Page 90 of The Ice Queen
Chapter Fifty-Four
Caroline dismissed her maid as soon as the final button on her gown had been secured. She needed time alone in which to compose herself.
The red gown was perfect; it fitted like a glove to her body. The silver tiara, loaned to her by her mother, matched her silver and pearl earrings. She looked like a princess. Tonight, would be her moment of triumph.
Love had finally conquered the Ice Queen.
She would stand beside Julian and show the world that they were united in their decision to forge a future together. A glamorous prelude to the formal occasion of their wedding.
But a lingering doubt still sat in her mind. What if Julian had changed his mind about their love? He had been distracted at best since the moment he’d asked her to be his wife. While he had explained it away as being due to his ongoing conflict with the countess, but she was still worried. What if, after all that had happened, he felt only a moral obligation to offer her marriage?
It would be the most bitter of ironies. She, who had treated the love of others with such scant regard, left to flounder in a loveless union.
She looked at the diamond and ruby ring on her hand and forced a smile to her lips. She was just being nervous and foolish. The man she had shared that night with at the cottage was still the man she was about to marry.
“Don’t be silly, Caroline. He loves you; he is just in unchartered territory. Have faith.”
Following a quick knock on Caroline’s bedroom door, Adelaide swept into the room. She had on her long woolen cloak with the fox fur trim. She sighed when Caroline turned to face her. “Absolutely magnificent. That color truly becomes you. I just wish your sister was here to see it.”
Caroline smiled. Eve would be in for a surprise when she discovered that her sister was engaged. She could only hope that the letter her father had sent earlier that morning would reach Eve and Freddie in time for them to make it back to England for her wedding.
“The tiara is exactly what the gown needed,” replied Caroline.
The jewel was from the Strathmore family collection, left to Adelaide by her father.
She scowled at the sight of her mother’s cloak. “Aren’t you ready to leave a little early?”
The ball was not due to commence for another two hours, and as much as she wanted to be on time, leaving now was too early for her not yet settled nerves.
“Your father and I are going soon. I want to check with your Aunt Caroline and Uncle Ewan to make sure everything is ready before the first of the guests arrive. Francis has offered to accompany you to the ball. He should be here any minute,” replied Adelaide.
Her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek, careful not to disturb the tiara and Caroline’s swept up hair style. “You look stunning, my darling,” she whispered.
As soon as Adelaide was gone, Caroline went back to worrying. By the time Francis finally did knock on her door, nearly an hour later, she had convinced herself that she would be living alone in Newhall Castle while Julian lived in seclusion down at the lakeside cottage.
“That is a gown which makes a large statement. I wonder if you are prepared to make one of your own tonight,” he said.
“Of course; I am ready for the ball and all it entails,” she said. Walking into the room on Julian’s arm and welcoming their guests would send a clear message to all of theton. She straightened her back.
“That’s not quite what I meant. There is someone you need to speak to before you decide where you go tonight,” he replied.
“What do you mean? We are headed to Strathmore House within the hour,” she said.
He stepped out of the room, and to her surprise Julian appeared. He nodded to Francis, who closed the door behind him. She bit down on her lip and tried to prepare herself for bad news.
“Julian? Why are you here and not at the ball?”
Tears welled in Caroline’s eyes at the sight of the man she loved. He crossed the floor and, taking her face in his hands, placed a long, comforting kiss on her lips. He brushed the tears from her cheeks and kissed her again.
“I’m sorry. I have been a complete ass—I can only beg your forgiveness. I love you. Don’t cry,” he said.
She struggled to keep the tears from falling, but the sense of relief which coursed through her body at his words meant she failed. He put his arms around her and held her tight.
“I have been a fool. I didn’t tell you everything that has happened between myself and my mother. I met with her at the Austrian embassy a few days ago, hoping to get her to relinquish the Crusader Ruby. She showed me a letter signed by my father, which gives her ownership of the necklace until either her death or my taking of a wife.”
Caroline sighed. Their wedding was four weeks away. Julian’s mother would be long gone by then. The countess was going to extract every last ounce of revenge that she could on the Palmer family. “And you and I will have to travel halfway across Europe to retrieve the necklace from her?”
“Yes. I am sorry to say that my mother has no sense of family honor whatsoever,” he replied.
