Page 84 of The Ice Queen
Chapter Fifty
Julian couldn’t stay angry with her for more than a minute and in his heart, he knew it would always be that way. She may have given her love to him, but Caroline held his soul.
It was bloody dangerous for her to have walked the streets of London at that time of night. He was determined that she would never do it again. The thought of something happening to her or, god forbid, losing her filled him with bone-deep dread.
Taking Caroline by the hand, he led her upstairs. He would take her home, but first things first.
Inside his bedroom, he opened the top drawer of his dresser and took out a small blue box. He had made love to Caroline on three separate occasions; the time for playing at courting her was now over.
He placed the ring in his pocket. Taking hold of her hand, he went down on bended knee, an expectant smile on his face. “Caroline Saunders, you are the love of my life. I place my future happiness in your hands. Will you do me the greatest honor and agree to be my wife?”
“Yes.” She dissolved into tears as he got to his feet.
Taking her injured hand in his, he gently placed the diamond and ruby ring on her finger. “I decided that, since ours is a true love match, it was time for the Newhall estate to have a special piece of jewelry commissioned. One that no other previous countess has ever owned.”
The diamond-set ring, with a circle of rubies, had whispered her name as soon as he’d set eyes on it at Stedman and Vardon in New Bond Street. His father had been a stickler for shopping at Rundell and Bridge but, in the spirit of change, Julian had decided that the ring for his future wife should come from somewhere else.
Caroline held the ring up to the light from the bedroom fireplace. The flames, reflected in the diamonds, set the rubies to an even darker red.
“Will you speak with my father before the ball next week?” she asked.
“Yes, of course. Though it may not be tomorrow. I have a few urgent matters to attend to in the morning.” A meeting with his mother, being the first order of the day.
They sealed their betrothal with an almost chaste kiss. Caroline’s mewl of disappointment had Julian laughing before pulling her into his embrace. He then proceeded to kiss her thoroughly.
The following morning saw Julian in a more somber and determined mood. His mother was not going to best him. She had spent years trying to ruin his life and had done what she could to wreck his house party not to mention his reputation.
The matter of the Crusader Ruby now lay in the forefront of his mind. He had thought to travel to Austria at some point and confront her. But since she was back in London, he was steadfast in his resolve to regain the priceless piece. She would not outwit him again.
His first task for the morning was not a meeting with Charles Saunders, but rather, with Francis. Caroline’s brother was a close confidante of the Prince of Wales. Julian was leaving nothing to chance. If he had to use every ounce of leverage to force the countess’s hand, he would.
“Newhall, I was not expecting to see you here. I don’t suppose you get down to the docks very often. If you want more of the wine, we drank the other afternoon, just let me know and I shall send around a case. By the way, did Caroline manage to send word to you regarding the countess?” said Francis.
“Yes, which is why I am here,” replied Julian.
He had made discreet enquiries and confirmed that his mother was indeed staying at the Austrian embassy. She was cunning. She knew he could not simply march up to the front door and demand entrance. The Austrian embassy was considered Austrian sovereign soil, and, being married to the Count of Lienz, she would be protected there.
“I need to retrieve a certain article from my mother. While I am not beyond having her arrested, I thought that with your connections to the Prince of Wales, you might be able to help find a diplomatic way to resolve the situation,” he said.
Francis stopped midway through pouring a glass of whisky. Julian could understand the position he was putting him in. One did not call on the friendship of the future king without making a considered reflection of what it may cost.
“You do know that this may not be an easy thing to accomplish?”
Francis finished pouring the drink and handed a glass to Julian. “But since you and I are to shortly be related, I feel a brotherly sense of obligation to help you. What can I do?”
“I intend to make an appointment to speak to Prince Esterhazy tomorrow and ask for him to intercede on my behalf. He knows the work I did in Paris after the fall of Napoleon. The Austrians owe me,” replied Julian.
“I shall make some private approaches through various channels and see what can be done. I trust a letter from the Prince of Wales’ private secretary would go a long way to help your cause,” said Francis.
Julian took a long slow sip of his drink. A letter from the future king could be invaluable. “That would be most welcome. I am not sure how much longer the Count and Countess of Lienz will be in London, so time may be critical.”
Francis chuckled. “You will find out that my family has a lot of connections. Just say the word and I am sure Will could make certain that the count’s yacht was unable to leave port. Funny thing, boats—one minute you think you have them seaworthy, the next, you discover a new problem.”
Julian already had agents watching the Austrian embassy around the clock. So that, combined with Francis’s words of comfort, gave him the first real hope that he may actually succeed in regaining his family’s heirloom.
Now he could concentrate on the next task at hand: getting Charles Saunders’ official approval to marry Caroline.
