The Rake's Rebellious Lady (21 page)

Caroline looked back at her brother. For a few minutes he continued to urge his horses on, but then he seemed to realise that the race was over, for he let his pace slow and dropped behind. They were entering the outskirts of the fashionable spa town now, and the press of traffic would have made it impossible for the race to continue. As they passed the Abbey church, Caroline looked back and her brother saluted her.

She laughed and turned to Freddie. ‘Nicolas has just saluted you, Freddie. He acknowledges that yours were the better horses.’

‘I doubt there was much between them,’ Freddie said. ‘I knew the road well, perhaps better than your brother.’

‘Oh, no, I do not think it was only that,’ she said. ‘You have the best hands I have ever seen, Freddie. It was your driving that made the difference.’

‘I would not advise you to say as much to your brother,’ Freddie said and grinned at her. ‘I trust you are pleased, Caroline—though I noticed that you wished Nicolas luck, but did not do the same for me.’

‘You did not need luck,’ she said and her eyes were mischievous. ‘I had every confidence in your driving, sir.’

‘Thank you. I shall take that as a compliment,’ he said. ‘I believe I shall have to take your driving in hand before I allow you to handle my greys.’

‘I love to drive,’ Caroline said. ‘I only wish I were able to practise more.’

‘We may soon put things right when we are married,’ Freddie said. ‘You shall have your own rig, Caroline. Something suitable for a lady, and then you may drive yourself when you wish.’

‘I wish that I might,’ Caroline said, suddenly rather sad. ‘I
know that I said I would marry you, Freddie, and you mustn’t think that I don’t want to. I do love you with all my heart—only I am not sure I can marry you in the circumstances.’

Freddie glanced at her. ‘You mean because of what your grandfather said, I suppose. You know that we do not need his permission? Your brothers have already signified their approval, and I dare say Mrs Holbrook will look favourably on my suit.’

‘Yes, I am sure Mama will say yes,’ Caroline said, but hesitated. ‘But…Grandfather threatened to change his will again if I disobeyed him. For myself I care nothing for it, but Tom has had such a difficult time since my father died. And then there’s Nicolas. He has only a small trust fund from his maternal grandfather, and must support himself.’

‘Bollingbrook threatened to disinherit them if you married me?’

‘Yes,’ Caroline said, pleased that he had grasped the situation at once. ‘It kept me awake all night, for I could see no way out of the predicament. I dare say you will not mind if I have no dowry, but how can I deprive my brothers of their fortunes?’

‘Do you know the size of this inheritance?’ Freddie had slowed his horse to a walk now. He raised his hat to an acquaintance passing in a similar vehicle.

‘I believe Tom said it may be in the region of two hundred thousand pounds—divided between us and the son in Jamaica.’

Freddie whistled softly. ‘That is indeed a considerable sum of money. I had not realised Bollingbrook was in possession of such a fortune—and that, I imagine, does not include the entail?’

‘Oh, no, that is entirely different, and not worth the half of it, I dare say,’ Caroline said. ‘Nicolas wondered if my uncles might
have got wind of the change to his will, and if they could possibly have commissioned the attempts to kill Tom—and me.’

‘What happens to the money if you or your brothers should die before your grandfather?’

‘I believe the money would go to the fourth beneficiary.’

‘The Jamaican?’ Freddie nodded thoughtfully. ‘I think that there may be something in it after all. Two hundred thousand pounds is a great deal of money.’

‘Yes, that is what Tom has always said,’ Caroline told him, frowning. ‘It might have been better had Grandfather never altered his will.’

‘Yes, perhaps,’ Freddie agreed, ‘but we must not jump to conclusions too soon, Caroline.’ He was drawing to a halt in front of one of the fashionable houses in the Royal Crescent. ‘As for this other business—does your grandfather’s blessing mean a great deal to you?’

‘I would have been pleased to have it if he had given it freely,’ Caroline admitted. ‘I have always been fond of him—but it is Tom and Nicolas that matter most.’

‘Yes, I see,’ Freddie said and smiled as he handed her down. His groom, who had gone on ahead of him with the baggage coach, was waiting for them, and came to take the reins from him. Freddie knocked at the front door and stood with Caroline on the pavement as they waited for an answer. ‘Do not worry too much about this for the moment, Caroline. Bollingbrook may have been bluffing—and when he thinks about it, he may wish to reconsider. I shall call another day to speak with Mrs Holbrook—but for now I shall leave you. There are some matters of business I must attend to.’ As the door was opened by a maid wearing a neat black gown and white apron, he nodded to Caroline and, lifting her hand to
his lips, dropped a kiss within the palm. That and the smile which accompanied it sent a little shiver of pleasure down her spine.

