Caroline found it impossible to fall asleep. Her leg throbbed from pain, and she could not get comfortable. She hated to sleep on her back, but rolling onto her side was out of the question. For a brief moment, she felt like bellowing for Pearson to bring her more alcohol. Truthfully, she needed more laudanum, but Bramwell kept the drug under his watchful eye. In his haste to leave, he had forgotten to give her an evening dose. His constant changing moods were baffling.
Exasperated, she pulled herself up to a sitting position. After leaning over and lighting the lamp by her bedside, she retrieved the book that she had set on the night table. Upon opening it, she grasped the letter that she had placed there earlier. With trepidation, she pulled it from the envelope and opened the folded paper.
My Dearest Rebecca,
Only a few more days and we shall be together. India and its adventures await us.
Always,
Reginald
Caroline squinted at the contents and read it again. Who in the world was Reginald? Her mouth gaped open in complete shock. Could it be possible that Rebecca had planned to leave Bramwell for another man? Did he discover her infidelity and then murder her in a crime of passion? Perhaps her disappearance was not an accident after all. And what of Reginald, what had happened to him?
“Oh, dear God,” she mumbled. Her hands shook as she folded the letter and shoved it back inside the envelope. The rampant thoughts buzzing about her head had increased her heart rate to a loud drum in her ears.
If the thought of murder hadn’t frightened her enough, a creaking sound came from across the room. Slowly, the bookcase began to move. Caroline clutched the covers and froze. Out of the darkness, Bramwell appeared. She flinched and frantically shoved the envelope underneath her body.
“Good Lord, you scared the daylights out of me,” her voice screeched.
“Are you all right? I saw the light underneath and heard noises.”
“You could have told me there was a secret door in this room rather than frightening me unannounced.” Caroline scowled at him and continued to clutch her blanket.
“Perhaps,” he said. His face showed no remorse. “You didn’t answer my question. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” she snapped. “Except my leg hurts, and I couldn’t sleep.”
Bramwell approached her bed. His unruly hair flowed about his face. He wore an unbuttoned, white linen shirt that exposed his muscular chest. Wrinkled trousers covered his legs down to his bare feet. By his rumpled appearance, he had hurriedly put on his clothes before entering. Of course, Caroline’s thoughts caused her to wonder if he had ever entered this room naked to visit Rebecca. She shuddered at the thought.
He took a few steps in her direction, looked about the room curiously, and then asked. “Do you want some laudanum? It was insensitive of me not to ask before leaving you for the night.”
Caroline hesitated. He appeared concerned, but after reading the contents of the letter underneath her pillow, a cloud of distrust hung above his head.
“Perhaps a little,” she said, “so that I might sleep.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be right back with the dosage.”
Bramwell exited the room while Caroline, fraught with worry, tilted her head. She tried to see beyond the partially open bookcase but could not. Maybe she should not have asked for the drug. What if he gave her too much? Perhaps he wanted to kill her to silence her opinionated rants.
By the time he had returned to her bed, she feared to open her mouth. He sat next to her and offered the painkiller.
“Why are you hesitating?” He frowned at her staring at the spoon.
“It’s not too much, is it?”
His brow rose. “Are you afraid I will drug you and do some dastardly thing while you are asleep?”
“Well, no. The thought had never crossed my mind until you just revealed to me that our rooms are connected by a hidden door.”
“Take the medicine,” he ordered in a stern voice.
Afraid he would force her, Caroline opened her mouth. The dosage looked the same as before, so she trustingly swallowed the terrible-tasting liquid.
Afterward, she looked at him while he sat quietly watching her with his dark brown eyes. She glanced at his naked chest, which she found to be most unnerving. Bramwell’s physique was more taut and muscular than she had imagined.
She pulled her eyes away and nodded at the bookcase. “Is that how you came to Rebecca during the night, through that door?”
Bramwell licked the residue off the spoon and flashed a sly smile. “A little opium never hurt anyone,” he declared. “You should get drowsy soon.”
“You did not answer my question,” Caroline said. She reached over and touched his arm. Her brashness surprised her, and Bramwell lowered his eyes, stunned at her actions too.
“Yes, that is how I came into her room. The evenings I placed a white rose on her plate, it was my invitation for her to visit my bedchamber. When she received a red rose that meant I would visit Rebecca instead. However, the choice was hers either way, and I did not pressure her for more.” Bramwell paused. “You should know that there are some immoral men, Caroline, who will not take no for an answer.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Did he just insinuate he might have his way with her regardless? She feared him and concluded that he was a man with no scruples who could also be a murderer.
Worried, Caroline’s hand slipped off his arm. “I am feeling drowsy.” She lied, hoping that he would retreat into his bedchamber and leave her alone. Instead he merely sat there. Then without warning, he reached over and touched her cheek. His fingertips slowly brushed across her face.
“Your skin is as soft as the petal of a rose,” he whispered. His palm cupped her chin. “It has been so long since I have felt the soothing flesh of a young woman.”
His actions took Caroline off guard. Instead of being appalled over his shameless touch, she felt her body tingle. It must be the opium. Too large of a dose can cause delusions.
Without realizing it, her tongue moistened her lips, as she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He smirked as if he knew what she wanted. Slowly, like a conqueror examining his conquest, his fingertips brushed down her neckline.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
As she watched him, her vision blurred and heaviness closed her eyelids. Caroline felt his warm lips encircle hers with a sweet kiss. She slumped, weak from the drug, and his arm wrapped around her waist for support. A moment later, he pulled her forward, shoving her breasts flush against his bare chest. The heat of her skin met his, and Caroline felt as if she melted like hot wax onto his body. A few seconds later, she succumbed to sleep.
Caroline fell limp in his arms, and Bramwell pulled away from her lips. Immediately he felt remorse for his actions precipitated by a moment of heated desire. She was vulnerable and in pain, and he had taken advantage of the situation. Nevertheless, he could not deny that feeling her bosom pressed against his bare chest engorged his craving for sexual intimacy. Before she had succumbed to the drug, thanks to his more than ample dose, she had responded with moaning pleasure. With a little more time, he could have seduced her and enjoyed every inch of her smooth skin.
As he laid her softly upon the pillow, she whimpered. Understandably, as she needed reprieve from pain so that she could rest. Just as her frame touched the mattress, his hand around her waist felt something beneath. He grasped it with his fingers. When he saw an envelope, his eyes grew dark with rage.
Once again his guest had snooped about the room, investigating the private belongings of Rebecca. Had she read its contents? Bramwell rose to his feet, feeling annoyed at the beauty he wanted a moment ago. After dimming her oil lamp, he retreated to his room, pulling shut the secret door.
He looked at the letter, slipped out the parchment, and read the words. They burned, just as they had burned before. Bramwell had forgotten it still existed, tucked away in her vanity drawer. Without hesitation, he balled up the correspondence, walked over to the fireplace and tossed it upon a few remaining embers. A moment later, the heat caught the note on fire and consumed the evidence of betrayal.
“Damn unfaithful bitch,” he cursed. He wanted to roar the words from his soul and bellow them at the top of his lungs. However, waking the entire household over another inconsolable rant would do him no good. It never did.
He glanced at the ticking clock upon the fireplace mantel. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning. In a few hours, he needed to leave for the mine. Desperately needing sleep, he decided to take a dose of the drug. It would take him from cruel reality to blissful dreams.
Afterward, he stripped himself of his trousers and linen shirt, throwing them on the floor. Naked, he crawled under the blanket feeling the urge to relieve the desire to ravish Caroline.