Awakened By The Lord’s Kiss by Meghan Sloan

Chapter 9

 

 

“I don’t know how you talked me into this,” Caroline grumbled as she urged her horse up the slight slope. Pegasus grunted at the change in direction, but she went up without further fuss. Sarah sighed, following her friend up on her own horse.

 

 

 

“Look, Lord Beaufort invited both of us to go riding with him today. It’s something we can’t turn down, not without appearing rude.”

 

 

 

“Yes, but …”

 

 

 

“Don’t argue, Caroline.” Sarah reached the top of the slope as Caroline did and nudged her horse forward, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “It’s been four days since you left the house, and you are looking pale. You need some fresh air, and Lord Beaufort did extend this to both of us.”

 

 

 

Caroline scowled.

 

 

 

“I’m not pale. I’m perfectly fine. Pale skin is beauty, remember?”

 

 

 

“Not when you’re as white as a sheet. You look like you’re about to keel over.” Sarah shook her head. “It’s cooler than it was a few days ago, so this would be a good activity for both of us.”

 

 

 

She did have a point. It was a really nice day, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been for the tea party. And Caroline did love to go riding. This would be a good opportunity to go out on Pegasus and try and clear her head.

 

 

 

Just as long as they didn’t bump into Henry. Caroline knew that James and his brother were at odds already, but she wouldn’t put it past James to bring Henry along to make up a foursome. Caroline didn’t want to be around Henry at all, not when she was still left flustered from their last interaction.

 

 

 

It was four days ago, and she was still affected by it, remembering Henry standing tall and stern by that pond, looking at her with those eyes that seemed to look right inside her.

 

 

 

Why was he having such an effect on her? Caroline didn’t like it.

 

 

 

There was a horse up ahead, a man astride its back. With his back to them, Caroline thought it was Henry. She started to panic. No, she shouldn’t be here. She should be going the other way. But then the man turned to face them, and Caroline realised it was James. She relaxed. At least she would be able to tell them apart with James sporting a fine beard.

 

 

 

Then again, even if he were clean-shaven, she would still be able to tell them apart. Henry was more muscular, carried himself well, and looked like he worked hard for the last four years. James looked fine, but he was slimmer and seemed to prefer going around dressed up in the richest finery. Henry was not like that. He looked uncomfortable wearing his best clothes.

 

 

 

I wonder what he would look like working on a ship wearing a simple shirt and breeches. Maybe the shirt is not always buttoned …

 

 

 

Stop it!

 

 

 

She had to be going mad if she was starting to think like this. Caroline shoved thoughts of Henry in an unbuttoned shirt aside as she and Sarah reached James. James took off his hat and gave them a half-bow.

 

 

 

“Lady Caroline. Lady Lakeford. It’s an honour to have you here.”

 

 

 

“I wouldn’t call it an honour, but thank you for inviting us.” Sarah’s horse snorted, and she leaned over to pat its neck. “Just so you know, My Lord, I’m not as confident a rider as Lady Caroline, so please don’t go too mad with our riding.”

 

 

 

James gave her a lopsided smile.

 

 

 

“Don’t worry about it, Lady Lakeford. I’m not going to do that. You’ll be fine.”

 

 

 

“I hope so.”

 

 

 

Lady Caroline shook her head with a smile.

 

 

 

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of fun, Sarah.” She nudged Pegasus into motion. “Come on.”

 

 

 

Sarah started muttering.

 

 

 

“I have a feeling you and I are going to have different opinions regarding fun.”

 

 

 

Caroline ignored her. While she still saw Sarah as a friend, that friendship was strained. She wouldn’t be surprised if it broke completely if Sarah kept defending Henry. How could Caroline keep someone in her life who took the side of the man who hurt her badly enough that the hatred was still strong?

 

 

 

But do you hate Lord Bannock? Because from the way you’ve been thinking about him says that you don’t really hate him as much as you believe.

 

 

 

Of course I hate him.

 

 

 

Then why do you consider him attractive?

 

 

 

Caroline gritted her teeth. She hated that her mind had been in a mess since Henry had come back into her life. She just couldn’t get rid of him, physically or in her head. This was a man she should be kicking back to his ship. And yet, even when she wanted to be anywhere but in his presence, there was something about him that kept her holding on. A sadness. That was surprising. What did he have to be sad about?

 

 

 

Henry Beaufort was taking up too much space in her head. That needed to stop.

 

 

 

“How about a race?”

 

 

 

“Hmm?”

 

 

 

James had drawn up beside her, giving her a mischievous grin.

 

 

 

“You and me, let’s race. Down the slope to where the river is, and then we can wait for the stragglers.”

 

 

 

Caroline thought about it for a moment. She could race on a horse, even side-saddle, but the ground was a little soft. If Pegasus came down the wrong way, both of them would go flying. But the thought of having a race and distracting herself from her messy thoughts sounded too tempting. She grinned and nodded.

