Page 50 of Awakening a Lord's Desires
“Penelope has told Charles that I am engaged to Max. That Max has been secretly courting me since he arrived.”
“Oh no,” Alexander said softly. “How could she? Why would she tell him that?”
Caroline wiped another tear from her cheek. “It seems that she knew about the secret courtship he and I had been engaging in…” She looked down at her feet. “I know I kept it from you both, but I was afraid that if Penelope knew, she would do something to get in the way. But it seems now that she has anyway.”
Matilda shook her head, tears in her eyes. “Caroline, I’m so sorry. And of course, you did what you had to do to keep it safe. But what of Charles? Did you explain?”
“I did, or rather I tried to, but he will not listen.” Tears welled up again in her eyes. “He ran off, frustrated that I supposedly lied to him and betrayed him, for that is what he thinks. I don’t understand. I have told him of the cunning of both Penelope and Max. He claims to care for me, yet he has taken their word above mine? And without giving me any chance to explain.”
“The fool,” Alexander said. “We will handle this, Caroline. We will help you.”
“Perhaps you can try again, on another day, when he is not so surprised and angry,” Matilda suggested, glancing at Alexander for support. “It was likely just a very big shock.”
Caroline turned away, her anger at him taking over her other emotions. He believed that he could act that way, not believe her, and just leave? When would she find another time to speak to him? It was hard enough that they’d had to meet alone discreetly. Trying to get a secret audience with him when he was not willing would be even harder.
She let out a breath, her mind tired from scouring through all the possibilities. “I want to be left alone now, I think. There is much for me to think over, and I have to prepare myself for the carriage ride home with her and Max. I don’t know how I shall bear it.”
Matilda put her hand on her shoulder from behind. “We will do what we can, Caroline, but we will leave you on your own for now. Do not yet give up hope.”
“Yes, Caroline. Keep hopeful. Something can be done. Penelope cannot simply dictate who you will marry for her own benefit. We will figure out a way.”
“Thank you,” she said and listened as they walked away out of the garden.
She let out another long breath and went to sit on a bench on her own, letting the sounds of the night soothe her. There were a few hours more left at the ball, and then she would be home, but it was just getting through that carriage ride that would drive her mad, if not kill her.
Everything she had begun to hope for—a new life, a happier future—was now crumbling in front of her. In fact, it felt as though the remnants of all those dreams were in pieces at her feet.
Chapter 51
Charles could barely see straight as he reentered the ballroom and into the crowd of people. He passed through them quickly, not wishing to speak to or even look at anyone. He hoped no one would try to stop him, but he had no doubt that the look on his face was enough to deter anyone from approaching him. Once he made it through the crowd and to the door, he took his coat and hat from a footman and asked for his carriage to be brought for him.
He waited on the steps, leaning against the colonnade and watching as his breath curled up into the cool night air. She had betrayed him, and with none other than Max. How could it be? Why had she lied to him? Had he just been a plaything for her entertainment until she was to be wed?
A deep anger hung in his chest, and it practically consumed him. There was only a tiny twinge of guilt at how he’d treated her in the garden. She’d looked truly horrified, and he had seen the tears in her eyes.
That is the guilt she feels for betraying me, perhaps. Or her surprise at having been caught.
That didn’t feel exactly right, but he didn’t care. He was angry and hurt, and he never wanted to see her again. He would write to his mother and tell her that he would never marry, that women were not to be trusted, and that there was no point in attaching oneself to someone for the rest of their days, for one never could really know a person.
I thought her perfect and pure and kind. I thought she cared for me. It is clear what a fool I was and how well-practiced she is in her deceptions.
“Lord Charles!” a familiar voice called.
Charles turned in its direction to see Lord Alexander coming down the steps towards him, not wearing a coat or hat as if he’d just left the ballroom expressly to speak to him.
“Lord Fitzroy, what is it?” he grumbled.
“I am glad that I’ve caught you before you’ve gone. I wanted to speak to you.”
Charles knew somewhere deep down that his old anger at Alexander hadn’t made any sense, since it had never been true that he and Caroline were courting. But it came out nonetheless, and he did not want to speak to the man.
“I am going home. What is it you want?” he asked sharply.
“You should have let Caroline explain what happened. You just rushed off without letting her tell you her side of the story. It’s not true what you heard, what the baroness told you.”
Charles held up a hand to stop him mid-speech. “I do not need you to speak for her,” he said angrily, knowing he sounded like a cad but not caring. You should mind your own business, Lord Fitzroy. This matter has nothing to do with you.”
The man’s face reddened with fury, and he arched a noble brow. “It is my business, My Lord, for Caroline is a dear friend of mine, and I will not see her lose out on the happiness she so deserves because a man is stubborn and will not hear or help her.”
