Awakened By The Lord’s Kiss by Meghan Sloan
Chapter 12
Henry couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but he felt sick at James’ actions. He had suspected his brother had done this before with other women, but Henry had never come upon him with his hands all over someone. And to see him forcefully holding Caroline in his arms and forcing a kiss on her …
Henry couldn’t begin to describe the rage that filled his body. James was really overstepping the boundaries.
Caroline spun around, wobbling at the sudden motion. She whimpered when she saw him and stumbled towards him. Henry didn’t even need to hesitate. He hurried to her, catching her in his arms as she staggered, holding her against his chest as Caroline shook. The rage was beginning to overflow now.
He was glad he had gone looking for her.
“Oh, so it’s the heroic navy officer, is it?” James sneered. He was swaying so much it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen over yet. “Come to rescue your lady. Well, she’s not yours, brother. She’s mine.”
“She’s nobody’s lady, James.” Henry couldn’t help his hands from tightening around the woman shaking in his embrace. “And Lady Caroline doesn’t deserve to be accosted by you.”
“She needs to know her place. When a man demands something of her, she’s supposed to jump to it.”
Henry snarled, causing both James and Caroline to jump. Henry stroked Caroline’s hair, trying to calm her.
“A woman is her own person, and she has a right to say no.”
James scoffed and waved a hand.
“Oh, get lost, Henry. Nobody cares what you think.”
“I’ve noticed, but what sort of gentleman would I be turning my back on a woman clearly being manhandled?”
“Gentleman? You?” James barked out a laugh. “Don’t make me laugh! You’ve never been a gentleman your whole life.”
“At least I can behave better in mixed company than you can,” Henry shot back. “I don’t know where things went wrong, but you need to stop. Your behaviour is going to be found out without me present sooner or later, and people will realise the truth.”
Caroline had stiffened in his arms. Had he said too much? Maybe now was not the time to tell her what had gone on all those years ago. Certainly not when James was present and very drunk. His brother rolled his eyes. He did look moments away from tipping over. Henry was tempted to push him and let him lie where he was.
“No one’s going to believe me capable of anything.”
“You mean no one’s going to believe that you can get drunk and belligerent when you’ve done it many times? I’ve seen the way you behave. You can’t hide your drinking from everyone.”
Although from the way James had been at their house when they had their dinner party, it was going to be discovered how badly James behaved sooner rather than later. Henry had seen how bad his brother could get, and what had happened at the dinner party was tame compared to what he could do.
He was in trouble. Henry couldn’t help feeling pity for his brother. So much for trying to protect him when they were little boys. James had thrown that back in his face.
James looked at Caroline, who was still tight in Henry’s embrace, and sniggered.
“You think you’ll be able to rescue her, do you? She’s just going to blame you, just like the other times. She will always blame you. I’m going to walk away from this with no guilt.”
“Like you have so many times.”
“Exactly.” James gestured at Caroline. “Anyway, look at her. If you go back in with her now, she’s going to look like you manhandled her. Doesn’t matter what you say; everyone will believe that you put your hands on her.”
Caroline lifted her head.
“I’ll tell everyone what really happened,” she said defiantly, even as her voice wobbled.
“Like I said, my dear, no one listens to a woman.”
“What about a witness?”
Henry turned. He hadn’t realised that Sarah had appeared. She was staring at the scene with a fury that he hadn’t seen in a long time. Sarah stepped onto the terrace and stalked over to James.
“How about I back up what I saw, My Lord? Do you think they’re going to believe you’re not the innocent one here?”
“I doubt anyone would listen to you.” James looked her up and down. “You’re always on my brother’s side. People believe you two are lovers, anyway.”
Henry felt Caroline stiffen and bit back a wince. Why did James have to say that? Sarah looked even more enraged.
“I’m on Henry’s side because I know his character.” She folded her arms, standing defiant as she glared up at James. “If you want to take it further, I can always send for my father. Accusing an admiral’s favourite officer is going to go badly for you, especially when the navy will have multiple witnesses that can vouch for Henry’s character.”
“Favourite officer?” James scoffed. “Him? Ridiculous!”
There was no point going further with this. They were going to go round and round in circles, and Caroline was shivering. Henry could feel the goosebumps coming up on her arms.
“Just get inside and get sober, James,” he said sharply. “I should have put a stop to this a long time ago. That was my mistake, but I’m not about to let you screw up anything more for anyone else.”
“Fine, I’ll go.” James looked Caroline up and down and licked his lips. “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them what I saw. They’ll believe me against the three of you.”
Henry didn’t respond. He knew that James was right. Nobody was going to believe him, and a woman’s voice wasn’t taken into account for the most part.
James staggered around the side of the house, singing loudly and off-key with his words slurring. Henry was glad he had taken the second carriage to the ball; he was not about to be in the same small space with his brother.
He eased Caroline out of his arms and turned her to face him. It shouldn’t have shocked him to see the tears streaking down Caroline’s face, but it did.
“Caroline?” He wiped a thumb across her cheek, trying to wipe away the tears. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll live.” Caroline swallowed. “Can he really tell people he witnessed us in an embrace and he’ll be believed?”
