Mistress By Marriage Part 6

Caroline s.h.i.+vered. "Unfair," she whispered. "I'm sorry I ever told you."

"Well, I'm not. I could kill them both with my bare hands for hurting you."

Despite the seriousness of her situation, Caroline smiled. "You cannot kill a peer of the realm. But I would have no objection to you going a few rounds with Andrew."

"A few rounds? Don't be absurd. I'd flatten him in seconds, b.a.s.t.a.r.d to b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Caroline, what can I do to help? Do you want me to talk to Christie?"

"Good Lord, no. He wouldn't see you at any rate."

"I've got my ways," Garrett said darkly. "He needs to be told."

"No!" Caroline said, alarmed. "You promised."

"That was when you were just an estranged wife. But if he means to divorce you-why, he can't, can he? He'll have to prove you were unfaithful."

"Andrew will lie if the price is right. There are the letters, too. No one need know they predate my marriage."

Garrett sat back down, gripping her hands in his. "Do you want this divorce, Caroline? If you do, you needn't have anything to do with Rossiter. I can give evidence."

The idea had some appeal. She would prefer she never had her name linked to Andrew Rossiter in any way. But Garrett Marburn was too good a friend, and the scandal could affect his business adversely. "Your reputation would be ruined, Garrett."

He barked out a laugh. "Aye, illegitimate son that I am. And in trade, even worse. I'm already persona non grata. But people will still buy my newspapers and books, Caroline. They cannot help themselves." He gave her hands a quick squeeze. "You know as well as I do some people think we're lovers as it is."

She shook her head. "I know you mean well, but I cannot bring you into this any more than you are already. I wanted to warn you Sir William Maclean will probably contact you. Don't lie for me, Garrett. We've done nothing to be ashamed of."

"Not that I haven't tried, Caroline. I wonder, does Christie even know what he's giving up? You've never let me touch you, but I know it would be good between us. More than good. You're light and fire, Caroline, meant for love. For life. For laughter."

She did love Garrett, but not in the right way. Caroline pulled her hands free and wiped her face. "You are supposed to cheer me up, not make me blubber."

"Well, I thought that was a very pretty speech if I do say so myself, and I expect to read it verbatim, if not in The Harlot's Husband then in some other volume. What's the name of the next one? The Duke's Doxy?" He winked at her.

"You didn't mean one word! Oh, you are incorrigible."

"Every minute of the day." He moved his foot before she could stomp it again.

"There's something else, too," said Caroline, remembering. "Edward told me that Lords Pope and Dougla.s.s visited him the other day, threatening legal action over my books."

Garrett laughed. "Cold Christie must have had a spasm entertaining those two. How I wish I had been there. I'd have set them straight."

"I know you have legal representation, and you say we are safe, but-"

"We are, Caroline. Don't add that to your list of worries. If it will make you feel any better, I can have one of my men move in to guard you."

"Guard me! Surely it won't come to that. We're all perfectly safe here on Jane Street."

Garrett frowned. "I hope so. You know there was some sort of incident involving Sir Michael Bayard. The watchman was knocked on the head."

"There are two watchmen now, and Charlotte's gone. The house is empty." Caroline smiled. There was nothing left of her friend but some cupid dust in the garden. There was plenty of essence of angel to protect all the women who lived there.

A clatter at the door signaled Lizzie was up with lunch. Garrett went to the door and let her in. "Lizzie, my love, you get more beautiful every time I see you. That mobcap is rather criminal, though, covering all that golden hair." In an instant, he plucked it off her head. Lizzie was openmouthed, the heavy tray preventing her from retaliation.

"I'll take the whiskey back downstairs if you don't give it back this instant."

Garrett swept the tray out of her hands. "Indeed you will not. Caroline, you don't insist your maid wear that ridiculous headgear, do you? Bad enough the poor girl's all in black with an ap.r.o.n concealing her luscious curves."

"Garrett!"

"Mr. Marburn!"

