His anger still simmered when he went down to the beach the next morning. He half expected she would not be there, but yet she was, pacing the shore beneath the cliffs, just before dawn.
“Mr. Hodge,” she said, looking up as he approached her. “There is something I must tell you, but you might already know, given that he is your dearest friend.”
“I know,” he said flatly. “What do you intend to do?”
“I do not know,” Miss Bingley answered anxiously. “I feel so confused. My sister insists that I accept him at once. Today, in fact.”
“Then you plan to marry Lord Connally? Is this your desire?” Theo’s voice was thick.
“When I first arrived here, I might have said so. You already know it has long been my object to marry advantageously. But now…now, I…” She took a step towards him, timidly and took his hands. Her lips parted invitingly and he closed the gap between them, covering her mouth with his in a warm, gentle kiss. His senses came alive as she returned his kiss. He drew her nearer, wrapping her in his arms, wishing he never had to let go of her.
“Does that answer your question about my desires?” Caroline whispered.
“It does.” He kissed her again. “Miss Bingley,” he murmured, stroking her cheek. “How dear to me you have become.” Stepping back a little and taking her hands again, he continued. “I am not a rakehell who would toy with your heart. I would marry you, if you would have me. I love you, Caroline.” Her name fell off his lips like water dripping off a flower petal.
Miss Bingley shook her head. “My sister will oppose the match. She has her heart set on my marrying Lord Connally.”
“What does that signify? Does her happiness depend on whom you marry?”
“She appears to believe so. To have a sister who is a peer has become her singular goal since our arrival.”
“And what of your happiness? Does she care nothing about that?”
“She believes love is fleeting, and my happiness would be better achieved through an advantageous match.”
“An advantageous match will not bring happiness if love does not exist.”
“I do not love Lord Connally, that is for certain. I love you.” Hearing her say it out loud felt like magic.
“Say it again,” he pleaded.
“I love you, Mr. Hodge. Oliver.” This time, she was the one to close the gap between them with her lips. A wave of guilt filled Theo’s heart, causing him to be unable to enjoy this kiss as before. He needed to tell her the truth. It was time.
She broke free, a smile now appearing on her face. “I will tell Lord Connally I cannot marry him. At the fair. Today. I must be going now,” she began heading in the direction of the cliffs. “If my sister were to learn I am here with you, things would not go well. Until the fair, Mr. Hodge!”
Theo was about to ask her to wait, but she had already taken off running. He did not chase after her. He would tell her at the fair, he decided. This scheme of his had gone on long enough.
Chapter 12
Louisa was in the rock garden, calling for her, when Caroline appeared at the top of the cliff.
“Caroline, there you are! Good heavens, what on earth were you doing?”
“I only went for a walk along the shore. Alone.” Caroline lied.
Louisa frowned. “Come, sister, you know better than to take a walk unaccompanied, especially in such a dangerous place as the beach. You ought to have taken your maid with you for safety. Why, you might have been swept away by the tide! Mrs. Hurst says there was a lady some years ago who was down on this very beach at high tide, and drowned.”
A short while later, they headed to the fair.
“As soon as we locate Lord Connally, you are to take him aside somewhere and give him your answer,” Louisa told Caroline.
She nodded. “I am fully prepared to give him my answer today. And you can rest assured, my answer will be the correct one,” Caroline added.The correct one for me, that is.
“Good.” Louisa eyed her. “I knew you could be brought to reason.”
Louisa and Caroline exited the chaise after it pulled to a stop at the fairgrounds. Mr. Hurst rode with his mother in her carriage behind them. Caroline was surprised to learn Mrs. Hurst would be joining them, but the lady declared this was too significant of an event to miss. Her footmen had strapped her chair to the back of the barouche so that she would be able to enjoy the event.
Caroline looked around for Lord Connally and his party. The fair bustled with people of all colors, shapes, and sizes. The stalls, stage, and tent looked marvelous. Everything had been built according to Caroline’s sketches. The colorful festoons fluttered in the breeze, and the white tent over the dance floor stood like a gleaming pavilion at the center of it all. Behind it, the musicians were setting up on the stage and tuning their instruments. The Lord Mayor stood behind a podium with his wife beside him, giving a speech to open the fair.
