Awakened By The Lord’s Kiss by Meghan Sloan
Chapter 1
1808
Caroline jumped down the last couple of steps, just out of reach of her maid, and ran down the hall with loud giggles.
“Lady Caroline, please!” Marie grabbed onto the rail before she fell, getting her footing and hurrying after her. “Not so loud! You know your mother doesn’t like loud noises.”
“I’ll stop if you manage to catch me!” Caroline shouted back. “You promised to play chase!”
“But not downstairs!” Marie winced as her voice rose. “You’re supposed to be having your lessons, young lady.”
Caroline merely laughed and danced away as her maid-governess grabbed at her. She wasn’t going to be caught. Marie barely ran, so it was easy to keep out of reach. Her lessons were boring right now, and Caroline thought they could liven it up a bit by playing a game. Marie had been agreeable with it in the beginning, but now she was starting to complain. As she always did.
She was very boring.
Darting away as her maid tried to reach for her again, Caroline ran back down the hall. Only to skid and stumble to a halt when her mother’s voice boomed through the house.
“Oh, for goodness sake, Caroline! Would you stop that caterwauling?”
Ann Folton, Lady Bingham, came out from the morning room, pressing her fingers to her temples with a pained expression. She didn’t look happy about being disrupted. For a moment, Caroline wavered. Lady Bingham was a strict woman with minimal sympathy for anyone, especially her own family. Upsetting her was not something Caroline wanted to do often, but she couldn’t help herself. Her mother made a fuss over something so small, and it was ridiculous.
“I’m only playing, Mother!” she protested as Lady Bingham glared at her. “What’s wrong with having fun?”
“You’re supposed to be doing your lessons right now, not running around like an uncouth little brat,” Lady Bingham snapped. She winced as she rubbed her head. “How am I supposed to concentrate when you’re giving me a headache?”
“Concentrate on what, Mother?”
Caroline knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as it left her mouth, but she couldn’t help it. Lady Bingham didn’t do anything. She just sat in a room and read or stared out of the window. Caroline couldn’t remember the last time her mother had done something that wasn’t reading or watching the world go by. As far as she knew, everything was organised by her father, while her mother simply went about her life, which was simply sitting and doing a lot of reading.
Lady Bingham’s face went red, her nostrils flaring.
“That’s enough, child!” she hissed. “You do not speak to me like that!”
Caroline shrank back a little, wishing she could run the other way and hide, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Forgive me, Mother,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to speak out of turn.”
Her mother snorted, turning her glare onto Marie.
“I thought we discussed this, Marie? You said you would be able to keep her quiet during the day.”
“Forgive me, Lady Bingham.” Marie’s face was bright red in her embarrassment as she hurried to Caroline’s side. “I’ve been trying to get her to be quiet all morning. She’s a little sprightly today.”
“I’ve noticed.” Lady Bingham sighed and waved a hand. “Just get her out of the house. If she needs to get some of that ghastly noise out, she needs to be outside. Not in here while I’m trying to get things done.”
Caroline was about to ask what she was doing that required her to be quiet, but Marie grabbed her arm and began to tug her towards the front door.
“Come on, Lady Caroline. Let’s go for a walk outside.”
Caroline wanted to protest – she didn’t want to go out when it was still wet from the morning rain – but she could tell that her mother was going to start shouting and would have her locked in her room with nothing to entertain herself. She had a habit of doing that when she was in a bad mood, which was often.
She wished that her father was home. Lewis Folton, Lord Bingham, was an amiable man who doted on Caroline. He showed her the love and affection she craved, while her mother was cooler and no-nonsense. It was rare to see Lady Bingham smile and enjoy herself when she was with her husband and daughter. Caroline couldn’t understand why her mother got married in the first place, seeing as she wasn’t a motherly or affectionate person.
But she had learned not to question things a while ago, even if her curiosity got the better of her.
Marie helped her into her coat, shrugging hers on as they left the house and headed down the drive. It had been raining for most of the morning, so things were still rather overcast, and everything was wet. But Caroline had to admit that the smell right after it rained was really nice. She liked to lean out of her window and let the air fill her nostrils right after a storm. The only thing better was the roses from their garden. Caroline did love her roses. When she grew up, she wanted her own little garden full of as many roses as possible. That would be her happy spot.
