Page 15 of The Bastard Heir
“Trust must be earned, Miss Hartford. I can’t very well give you my trust after one conversation. For all I know, now that it’s morning, you might’ve reconsidered.”
She sighed, but she couldn’t dispute that. If she were in his shoes, she’d be equally suspicious. “Well, I can assure you, Mr. Jameson, that I’m not some faint-hearted dolt. I made a commitment and I’ll see it through.”
Something like respect shone in his eyes. He straightened a bit and gave her a once-over, as if sizing her up in a different light. “Then let’s go down to breakfast.” He held out his arm as if he intended to escort her like a proper gentleman.
This man was so contradictory that she was quickly becoming fascinated with him. Here, in this hallway on this grand estate, he had the aura of a gentleman, but that dangerous man she’dseen on the train lurked just beneath the surface. “I need to collect my father first.”
He nodded once and led the way to the bedroom, though he stayed in the hallway while she pushed the door open and went inside. Her father was sitting outside on his balcony with a medical text in hand. She recognized it as the one she’d read on the train. “Good morning. Are you feeling rested?”
Her father set his book down on his lap and took off his reading glasses. A gentle wind blew wisps of his gray hair out of place. “I’m feeling much better. Thank you, dear. I apologize for my disappearance last night.”
“I assumed you’d decided to go to bed early when you didn’t come down for supper.” She crossed his room and took in the healthy color in his cheeks and the clear whites of his eyes. The sallowness was gone. The rest had done him good. His tired spells were happening more often lately, but they never seemed to last long. “You look much better.” She leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“As do you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you curl your hair when your mother didn’t demand it for a function.” He grinned and rose to his feet, going into his room and placing his book on the bedside table. “I’ll let her know as soon as she arrives.”
Caroline smiled. He was right about that. Her mother was constantly after her to pay more attention to her dress and hair, all in the name of catching a husband, of course. “We’re on an adventure. I thought the change was called for.”
A twinge of guilt at the fib tugged at her chest. She wanted to tell him about the plan she’d concocted with Castillo. She’d never kept anything from her father before. While a part of her thought that he might understand and actually go along with it, another part knew of his deep loyalty to her mother. He sent her daily letters whenever he traveled. There was no way he could keep quiet about this, and then Caroline would be right back inthe position of facing marriage to a virtual stranger in order to continue her education. Or worse. That stranger might actually demand she not go through with medical training. As much as she despised the deception, it was necessary.
He smiled back at her as he offered her his arm. “You look beautiful. You may find yourself a husband yet.” He winked at her and she took his arm and laughed at the jest, but she thought of Castillo. Somehow she knew that there would be no one else to draw her attention the way he had. In just two brief meetings he’d fascinated her in a way no one else ever had. Her reaction to him was almost frightening, because it was completely unprecedented in her experience. She’d been attracted by a handsome face before, but this was more. This was deeper. She reacted to him on a visceral level she didn’t quite understand.
Castillo was standing at attention when she and her father stepped into the hallway. “Good morning, Mr. Hartford. I’m Castillo Jameson, Hunter’s brother. I’ve come to escort you and your lovely daughter to breakfast.” He offered his hand and her father shook it.
“Ah, Castillo Jameson. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your father and brother speak highly of you. You must have arrived last night. My apologies I wasn’t downstairs to greet you. I was a bit under the weather.”
“I did arrive last night, but I must confess, with your sister and daughter for company at supper, I hardly noticed anyone else.”
Her father laughed at this and Castillo winked at her. She smiled back, impressed with his commitment to their ruse. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was an overeager suitor looking to make a good first impression on her father. Of course, she did know better, but her father didn’t. Another twinge of guilt twisted in her chest when he looked back at her and raised a knowing eyebrow, as if to say she’d found her first prospective admirer.
“They are quite a duo when you get them together,” her father agreed. “I’d love to hear all about your trip to Boston. I’m sorry our paths didn’t cross while you were in town.”
As a group they turned toward the stairs. When Castillo stood back to allow her and her father to precede him down, her father gently shrugged off her hand from his arm. “You two go ahead.” Castillo offered his arm, and just like that, he was escorting her down with her father behind them.
Castillo’s arm was strong beneath her hand. Even through the layers of his clothing she could feel the dense muscles flexing in his forearm. She wanted the time to touch him at her leisure, to explore the sinew and tendons wrapped across his body.
A part of her curiosity was intellectual. She’d studied the illustrations in books on human anatomy her father had given her and taken notes as she read them from cover to cover. But since her father limited her to female patients and children, she’d never actually had the chance to study the male form for herself.
Castillo was such a spectacular specimen that the physician in her wanted to see and feel those muscles up close, to learn how they moved and worked together. The woman in her wanted to see and feel those muscles for an entirely different reason.
“You’re very clever,” she said, mainly to distract herself from how solid his presence was beside her.
He smiled. “Committed to your cooperation, I believe, is the appropriate description.”
She laughed. “That, too.”
***
Castillo walked into the dining room with Caroline on his arm and received a roomful of surprised looks…again. Tanner was at the head of the table in deep discussion with her aunt about something—probably politics—but he paused with a hand in midgesture. Emmy and Hunter had equally baffled expressions.A grin spread across Prudence’s face from one ear to the other when she saw Caroline on Castillo’s arm. This plan was going to be easier to execute than he’d thought. It seemed as if they already had one person willing to believe the ruse.
Castillo had debated avoiding walking her downstairs that morning because, well, because he’d wanted to see her. Obviously, after their discussion the previous night, he needed to keep her in his sight at all times. But he couldn’t deny that he wanted to keep her in his sight for more than logical reasons. He wanted her, and that wasn’t a feeling he could indulge. This arrangement between them needed to be kept cold, a simple exchange of words and gestures to fool her family. He couldn’t slip up and let himself think that it was anything more, because it could never be more. Not with the price on his head. Not with her plans to return to Boston.
A spread of delicious-smelling food had been set out on the buffet for them to prepare their own plates, so Castillo led her in that direction.
“Good morning, dear,” Prudence said.
“Good morning,” Caroline said to the room, and received a chorus of greetings in response.
Hunter had lowered his paper just enough to glance over the top and pinned Castillo with a look that clearly demanded to know what the hell was going on. It was tinged with disapproval. Castillo hadn’t had a chance to go over the finer details of their arrangement last night. He’d have to see to that soon.
