Chapter Six

  

Society Tales

It seems that the Duke of C., only recently returned to town has been cutting a wide swath through the beau monde as of late, though, much to the dismay of many a lovely young thing, he smiles and flirts yet has not expressed the desire to find a wife.  Pity that.  Rumor has it that his heart was broken by a fair young lady once upon a time and he has never quite recovered from that most grievous of injuries.

However, that does not mean that wedding bells are not ringing for others.  The reticent yet handsome Earl of C., though away from town at the moment, is still said to be in search of a bride, as is the Duke of H., not that the man would ever admit to it, I am told.

Men!  How pig-headed they can often be when it comes to matters of the heart!  That is why it is so refreshing to encounter men such as Lord B., the Earl of A.  Once he encountered his lady love, he allowed nothing to stand in his way until he claimed her for his own.  Since married, many, including this author, are calling it the love match of the century!  And who can doubt it when he saved her very life!

That, my dear readers, is the mark of an utterly besotted man.

- Lady X

"You did not mention my brother in your column this morning, Caro.  Is there a particular reason for that?  Or have you nothing to say about Marcus at the moment?"

Lady Amy Blackwell, now the Countess of Ardenton, took a sip of tea and nibbled at a tea cake delicately.  It was no secret that she and her husband, Gibson, were attempting to have a child.  There had been one or two false pregnancies already and Caroline knew that her friend was growing worried that she would be unable to conceive.  Given Amy's gray pallor this morning, Caroline wondered if she was finally carrying a child.  Or if this was merely another incident of false hope.

Not that Caroline would print any such thing, of course.  She would not betray her friend that way.  Though they were not as close as they had been, Caroline had known Amy for years, almost as long as she had known Marcus.  Ever since that day in Marcus' bedchamber, Caroline also knew that Amy was well aware of her friend's feelings for the viscount, though she was tactful enough not to speak of them.

Then, with a blinding moment of clarity, the full impact of Amy's words hit.

With a clatter, Caroline set down her teacup, unable to hide her suddenly shaking hands.  Amy could not know the truth!  How could she!  Caroline had been so very careful!  "I do not take your meaning, I am afraid."  Then, she remembered whom, precisely, Amy had wed not so very long ago.  Or how Lady X had strenuously championed the match.

"Oh, I believe that you do, my friend."  A small smile touched Amy's lips.  "Have no fear.  I will not reveal your secret.  After all, friends do not do such a thing.  However, friends do put puzzle pieces together when something does not seem to be quite right, such as why Lady X is so infatuated with my brother."

Quickly Amy reached out to clasp her friend's hand in her own when Caroline would have jumped up and out of her chair to being pacing restlessly.  "In fact, I would dare say that she loves him.  So I asked myself, who would remember Marcus from before?  Who would remember him the way he was before the fevers?  Who was in love with him in his youth?  I could only think of one name, but I thought surely not.  It could not be my friend of so many years.  Surely she would have told me, confided in me, especially given that the object of her affections is my brother.  After all, she and I were friends as well.  I'd like to think we still are."

Amy paused, her teacup now half way to her lips once more, having released Caroline's hand once she was certain her friend would not run off and hide.  "And then I remembered how much Lady X also championed my match with Gibbs.  After that, I was certain."

Caroline wanted to deny it, but she could not.  Even if Amy had not guessed, then it was likely that Gibson would have told her eventually.  A man in love with his wife did not keep such secrets from her.  With a shrug, Caroline sat back and smoothed the lines of her buttery yellow day dress, uncertain of what to say.  After a moment, she decided that the truth was the best option.

"Was I really that obvious?  I tried so very hard not to be."  Caroline wanted to know the truth, for she thought she had been careful.  Perhaps not as careful as she could have been, however.

This time when Amy smiled, she sat forward in a most unladylike fashion.  This unbridled energy lurking beneath a highly polished and sophisticated surface, Caroline knew, was what had attracted Gibson to Amy in the first place.  "To most of our set, no.  After all, Marcus' return to town after so long an absence is quite note-worthy, especially after the scene he caused at the Devonmont's.  That whiff of scandal alone would be worth many months of columns."

"But there is more?" Caroline prodded, knowing that there was.  Very well.  If she discovered what she had done wrong, she could avoid making the same mistakes in the future.  Not that there were likely to be many more Lady X columns if she had any say in the matter.  Which she did.

"It is the way you write about him, Caroline, as if he were so far above the touch of everyone else in society.  So far above you, the author, yet your clear adoration of him shines through in every word."  Amy's eyes sparkled brightly.  "Almost to the exclusion of all others.  As if the author were in love with her subject."