A place that was hers where nobody would intrude. Even though it was just her, Caroline never seemed to have time to herself. It was really frustrating that she couldn’t even have a moment alone. Whatever she could get was snatched, and it was brief before someone came to find her. Lady Bingham wanted someone with eyes on her daughter all the time. She claimed that Caroline was too boisterous and too much of a nuisance to be on her own for long. It was not fair that her own mother didn’t trust her.
Was it because she could only have one child, so that meant she was a little too concerned with keeping her daughter safe? Or was it because she wanted to know where her child was at all times so she could be kept away? Caroline knew Lady Bingham liked to do her own things, and they weren’t for children. Her tastes and interests were more focused on rising through Society. Her husband wasn’t too fussed about it, but Lady Bingham saw it as a personal task.
Caroline had asked her father about it a while ago. She wanted to know why her mother was cold towards her. Lord Bingham had been tactful in his answer, saying that Lady Bingham had an upbringing where her own parents were cold, and that was what she knew. So Caroline needed to be more understanding and know that her mother did love her.
She wasn’t sure if she would ever understand. Maybe when she was older, but not now. All Caroline wanted was for her mother to relax and let her have a bit of fun. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
Marie led the way off the estate and into the fields just beyond the boundaries of their home. Caroline grumbled as she followed her. She didn’t mind a walk, but Marie was one of those people who liked to walk a lot. She may not be someone who could run, but once she got going, she could walk for miles. Caroline had no idea how she did it. Her feet were certainly hurting after a short time, and Marie didn’t seem to notice. She simply said it was good exercise.
Caroline wasn’t sure about that. She liked to have use of her feet without wincing.
The fields sloped down to a stream, which seemed to have got bigger during the rain. The banks were wider and muddier than Caroline remembered, and she could see two boys playing with wooden boats. They were hopping from stone to stone in the middle of the stream, snatching up their boats before they went too far and then running back up to start again. Even from her distance, she could see they were rather muddy.
But they looked like they were having a lot of fun.
“Marie, look!” Caroline hurried up to her maid and pointed. “Those two boys down at the river. Can we go and play with them?”
“I think it’s best we stay over here, Lady Caroline. You shouldn’t be associating with boys.”
Caroline snorted.
“Oh, stop it! What’s going to happen? They’re just boys!”
“Caroline …”
But Caroline wasn’t listening because she was already running down the slope to the stream. The boys turned and watched her approach. They looked to be about her age, with black hair and thin frames. They could have been twins. Caroline felt a shot of excitement. She rarely got the chance to play with children her age.
Her cousins on her mother’s side were older than she was, and they weren’t very nice. Her cousins on her father’s side lived in Scotland, and Caroline had only seen them once when she was barely walking. And her mother closely supervised her with other children. It was very boring.
This was going to be a fun day, after all.
“Hello!” she called, slowing to a stop at the edge of the bank.
The boy closest to her gave her a curious look and nodded once. The other boy, standing on a stone in the middle of the stream, arched an eyebrow at her approach.
“What do you want, young miss?”
“Can I join in with whatever you’re doing?”
The first boy frowned.
“It’s best that you don’t.”
“What?” Caroline pouted. “Why not?”
“Yes, Henry.” The second boy gave his brother – they had to be brothers, they looked that similar – a pointed look. “Why not?”
Henry’s cheeks went pink.
“Because it’s very slippery and muddy here. We’re already going to be in enough trouble with our parents, and I don’t think you want to be in trouble for getting your dress covered in mud. It’s not very ladylike.”
Caroline huffed.
“How about you let me worry about that? I just want to play.”
“Oh, let her play, Henry.” Henry’s brother hopped off the stone and wobbled in the mud, keeping upright. “Don’t be such a spoilsport.”
Henry shook his head.
“We talked about this, James.”
“About what? If she wants to play with us, let her play.” James grinned at Caroline. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Caroline had already decided that he was the nice brother. She liked him. Henry was still looking unhappy.
“Mother and Father won’t be happy.”
“Who’s going to tell them?” James held out a hand to Caroline. “Ignore my brother. He’s a spoilsport. Come on, let’s play!”
