His sweet regard washed over her so intensely that she must have been glowing. He made her feel as if she was too precious for words, and she hurried over to him and clasped his hands. He dipped down to steal a quick kiss.
“You missed supper,” he said, “and I was afraid you might have experienced some difficulties with Gregory or your uncle.”
“My cousin, Janet, thought they might have locked me in a closet.”
He was aghast. “Would they have?”
She laughed. “No. They like to boss and coerce me, but they’ve never been cruel.”
“I shall pray that stays true.”
“I’m definitely stirring a pot that has everyone boiling. Lucretia Starling stopped by a bit ago.”
“What did she want?”
“Mostly to scare me, I think. And to insist I was completely wrong about her and Gregory, and I shouldn’t spread gossip that might ruin her reputation.”
“What gall.” He snorted with amusement. “She has no reputation to protect.”
“That’s what I told her.”
“I don’t suppose your insult was enthusiastically received.”
“No, but she’s leaving in the morning, so I’m shed of her.”
She went by him and into her room. He didn’t enter, but stood in the doorway, observing as she lit a candle on the dresser.
As she whirled to face him, he said, “I never asked you why your bedchamber is in this modest spot in this deserted hallway. Why aren’t you lodged with the rest of your family? Please don’t tell me they forced you to use this one.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. This is where my grandfather put me when I first arrived as a little girl. Initially, it was lonely and frightening, but back then, every minute of my life was frightening. After Uncle Samson took charge of the manor, I could have moved over to a bigger, prettier suite, but I like this one. It fits me.”
“You have small wishes.”
“I don’t require much to be happy.”
“Is the wedding still off?”
“Yes. I haven’t talked to Gregory though. I’ve been hiding from him, so we haven’t hashed it out, but I won’t be able to avoid him forever.”
He chuckled, his fondness even more apparent, and she was perched on tenterhooks, wondering what he was thinking. Had he, by chance, suffered any of the excitement she’d been suffering? Might he be pondering a closer acquaintance too?
She wasn’t very adept at flirtation, but they seemed to be at a point where a remarkable conclusion could present itself. Though it was probably silly, she wouldn’t discount her connection to his father. She felt as if Captain Ralston had brought Caleb to her, and she wouldn’t let him walk away without a fight.
She realized she was holding her breath, expecting him to offer a comment that would be an overture to their discussing the important matters churning below the surface. But suddenly, he straightened and smoothed his expression, his affection vanishing in an instant.
She heard footsteps, then Gregory said, “Hello, Ralston. Fancy meeting you here.”
Caleb didn’t respond to Gregory’s greeting. He flicked a commiserating glance at Caroline, and he was acting nonchalant, as if he’d strolled past by accident. She allowed herself a moment of self-pity over the conversation that had just been lost, then she braced for the pending confrontation.
Gregory stomped toward Caroline’s door. It was peculiar to find Ralston lurking, but he was too irked to be curious about it.
He’d known Caroline since she was five, when she’d been dumped on their Grandfather Walter by the navy. The story of the three Lost Girls had riveted the kingdom, and she’d been an oddity, like an exotic specimen in the freak show at the circus.
Neighbors had visited to gawk at her. She’d been tiny and quiet, and she’d stared at people with those huge blue eyes of hers. Because she’d rarely spoken, there had been speculation that she was deaf or dim-witted, but it had turned out she was simply traumatized.
A doctor had examined her, and he’d claimed she was merely plagued by lingering shock, which would gradually fade, and it had. Once Walter had died and Samson had taken over, she’d quickly improved, growing so ordinary that it was hard to recollect how eccentric she’d seemed in the beginning.
If Gregory had been prone to much reflection, he’d have wondered how she’d managed to be such a sweet, pleasant adult. She’d finished her schooling and had commenced running the house for Samson. She was a fair, firm, and sociable young lady whom the servants and neighbors adored.
She’d always minded her manners and did as she was told. She’d obeyed the men in her life who were placed above her as the Good Lord intended, the two main ones being Gregory and his father.
What had happened to her? In recent days, she’d become a shrew he didn’t recognize. How was he to view such a metamorphosis? And how could he change her back into the polite, compliant person she’d been previously?
“Would you excuse us, Ralston?” he said. “I have to confer privately with my cousin.”
Ralston didn’t move though, but asked Caroline, who was inside the room, “What is your opinion, Miss Grey? Would you like to be alone with him?”
Gregory heard Caroline’s heavy sigh. “I suppose I should get this over with.”
“Shall I tarry and listen in on the discussion?” Ralston asked her.
“No, no,” Caroline replied. “I’ll be fine.”
“Of course she’ll be fine,” Gregory said. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
Still, Ralston ignored Gregory and addressed Caroline. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. You go on. I can handle this.”
Ralston tipped his head to her, as if he was perfectly happy to do her bidding. Then he whipped his caustic focus to Gregory.
“I’ll see you downstairs in a bit,” Ralston said like a threat. “You and I have business to conduct, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t waste too much time with her.”
“This won’t take long.” Gregory truly expected it wouldn’t. “I’ll be down shortly.”
Ralston shared a final glance with
