Julian genuinely surprised himself. He managed to get both Caroline and Harry back to the castle without murdering Harry in the process. He was sorely tempted to do him great harm, but it quickly became apparent that Caroline was in need of his support. He would have to wait to exact revenge on the man who had laid his hands on her.
Francis was not so gracious.
As Caroline went to sit with Lady Margaret, the men gathered in the drawing room, Harry on one side, faced down by the others.
“Harry, for the love of our friendship, tell me this is something of a foolish and badly timed jest. Tell me what Caroline has accused you of doing is all some terrible misunderstanding,” said Francis.
“I assure you that I am completely earnest in my resolve to marry your sister. You should be congratulating me, not taking me to task. Her reputation will be salvaged by her becoming my wife,” replied Harry.
“But not her health from the way you assaulted her,” snapped Julian.
The memory of the fear he had seen in Caroline’s eyes burned bright in his mind. Harry shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on Francis. Caroline’s brother was the one man in the room who had any real power over her future.
“Now, Francis, if I could just talk to Caroline alone, I am certain we could get the matter of our betrothal settled. She just needs to learn to do as she is told,” Harry implored.
Julian puffed out his cheeks. He knew it was his imagination, but he was certain that somewhere he could hear a small voice telling him that Harry was in desperate need of a solid punch to the head.
Make that two.
Francis raked his fingers through his hair. Julian felt sorry for him. No matter what was resolved from the current crisis, the long-standing friendship was likely beyond repair. With his sister’s reputation at risk, Francis was now in the unenviable situation of having to take sides.
“What Caroline needs is for her family to support and protect her, which is exactly what I am going to do. You attacked my sister and now have the gall to try and force her into marrying you. Have you run mad?” he said.
A determined Harry held his ground. “I am not mad. In fact, I am seeing more clearly now than I have ever done. I made certain to set things in motion. So, whether you like it or not, Caroline now has to marry me.”
All six-foot-four of Francis stepped forward and towered over Harry. Julian and James exchanged a concerned look. This moment could very well end in bloodshed.
“You will not speak to Caroline. You will go to your room and pack your things. You and I shall leave for London before the day is out,” said Francis.
“What?” replied Harry.
Julian had heard enough. He was not going to stand idly by while Harry questioned the whys and wherefores of what was to happen. Especially not after what he had done to Caroline.
“Menzies, this is my home. I shall be the judge of what happens under my roof. As of this moment, you are no longer welcome as a guest at Newhall Castle. Until you leave later today, you will remain in your room. I shall have a footman bring you food and drink,” he said.
“But—”
“But nothing,” replied Julian.
“Don’t think for one minute that this is over and done with, Newhall. That betrothal notice will carry a great deal of weight in forcing Caroline to accept my suit,” sneered Harry.
Julian held back on his reply, and opened the door. He slammed it shut with great force after Francis and James had led Harry away. They accompanied Harry to his room, returning a short time later.
Francis handed Julian a key. “He continued to demand to see Caroline, so I thought it best to lock him in. Mostly for the sake of his own safety.”
Julian nodded his agreement. It was a wise course of action. He had retrieved his pistol from his room upon returning to the castle. It was now loaded and sitting in his jacket pocket. It may have been overkill on his part, but after having seen how shaken Caroline was after her encounter with Harry Menzies, he was not willing to take any chances.
The Caroline of old would have taken her brother to task for not having dealt with the Harry situation earlier. But she now held her tongue as Francis closed the sitting room door behind him. No one could have foreseen the events that had transpired earlier that morning, least of all Francis.
“Thank you for sitting with my sister,” said Francis, as Lady Margaret gathered up her shawl and left the room.
His face was drawn and held an expression of dark resolve. Caroline knew he was doing his utmost to keep his temper in check. Francis was one of those people who could tolerate a thousand insults, but once he received one too many, pity help the man on the receiving end of his wild Viking temper.
Caroline rose from her seat and they met in the middle of the room. He held out his arms. “I am so sorry, Caro. I had no idea. Thank god Newhall arrived when he did,” he said.
It was with a great sense of relief that she stepped into Francis’s embrace. Long arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to him. She hugged him as best as she could, taking care not to disturb her injured left hand. Her tall, white-haired warrior from the north would do all he could to keep her safe.
“What is to happen?” she asked.
He looked down at her. “Harry is locked in his room and won’t be allowed out until we leave for London. That should be in a couple of hours. Newhall’s stablemaster is getting the carriage and horses ready for the road.”
Caroline pulled out of her brother’s hug. “Then I had better hurry and pack.”
Francis stepped in her way as she headed for the door. “Only Harry and I are travelling today. Would you please sit?”
As he took a seat beside her on a nearby sofa, Francis cleared his throat. “Now I know you want to come back to London with me to get this all sorted, and if it were anyone else, I would be inclined to agree. But this is Harry. And we go back a long way. What I am asking you to do is to go to Scotland with James. And once the situation in London has been resolved, I shall send word,” he said.
Caroline sat and considered his words. Knowing her brother, he was thinking of both the immediate situation and beyond. When she finally nodded her agreement, it was with the unspoken understanding that matters needed to be handled delicately.
Harry had a younger sister who was out in society, but as yet, unmarried. If it got about town that her brother was a hothead, it could seriously damage her prospects. By not racing back to London to denounce Harry, she would afford her family the opportunity to find a way to quietly resolve matters with the least amount of damage. There were others to consider besides herself.
Francis did not need to show their parents the slow-forming bruises on Caroline’s arm for them to gain an understanding of the gravity of what had happened in Derbyshire. By sending Caroline to Scotland, she would be away from the ugly business of dealing with Harry Menzies, and she would be safe.
“As long as James is prepared to travel to Scotland, then I shall go with him. In a few more days, my hand should be healed enough for me to travel. We could be on the road north by the start of next week,” she replied.
There was a low sigh of relief from Francis at her words. She felt sorry for him. No one could envy him the long journey home with Harry.
Francis leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Caroline’s cheek. “Thank you. You know if I could stay here and comfort you I would, but things have to be sorted in London as soon as possible. If we leave by early afternoon, we should be able to make it through to Markfield before nightfall, and then press on tomorrow.”
She followed him to the door of the sitting room. “What are you going to do once you get home?”
It was all well and good her agreeing to go to Scotland, but she was not prepared to be left in the dark as to what was to be done about her own future.
“I shall speak to Father, but my first inclination would be to have a word through private channels with The Times and ask that they print a retraction and an apology. While the blame lies clearly at Harry’s feet, they should know not to have printed the notice without it having been signed by both parties,” he replied.
Caroline let her brother go. She dreaded what he and their father would have to go through in order to sort out the unholy mess that Harry had put them all in. The ton thrived on rumors, and a false betrothal would be perfect fodder for the midafternoon gossip sessions, which regularly took place over tea and cake, in the finest homes of London.