#
Caroline’s head felt like it was about to split open. The pain just would not go away. Clutching onto Marie, she wailed as she was led home, stumbling as her feet refused to keep her upright. She felt like she was going to be sick, and her head ... it hurt so much.
Why did that boy have to do that? Why did he think it was amusing to tackle her into the stream? One moment, she had been hopping from stone to stone, quite happily, and the next, she was flying off and landing facedown in the stream. For a brief second, she thought she was going to drown. Her nose still hurt from the water she managed to snort in, and her throat felt raw.
Then she was aware of the pain in her head. She must have hit a rock, and it was sharp. It felt like she had been stabbed in the forehead.
Marie didn’t say anything, although the tight grip on her was enough to tell Caroline that her maid-governess was frightened. Neither of them had seen that much blood before. Caroline could feel it dripping over her eye and down her cheek with the water.
What was her mother going to say?
Marie ushered Caroline into the house, still holding the child upright.
“McFarlane! Winfield! I need help, quickly!”
Two of the servants hurried down the hall, both of them going straight to Caroline as she buckled to her knees.
“Get Lady Caroline up to her bedroom immediately.” Marie’s voice shook as she shrugged off her coat. “Have Mrs Mayfield get a bath prepared for her. And Philip needs to go for Dr Preston.”
“What about Lady Bingham?” McFarlane asked as he lifted Caroline into his arms. “Who’s going to tell her?”
“I’ll tell her.” Marie flapped her hands at the footman. “Just go! Quickly!”
Caroline’s head was spinning far too much. She could barely understand what was going on. The spinning was making her feel sick. It wouldn’t make much difference if she closed her eyes for just a moment, just until it felt like she wasn’t going to empty the contents of her stomach over McFarlane.
When she came around again, something was shaking her by the shoulders and slapping her face. That hurt almost as much as the pain in her head, which was throbbing like mad. Caroline moaned and tried to roll away, but someone kept her head still.
“Caroline! Caroline, wake up!”
Was that her mother? Caroline opened her eyes to see Lady Bingham leaning over her, her face pale as she sat on the edge of the bed. She brushed her daughter’s hair out of her eyes.
“Darling, you scared us when you passed out like that!”
“My head hurts.” Caroline burst into tears. “It really hurts, Mother.”
“Oh, Caroline.” Lady Bingham shook her head. “You really shouldn’t be so boisterous when you play. It’s no surprise you got hurt.”
“I didn’t ask to get tackled into the river, Mother!” Caroline wailed. “That boy really hurt me!”
“Do you know which boy it was?”
“I ... I don’t. They looked very similar.” Caroline tried to concentrate, but she had no idea which boy had attacked her. “They could have been twins, James and Henry.”
That was when Lady Bingham froze. Her face went even paler.
“Oh, dear.”
“What?” Caroline swiped at her face, whimpering when she saw the blood on her hand. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” Lady Bingham urged her daughter to sit up. “Nothing at all. Your bath is ready now, Caroline. Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. Dr Preston will be here soon, and we don’t want you to catch your death of cold.”
Caroline felt too woozy to do anything except allow her mother to lead her over to the bed and to the tin bath by the fire. Lady Bingham stripped her down and got her into the bath, bathing her with a gentleness that Caroline would have found surprising if she wasn’t in so much pain. Her mother was nothing like this, but she wasn’t about to argue. She just wanted someone to hold her and tell her that things were going to be all right again.
It was horrible what had happened. All Caroline had wanted to do was to play with children near her own age. There was nothing wrong with that, was there? Apparently, the two boys hadn’t thought so. Or one of them. James had been nice enough, but Henry had been apprehensive. Had he been the one to attack her? Or had James pretended to be nice and then tackled her?
Were they messing around? Caroline wanted to think so, but if it was a bit of fun, why did the two boys look furtive? They had backed away pretty quickly when Caroline crawled out of the stream, soaking wet, muddy, and bleeding from the head. They had both looked guilty.
Why would anyone do that? It wasn’t amusing at all. And Caroline felt sick that she had been a part of it.
She was still feeling odd once her bath was finished and she was being put into her nightgown before Lady Bingham and Marie put her back into bed. Caroline wasn’t aware of much, but she knew that she kept asking for her father. He would be back later today, wouldn’t he? She wanted her father to be there, to hold her and make her feel better.