"Ah, the outrage. I'm a man. I have eyes." He set the tray down on the small dining table. "And I've a powerful thirst." He poured two fingers from the decanter into the gla.s.s. "To the ladies of Jane Street. May the future be bright for you both." He tossed back the liquor as Lizzie fled the room.

Caroline came to the table and distributed the plates and cutlery. "It's one thing to tease me, Garrett, but don't be so cavalier with Lizzie. She's had a hard year."

Garrett popped an olive into his mouth. "Who says I'm being cavalier? I find her very fetching. She's wasted as your maid."

"She can't go back to being a wh.o.r.e. Pope made sure of that."

"Who said anything about her being a wh.o.r.e?"

Caroline put her fork down. "Garrett," she said carefully, "what are your intentions toward my maid?"

Garrett speared a chunk of chicken and waved it across the table. "My intentions? Are you the girl's mother?"

"She was brutally beaten. Her back is a mess and her spirits worse. Don't toy with her."

"Caroline, I don't know if I ever told you. My mother was a Jane. Lived in Number Ten under my father's protection. I have no objection to her former profession. I'm that rare thing-a true son of a wh.o.r.e. And I remember when your Lizzie was Eliza Reynolds, one of the most beautiful girls on the stage. Couldn't dance well, but didn't need to."

"That was years ago. There were men before Pope, you know."

Garrett shook his head. "You must decide whether you're championing Lizzie or championing me. Leave it, Caroline."

Caroline took a sip of wine. Could it be she was jealous? No, not at all. She didn't want Garrett for herself, like some sort of trained lapdog who danced for his treat. He was her best friend at present, not a potential lover. But Garrett and Lizzie? She took another sip and choked. My word, it all sounded like a possible plot for a book-The b.a.s.t.a.r.d's Battered Beauty. It was too perfect for words. She might be able to get her digs in again against the wretched Randolph Pope. But no. Garrett wouldn't publish such a thing, although perhaps he could live it.

"What do you think of Queen Caroline coming home?" she asked, changing the subject as requested. If anyone knew the latest on dit, it would be the man at her luncheon table. As Garrett ate and gestured, Caroline drifted off, plotting the next romance, one she had every intention of orchestrating from the ground up.

"h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation!" Edward tossed the missive into the farthest corner of his study and set his eyegla.s.ses on their tray. According to a friend in high places who knew the secret machinations of their monarch, it seemed he would be condemned to stay in town all summer to haggle over the marital situation of his king and his unlucky wife. A Bill of Pain and Penalties was being prepared, a completely apt name as far as Edward was concerned. There would be untold pain and penalties for him. He could, of course, send the children to the country for their planned holiday with his sister, but he was doomed to sit in the heat and misery to discuss the cold and miserable state of George IV's marriage. Queen Caroline was already parading all over London, and every peer, bishop, and judge would be required to attend the trial, which could go on indefinitely. Interminably.

Odd that two Carolines were the key to his discomfort. In the few days he'd returned to Caro's bed, he had been unable to wean himself from wanting her with an intensity that was somewhat frightening. He'd looked forward to escaping to Christie Park to contemplate his newly single state. Now his days would be tied up in the stuffy confines of an annex to the House of Lords, and his nights- Caro would know his plans had changed. The whole of England was privy to the Queen Consort's and George's difficulty, and this latest step of the king's to remove the boil that was his wife from his backside was sure to attract the interest of all his subjects. Everyone knew they had been mismatched and unfaithful to each other for years, yet even after the 'Delicate Investigation' fourteen years ago, George had been unsuccessful in untethering himself from his German cousin.

A new movement was afoot to be rid of Caroline of Brunswick once and for all. When she returned from abroad, the fragile deal that had been forged splintered apart. Edward supposed he should consider himself lucky. His Caroline had never been quite as indiscreet-nor as demanding-as George's unwanted wife.

Would Caro still expect him to provide her with a new schedule once she learned he wasn't going to leave for the country after all? Could he even stick to a schedule, when every conscious minute of the day included thoughts of her? Resuming his marital rights had only reminded him how empty and dull his life had been without Caro in it. He had been well and truly hoisted on his own petard.