Drat!  Caroline had attempted to be so careful.  Or she thought she had been.  "Does anyone else know?"  Caroline paused for a moment, remembering the feelings of being watched over the last few weeks.  Was there another who had guessed her secret?  She prayed that was not the case.  If it were true, she was courting absolute social disaster.  "Other than Gibson, of course."

Shaking her head, Amy leaned back into her chair and picked up her teacup once more, seemingly not quite as at ease in this conversation as she pretended to be.  "No.  At least I do not believe so.  When I confronted my husband about the issue this morning, he caved immediately.  He is ridiculously predictable in matters such as this.  He also swore he would not tell another soul about your secret life, but as I am his wife, it was unavoidable."  There was something of a cat-that-got-the-cream look about Lady Amy in that moment.  Not malicious, precisely.  More like...happy?

"I have known Gibson for many years.  He and Dr. Hastings were working in Northumbria when I was at Dunlin Castle with my uncle to mourn the death of my father.  I was in need of a physician one day and they treated me."  That was the story Caroline had concocted for the ton and she was sticking to it, no matter what Gibson told Amy.

The look in Amy's eyes told Caroline that she knew their connection went far beyond that.  "I know the truth, Caro, though it is not mine to reveal and I shall not.  I promise.  Well, perhaps I don't know everything, only the parts that my husband played a role in, but it is irrelevant and does not matter.  It is still your secret; not mine.  What does matter are your feelings for my brother."  Her expression softened then as memories overtook her.  "That day we came home and found you defending Marcus with that silly pitcher, I knew.  He might not have known, given that he was unconscious at the time, nor did my parents even hazard a guess, but I knew.  You loved him then.  You still do."

"Yes, I do."  There was no reason for Caroline to deny it.  "I have since we were children."  After all this time, it actually felt good to reveal the truth to someone she could trust.

"They why do you not pursue him?"  Amy was genuinely questioning now.  "You could, you know.  At least in subtle ways.  I know that he is escorting you on a carriage ride through the park later today and then to the theater tonight.  He seems to return your affections, does he not?  And you, above all other women, know the depth of his secrets."

Caroline considered her words carefully.  She did not want Amy to think ill of her, but at this point, it was best that the other woman know the truth of the situation.  "That is merely to discuss our plans."  She continued on when Amy frowned at her.  "I have agreed to use my influence and skills to help him find a suitable wife.  I shall sort through the misses of society for him and find a brilliant match, the best he can make."

"You are playing his matchmaker?"  Amy was in clear disbelief and really, the idea did sound quite absurd.  "With whom?  Lady Diana?  She does not love him.  She loves Hathaway and has not made a great secret of it.  Or Lady Eliza or Lady Sophia, perhaps?  I know you were speaking to them last night as well.  Neither of them would make him a good match either."

"They are all young and have impeccable reputations," Caroline countered quickly, fear creeping along her spine as Amy continued to push.  "Any of them would be a splendid match for Marcus."

"And they are all wrong for him.  Each and every one!"  Indignant now, Amy shook her head and in that moment, Caroline could see a bit of Marcus' infamous temper in his normally placid younger sister.  "I thought you knew my brother better than that!  It is you he wants and he will not be satisfied with another."

All Caroline could do was shrug, unwilling to give any more secrets away.  "He needs a wife.  It cannot be me.  He has his reasons for wanting my help and I will give it.  Gladly."

"Then you are just as thick-headed as my brother."  Amy made an indignant grumbling noise.  "Honestly, cannot either of you see what is plainly in front of your noses?  Or have you learned nothing at all from my romance with Gibson?  You, of all people, Caroline, should know what my husband sacrificed to be with me before we were married.  Especially since you were the one to help him perfect the ruse!"

Caroline was at a complete loss for words.  She had no idea how much of the truth - the actual truth - Amy knew about Caroline's past.  Her words indicated that she knew parts of it, but Caroline doubted that her friend knew everything.  Not even Gibson did, so there was no way he could tell his wife.  Instead, Caroline decided to focus on the lies that she and Marcus told each other every time that they met and discussed his future.  After all, it was the story that the ton would know forever as the truth, at least once he selected a wife.  She decided it best not to mention her own past and prayed that Amy dropped the subject entirely.