“He’ll try it. I know he will.”
“Then it’s best that you two are not left alone for the near future,” Sarah said briskly. She appeared at Caroline’s side and gasped as she looked her friend over. “Oh, my! Look at your dress! What on earth happened?”
“What?” Caroline looked down. “Oh.”
Then Henry saw it. The sleeve of Caroline’s dress was ripped, almost hanging by a thread. He hadn’t noticed it before.
“Didn’t you see what happened, Sarah?” Caroline asked.
“I only came on the tail-end of that.”
“We’ll discuss it in a better place.” Henry glanced towards the open doors to the dining room. How nobody else had come out to see what the commotion was, he had no idea, but if they got caught now with Caroline’s dress in disarray, they wouldn’t need James to pour the poison. “Let’s get Caroline inside and see what we can do about her dress.”
“I’ve got some pins with me.” Sarah offered. “I can fix it up.”
“Then let’s do that.” Henry looked down at Caroline. “Do you think you can walk?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Caroline swallowed. “Just get me inside. Please.”
Seeing her looking so vulnerable again made Henry want to hold her and not let go. James had a lot to answer for.
#
Caroline was shaking. She had never expected something like that to happen. Sure, James had been acting oddly and drinking a lot on the last two occasions she had seen him, but he had never behaved like that. The shock was getting to her, and she felt really cold.
The only warmth she could feel was coming from Henry. He kept his arms around her as he led her around the side of the house and through a separate door, away from prying eyes. Caroline knew he was pushing the boundaries of social etiquette by holding her like this, and she should be pushing him away. But she couldn’t.
She found herself sinking into his embrace, desperately seeking that warmth and the feel of his strong, firm arms around her. She ended up rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt, relishing how nice it felt against her.
Did he just growl? Caroline was sure his arms tightened around her. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. It felt like it was going faster than she expected.
Why did that make her own heart race?
It had to be because she had been manhandled. That was it. It had nothing to do with the man holding her like he didn’t want to let go.
Sarah hurried on ahead and opened a door, poking her head into a room.
“This is empty. And it doesn’t look like it’s been used for a while. Not ideal, but we won’t be disturbed while we fix Caroline’s dress.”
“Then we’ll use it,” Henry said grimly.
He led Caroline inside, and all Caroline could see was darkness. The only light came from the small window, giving the furniture a vague outline and a spooky sheen. This had to be a storeroom of some kind. It didn’t look very comfortable.
“Sit down here, Caroline.” Henry eased her onto a box, the sharp edge digging into the back of her knees. “I’ll see if I can get us some light.”
Caroline couldn’t say anything. She simply nodded. Although she wished they would keep it dark, she was sure she looked a right mess with her torn dress and her hair in disarray. The pins were sticking into her scalp, and she was trying not to cry from the pain. She knew her face was going to be blotchy and look absolutely terrible.
Henry shouldn’t be seeing that.
Why not? This is hardly your worst. And Henry’s seen plenty of that already.
There was a snapping noise, which made her jump, and then the light of a match appeared. Henry was focusing on lighting a candle in his hand, which he put into a candlestick.
“We’re in luck. This is where the candles are stored. We could stay in here all night and not need to worry about light.”
“Not exactly something to say right now, Henry,” Sarah said sharply. She had brought a small table over and was looking through her reticule. “Just bring the light over here. I’m going to need it to fix Caroline’s dress.”
“You carry a needle and thread with you?”
“Of course I do.” Sarah shrugged. “My mother said it never hurt to be prepared. I just never expected to be using it like this.”
Henry grunted, brought the candle over, and placed it on the table. Then he turned to Caroline. The flickering light covered half of his face, and Caroline felt another shiver. Lord, he looked beautiful in this light. Beautiful and dangerous.
Where had that come from?
“Caroline?”
“Hmm?”
Caroline blinked. She hadn’t realised she had been staring. Henry leaned over and peered at her, his expression grim.
“Are you all right? You look pale.”
Caroline licked her lips. When had they got so dry? Henry’s eyes flickered, and he reached out. Caroline jumped as his fingers brushed against her cheek before pressing his hands against her forehead.
“You feel hot.”
“But I feel so cold.”
“That’s normal. You’ve had a shock.” Henry swallowed and withdrew his hand, straightening up and moving back. “I must apologise for James’ behaviour. That is not conduct becoming of a gentleman and a soldier. Unfortunately, James seems to listen to his own tune. It’s difficult to get him to believe otherwise once he’s got going.”
“It’s a wonder he’s managed to keep his position in the army,” Sarah muttered. She had threaded a piece of cotton through the needle, her movements precise in the dim light. She turned to Caroline. “Now, stay still, Caroline. I’ll fix this sleeve for you. Once that’s done, and I’ve rearranged your hair, nobody will notice that you’ve been in a tussle.”
Caroline believed that. She had seen how good her friend was with a needle. She was one of those people who could turn rags into a stunning dress. She remained motionless as Sarah got to work, unable to take her eyes off Henry. He stood out of reach of the light, leaning on one of the racks with his arms folded. She could see the outline of his figure, but she couldn’t see his face.