How ironic that all his future days were to be tied up in the dissolution of a marriage not his own. What it would do to advance his own plight he had no idea. If the government was to rehash the scandal about Queen Caroline and her Italian secretary for the foreseeable future-shades of Mary Queen of Scots!-there might not be opportunity to shoehorn in his own pet.i.tion.

Edward let out an uncharacteristic growl. It was followed some seconds later by a gentle knock on his study door.

He was not in the mood to deal with anything but his own self-pity. "Go away!"

"It's only me, Papa. I promise I won't bother you long."

d.a.m.n. Only Little Alice, as if there were anything only about her. Edward pinched the s.p.a.ce between his brows. At the rate all this was going, he'd wear his skin away. "Come in, then."

His daughter peeked around the door. Two dark braids framed her long face, the childish hairstyle at odds with her great height. "Are you angry about something, Papa?"

"Nothing you've done." He'd never liked either of the d.a.m.n Georges, not that he'd utter such treason. A Christie would never be such a cretin. "Come in, sit. Li-Allie, what may I do for you this fine day?"

"It's raining again, Papa."

"I meant-it's just a turn of phrase, Allie. It's not necessary for the sun to be s.h.i.+ning to be considered a fine day."

His daughter looked on solemnly, no doubt thinking he certainly was a cretin. "I should like to make an appointment with you to discuss a very serious matter."

"Good heavens. If it's so serious, we must deal with it now." He ignored the shooting pain that pierced his skull. His daughter needed him, and he could not fail her.

"I know you've said eavesdroppers get just what they deserve." She twisted her slender fingers, embarra.s.sed.

"I eavesdropped-quite by accident-and overheard Neddie and Jack talk about something disgusting."

Oh, G.o.d. Surely she wasn't going to ask about the birds and the bees. Beth or her governess should have that subject in hand, should they not? He kept his mouth firmly closed, but nodded.

"I just can't believe it," she continued. "A Christie wouldn't do such a thing, bring such shame upon the family."

Ah. Ned must have bragged about his drunken, debauched night, rubbing Jack's nose in the fact that he breached Jane Street's defenses. "Young men are often very foolish, Allie, most especially your elder brother. You must pay no mind to what they do or say."

"You're not young, Papa, you're old!"

The pain cleaved his head in two. "I beg your pardon?"

"Neddie said you're going to divorce Caroline. We'll be in all the newspapers. And I'll never get married, not that anyone will ever want me anyway."

There were simply too many ideas to respond to, but he seized upon the one that gave him the most concern. "Allie! You're not to say such things. You are a lovely girl and will grow into a lovely woman."

"Pooh. You have to say that. You're my father. But don't change the subject. What about Caroline?"

"You are too young to understand. You never liked her anyway. I should think you'd be delighted that I'm seeking to formally end my ties with her."

" 'What therefore G.o.d hath joined together, let not man put asunder.' It's in the Bible, you know." Her lips pursed primly.

"A great many things are in the Bible. There is, as I recall, an entire pa.s.sage dedicated as to how a father can sell his daughter into slavery," he teased.

"That has to do with a betrothal contract, I believe."

Maybe Allie could become an Anglican nun. He cleared his throat. "I am aware this is indeed a serious matter. It is not a decision I've come to lightly. Caroline and I have been separated for five years. She-I-we made a mistake after too brief an acquaintance, which is why it is so important to not jump into things. When it comes time, I will not expect you to marry at the end of your first season. You should be courted long enough so you are comfortable with your intended. Know his character, his tastes and opinions."

"Just as he should know mine."

"Why, yes. Of course. I knew your mother very well before we were married. We were ideally suited."

"Do you still love her? Is that why you and Caroline couldn't stay married? I know I should hate to live in another woman's shadow with another woman's children."

Edward was amazed at his daughter's conclusion, but oddly enough, Caroline had never once complained about her role as stepmother. "Of course I still love your mother, and always shall. But you children were not in any way to blame for what went wrong with my marriage to Caroline," he said firmly.