"Marcus sees himself as less than a whole man, and believes that society views him as damaged.  He wants a young, vital wife so that he might father children by her and prove otherwise.  That cannot be me.  I am too old.  Not to mention that my reputation is no longer pristine.  Too many people question what happened when I was away in Northumbria, even though nothing untoward did.  There would be rumors, however, probably vicious ones.  I do not wish to inflict that sort of gossip on him.  Better that I bear it alone."  When stated like that, the reasoning sounded rather foolish, Caroline decided, but then, much of what society did was foolish in her opinion.

"Rubbish."  Caroline was shocked that Amy would use such language but was thankful she did not bring up the issue of Caroline's past again either.  "He is being a fool.  As are you, might I add.  A young wife, an old wife, it does not matter.  Your age and reputation do not matter either.  His happiness is what matters and he is a fool not to care about such things!  I say it again.  As are you.  For we both know that he planned to propose to you all those years ago."

Actually, Caroline knew no such thing.  She had hoped, certainly, but a proposal was far from certain.  "What?" she gasped as the reality of what could have been descended upon her.  "Truly, Amy, I did not know.  When?"

Shaking her head, Amy continued with a fair amount of disgust and disbelief that her friend could be so completely unaware of the truth.  "The summer your father died.  Oh, Caroline, how could you not know?  The two of you were inseparable.  You kissed in Papa's garden.  Do not think the servants did not see, for they did.  And they talked.  Marcus had a ring.  And then?"  She shrugged and shook her head again.  "You were gone and his heart was broken.  He has never truly been the same since."

"No."  Caroline could not believe Amy's words.  If she did, she began to ache for all of the lost years.  "That cannot be."  Then she straightened, pushing the truth aside.  It was too painful to even contemplate.  "And even if it was, it changes nothing.  We are not those foolish young things any longer.  He needs a young wife so he can secure the family titles and then retire to the country.  You do know that his vision and his leg are still concerns for him, do you not?"

This time, Amy snorted in a very un-ladylike manner, but rather in a very Gibson like manner, Caroline was quick to notice.  "Rubbish," she said again.  "Yes, Marcus has physical issues, but they are easing.  More than I think he is even willing to admit to himself.  Dr. Hastings is working with him, and while his eyesight will never be perfect again, he is no longer blind or even close to it.  As for his leg, that remains a problem, yes, but as long as he is not completely dependent on the cane for mobility, Gibson assures me that soon he will be able to walk without it."

Caroline's head spun with all of the information Amy had imparted.  Still, it changed nothing.  "What do you hope to gain by telling me this, Amy?" she finally asked, the tea long since gone cold and neither of them pretending this was simply a social call any longer.

"My brother's happiness," Amy said simply as she rose, her garnet-hued walking dress floating around her like a cloud.  "Physically, Marcus is much improved but at his heart?  He is still in a great deal of pain."  She waved a gloved hand in the air.  "Oh, I know all about this foolish plan of his to find a young wife, with love not being a consideration.  He has reveled far more to me than he is aware, I think.  And perhaps at one time, that might have sufficed for him.  But no longer."

Rising herself, Caroline frowned.  "Again, I do not understand."

"His time in Bath changed something fundamental inside of him.  There is anger and rage bottled up within him that was not present before.  A marriage of convenience with the wrong woman will only allow those feelings to fester and grow.  They will not heal him.  Only love can do that.  It is what healed me.  And Gibson."  Amy gathered up her reticule.  "I want nothing less for Marcus.  And I know that Lady X loves him, almost to the point of distraction."

"He is infatuated with her, you know."  Caroline offered up that tidbit out of sheer desperation.

Amy just smiled, seemingly unrattled.  "Then make him infatuated with you, instead."  With another sigh, she shook her head.  "You do not have to reveal the truth to him if you do not wish to do so.  Though I find that keeping secrets from one's mate is rather difficult.  Still, the choice is yours."

"He is not my mate."  It was Caroline's immediate reply, given without thought.

"He could be," Amy replied with more than a bit of cheek before sweeping from the room and leaving Caroline speechless.

For a few moments, she simply stood in the middle of her drawing room, listening to the clatter of carriages pass by outside and the low murmur of servants bustling about the house as they went about their day, preparing for both Caroline's carriage ride and excursion to the theater with Marcus later that evening.  Her head was spinning.  So much had been said in so little time.  It was almost enough to give her a megrim.  If she suffered from them, that was.

Then, just as her father had taught her, Caroline decided to take one issue at a time and deal with it head on.  That was always the best policy when faced with a situation that seemed insurmountable.

