Page 12 of Bedding the Marquess
If only he knew how appealing that sounded—especially now.
“I am six and twenty; I reached my majority five years ago.” She spoke rapidly, her insides clenching at the thought of being in the same room as her parents for the first time in years.
“I understand your reticence, but I have thought it over and feel it would be beneficial for us to begin this marriage with their support.”
“They won’t offer it.” Caroline couldn’t recall a time when they’d ever supported her in anything; there was no reason to believe they would start now.
“We cannot know that unless we ask.” He was achingly optimistic. How had he managed to hold onto that after all this time—after all he had experienced? “I will go regardless of whether you accompany me or not, though I would prefer wepresent a united front.” He squeezed her hand again, grounding her in the moment and reminding her she was not alone.
Caroline had not faced her family or spoken to them directly in nearly seven years. Following the scandal of her debut Season, when she’d been caught in an extremely compromising situation with a young man, they’d immediately cut ties with her. Her last conversation with her parents had consisted of them handing her paperwork outlining a small pension as bribery to stay away from them and Caroline’s younger sister, Grace. To keep the stain of her shame well away from all of them. Gideon knew ofThe Incidentthat had precipitated the falling out with her parents, but did not know the full extent of her family’s censure, their bitter venom at the disappointment she was to them.
She could only imagine how her father would react to Gideon’s showing up on their doorstep, forcing an introduction, and then explaining that he’d impregnated their scandal-ridden daughter and planned on marrying her in a rushed ceremony with a special license. That would quite possibly be an even bigger disaster than her first debacle.
Unfortunately, she realized that, if there were no dissuading Gideon, then she would be forced to accompany him. It was the only way she might try to mitigate a disaster. “I will join you,” she finally said in a tone brimming with resignation. Dread threatened to boil over within her breast, but she knew she had to take solace in the fact that she would not be alone. If anyone was going to protect her from her family, it was Gideon.
His grin was nearly blinding in its beauty. “Brilliant. We shall go later this afternoon, then.”
It continued to cause Caroline no small amount of pain that the thought of interacting with the two people who were supposed to care for her and support her the most in this world were the ones whose vicious verbal barbs had filled her life with discomfort and anxiety. It had always been that way with them.
Mama and Papa had sat her down shortly before her seventeenth birthday and informed her in no uncertain terms that her debut marked her recognition as an official representative of the Wells family and the Fischer viscountcy; as such, she was expected to maintain the utmost decorum and comport herself in a manner befitting a lady. Rather than bolster her, their firm warnings had only increased her nerves exponentially, making her feel as if she’d swallowed an entire hive of angry bees.
Caroline would have gladly sold every beautiful dress they’d ordered for her first Season if only Mama had held her hand; if only Papa had smiled and reassured her that all would be well. Unfortunately, that was not the household she’d been born into. In place of affection, she was peppered with warnings and lessons. Instead of praise, she was told only how she might have improved. She lived in constant fear of making a mistake.
Nearly every night leading up to her debut, she awoke in a cold sweat from nightmares where she’d done something wrong; her mother wailed over the embarrassment, and her father’s scowl could freeze a kettle of boiling water. Those nights, she would crawl into Grace’s bed and take comfort beside her sweet younger sister’s warm body as they held one another close. Grace always smelled of sunshine and sweets, and she was the best comfort Caroline had in that home. Unfortunately, she had not spoken to her sister in years. Her parents made formidable gatekeepers. They hadn’t deemed her appropriate company for theirunsullieddaughter and had refused her any access to Grace since the day of Caroline’s disgrace.
“Have you heard from your brother again?” she asked, abruptly changing the subject when her eyes began to sting.
Gideon shook his head. “Though I cannot blame him. It was a remarkable discovery. I am certain he requires time to process it.” He stared off, unseeing, at the nearby window. The sofawas positioned just right so she might watch the passersby as she read or sewed. Several silent seconds passed like this until Gideon shook off his unease, the glint in his eyes returning. “Why don’t we see your parents now, hm?” Caroline’s stomach plummeted when she realized her plan to switch topics had backfired spectacularly. Rather than preoccupying him with another conversation, it had only turned his mind toward family and made him want to settle matters with her parents at that very moment.
