“But you asked me not to do so, Your Grace.”
“Say what you will, as long as you’re only saying it to me.”
“It’s just that I wonder whether you are completely sure of your family’s opinions on these tales and whether they are spread around,” Madam Bennett said. “Your desire for privacy in these matters may be something best discussed with them.”
She continued the measurements, saying no more, and Caroline didn’t ask. Her thoughts were in a spiral.
Madam Bennett had said nothing outright, but she had certainly implied that Caroline’s family wasn’t taking an interest in protecting family secrets. And there was only one way she could have come by such information.
Whatever she thinks she knows about me and Levi…someone in my family must have told her.
Between one thing and another, Caroline couldn’t help feeling deeply disappointed in her parents. They had never been people she could rely on, but this was more than she’d ever expected from them. They were, if nothing else, deeply image-conscious—could they really have risked the family reputation by spreading gossip about Levi?
If they did, they must not have realized the danger in what they were doing. Just like I don’t think they can possibly have realized the danger in allowing Prudence to go so long withoutbeing searched for. They don’t see what they’re doing when they do these things.
Arabella had always been the one to take care of the family. If she had still been around, she would never have allowed this to happen.
But Arabella had a family of her own to tend to now. Caroline was going to have to fend for herself.
It occurred to her later that she wasn’t as alone as she might have believed herself to be. There was someone else who could help, even though she was loath to ask him.
But he was already helping her with Prudence. He had shown no hesitation in doing so. And he had been clear with her: she should have brought the problem before him right away instead of delaying. So, as she took her seat opposite him at the dinner table, she decided that she would tell the truth in spite of herself.
“I think my mother might have told some tales about us,” she said.
Levi set his wine glass down and looked up. “What do you mean?”
“The seamstress told me some things,” Caroline explained. “She said she had heard that I might be confined to my room. When Ifirst heard that, I assumed she was talking about what happened in town—I assumed someone had told her that I had been going around in the clothing of a young man. But that wasn’t it.”
Levi’s eyes narrowed. “Are yousurethat wasn’t it? It occurs to me that we were not as circumspect as we should have been in the club the other day. I removed your hat in front of everyone. I should not have done that. Anyone might have seen what happened and repeated it.”
“Well, that’s not what Madam Bennett was referring to,” Caroline said. “She said she’d heard a rumor that I was thinking of running away from you because you were such a rake.”
“What?” Levi frowned. “But you’re not, are you?”
“Certainly not. I don’t want to put everyone through the same anguish Prudence has.”
Levi smiled slightly. “And is that the only reason you aren’t running? There’s nothing else that makes you wish to stay with me?”
“Don’t be difficult right now. It isn’t the time,” she told him sharply. “The point is thatsomeoneis saying things about us, and I suspect my family.” She told him what Madam Bennett had said about consulting with her family.
Levi sat back and frowned. “That’s concerning, if it’s the truth.”
“And I’m afraid it might be,” she said. “They’ve already shown very clearly that their judgment is poor—look how badly they handled the situation with Prudence. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn they had done this too.”
“Why? How does it benefit them to say such things?”
“It doesn’t, of course. I’m not saying it would have been calculated. It would have been careless. My parents worry about reputation, but they aren’t clever in the way they worry about it. It would be very like them to start chattering and say more than they meant to.”
“Then something will have to be done,” Levi said firmly.
“You don’t mean to punish them, do you?” Had she made a mistake by telling him this? She didn’t want to think of him taking it out on her family. Even if they were disappointing her with their judgment, even if they had put Prudence in danger, there was nothing to be gained.
“We’ll have them over for dinner,” Levi said with a smile.
“What?” Caroline was nonplussed.
“Well, if they’re going to be talking about us to everyone they meet, they ought to have their facts right,” Levi said. “We should allow them to see for themselves how well we are truly getting along, and then when they get the urge to talk, they will reportthe situation correctly.” He beamed at her. “How does that sound?”