 

 

 

“All right.”

 

 

 

James beamed.

 

 

 

“Excellent. Let’s go!”

 

 

 

Before Caroline could react, he took off down the slope. Cheat, he didn’t wait for her! Caroline flicked her reins and started off after him. She could hear Sarah shouting behind her, but she ignored her. Sarah could complain all she wanted; Caroline wasn’t going to listen.

 

 

 

She was going to catch James and beat him.

 

 

 

The slope downwards was a gentle one, not as bad as she thought. Caroline could tell the ground was a little soft, but Pegasus was keeping her footing. She bent over the reins and urged her to go faster. Pegasus could ride like the wind, and she was lighter. She would be able to catch up to James easily.

 

 

 

Just a little more, and then they would be alongside.

 

 

 

Suddenly, Pegasus slipped and neighed loudly. Before Caroline knew what was happening, she could feel herself falling. Fast. The world was tilting and turning into a blur, and she could see the ground coming up fast towards her. She screamed.

 

 

 

She hit the ground with her shoulder, her head bouncing off the grass. The pain in her head was then obliterated by the pain in her leg as Pegasus came down as well, landing hard on her. Something ripped through her knee, and Caroline screamed again. Pegasus snorted and wriggled for a moment, and then she was getting to her feet, standing there with an expression that said she wasn’t happy.

 

 

 

Caroline wished she could get up herself. But she couldn’t. Her leg was in agony, especially around her knee. She wanted to curl into a ball and get away from the pain, but she couldn’t bend her leg.

 

 

 

“Caroline!”

 

 

 

Caroline heard horses approaching and then footsteps. Moments later, Sarah fell to her knees by her friend, her hair falling over her white face.

 

 

 

“Oh, my God! Caroline!”

 

 

 

“Is …” Caroline swallowed. She was trying to fight back the tears, but it was getting harder. “Is my leg broken?”

 

 

 

“Don’t worry about that for now.” Sarah stroked Caroline’s head. “Just take a moment. You hit your head pretty hard.”

 

 

 

Caroline was more concerned about her leg, but the moment she tried to get her head off the ground, she felt like she would be sick. She moaned and flopped back onto the grass.

 

 

 

“I guess that ground was softer than I expected,” she said weakly.

 

 

 

“Try not to stop, Caroline. Lord Beaufort! Help!”

 

 

 

Caroline managed to turn her head to see James trotting up towards them, looking to be in no hurry at all. Then he got down and strolled over. Why wasn’t he quicker? He had to have seen what happened, surely?

 

 

 

“What happened?”

 

 

 

“Pegasus slipped and fell.” Caroline swallowed back the bile. “I think I broke my leg.”

 

 

 

“I see.” James knelt beside her. “Let’s have a look.”

 

 

 

Before either woman could stop him, James took hold of Caroline’s skirts and shoved them up. Caroline gasped, but she couldn’t push her skirts back down. They were up far too high. Sarah gasped and slapped James across the face.

 

 

 

“Lord Beaufort, how dare you? That’s highly inappropriate!”

 

 

 

“You think I shouldn’t check for injuries?” James demanded.

 

 

 

“Not like that!” Sarah adjusted the skirts until they were just above Caroline’s knee. “You don’t need to bare her to the world to know that she’s got an injury to her leg. There was no need for that.”

 

 

 

James glared at her, his face red where Sarah had slapped him. Caroline normally didn’t want to resort to violence, but she was glad Sarah had stuck up for her. She wasn’t comfortable having the most intimate part of her body revealed to her friend, never mind a gentleman. James had to know that.

 

 

 

Sarah leaned over and winced.

 

 

 

“From the shape of your leg, it’s not broken, but your knee is looking swollen. And there’s a gash on the inside of your knee.”

 

 

 

“I probably caught a buckle on the way down.” Caroline was surprised she could actually talk. She didn’t know if she should be sick, cry, or scream.

 

 

 

“That looks nasty.” James still sounded grumpy. “We’re going to need to get you to the physician.”

 

 

 

Caroline couldn’t agree more. She just wanted to go home.

 

 

 

#

 

 

 

“How are things going for you at home?” Bingham asked.

 

 

 

Henry sighed and turned away from the window. The view from Bingham’s study was certainly a fabulous one.

 

 

 

“It’s not good, if I’m honest, My Lord.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I just want to go back to sea. At least I don’t get into trouble for someone else’s mistakes.”

 

 

 

At sea, there wasn’t anywhere to run, and Henry had had his fair share of taking punishment he didn’t deserve as a child. As a grown man, he wouldn’t stand for it. If only his family would do the same as his fellow seafarers.

 

 

 

“Oh, dear.” Bingham sat back in his chair, putting down his pen as he watched the young man. “Are they still going through with their decision to disinherit you?”

