“I’m sorry. I was waylaid by Modesty.”
“Nothing to apologize for. Did the two of you have a nice talk?”
“Well, we had a talk.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That bad, was it?”
“She says she may invite us to a ball her family is planning to host. That’s if she deems me worthy of an invitation. I suppose I’ll be finding out in the next few days what decision she’s made.”
“Oh my.” Levi grinned. “How will you bear the suspense?”
Caroline found herself laughing. “She seems very worried about the rumors that are going around regarding you and me,” she said. “So concerned for my well-being. I really should count myself lucky to have such a considerate friend. There aren’t many who would remind me at every turn that there is gossip about me.”
“Yes, you’re very lucky in your friendships. If you are invited, do you wish to attend this ball?”
Caroline gave that some consideration. “I think it might be good for the two of us,” she said. “I do see that there is something to be gained by putting the rumors to rest. The more we appear in public, the better odds we have of doing exactly that. And I wouldn’t want Modesty to get the idea that she’s frightened me, because she hasn’t. She annoys me, but I am not intimidated by her, or by the things she says to me.”
Levi wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’m very proud of you for that,” he said. “It’s not always easy to face the things people say about us.”
“No, it isn’t,” Caroline agreed. “But it’s somewhat easier when I know those things are not true. And it’s easier still when I have someone I can rely on standing by my side.”
He looked down at her, eyebrows raised, and she could see that he was slightly surprised at being referred to that way. But she wasn’t about to take it back. Levi was someone she was truly beginning to trust. She could face anything if she had him with her—even the social difficulty of Modesty’s impending ball. It would not be an enjoyable time, and she knew it, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that, whatever came, she and Levi would be able to face it together.
CHAPTER 28
The invitation arrived the very next day.
It was delivered at breakfast. Caroline accepted it and examined it as if she was looking at something she didn’t quite recognize, but Levi could guess at what she was holding. “Is that it?” he asked her. “Have you been blessed with an invitation to the legendary event?”
“Oh, yes, we’ve got the invitation.” Caroline held it up for him to see. Their names were calligraphed on cream-colored paper, and if Levi wasn’t mistaken, it looked as if someone had taken the trouble to make sure to leave an ink splotch beside Caroline’s name. The sight of it irked him—it was as if she wanted to make sure Caroline knew that she wasn’t worth a lot of effort.
“Are we going to go?” he asked her.
“I’m interested,” she said. “I don’t think it behooves us to stay home from an event such as this.”
There was something in her face that he didn’t like. She seemed a bit cold—a bit distant, as if she wasn’t sure about talking to him about what was on her mind. He wanted to question her, to get her to elaborate on what she thought about the upcoming party, but he didn’t know how to pose the question to her, so he said nothing at all.
She rose from the table. “Will you excuse me? I have to go through my things and find a suitable gown for this party,” she said. “I don’t want to be caught off-guard. I know that Modesty will have an eye on my every move and will be judging me, waiting for me to make a mistake.”
“Caroline, wait.”
She turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.
He couldn’t stop himself. “Is everything all right? You don’t seem quite yourself at the moment—is something amiss? You know, we don’t have to attend this party if—if you don’t wish to do that. We can certainly stay at home.”
“We cannot stay at home,” she countered.
“Just because she’s invited us, you feel as if we are required to attend?”
“It’s not for her sake that I say this, Levi. I’m sure you can see that. I don’t care who she has at her party. I am not trying toensure that it’s a success. I don’t care about that. But if we don’t go…”
“Then what? Then everyone will believe the rumors about our marriage are true?”
“The rumorsaretrue,” Caroline snapped.
Levi’s head jerked up in response. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Why would you say that? Those vile rumors aren’t true at all.”
“Which part? The part where you specifically chose to marry me because my sister left you? That part is true,” she said. “And you and I both know it, Levi. We’ve spoken of it many times.”