‘Thank you for the pleasure of your company, Caroline. It was most enjoyable.’

Caroline felt a thrill of delight. She could only agree with him, returning his smile before entering the house. Her mother came into the hall as she did so, running towards her with outstretched arms.

‘Caroline, my love. It is so good to see you! I had your letter about your grandfather and I wondered if you would feel that you must stay with him for a little longer?’

‘He would not have it so,’ Caroline said and embraced her. ‘Besides, I fear that he is not pleased with me at the moment. I have a great deal to tell you, Mama.’

‘Well, put off your bonnet and then come into the parlour,’ Mrs Holbrook said. ‘I am alone at the moment, though Mr Milbank dines with us this evening. I did not wish to go out on your first evening in Bath—but where is your brother?’

‘He will be here shortly,’ Caroline said. ‘I came with Sir Frederick and Nicolas…followed us.’

‘Sir Frederick brought you?’ Mrs Holbrook was somewhat surprised. ‘There was no mention of that when your baggage arrived earlier.’

‘No, Mama. But I wanted to tell you…’ She followed her mother into the small parlour, but just as Mrs Holbrook had finished telling the maid that she was to serve them tea and buttered muffins in twenty minutes, there was a commotion in the hall and Nicolas came striding in.

‘Ah, there you are, puss,’ Nicolas hailed her in high good humour. ‘Sir Freddie is not here, I gather? I must seek him
out to pay him the twenty guineas I owe him. That was a capital race and the way he passed me was a masterpiece. I declare he is a fine whip, one of the best I’ve met.’

‘What is that?’ Mrs Holbrook looked from her son to her daughter. ‘Please tell me that you do not mean… Caroline! You did not take part in a curricle race?’

‘Well, Sir Freddie was driving a phaeton, but, yes, I did, Mama.’

‘You were with Sir Frederick on the high road—racing your brother?’ Mrs Holbrook made a moaning sound and put a hand to her face. ‘You might have been killed…both of you. Not to mention the scandal…’

‘But no one knows,’ Caroline said, her cheeks warm. ‘And we are perfectly safe, Mama. Sir Freddie took no risks, I promise you. He has the best hands of any whip I’ve seen and he has promised to teach me to drive so that—’ She was silenced as she saw her mother’s expression. ‘Honestly, Mama, no one will know that we raced.’

‘Depend upon it, someone saw you,’ her mother said and looked at her accusingly. ‘You must know that you were the subject of some gossip in town, Caroline. We brushed through that right and tight thanks to Lady Stroud—but it is enough that you drove here with Sir Frederick alone, for I dare say you did not have a maid or a groom?’ Caroline’s guilty look was enough to confirm her fears. ‘That on its own would cause talk—but if anyone should learn that you actually raced…’ She sank down into one of the comfortable chairs with an air of despair. ‘I think you have ruined yourself.’

‘No such thing, Mama,’ Nicolas said, guiltily aware that in his excitement he had given his sister away. ‘I dare say Caroline may drive with her fiancé, may she not?’

‘Her fiancé?’ Mrs Holbrook stared at her, anxiety and hope warring in her breast. ‘Do you tell me you are engaged to him?’

‘Yes,’ said Nicolas.

‘Well, perhaps…’ said Caroline.

‘Which is it?’ Mrs Holbrook asked and fanned her cheeks with the ladies’ magazine she had been reading before her children arrived. ‘You have quite overset me, Caroline. I am not at all sure that I should wish you to marry him. It seems to me that he is hardly a suitable husband for a young lady—where is his notion of propriety?!’

‘I wanted to be part of it, Mama,’ Caroline said. ‘I was not frightened and it is not fair that I should be excluded from all the fun just because I am a girl.’

‘I am glad that you did not say lady,’ her mother said, ‘for your behaviour has been anything but ladylike. I would send you to your room to reflect on your waywardness—but please explain, are you or are you not engaged to be married?’

‘Freddie has asked me and I have said yes,’ Caroline said, ‘but Grandfather has forbidden it. He says he shall not give me a dowry if I disobey him. And…’ she glanced at Nicolas ‘…he says he shall change his will again. You and Tom will get nothing if I marry against his wishes.’

