Kin!’”
“I couldn’t bear to be in the newspapers. My first experience when I was five wasn’t all that thrilling.”
“You’re about to have suitors swarming.”
She sputtered with amusement. “I doubt that very much.”
“Every scapegrace, wastrel, and aristocrat’s son in the land will beat a path to your door.” He downed his drink and set the glass on the sideboard with a loud thud. “And that, Caro, is a situation I simply can’t permit.”
“What situation? Me, having suitors? You’re being even more ridiculous than usual.”
“Here is what we’re going to do.”
“What we are going to do?”
“Yes, and I won’t argue about it.”
He went over to the satchel, and he searched in it and pulled out a ring. He walked over and waved it under her nose. It was a modest piece of jewelry, a gold band with a pretty diamond in the center, and precisely the design she’d have selected for herself if given the opportunity.
“I didn’t think to bring one of my own,” he said, “so this one will have to satisfy you for the moment.”
She scowled. “What are you talking about?”
To her consternation, he dropped to a knee and clasped her hand. A man only placed himself in that position for one reason, and her scowl deepened. She was actually quite aghast.
“Are you about to propose?”
“Yes, so be silent and listen to me for once.”
“You’re awfully confident that you can persuade me, but we should review a few pertinent facts. Namely, that you asked me previously, and I decided I’m not interested.”
“Yes, but you were being absurd, so you don’t get to have an opinion about it.”
She tried to yank away, but he tightened his grip and wouldn’t release her. Before she realized what he intended, he’d slid the ring onto her finger. The blasted thing fit perfectly.
“We’ve been fighting,” she said, “and you’re being a bully.”
“We’re done fighting,” he ludicrously replied, “so how could I be bullying you?”
“I don’t want to marry you!”
She was shocked that the words had spilled out of her mouth. She wasn’t certain what she wanted and what she didn’t, but of course, the rude oaf ignored her.
“You’re dying to wed me,” he
