He only allowed the driver to move on after watching her enter the large mansion down the way, and after she disappeared, an unexpected emptiness filled him.
Waiting
“I can’t think of anything more you can do.” Caroline hugged her knees to her chest at the opposite end of the settee from Reed. “The duke hasn’t any other daughters, as far as I know.” Her smile was forced.
“I could have declared my love for her,” he said. “Three little words and I could resolve this.”
“But you’re not that sort of man. You would regret it for the rest of your life. It’s one thing to marry her to meet that horrible newspaper man’s requirement, but quite another to play with a young woman’s emotions. You’ve been honest, and I’m proud of you for that.”
“I kissed her again,” he said.
Caroline’s brows rose. “Why?”
“I… just did.” Because he’d wanted to. “But I’m not in love.”
“Hmmm…”
“I barely know the chit, Carol,” he said.
“The heart wants what it wants.”
“Good Lord,” Reed groused. “I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you when you make your come-out. Men are not about hearts, dear sister, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”
“Pshaw!” She waved a hand dismissively through the air. “Besides, I’m too old to come out. Melanie and Josephine, on the other hand, will require both of us to watch over them. Melanie struggles to stand up for herself, and Josephine will be an outrageous flirt. I, as the older and wiser sister, shall be their matron companion—a most diligent one at that.”
“At three and twenty, you’re hardly a matron.” Reed appreciated his sister’s levity. And the thought struck him that Goldie and Caroline would get along well. In fact, Goldie would fit in with all his sisters.
He ought to have emphasized the benefit while trying to persuade her. But he wondered if he stood a chance regardless. Goldie was young. She was looking forward to her first Season. Aside from consenting to their adventure today, Goldie, he guessed, wasn’t the sort to defy authority.
Reed had spent a good deal of time with the Duke of Crossings at Rupert’s engagement house party, and the man, for all intents and purposes, was something of a tyrant.
It was insane to imagine Goldie thwarting her father in any matter, really, let alone something so huge as marrying someone without his approval.
He felt a pang in his chest, a burning in his chest. Ever since the fire, he’d experienced this sensation more and more often.
He pushed himself off the settee. There was no way he could just sit around doing nothing, waiting for the hours to pass while Goldie decided his fate.
Rutherford Place was filled with memories, both good and bad. He’d once respected his uncle. Even Rupert had once possessed notable qualities. But the opium had permeated their idleness. And if that hadn’t been tragic enough, they’d dragged Randal and their father in as well.
But those two hadn’t been forced to imbibe. They’d shown no willpower against it.
Reed paced across the room, jamming his hands into his pockets and turning toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Caroline asked.
“I don’t know, but I need out of this house.” He could work, of course. But what good would that be? What good was anything he’d done if Helton’s original article ran?
Reed wasn’t normally one to drink, or gamble, or carouse. But tonight…
“I’m going to the Emporium.”
“Reed,” Caroline’s voice caught him before he was out the door.
“Yes?”
“Be back here by morning. It’s not over yet.”
* * *
