Page 41 of Awakening a Lord's Desires
“Of course! I battled all night about whether or not to come to you. I wanted to be both kind and neighbourly, but I did not wish to be untoward.”
She smiled, her heart happy despite the uncertainty of her father’s health. “You did very well in coming to me. I thank you. Truly.” She put a hand on her heart.
This was the man she wished to marry, a man she loved, a man who cared for her and her welfare and the welfare of those she cared for. And underneath it all, a man she craved with every fibre. The butler entered the room seconds later, carrying a tray of tea and setting it down on the table between them.
Caroline hurried to pour them both a cup, and then when the butler left, she handed it to him and asked, “How was the ball last evening? Please tell me that Matilda and Alexander danced together.”
“But of course. And it seems that Oliver has found a new interest in Lady Keenan.”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed. Charles had lifted her mood considerably, and they continued their gossip, lifting her spirits with each joke he made.
“I saw that my stepmother spoke to you for some time. Was it terribly awkward?” she asked with concern.
The surprise with her father had banished it from her mind for a time but seeing him again reminded her.
“Oh, that. She approached me and believed we ought to dance. I relented, and we spoke mostly of Max and his prospects.”
Caroline rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she was greatly relieved. “I wonder why she wished to dance with you.”
“You don’t think me charming and graceful?” he asked with a teasing lift of his brow.
Laughing, she nodded. “Of course. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. Don’t worry. She wished me to think well of Max, I believe.”
“Now that is hard to do,” she replied, and they continued chatting.
As he spoke and told her stories of the evening before, she found herself relaxing and slowly believing that everything was going to be all right.
Chapter 40
“Will you come to the next event?” Charles asked after a few minutes of sharing all that had occurred at the ball the night before. “You know that I will be eager to see you there. We have not danced in some time.”
She bloomed red under his ridiculous words. “It has only been a few days.”
He made a face. “Surely you know that time does not matter when it comes to being without you.”
Her lips fell apart for a moment, and she bit the bottom one. “You are incorrigible, you know. Charles, do you think your parents will join you in the countryside? It is so merry here, and even last night, there was a party with so many people coming in from London. Will they not be interested in seeing how their countryfolk fare?”
He shrugged, leaning back in his chair with his cup of tea and biscuit. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that. My parents have never been very interested in the country, despite all the people that depend on them here. Why do you ask?”
He could see that he’d embarrassed her, but she pressed on. “I only wished to meet them. I’m certain I’ve seen them in passing, but I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting them officially.”
His heart fluttered at that possibility. He would like that too, but his mother would see the connection between them and would move too fast, discussing wedding plans with him before there was even an engagement.
“I would like that, Caroline. You will be the first to know if there is any possibility of them arriving in the country.”
She smiled, and then they finished their tea and spoke a little more about her father and when he might be rested enough to join the festivities again. When it was time to leave, Charles didn’t want to. She accompanied him to the door, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. His hands were behind his back, and as they brushed shoulders, he wished with all his might that he could take her in his arms, that he could kiss her, that he could once again feel the soft skin of her body underneath his hands and stroke her to pleasure over and over.
Shaking his head to rid himself of his thoughts, he took his hat and gloves from the footman and bowed to her.
“Good day to you, Miss Caroline. I hope to see you again soon.”
“And me as well,” she answered, lingering a little in the doorway as he left and turned to smile back at her.
The butler closed the door, and then she was gone. With a sigh, Charles jumped onto his horse and rode off for a long country ride. When he returned to the house, Oliver was painting again in the conservatory, and he wandered amongst the plants until he found him.
“It is coming along nicely,” he said, making Oliver jump.
