Page 54 of The Ice Queen
Yet from the moment he saw her drop to the floor in the downstairs foyer, she had slowly but inexorably found her way into his soul. The enemy at the gate was now a wounded friend living under his protection.
“Nonsense, your heart knows exactly what you need to do. Why else would you have made the offer for Caroline and James to stay on? You closed that particular loophole in quick time. I must say, I was impressed,” she replied.
“Of course, I could be making a fool of myself. Who is to say that I will not just be another one in a long line of suitors who have failed to win her heart?” he said. Harry Menzies, damn him, had certainly muddied the waters. Before his arrival and shock revelation, Julian had been privately entertaining thoughts of spending time during the day with Caroline. She already owned his nightly lust filled dreams.
“I don’t believe you are the same as the others, and especially nothing like Mister Menzies. From the time he arrived, she was doing everything she could to avoid him. If he was dull enough not to see that she was not interested, then I am afraid he has been the maker of his own misfortune.”
With Harry and Francis both gone from Newhall Castle, Julian was left in a delicate situation. He had offered protection to Caroline from unwelcome suitors. It did not then behoove a gentleman of his status to try to claim the playing field for himself. He would need to tread very carefully if he was to stand any chance of finding her favor. Julian frowned. And what if Caroline did only see him as a friend?
“Can I offer you a word of advice?” asked Lady Margaret.
“Please. This is unchartered territory for me,” he replied.
“Take it slowly. Look and listen for the signals. Men can be a little blind to what women are really feeling. You might be busy pondering the battle, but at the same time fail to notice that your army is not behind you. Though most men, in my experience, are not as dim as that Menzies chap. Little wonder he felt the need to make such a grand gesture,” she said.
Julian took Lady Margaret’s sage words to heart, vowing not to make the same mistakes that other men before him had. If there was one thing, he did know about her, it was that Caroling yearned to have her voice heard.
Trying to force love on her was the last thing that would win her favor. A slow, steady wooing of Caroline Saunders would be the only way to her heart. He would need to do all he could to convince her to remain at Newhall Castle.
