“Perhaps.”
“And having returned from your tour, will you continue to live your life this way? Is not a clergyman and a gentleman expected to conform to society’s expectations as much as a lady is?”
“I think, Miss Bingley, it is time you stopped thinking so hard on such things, and simply lived a little more.” Mr. Hodge dipped his hand down into the water’s edge and splashed Caroline, accidentally spraying her face.
The cool, salty water shocked her and stung her eyes. “Why you!” she exclaimed, blinking. Mr. Hodge ran into the water to avoid her wrath. Abandoning all her reserve, Caroline chased after him. She scooped up the water with both arms and splashed at him in retaliation. Mr. Hodge only laughed and ran further in, kicking up water with his heels and spraying her even more while she followed and splashed him in return. He turned and returned fire, engaging in an all-out splashing war. Finally, he grabbed her by the waist and dragged her deeper into the water with him, briefly dunking her. She bobbed up, sputtering and laughing at the same time. Moments passed as they floated, riding the gentle waves up and down as they came in, their feet barely touching the sand below whenever the waves receded. Caroline suddenly became aware of how close they were. Mr. Hodge inched forward, until their bodies were nearly meeting. He looked at her with a longing, and she found an unknown desire well up in her in response. She did not shy away from him, and he took this as an invitation to bring his lips to hers. His kiss surprised her, soft and salty and wonderful all at the same time. Her heart beat loudly in her chest like a pounding drum.
The kiss was brief, and it shamed her to wish it had been longer. But a part of her still demanded she retain some sense of propriety.
“I er, I ought to be getting back,” she stammered, wondering if the color in her cheeks was as visible to him as it felt.
Mr. Hodge nodded. “Yes.”
He walked her the rest of the way to the bank leading up to Fairclough.
She had been gone a long time. Caroline wondered if her sister might come looking for her. Fearing being discovered with Mr. Hodge, she hurriedly bid him goodbye.
Mr. Hodge said, “Wait! Miss Bingley, I wondered, if you are able, would you meet me here on this beach again tomorrow, at the same time?”
Caroline’s smile grew as she turned back to look at him one last time. “I surely shall.”
S
Caroline felt as though there must be a million butterflies flapping their wings inside her. Her heart could not seem to quiet. She only had one name for her feelings towards Mr. Hodge. Love.
She had sensed these feelings growing within her the past few weeks, but it was not until they culminated in that shared kiss amidst the waves that she was able to identify the truth in her heart and put a name to it.
Her intention from the start may have been to attract Lord Connally, but the more she grew to know him, the more the idea repulsed her. The proud, idiotic dandy stood in sharp relief next to the kind gardener’s son. Would it be so bad if she married Mr. Hodge? After all, he was to be a clergyman, a most respectable occupation. His income would not be grand, but it would be sufficient to raise a family upon. Adding in the dividends from her own fortune, they could live quite comfortably. Besides, there would always be opportunities to seek additional livings to further increase their income. Even Mr. Bird had another living somewhere, she was told.
Charles would not oppose her. He would certainly support his sister’s desire to marry for love, and might even make a gift to supplement her dowry when the marriage settlement was drawn up.
Louisa would be the one to contend with. Caroline could only imagine her fury, her railing over Caroline’s disappointing every hope their mother ever had.
She decided the best thing would be to tell her now, to give her time to get over her disappointment. After changing out of her soaked gown, she went down to breakfast, prepared to make her speech. But Louisa did not appear. After breakfast, Mr. Hurst declared his intention of setting up his new hammock. He had found the perfect spot between two shady ash trees, he said, and intended to take a good long nap until tea.
Caroline searched the ground floor but could not find her sister anywhere.Even Louisa does not usually rise this late.Her sister had been in her cups again the night before. Perhaps that might account for it. Caroline went to her sister’s door and knocked briefly before opening it. The sight of a couple intertwined made her gasp. She closed the door quickly, but not before catching a glimpse of Louisa’s face along with the dark-haired one of Mrs. Hurst’s burly footmen. Caroline raced down the hall to her bedroom, too shocked by what she had seen.
S
Neither Louisa nor Caroline brought up the incident when they saw each other later. Caroline wished she could forget what she had seen.
“Lord Connally is to come to tea this afternoon,” Louisa told her. “I have come to assist you.”
“Whatever for?”
“Why, to choose what gown you will wear, silly! I do not trust that maid of yours to choose for you. Her taste is not what I would consider good–too many oranges and pinks for your complexion–you look far better in green, you know. She does not choose gowns which compliment your figure either.”
Caroline did not tell her that she usually chose her gowns herself– her maid did not offer suggestions or plan her outfits unless asked. She had always prided herself on her fashion sense, choosing colors and styles she found inLa Belle Assembleé, Ackermann’s Repository of Arts,Le Beau Monde, and other publications featuring the latest fashions for women. She never thought the colors she chose might not be flattering to her complexion, nor gave much consideration to displaying her figure.
If Lord Connally is to come to tea, then perhaps Mr. Hodge will come as well.Her heart swelled at the thought. She decided it might not be a bad idea to let her sister choose what she should wear when the gentlemen came.
Chapter 11
The memory of that kiss stayed with Theo as he returned home. The touch of Miss Bingley’s lips on his was the most wonderful feeling in the world, he decided. It was all the work of a moment’s impulse. But he did not regret it. Oh, it was improper, to be sure, and he was grateful no one was nearby to witness it, but he would do it again in a heartbeat if he could.
Theo had kissed plenty of women in the past, but none whom he felt such a connection with as he had with Miss Bingley. She had opened herself up to him; let him see the real Caroline Bingley that lay beneath her perfectly molded exterior. He felt closer to her than to any woman he had ever met, and none but Oliver, Mr. Hodge and Beau shared a deeper level of intimacy. Still, he could not be fully himself until he told her the truth, and before doing so, he needed to be absolutely certain that she loved him for himself, more than any title or money he could offer her.
A plan formulated in his mind, and as soon as his resolve was certain, he shared it with Oliver.