Caroline attempted to splutter a refusal, but he heard none of it as he pulled her to her feet and went about having her spencer and other traveling accessories brought down. The Swanleigh carriage was already waiting in front of the townhouse, so, in less than a quarter of an hour, Caroline was—much to her horror—swept out the door and set on her way to visit her childhood home.
Chapter Six
Upon arrival atViscount Fischer’s townhouse, Gideon and Caroline were shown into a small parlor by a very put-out butler who either suffered from allergies or found it impossible not to sniff with disdain each time he looked their way.
“You’d think we were asking the man to go above and beyond his duties by admitting us to the house,” Gideon said out of the corner of his mouth as the servant fled from the room as quickly as he could. The comment had its intended effect—Caroline was forced to bite her lip to stifle a giggle. She had been stiff and tense since they’d departed her home. He knew full well that she and her family did not get on well, but his intent was not to torture her, but to give their union more legitimacy and acceptance in the eyes of theton. The quickest and simplest way to go about that was to have her parents on their side, publicly supporting the match. There would be enough whispers and rumors without it, and, as uncomfortable as it might be, he hoped it would be worth it. Whatever Viscount Fischer might think of him, there was no denying that it would be an advantage for him to have a marquess as a son-in-law. He was hopeful that this would entice the man enough to bite his tongue and finally give his daughter the recognition she deserved.
Gideon had sat by for far too long while they ignored Caroline, pretended she did not exist, and did nothing to naysay the negative things written about her in tabloids. One thing wascertain: Gideon would do everything he could to put a stop to their cruelty as soon as Caroline had his name.
He narrowly fought the urge to hold Caro’s hands as she fidgeted while they waited.
And waited.
And waited.
At first, he’d thrown out little comments and snippets of conversation to cheer Caroline and pass the time, but, as the long minutes passed, the more anxious and annoyed Gideon became. He also noticed Caroline began to curl in on herself, growing smaller and smaller. That, somehow, made him angrier than the blatant rudeness of their treatment by Fischer. Caroline was not a meek little mouse; she could be sunshine personified. This was part of what had initially drawn him to her. Her joy was infectious, her adventurous spirit was intoxicating. The woman sitting in the chair beside him in that parlor was most assuredlynotthe Caro he knew, and it disturbed him. What was it about this house that had changed her so? What had her family done to her?
Finally, the door to the parlor opened to admit Viscount and Viscountess Fischer, and Gideon was reminded how little Caro resembled her parents. The red hue to her golden hair had been inherited from her father, her green eyes from her mother, but that was where the similarities ended. Fischer was stout and jowly; his wife was short with ruddy cheeks and watery eyes. Perhaps she’d once been a pretty young woman, but the fishlike downturn of her thin mouth counteracted any attractiveness.Unpleasantwas the word that came to Gideon’s mind. These people were the very definition of the word, and, with their unwelcoming looks, wrinkled noses, and deplorable manners, they affirmed his assessment. When they spoke, they underscored it.
“Swanleigh,” grunted Fischer, his icy eyes darting to his daughter, but not saying a word to her in greeting. Gideon’s fist clenched. He had to remind himself that laying the viscount out flat would be counterproductive, so he took a bracing breath, rose to his feet, and greeted Caroline’s parents with his most amiable smile. He tapped into his bountiful well of charm, only to have it disregarded.
“To what do we owe this visit?” asked the viscount. Caroline’s mother had not even turned to greet her yet. With every passing second, Gideon’s ire was rising.
Gideon turned and held his hand out to Caro. She took it, her fingers like ice as he helped her to stand. “We have not previously been formally introduced, but I have some things to discuss with you, and Miss Wells was kind enough to accompany me.”
Her father’s eyes flicked to Caroline. “If there was any reticence in her joining you here, that is because she knows full well she is unwelcome within these walls.”
Gideon’s brows snapped down. “I beg your pardon?” Caro flinched at his side and it was everything he could do not to pull her against his side. He hadn’t expected a warm reception filled with embraces and fond words, but this?