There was little Caroline could do regarding what Gibson - and now, by default, Amy - knew about Caroline's years in Northumbria.  Her friend knew some of the details obviously, but clearly not all.  If she did, it was unlikely that Amy would ever speak to her again.  No one would.  So for now, that secret was safe.  If details about her time away from society ever became known, however?  Well, she would decided how to deal with that later.  Best not to borrow trouble that might not arrive, her father always said.  At the moment, it seemed like sound advice.

On to the next problem, then.  Amy knew Caroline was Lady X.  She probably knew about Caroline's excellent forging skills as well, given that Gibson was her husband.  However, she had not threatened to reveal either of those secrets so there was an excellent chance she would not.  Revealing such information would not serve Amy's purpose, which was clearly to see Caroline and Marcus wed.  For the time being, that secret was safe as well, but Caroline did concede that it might be time to pass on the mantle of Lady X to another young woman or simply allow the gossip column to end completely.

She had enough funds stashed away now to ensure that she lived comfortably and cousin Norbert always made certain that extra funds were available should Caroline be in need.  In Norbert's case, guilt drove him to make certain that Caroline was comfortable, and while she would not abuse his generosity, she was not foolish enough to turn him down when he offered assistance.  If she was careful, she knew she could manage quite well for the rest of her days, even without Norbert's assistance.

That left only the matter of Marcus.  Unfortunately, that was also by far the most complex of the problems.  She loved him.  She always had.  She could not have him, however.  She was too old, not worthy and the list went on.  They were the same old arguments she had engaged in with herself every day since Marcus' return to town.

The notion that he had once cared for her enough to want to marry her, however, was new.  Caroline had not known that he had intended to propose when they were younger until Amy had spoken of it.  If he had, she would have accepted.

Did he still care for her?  More to the point, did it matter?

No, Caroline decided firmly, it did not.

All that mattered was getting Marcus settled with a young wife, just as he said that he wanted.  He might still desire her.  In fact, it was clear that he did.  He did not bother to hide the fact.  But they both knew that a union between them would not be in anyone's best interests.  Love did not factor into the equation, no matter what Amy believed.

Caroline was truly happy that her friend had found a love match with Gibson.  For despite everything, Caroline did believe in love.  She simply did not believe in it for herself.  Maybe once, but no longer.

She also knew that reputation was everything and hers was not precisely the best.  In turn, Marcus' family had weathered far too many scandals as of late.  Another one might be one too many.  Not to mention that as The Mystery, Caroline was afforded much privacy by society.  Oh, they poked and pried, but for the most part, they let her be, liking the idea of the mystique that surrounded her, rather than caring overly much about the mystery itself.  It was a way to allow her back into society without knowing too much about her past.

Her reputation, of course, was no longer pristine.  Her Uncle Lewis had seen to that by yanking her away from London in the manner he had and keeping her whereabouts shrouded in mystery.  Perhaps he had not meant it to be that way, at least at first, but the damage had been done nonetheless.  His own death on a dueling field so soon after claiming the title had not helped matters either.  Especially when it was discovered that he might have fathered at least one future earl through a poorly thought out affair with an elderly peer's much younger and extremely nubile wife.

Now, questions lingered about Caroline's time away from London, but not so many that she would receive the cut direct.  After all, she was older now, no longer a threat to the young debutantes seeking husbands.  At best, she might discreetly become someone's mistress, but her age was against her being a true diamond of the first water again, as she had been in her youth.  That, in turn, rendered her relatively harmless to the matchmaking mamas, as well as allowed her to be someone the matrons of society were more than willing to tolerate.  After all, Caroline posed no risk, no threat to the young misses or the titled men seeking brides.

No, as long as she played her assigned role, she was comfortable and safe, or as safe as any unmarried woman in society could be she supposed.

However, if Marcus started courting her openly?  If Caroline was seen as the prime candidate to snatch The Viscount of Mystery off the matrimonial market?  Then perhaps the ton might not be so gracious towards her.  They might begin to question, to poke and to pry into business that was best left buried in the past.  They might cut her socially.  Worse, they might cut Marcus as well.  Oh, he would still receive some invitations, but not as many as was his right as a viscount and future earl.  His place among the ton would well likely be tarnished, as would the places of their children - should she be fortunate enough to bear him any, of course.

Caroline could not and would not allow such a thing to pass.  Marcus had suffered far too much in his life.  She would not add to his misery, not when she could avoid it by finding him a proper wife.  Love was not part of the equation.  It could never be.

But happiness?  Yes, perhaps Caroline could manage that well enough for Marcus.  And as for Amy?  Well she would have to be satisfied with that.