 

 

 

“I think they are. I haven’t heard anything since I overheard them, but apparently, everyone in the county seems to know what my father wants.”

 

 

 

Not that Henry really cared. He saw it as less pressure on him once the title was off him. As far as he was concerned, he was Lieutenant Beaufort. That made him feel more at home than Lord Bannock. His father said he should remember his title and where he came from. Henry was painfully aware of it, but the decision to be a naval man instead of a nobleman was something he didn’t take lightly.

 

 

 

His parents were more than likely regretting sending him off to the navy now. It was meant to be a punishment. Instead, Henry had found his peace and discovered where he could be his own person.

 

 

 

Bingham shook his head with a sigh.

 

 

 

“Your parents are like enigmas to me.”

 

 

 

“How so?”

 

 

 

“They don’t see the person you actually are. It’s a shame you get treated so badly because of a choice you made as a child.”

 

 

 

Henry shrugged.

 

 

 

“I’m used to it.”

 

 

 

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

 

 

 

He did have a point. Henry hadn’t thought about it much while he was away, mostly because he had more important things on his mind. At that point, he had just gone numb to knowing that his family would never see him as a worthy son. The fact he had been promoted to lieutenant and was not far off from buying his own ship and having his own crew didn’t appear to have been acknowledged. Henry had tried to tell his father about it, but the duke was not interested. He had pretty much dismissed his own son.

 

 

 

It was something Henry had been used to for fifteen years. But he did wish that his father would look at him, realise his accomplishments, and say that he was proud of him. That was not going to happen. And Henry hated it.

 

 

 

“God,” he crossed the room and picked up his glass, “I can’t wait to go back. My superiors have become more of a family than my own family ever was.”

 

 

 

“Which is admirable on their part, but it still sounds sad to hear.” Bingham tilted his head to one side. “Would an apology from your parents help and start mending a bridge?”

 

 

 

“What good will that do, My Lord? They don’t believe anything that comes out of my mouth anymore.” Henry took a swig of his whisky, the drink burning his mouth. “Your daughter doesn’t.”

 

 

 

“Maybe you should tell her the truth.”

 

 

 

“She’s not going to listen to me.”

 

 

 

Caroline had her own narrative, and Henry knew he wouldn’t be able to get through. That hurt more than knowing his parents wouldn’t treat him like a son, which left Henry feeling glum. It would be just his luck that he found a woman attractive, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

 

 

 

“You can try. You won’t know until you actually sit her down – if she’ll stay still long enough.” Bingham sat forward. “Or I could say something in your place.”

 

 

 

“Please don’t, My Lord. I know Lady Lakeford has tried, and Caroline has lost her temper. She’s made up her mind, and I’m not going to change it.”

 

 

 

“Even if it’s hurting both of you?”

 

 

 

Henry looked away. He had come to Bingham’s estate because the older man had asked for his company and advice on some business ventures involving shipping. This wasn’t meant to be Bingham trying to advise him about approaching Caroline regarding her animosity towards him.

 

 

 

He had also been promised that Caroline would not be there as someone else invited her out. Henry didn’t need to ask who she had gone with; James had told him he was going out riding with Caroline, practically gloating about it over the breakfast table. Henry had ignored him, but their parents had been very interested.

 

 

 

Lady Cornwall even talked about possible wedding bells in the future, which did have Henry sitting up in alarm. James and Caroline? That was a disaster waiting to happen. How did James expect to be married to Caroline and her not find out what he did to her in the past?

 

 

 

Hopefully, she wouldn’t want anything to do with James, either. Henry silently prayed that would happen. Caroline deserved better than James Beaufort.

 

 

 

She deserves better than me. And that’s what makes this worse.

 

 

 

“What on earth’s going on out there?”

 

 

 

“Hmm?”

 

 

 

Bingham was staring out the window. He got to his feet and went over, almost pressing his face up against the glass. Then he stiffened and started running towards the door.

 

 

 

“Dear God!”

 

 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

 

 

Henry hurried to the window in time to see Sarah helping Caroline off her horse, both women almost collapsing to the ground. Two footmen appeared and took one of Caroline’s arms each before helping her limp inside.

 

 

 

Limp? Then Henry saw the blood on her skirts.

 

 

 

His heart was in his mouth as he ran out of the room towards the back of the house. He caught up with Bingham as Caroline was helped into the library. Her face was pale, and she looked like she had been crying.

 

 

 

“Good God, Caroline!” Bingham ran to his daughter. “What happened?”

 

 

 

“I ... we …”

 

 

 

Caroline whimpered and almost fell to her knees. The footmen kept her upright, and Bingham helped them to put his daughter onto the settee. Caroline lay there, hands over her face. Henry could hear the sobs.

 

 

 

What on earth had James done now?