Marie stayed at her side as Lady Bingham went to greet the physician, who bandaged her head. He pulled the cloth around her so tightly that Caroline felt like her head was being squeezed even more. At least she wouldn’t need a needle to be stuck into her head for stitches. That was something. But it didn’t make Caroline feel any better.
She slipped in and out of sleep throughout the rest of the day. Dr Preston had told her to stay in bed for at least a week to recover, and that sounded like a good idea. Caroline didn’t think she could get up without being sick. She was aware of people sitting at her bedside, but she was so drowsy that she wasn’t sure who was there. It was all a big blur.
When Caroline managed to open her eyes without everything hurting, it was dark, and the candles were lit. The fire was burning brightly in the grate, warming up the room. It felt really nice, and Caroline was actually feeling warm for the first time that day. She felt like she had been shivering all day.
A person was sitting in a chair by the fire, long legs stretched out as they stared into the fire. He had removed his jacket, and his cravat was undone, his hair standing up on end as he unbuttoned his waistcoat. Even with the shadows across his face, Caroline could see the worry in his face.
It took a moment longer for her to realise that it was the person she had been hoping for all day. Caroline started to sit up.
“Papa!”
Lewis Folton, Lord Bingham, looked up. He got to his feet and hurried over to the bed.
“Careful, Caroline. I don’t want you to hurt your head again.”
“I don’t care,” Caroline declared. She sat up and flung her arms around her father’s neck as he sat on the bed. “You’re here.”
“Yes. I’m here.”
Bingham hugged her gently, rubbing his daughter’s back as she buried her face into his neck. Caroline couldn’t help herself, and she started sobbing. It felt like such a relief to have her father back. He seemed to spend so much time in London, and she didn’t get to see him so much. She had begged so many times to go with him, but Bingham had said it wasn’t the place for young children. Caroline hadn’t liked that, but her father came home as much as he could, just to spend time with his daughter.
If only he had been home earlier. Then Caroline might not have gone off and got hurt by those horrible boys.
“I missed you, Papa.” Caroline sniffed hard and pulled back to wipe her nose on her sleeve. “I really missed you.”
“I missed you, too, darling.” Bingham cupped her chin and inspected her. “You still look pale. I was told it was a bad fall.”
“It was.” Caroline swallowed. “These boys, James and Henry, were letting me play with them. Then one of them tackled me, and I ... I hit my head.” She touched the bandage and winced. “It still hurts.”
“I can imagine.” Bingham frowned. “You said, James and Henry?”
“Yes. Mother wouldn’t say who they were, but she didn’t look happy.”
Bingham sighed.
“If they’re who I think they are, that was James and Henry Beaufort you met. The Duke of Cornwall’s sons.”
Caroline stared.
“They’re sons of a duke?”
“Yes. The Duke and Duchess are nice people, and their younger son James is a decent boy. But Henry, the older lad …” Bingham shook his head. “People are talking about how he’s a bit of a troublemaker. Whenever something bad happens, it always seems to happen when he’s around.”
Caroline could remember Henry clearly now. He was the one who kept his distance while James was playing with Caroline. It was like he wasn’t keen on being around her.
“Do you know if it was him who hurt you?” Bingham asked.
“I don’t know, Papa. They looked similar. I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.”
“That’s hardly surprising. Henry and James are only eleven months apart, and they’re very close.”
Caroline’s head was pounding even more from the talking. She could barely keep her eyes open.
“Why would he think it’s all right to hurt people, Papa?”
“For all we know, it wasn’t Henry. It could have been James.”
“Why do you say that? Of course it was Henry!”
“Until we know for sure, don’t assume it was him. False accusations, even at your age now, will damage someone for the rest of their lives.” Bingham cupped her jaw. “The best thing for you to do, Caroline, is to get some rest. Get better.”
“Can you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone.”
Bingham’s expression softened.
“Of course.”
Kicking off his pumps, Bingham climbed up onto the bed and lay down, tucking Caroline into his side. She laid her head on his arm and cuddled up to her father. This was the first time all day that she actually felt comfortable. Having her father around was actually calming.
She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her again.