"I was horrid to her." There was some regret in her voice.

"You were just a little girl. You weren't used to having a mother at all. You had run quite wild. My fault. I had hoped my second marriage would settle the family. It proved to do just the opposite."

Allie's dark brows scrunched. "I do not see why we cannot just go on as we are. You are too old to marry again, and you already have an heir. Although"-she sniffed in disdain-"he is a grave disappointment at present. But there is always Jack, should something, G.o.d forbid, befall your firstborn. Jack's much less of a loose screw. If you go through with this divorce, you will ruin our lives. We'll be shunned. Snubbed. Cut by everyone who counts."

Edward bit back his irritation. His daughter was out-Christie-ing him, reminding him of all his earlier reservations, and sanctimonious as only a child could be. Life was complicated. And he most certainly was not too old for anything and longed to tell her so. But that was hardly a fit subject to discuss with one's precocious thirteen-year-old daughter.

"My mind is made up, Allie. Caroline is in agreement as well. Imagine for a moment how this state of limbo has affected her. She might prefer to live quietly in the country, perhaps even get married again. She is not nearly so old as I, you know," he added, slightly sarcastic.

"Then buy her a house in the country! Let her live at Christie Park, for that matter. The house is so huge you never need see her."

Caroline under the same roof-disastrous. As if he could confine her to a wing like some mad aunt. "You do have an answer for everything. I expect Miss Linnet is very pleased with your schoolwork."

"She thinks I am a dunce. Don't try to change the subject, Papa." She looked at him earnestly with her mother's large brown eyes, her lower lip quivering. "If you proceed along this course, I shall not be responsible for what I do."

He nearly smiled. "Alice Elizabeth Christie, are you threatening me? Since we're tossing the Bible about, what about this? 'Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy G.o.d hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy G.o.d giveth thee.'"

"I won't want my days prolonged if you divorce Caroline! I shall run away!"

All traces of his good humor disappeared. Edward rose like an Old Testament figure, towering over his daughter in somewhat righteous wrath. "Go to your room. You're too young to have sufficient understanding of this matter, and I refuse to discuss it with you any further. I believe I know what's best for this family, and you will abide by my judgment."

"Very well, Papa. 'All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.' Some of us are dustier than others," she said cryptically. "Don't say I didn't give you warning." She flounced out of the room, pigtails flying.

Really! The impudence! Perhaps it was time to put his foot down and send her to some girls' school in Bath where she could bedevil complete strangers.

Well, he'd heard from two of his children. Neddie was all for the divorce, a.s.suming he could weasel out of his betrothal. Allie seemed very much opposed, more on social than Biblical grounds. Jack might understand, but somehow Edward was not eager to ask him at the moment.

He sat back down and put on his spectacles. Opening up his appointment book, he noted there were six hours until he found relief in Caroline's arms. That simply wouldn't do. Caroline might view his early arrival more favorably if he arrived early with some token-some jewelry, for example. Caroline had a weakness for jewelry. Like a redheaded magpie, she was very fond of s.h.i.+ny things. He would stop at Garrard's on the way.

Maybe he should get Allie something there too, for the crime of banis.h.i.+ng her to her room. It was clear she was growing up, whether he liked it or not.

Chapter 8.

Violet would tell the truth at last, though no one, least of all Sir Rupert, would believe her.

-Ravis.h.i.+ng Revenge.

Edward was snoring gently beside her. Caroline supposed she should wake him so he could go home to his family in time to have breakfast with them, but she didn't. She rather jealously put a protective hand on his muscled chest, the better to examine the pearl and diamond ring he'd placed upon her finger when he arrived yesterday afternoon. She had not been at all ready for him. Caroline had been ink-smudged, wearing her oldest daygown-it was not one of her naughty new red dresses-her hair a veritable nest, but he had swept her into his arms and covered her with hungry kisses. Kisses that flashed across her skin like lightning. Kisses that made her knees buckle and her womb ache. Kisses that made her forget everything, including why she hated him.