It was like he was closing himself off from them without having to leave the room. Caroline realised that she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted Henry to stay with her. Having him around right now was making her calm. If he had left or wasn’t around, she was sure she would still be in hysterics.
What was happening to her? That wasn’t supposed to be how she felt around Henry Beaufort. Why was she changing towards him?
It’s only because he protected you from being molested. You’re drawn to him because of what he did.
I have a feeling there’s something else going on. And I’m not sure I like it.
“There.” Sarah snapped off the thread and tied it off. “Not bad, if I say so myself. Nobody’s going to notice the difference.”
“Will it last for a little longer?” Henry asked. “Or is it going to fall apart in five minutes?”
Sarah snorted.
“I’m sure it would if you tried sewing with those big hands of yours, but not my work.”
“You’d be surprised what I can do with these hands, Sarah.”
Caroline felt something clutch low in her belly. Something else began throbbing as her heart missed a beat or two. She shifted on the packing case, only for the throbbing to get worse. What on earth was happening to her? This evening was not going as she expected at all.
She hated floundering.
“Let’s get your hair sorted, Caroline.” Sarah moved to stand behind her friend. “We can’t have you looking like you got dragged through a hedge. It shouldn’t take long.”
“All right.”
Caroline couldn’t take her eyes off Henry as she felt the pins being slid out and her hair falling about her shoulders. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she couldn’t stop herself from being fixated on him. She was sure she heard a sharp intake of breath, and didn’t he just growl again? The throbbing between her legs was getting worse, and Caroline found it distracting.
She should be telling Henry to leave. Aside from the fact it wasn’t really appropriate for him to be in here, she shouldn’t want him around. His presence was meant to repulse her, and Caroline didn’t want to be close. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to leave. She just couldn’t.
In fact, she really wanted him to stay. What was wrong with her?
God, Caroline wished she could see his face. Why wouldn’t he come closer?
“Why was James saying no one would believe you?” she asked. “What did he mean that you would never be able to have what you want?”
“That’s not exactly something I can discuss, My Lady.”
Why so formal? Caroline’s curiosity was piqued. She tried to lean forward, only for Sarah to ease her back.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere, Caroline. I need to get this fixed.”
Caroline sighed and tried to keep still as Sarah started to pin her hair back into place. Henry had barely moved. She really wanted to see his face.
“Has no one ever listened to you before, Henry?”
She could see Henry stiffening.
“You should remember my title, Lady Caroline. It’s not appropriate to speak to me like that.”
Sarah scoffed.
“Oh, stop being so difficult, Henry, and just tell her.”
“You’re not meant to be involved, Sarah.”
“Even I can tell what’s going on. You’d have to be blind or stupid not to notice what’s happening.”
Caroline frowned. It was like these two were speaking their own language.
“Notice what? What are you talking about?”
For a moment, she thought Henry wasn’t going to say anything. Then he sighed heavily, and she saw a movement that looked like he was hanging his head.
“James thought it would be amusing to try and woo you. Make it a competition between the two of us who would make you fall in love first.”
“You …” Caroline stared. “You’ve been competing for me.”
“I wasn’t competing. I knew there was no point when you already have an opinion of me. But James ... he did it …”
His voice trailed away. Caroline waited. Why had James done this? She was not a competition for anyone, so why had James even suggested it?
“What?”
“Henry,” Sarah said quietly.
Henry groaned and pushed off the rack heading towards the door.
“I can’t do this, Sarah.”
“Please, Henry?” Caroline called after him.
Henry froze as he touched the door handle. But he didn’t turn around. Even in the dark, Caroline could see the tension in his shoulders. Shrugging Sarah’s hands away, Caroline got to her feet.
“Please, just tell me. I deserve to know.”
Henry didn’t turn around, but Caroline could hear him breathing heavily.
“I’ve admired you for a long time, Caroline.” His voice was low, regretful. “I know we’ve only met twice before I was forced into the navy, but I saw you from afar many times. You were always on my mind while I was at sea. James figured it out, and now he thinks he can take away the one woman who’s captured my attention, knowing that you’ll have nothing to do with me.”
Caroline was left stunned. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t that. She realised that she was swaying and leaned on the table.
“You ... you admire me?”
“I do. And there are times when I wish I didn’t.”
“Why do you say that?”
Henry turned his head, but he didn’t turn around. Then he straightened up, his tone more formal and sharper.
“I’ll take my leave now. Make sure Lady Caroline is not left alone, Sarah.”
“I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
Henry grunted, and then he was leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Caroline’s legs started feeling weak, and she sagged back onto the packing case. Henry admired her? How was that possible? Their interactions were always fraught, and they were not exactly kind to each other. How did that happen?
“Caroline?” Sarah laid a hand on her shoulder. “Caroline, talk to me.”
“I …” Caroline could feel herself shaking. She gulped. “I think I would like to go home.”
“Are you sure?”
Caroline nodded. After James’ molestation and Henry’s confession, there was no chance of her regaining her composure. She needed to get away and try and get her thoughts in order.
And wonder if she had misjudged the man who had just left the room.