Page 64 of Romancing the Artist

His lips twitched upward, and he lowered his gaze. “Practice. There’s a thought.” He held his hand up between them. “Will you accompany me to the refreshments, where I will look at you adoringly for all to see?” He punctuated the question with a smile that almost teased.

“You may.” She took his hand, and he tucked it securely against his arm. Then guided her along to speak with others. No one mentioned a courtship to them, though Caroline intercepted several inquisitive glances as the evening went on. The fire was lit, logs and benches and stools were pulled up around it. A fiddle guided them in song.

Mariah Kimball arrived, a trifle late, which drew attention equally toward her and Caroline. She had settled on a long bench between Edward and Charity, who came with Claude and her parents since Edward had arrived early on his errand.

Caroline rose when she recognized Mariah, and her friend came at once to her side with a wide smile and bounce in her step. She looked far happier, freer even, than any other time Caroline had seen her.

“My parents heard the news that Edward declared his intentions,” she whispered as she embraced Caroline, as though they were the oldest of friends. “My mama swooned, and Papa looked dreadful until I laughed. They thought I suffered a fit of hysterics.” She scoffed and stepped away. “I told them it was about time Edward discovered who and what made him happy, and that I could not wait to congratulate you.”

Caroline’s cheeks burned, despite being distant from the fire by several feet. “Is the plan going to help you as you supposed?”

Edward slipped up beside her, wordlessly taking her hand in his and twining their fingers together between them. Was that for her benefit? His? Or for the people who might be watching? Caroline didn’t know. She decided not to care.

“Yes. My mother tried to forbid me from coming this evening. She thought it would be better for me to shun you and Edward both. Yet here I am, after convincing both my parents that I am unhurt by his attentions turning to another. Mother thought you belonged to me, Edward.”

“I am not sorry to disabuse her for that notion.” Edward kept his voice low. “My parents weren’t in raptures about this, either.”

Caroline bumped his shoulder with hers. “Careful, Edward. You will wound my maidenly pride.”

He chuckled, the sound rich and warm in the shadows cast by the fire. He ran his thumb across her knuckles, offering reassurance in that subtle touch. Caroline fought the sudden inclination to tip her head onto his shoulder as she had seen Lady Inglewood do to her husband at the beginning of the evening.

A scandalous thought. Resting her head on the shoulder of a man who wasn’t her relative, and certainly not her husband. She nearly pulled away from him, but Edward’s thumb stroked the skin on the back of her hand again, and Caroline didn’t want to give that up. Not yet.

She doubled her effort to focus on Mariah, asking, “What does this do to your secret?”

“I think they are uncertain of what to do with me.” Mariah tugged the shawl she wore closer around her shoulders. “Now that Edward is no longer seen as a viable option, I believe there is a chance to present my parents with the man who holds my heart. Slowly, of course. They must be eased into the idea.” She brushed a stray curl from her eyes and grew solemn. “They had a map to guide me to happiness before, but the map is gone. This gives me the opportunity to try my own path. Mark my own way.”

Edward’s grin flashed in the dark. “You mean to ambush them.”

“Edward,” Caroline whispered, glaring at him. “That is ha terribly unromantic thing to say to a woman in love.”

Mariah Kimball laughed, “But it is an accurate description of my plan.” A knowing smile that Caroline hadn’t seen the other lady wear before appeared on her face. “It's as if a door that was once firmly closed has now cracked open, offering me an opportunity to show them the depth of my affection and the genuine qualities of the man I've chosen.”

“Congratulations, then, Miss Kimball,” Edward said with complete sincerity. “I am glad for you, and I wish you well in your search for happiness.”

At this, Mariah folded her arms and fixed him with a skeptical stare. “Do you, Edward? I wish I could say the same for you. When will you seek your own happiness?” She turned to Caroline. “He hardly speaks of what it is he most wants.”

“Indeed.” Caroline looked up at Edward, studying him as she normally did when she painted him. “Even though he has asked me all about my dreams, he keeps his to himself.”

Chapter 20

Edward knew that look. It was the one Caroline wore while painting him. Peering inside him as though she wished to use raw emotion on the canvas rather than paint.

His stomach dropped and his lips suddenly turned dry. He couldn’t blame the salt-laden air for either sensation. Only the foolish task he had set himself, and the foolish words he had said before when he’d believed love would cost more than it was worth.

“We all have our secrets, I suppose.” It was an unimaginative answer and weakly spoken. The women exchanged a look heavy with significance, then let the matter drop.

Mariah lingered for a time, conversing with both Edward and Caroline. Everyone present would see she held no ill will toward the couple, laughing as she did with them. If Mariah Kimball didn’t mind their courtship, there was less for gossips to say about Edward’s constancy or lack thereof.

Surely, all they had to do now was maintain the ruse.

Across the fire, Thomas Oddsen sang a folk song played by the violinist, and other voices joined them. Mariah excused herself to speak to her friend, Miss Parr.

Edward kept his hold on Caroline’s hand. “Our places on the bench were taken.”

“Thank goodness.” Her voice was soft as silk. “Shall we find some refreshment? It’s so warm by the fire, I will not mind being away from it for a time.”

People dotted the path between the bonfire and the castle. The gardens, lit with torches and lanterns, held knots of people conversing and laughing with one another. Here the innkeeper spoke with the earl, there a farmer’s wife regaled Lady Fox with stories of her children, a gentleman listened raptly to advice from the milliner. The gathering was one of the most unique events Edward attended with his family. Lord Inglewood had reportedly started hosting the event, with an open invitation to half the county, as a way of strengthening relationships in the community.