“Is she terribly unhappy about this arrangement?”
“Not at all,” Mrs. Downy assured him. “She has seemed perfectly resigned to it until today.”
Perfectly resigned.That was nearly as bad. He hadn’t expected her to be overflowing with excitement, but he’d hoped that knowing she was marrying someone whose company she enjoyed and who was not several decades her senior would have rendered the prospect a bit more appealing than “perfectly resigned” would indicate.
And, it seemed, she wasn’t even feelingthatany longer. What a mess he had on his hands.
“Pardon me,” he offered to the others before swiftly following Caroline’s path. If he caught up with her before she reached her bedchamber, perhaps he’d have an opportunity to better ascertain the state of her feelings.
In a much appreciated bit of luck, he reached Caroline before she had turned down the corridor that led to the family bedchambers.
“Caroline.”
She stopped at the sound of her name and glanced over her shoulder at him. That particular posture had never failed to clutch at him in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Something in the look, in the stance, seemed to warn him that she could leave him behind at any moment. He had inevitably found himself both intrigued by the unspoken challenge of needing to work for her affections and nearly frantic at the thought of losing her. For years he’d felt the pull of those competing emotions.
He reached her side in the very next moment. “I am sorry about your headache.”
“It will pass with time and rest.”
He’d developed a talent over the past few years of keeping his arms firmly at his side in the face of the almost overwhelming wish to reach out for her. “Is there anything I might do for you? I cannot like the idea of you being unwell.”
The tiniest of smiles flitted across her face. “You always were more felicitous than either Tom or Edward. But, then, older brothers do have a tendency to be inexcusably inconsiderate of their sister’s well-being.”
“If I had been fortunate to have a sister, I would like to think I would not have been so blind.”
Her smile grew by the smallest of degrees. “I do not doubt you would have been an excellent brother. You were always very considerate of me during our childhood.”
Good heavens, did she think of him as herbrother? A lady might learn to feel more than indifference for a match not of her choosing, but who could possibly find any excitement in the prospect of marrying her brother?
“At the risk of sounding rude, I would very much like to lie down.” Caroline’s patience was clearly being tried by the delay he was causing.
“Allow me to walk you to your door.” He motioned for her to precede him, which she did. “Has your maid been sent for? I would be happy to see that she is summoned.”
“I will ring for her once I reach my room. I would rather lie down that much sooner than wait for her to arrive.”
Was she more unwell than she’d admitted? “Ought I to send for the apothecary?”
“As I said, you are far more attentive than my brothers ever were. But, no, I am not truly ill, simply worn thin. The past weeks have been quite trying.”
The horrifying truth of that was beginning to sink in. “Has this been so terrible for you?”
“I find I do not at all like being listed amongst my family’s sellable assets.”
Sellable assets?This grew worse and worse. “You have known me more than half of my life, Caroline. Do you truly believe that this, to me, is nothing more than a financial arrangement?”
“I am grateful that Father chose you. I truly am. I saw the list of gentlemen Father had intended to approach, and—” A sudden surge of emotion cut off her words. Caroline, who very seldom grew overset, didn’t seem able to finish the thought.
She had seen the list? What had Mr. Downy been thinking to expose his daughter to the harsh reality of arranging a match? George allowed himself a momentary lapse in his ironclad control and reached out for her hand, holding it in what he hoped was a reassuring clasp.
She slipped her hand from his, not an encouraging sign. “Despite my lack of social graces today, I promise I will do all I can to make certain you don’t regret your—” She pulled in a shaky breath and stepped further away. “—your purchase.”
“Caro—” But she had already rushed off, hurrying inside her bedchamber in the next moment.
Her door closed with a sharp snap. She thought of him as a brother. A brother who had acquired her with the same level of tender emotion as one calls upon when purchasing a horse or a bit of land. Far from pleased at their match, she was disheartened and resigned.
How much worse could the situation become? He hardly dared consider the possibilities.
***