‘A fig for that!’ Nicolas said and snapped his fingers. ‘I ain’t saying that it wouldn’t be a fine thing to inherit some money—but I ain’t prepared to be the cause of your unhappiness, puss. Tom would say the same.’

‘I am not sure that he would,’ Caroline said. ‘He has had so much trouble to pull the estate together and he would have been the main benefactor, I think.’

‘Well, there’s no telling that the old gentleman wouldn’t
pull caps with him over something else,’ Nicolas said. ‘We all know what Bollingbrook’s temper is. He may change his will fifty times before he’s done for. Besides, I should not let it worry you, puss. He will regret his harshness to you when he has thought it over. And then he will send to make things up to you, I imagine.’

‘Freddie said as much,’ Caroline said. ‘He does not care for my dowry, no more do I—but I do care for you and Tom, Nicolas.’

‘I wish that one of you would consider my feelings in all this,’ Mrs Holbrook said in a faint voice. ‘I declare that I have a headache coming on. You really are the most troublesome of children. I shall go up to my room and lie down.’

‘Sorry, puss,’ Nicolas said as the door closed behind their mother. ‘I never thought she would cut up rough like that over it.’

‘It does not matter,’ Caroline said. ‘Poor Mama. We must be such a trial to her. You will not tell her about the Jamaican business? I fear that she would be distressed by it.’

‘Lord, no!’ Nicolas ejaculated. ‘Sir Freddie said that it was not so very terrible, but it would cause rather more scandal than the fact that you took part in a race.’

‘Yes, I think it would. What Grandfather did was perhaps not so very bad, but it is best if Mama does not hear of it.’

‘She shall not from any of us.’

‘Do you think this other thing…the attempts on my life…? If indeed it was truly an attempt to kill me. It might simply have been a poacher misfiring, you know.’ Caroline sighed. ‘I do not think we should tell Mama that someone tried to kill me, Nicolas. It would upset her.’

‘We did consider that it might have been a poacher, but Sir Freddie was of the opinion that it was unlikely. As for telling Mama, I would not dream of it. I dare say she would make a run for home and keep you under lock and key. Though for myself, I think you may be safe enough for a while,’ Nicolas said. ‘Sir Freddie winged the fellow who shot at you. We cannot know if it was merely a hired assassin or the originator of these crimes himself, but it must give whoever it is pause for thought either way.’

‘Well, I shall certainly be careful not to go far alone,’ Caroline said. ‘Sir Freddie is coming to see Mama in a few days. If she gives her permission…’

‘You must consent to an engagement,’ Nicolas said. ‘You cannot give up your chance of happiness for a whim of the old gentleman. He has no right to demand it of you—and to hold such a threat over your head is wicked. I think I shall tell him he may keep his money, for the promise of it has brought nothing but trouble.’

‘Oh, Nicolas…’ She looked at him unhappily. ‘Do not burn your boats for my sake.’ He must not throw his chances away, especially as it was not yet certain that Freddie would wish to marry her once he knew she might have some dreadful hereditary illness.

‘I dare say I shall get along without it,’ he said and grinned at her. ‘I shall have to hang out for an heiress, puss.’

‘Oh, dearest,’ she said and laughed. ‘When do you return to your regiment?’

‘I shall stay with you for two days, and then I must leave,’ he told her. ‘I’ll see if I can bring Mama round this evening. I dare say she will have forgiven us by the time she has dressed for dinner.’

* * *

Caroline watched her brother leave. She sat down and waited until the maid brought the tea tray, asking her if she would carry something up to Mrs Holbrook’s room.

After the maid had gone she bit into a delicious fruity muffin, the butter dripping on to her chin as she stared at nothing in particular. What ought she to do for the best? Nicolas had been so supportive over her predicament, but she knew that her grandfather’s money would go a long way to helping both of her brothers. Could she really deprive them of their inheritance? And there was the matter of her grandmother’s weak heart. She did not think that she could bear to live without Freddie for the rest of her life. Even the thought of it brought tears to her eyes.

* * *

‘Damn you!’ the Marquis growled as Jenkins brought him a small measure of brandy. ‘What is that supposed to be?’

‘With your lordship in a state of choleric, brandy is the worst thing you can have,’ Jenkins said imperturbably. ‘And it ain’t a bit of good glaring at me that way, sir. It ain’t going to change a thing.’

‘Do you think I don’t know that?’

‘Well, you ain’t been thinking much of late, sir.’