Caleb peered out the window, but no matter how fervidly he stared, he never saw Caro returning. It was dark outside, and she was out in the city alone, with no friends to assist her. Any mishap could befall her, and if she wound up imperiled, he might strangle Blake.
It had taken several hours for them to realize she was missing. After Caleb had quarreled with her, he’d assumed she was fuming in her bedchamber. He hadn’t been overly keen to re-ignite their spat, so he’d waited for her to calm down and come downstairs, but she hadn’t.
Finally, when supper had been served, he’d had a housemaid check on her, only to discover she wasn’t there. Apparently, she’d crept away while no one was watching.
She’d shucked off the gown Sybil had provided to her, and instead, she’d donned the tattered garment she’d been wearing when she’d stumbled into his gambling club. He comprehended her message: She didn’t want anything from him. Not even a loaned dress.
He whirled on Blake. His brother was over on the sofa, looking maltreated and a tad gallant, as if he was a scuffed hero in a theatrical drama. The skin under his eyes was black and blue, and he had a chunk of ice wrapped in a cloth. He was pressing it to his swollen nose.
“She’s vanished, probably for good,” Caleb said to him. “Are you happy now?”
“Don’t blame me for your stupid bet with Gregory Grey.”
“I don’t blame you for that. I blame you for talking about it as Caroline was lurking down the hall.”
“How was I supposed to know she was eavesdropping? The bloody woman had some nerve, sneaking up on us like that.”
“I swear, if you utter one more idiotic comment about her, I’ll bash out a few of your teeth too.”
Blake scoffed. “Someday, I’ll learn how to fight dirty, so you won’t be able to pummel me anymore.”
“Keep hope alive, Blake.”
They’d often resolved their differences with fisticuffs, but Caleb always won any skirmish. Blake never thought he was in the wrong, so he was never prepared for Caleb to lash out. Blake was like a stubborn mule, and he wouldn’t pay attention unless he was whacked right between the eyes.
“I can’t imagine how you’ll ever persuade her to forgive you,” Blake said.
“I can’t either.”
“I’m sorry about all of this. I like Miss Grey, and I hate that I upset her. I apologize to you too. I was trying to make a joke, but I guess it wasn’t funny.”
“That is the understatement of the century.”
Blake mumbled into his pack of ice, “I might know where she is.”
“You might know? You’ve been sitting there like a bump on a log, and it didn’t dawn on you that I might like to hear your theory?”
“I wasn’t sure if I should confess it or not.”
Caleb walked over, yanked the ice away, and tossed it on the floor. “Where is it you presume she might be? And don’t you dare lie to me!”
“Her cousin, Janet, ran away from Grey’s Corner, and at breakfast, I might have mentioned to Miss Grey where Janet is living. I wrote down the directions, so she likely went there. Wouldn’t she have?”
Caleb’s temper flared. “How would you just happen to be cognizant of where Janet Grey is living?”
“Well, I might have helped her move to town.”
Caleb’s rage bubbled so hotly he was surprised the top of his head didn’t blow off. “Why, pray tell, would you have involved yourself?”
“You remember that I was flirting with her in the country, and she’s very fond of me. As I was leaving, she might have begged to come along.”
“Why would you have listened to her?”
“She can be very adamant.”
“She’s an unmarried maiden, Blake! Do you understand the ramifications that may be approaching? You’ll be lucky if her father doesn’t show up to escort you to the altar, and he will have a very big gun pointed at your backside.”
“Nobody knows about us.”
“Famous last words.” Caleb bristled. “Have you ruined her?”
“No, no, we’re just friends,” Blake insisted much too hastily. “I was worried about her being in the city all alone, so I assisted her. That’s it.”
Blake struggled valiantly to hold Caleb’s gaze, but he was so bad at prevarication. It was why his mischief constantly unraveled.
“Might she be increasing?” Caleb asked.
Blake blanched—as if the notion had never occurred to him. He’d trifled with paramours in the past, but Caleb had demanded he pick loose doxies who were adept in the bedchamber. He wasn’t to ever choose reputable women where he might be ensnared by a carnal calamity.
What was he thinking? He was scheduled to return to his post in another week. Would they be having a quick wedding before he sailed?
“She’s not increasing,” Blake said, but he gulped with dismay.
“You’re not God, so how can you be certain? If she is, the navy won’t let you slink away like the cur you are. Nor will I. If you refuse to step up, they’ll drum you out of the service, and after the trouble I suffered to keep you in it, I’m not about to have you destroy your career over a female.”
“You’re making too much of this.”
“In my view, I’m not making nearly enough. You’re about to put a ring on her finger. Are you ready to be a husband? Why am I convinced that the answer to that question is a resounding no?”
“She’d never agree to wed me,” Blake blithely stated, “despite how you nag.”
“Oh, really?” Caleb snidely inquired. “Why is that?”
“She’s a radical intellectual who plans to carry on outside the bounds of normal society. She reads books by those blue-stocking spinsters, and she believes marriage is a trap. She’d never allow herself to be caught in it.”
Caleb gaped at his brother, then he laughed miserably. “If that’s what you suppose, then you’re even more of a dunce than I realized.”
“She’s very firm in her attitudes.”
“A woman doesn’t get to decide. A woman can’t fornicate until she spits out a bastard. It’s