 

 

 

“Sarah?” Bingham turned to Sarah, who was standing in the doorway with an equally pale face. “What happened?”

 

 

 

“Lord …” Sarah swallowed. “Lord Beaufort and Caroline were racing each other. Caroline’s horse lost its footing, and both horse and rider fell.” She gestured at the blood on Caroline’s dress. “Pegasus landed on Caroline’s leg, but something ripped her flesh open. The wound’s pretty bad.”

 

 

 

Henry felt light-headed. James had done it again. He seemed intent on finding different ways to harm Caroline whenever they were around each other.

 

 

 

“And where is my brother?” he growled.

 

 

 

Caroline froze. She lowered her hands and started to sit up, her eyes widening when she saw him.

 

 

 

“Lord Bannock, what …?” She broke off with a moan and fell back again with a sob.

 

 

 

“What am I doing here? Your father and I were discussing business.” Henry glowered at Sarah. “Where’s my brother now? Why isn’t he with you?”

 

 

 

“He ... he went to get the physician. Said it would be faster to get Caroline home, and he would get Dr Preston.”

 

 

 

“He’s going to be searching forever, then,” Bingham said with a grunt. “He’s gone to Oxford for a conference. Won’t be back until tomorrow.”

 

 

 

Caroline groaned. Henry hated seeing her like this. His heart hurt to see her in so much pain. He stepped forward.

 

 

 

“I can treat her.”

 

 

 

Everyone turned to stare at him. Bingham blinked.

 

 

 

“You ... you will?”

 

 

 

“There were times when I had to help out the surgeon when I first started on the ships. I know how to clean and dress a wound.” Henry fixed a stare on Bingham. “If you’ll allow it, My Lord? I’ll have a witness here, so you don’t have to worry about your daughter.”

 

 

 

Bingham didn’t even hesitate. He nodded.

 

 

 

“I’ll allow it. Frances, you stay here. Sarah, I want you to go into the town and find Lady Bingham. Let her know about Caroline’s injuries. Hartley, help with the horses.”

 

 

 

One of the footmen left by the terrace doors, and Sarah disappeared right behind him. Bingham headed towards the door, muttering under his breath. Henry half-expected Bingham to stay with him, so he was surprised that the man was leaving.

 

 

 

Then he was left with Caroline. Even with a footman here, Henry felt uncomfortable. Caroline watched him warily.

 

 

 

“There’s no need for this …” she protested, but Henry cut her off.

 

 

 

“There is every need.” Taking a deep breath, Henry knelt beside her. “Now, I’m going to need to look at your knee. You can lift your skirts to how you want them. I won’t touch them unless you give me permission. Can you do that for me?”

 

 

 

Caroline glared at him. For a moment, he thought she would refuse and tell him to get out, but instead, she started to slowly gather her skirts up her legs, staring at the ceiling with flushed cheeks. Henry felt a knot tightening low in his belly, and then his trousers started feeling like they were more snug than normal. How was it possible that the showing of a lady’s leg could be so erotic?

 

 

 

Then he saw the gash in her knee and his arousal vanished. It wasn’t big, just down the inside of her leg, but it did look deep. Henry looked up at the footman.

 

 

 

“Could you get some hot water and some cloths? And ask the housekeeper if she has any needle and thread as well.”

 

 

 

“What?” Caroline squeaked as the footman hurried away. “Needle and thread?”

 

 

 

“You might need stitches to close the wound.” Henry tried not to stare at her knees. Even with the blood and the wound, he couldn’t help noticing that her legs were very shapely. “I won’t know until I clean it, though.”

 

 

 

Caroline didn’t look very happy about that. She pursed her lips, her hands tightening in her skirts. Henry noticed that she didn’t lower them to cover her legs. Odd.

 

 

 

Knowing that he was far too close and there was no one to witness them, Henry got up and went to another chair, where he sat down with his elbows on his knees. Caroline frowned.

 

 

 

“Why did you move?”

 

 

 

“Because there’s no one else in the room, Lady Caroline.” Henry raised his eyebrows. “It’s your reputation I’m protecting. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not about to molest you. We just need to wait for your servant to come back.”

 

 

 

Something passed across Caroline’s face very briefly. Then she huffed and lay back, pushing her skirts back into place with a flinch.

 

 

 

“Fine.”

 

 

 

Henry stared at the floor. If he stared at Caroline, he was going to end up with his arousal climbing again. It didn’t help that he could still clearly remember her shapely legs.

 

 

 

He should have asked Bingham to stay. Then Henry might be able to have a clear head.

 

 

 

James had a lot to answer for. What was he playing at, being such a reckless rider? He was supposed to know how to behave in these situations, and he just ended up being stupid. Now Caroline was hurt for a third time because James was doing things his way.

 

 

 

At least she’s alive. It could have been worse.

 

 

 

I don’t want to think about that.