“No, no, it’s not that. You’re amazing.” His eyes squeezed shut. “Why do you want to marry me anyway?”
“Because I love you, you big dolt,” she shouted.
His eyes popped open. “Well, I love you too!”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Caroline’s heart raced in her chest. He loved her? She could see the truth in his eyes. He loved her. But then his gaze dropped away from hers, and he roughly tucked his shirt into his pants. He shoved his arms into his waistcoat and began to button it. Caroline slowly walked to him and brushed his hands away. She took over the task.
“Then why are you refusing my proposal?” She finished the top button. She looked up and let all her emotion show in her eyes. Hiding nothing of how she felt, of how much she loved him.
“Because I can’t risk you. He lives inside me. What if I hurt you?”
“What do you mean? Who lives inside you?”
“My father’s blood runs in these veins. His strength is in these hands.” His voice rasped out shakily. “What if I turn out to be like him?”
She shook her head. “Those things may be true, but none of his cruelty resides in you. You are not your father, Cage Morgan.” She reached for his hands, but he stepped back, and Caroline’s heart cracked a little.
“I can’t risk it. I can’t risk you.”
“Yoo hoo!” Vivian’s voice called from below. “Caroline, Lord Wrotham, is it safe to come aboard?”
Caroline was going to kill Vivi.
She and Cage both turned toward the stairs. Vivian’s blond head emerged. She had a hand shielding her eyes but then quite comically peeked underneath her fingers. Letting out a loud sigh of relief, she dropped her hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a rather urgent matter.”
“What is it?”
Vivian’s gaze darted from Caroline to Cage and back again. “Well, Grace has gone missing.”
Cage’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the room.
“The upstairs maid said her bed hadn’t been slept in, and she found this note propped up on the pillow. It’s addressed to you, Caroline.” Vivi handed her the letter.
Caroline unfolded the paper and scanned the few sentences. She looked over a Cage. “She says I should tell you not to worry, and she is going to be fine. She apologizes that she will miss my birthday. She is grateful for the friendship we have developed,and she hopes to see me again soon.” Caroline handed him the note.
Cage read through the short missive quickly. He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t lose her again. Where would she go?”
An image of Grace staring out the carriage window, her hand splayed out on the glass as they passed by her childhood home, popped up in sharp focus. “I think maybe I know. I think that she went to Taitlands.”
“Why?” Cage shook his head in denial.
“When we were traveling here, we passed right by the estate, and she seemed wistful, almost.” She caught Cage’s eye. “It’s only half a day’s ride from here. I think that’s where you’ll find her.”
He nodded. “It’s certainly a good start.” Then he turned and grabbed his jacket. He bounded down the stairs.
“Cage, wait,” she called out, moving to follow him.
But Vivian grasped her arm. “Oh no, you cannot go running through the house looking like this.”
Caroline pulled against her grip. “Looking like what?”
“Like you have been thoroughly tumbled.”
Caroline reached up a hand to her hair and found all the pins missing. Her cheeks heated as she looked at her friend’s knowing expression.
“Here, let me fix you up.” Vivi knelt and, reaching under Caroline’s skirts, gave a firm tug to her chemise, straightening the fabric that had bunched up. Then she tucked the loose ribbons from her stays back into the bodice of her dress, straightening the shoulders back into place. Vivi’s sharp gaze ran the length of Caroline, then back up to her hair. Her friend frowned. “Come sit down. I will pull it all back into a neat braid.”
Caroline bounced her knee impatiently while Vivian scraped her hair back into a braid. Her stomach felt nauseous at thethought of Cage leaving to find his sister without first saying goodbye. She wasn’t sure he would ever come back.
