James had the pained smile on his face that he always adopted whenever his father was mentioned in company. Everyone in thetonknew the Bishop of London. James was forever being asked to give regards to his father from those that he met. Caroline’s heart went out to him; she was not the only one who society had set expectations upon.
“My aunt has worked hard to get this house party ready. She worked with my mother to arrange all the invitations. The countess, unfortunately, could not join us this week,” said Julian.
Caroline looked at her brother. An unspoken agreement passed between them. No one was going to mention the countess, and the lack of her presence at Newhall Castle.
“Yes, I expect there was a lot of work involved in planning everything. Did you have to bring much up from London?” she asked.
“Actually no, the local town of Burton-on-Trent has much of what we need. We have a day trip planned there on market day. If the weather clears, we shall journey up to the town next Thursday,” replied Julian.
The gentlemen gathered at the nearby sideboard and began an earnest discussion of the merits of the various fine Scottish whiskies which had been set out for them. Lady Margaret took Caroline by the arm and they wandered over to the far wall where a number of paintings hung.
Caroline stood and closely studied the first piece of artwork. It was a sweeping landscape of rugged mountains and deep valleys. She appreciated the rustic reds and greys used by the artist. Portraits were well enough to look at, but paintings of nature and scenery were, to her mind’s eye, far more appealing.
“Is that from around this area?” she asked.
Lady Margaret shook her head. “No, that is where my family comes from. It’s farther north in the Peak District. Lord Newhall’s father had it commissioned for me not long after I came to Newhall Castle.”
Caroline bit down on her bottom lip, unsure of what to say next. If Lady Margaret was not Julian’s aunt on his father’s side, and she was not related to his mother, then how exactly was she his aunt?
Lady Margaret caught Caroline’s eye. “I am not really his aunt. I did my best to raise him in the years after his mother left. I was left a widow at an early age, and Julian’s father and I came to realize that being his mistress was a far better solution for me than having to go through the business of finding another husband. We did love one another, which was more than either of us had had in our respective marriages.”
“I didn’t mean to pry, but thank you for telling me. I promise not to mention it to anyone else,” said Caroline.
“At the rate things are going, we may not have anyone else. I am pleased though to see that you and Julian are making efforts to be friends,” replied Lady Margaret.
Caroline looked back to where Julian and the others were standing. They had been enemies until only a day ago. And she was still a little more than surprised at how warm and friendly he had been to her since her arrival.
“Lady Margaret, I must beg a favor of you, and ask that you be honest with me. I don’t understand why the countess was at such pains to invite me. Our previous meeting had been most unpleasant. So, I am at a loss as to why she extended the invitation,” she said.
The silence that followed added to her unease. Instead of immediately offering her reassurances that all was above board, Lady Margaret hesitated. “The countess made some last-minute changes to the guest list just before she left London,” she explained.
Caroline forced a smile to her lips and did her best to blink away unbidden tears. She now understood the look of genuine surprise on Julian’s face when he saw her standing inside the front door of the castle. Since he had not invited her to the house party, Caroline Saunders was probably the last person he had expected to find on his doorstep in the middle of the night.
Lady Margaret reached out and took hold of Caroline’s good hand. “You and Julian are friends now. Please let any past misunderstandings between the two of you remain in the past.” She glanced quickly at Julian, then turned back to Caroline. “You are welcome here at Newhall Castle, and are a guest the same as everyone else. I would ask that you not say anything to him; it would be deeply embarrassing to him if he discovered that you knew.”
Caroline considered Lady Margaret’s words. It was not something she was accustomed to doing, but she had made a promise to herself and her family to change her ways. She came to the uncomfortable decision that she would swallow her pride and say nothing to her host. “Of course. Besides, we are having a marvelous time. Julian and I defeated my brother and cousin on the snow-covered battlefield this afternoon. And he has offered for me to eat as many pies as I can this evening,” she warmly replied.
When a soft sigh of relief escaped Lady Margaret’s lips, Caroline wiped away another tear and made a silent vow. From this moment on, she would make every effort to deserve her place at the party.
After supper, Lady Margaret made her apologies and left them. The rest of the group lounged about on sofas and swore collectively to never eat another pie.
“So, Newhall, are we going to ride out tomorrow morning and see if we can greet some of the other guests?” asked Francis.
Caroline looked up from the book she had been reading by the fire. The expression on Julian’s face said enough. He was becoming concerned that no one else was going to come to his party.
“That sounds like an excellent idea. It will be fun to see who is on the road. You could dress up as highwaymen and cry ‘stand and deliver,’” she said.
James shot her a look of feigned horror. “Yes, and you can explain to my father why I am about to be hanged when someone does not see the funny side of the jest.”
Francis took hold of his cousin’s throat and pretended to throttle him. James, in turn, made an excellent impression of having his neck broken and crumpled to the floor.
The applause for his terrible acting was short.
“Perhaps you had better just rug up well against the cold and forget about playing Dick Turpin. I promise to be waiting here with hot coffee and more pies in readiness for your safe return,” said Caroline.
Julian turned to her and dipped into an elegant bow. “Thank you. That would make the journey out tomorrow all the more worthwhile.”
Caroline smiled back at him self-consciously. Her heart was beating an unfamiliar tattoo. Had the Ice Queen’s heart began to thaw?
