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“I do not think you are foolish.” Merely whimsical as I once was. Except Phoebe’s thoughts turned to Hugh, and immediately her heart started to pound, a state of existence she’d never felt in all the time she wanted to marry George. She felt almost embarrassed to admit her feelings for George had been so easily altered and erased.
Caroline hurried over and took the empty teacup and saucer from her. She placed them on the tea trolley then made her way to sit beside Phoebe.
“So you believe such a love between a man and a woman to be possible?”
“I daresay it exists, but I have limited experience in that regard. The man I thought once loved me proved himself to be inconstant and was quite easily swayed. I have no expectations or hope toward such sentiments.” Discomfort curled through her, and with some alarm, she sensed the falseness in her own words.
Caroline’s eyes lowered to Phoebe’s belly.
“I see,” she murmured sympathetically. “That is good, then…not good that I think he abandoned you,” she said hastily. “But that you have no expectations of grand love. My brother…he is a very reserved sort of person, and I daresay he would not know what romantic love was even if it bit him in the arse daily.”
Phoebe, drawing a resolute breath, said, “I am aware of your brother’s thoughts on love. I daresay they are like mine.”
Caroline arched a brow. “Are they?”
“Yes,” Phoebe said firmly, ignoring the sound of disbelief from her friend. “Do you…do you know why your brother is so averse to the experience?”
Caroline hesitated briefly. “Father…the old earl often cautioned my brothers about falling in love. It is a mantra of Father’s, really, but as I grew, I did not think such warnings were necessary. Hugh does not allow anyone close. Growing up, I was keen for a better relationship, but he kept me at a careful distance. For a long time, I thought it deliberate on his part because he thought I was inferior to him.”
“I do not perceive that to be his character. The kindness and lack of prejudice he has shown me does not reveal a man puffed up with vanity and his own importance. I sense that you have misunderstood your brother!”
Caroline smiled. “If you recall our first meeting, I told you he was dying. He had fallen ill with influenza, and the doctors told us the chances of Hugh surviving were very slim. It is a contagious illness, and he allowed a young boy and girl who had the disease to travel with him in his coach because it was raining quite heavily.”
Another faraway look entered her eyes. “I truly believed he would die…and my heart could not bear the notion. I went to his bedside despite orders to never enter his rooms, and I confessed that I loved him dearly.”
Phoebe shifted on the sofa to ease the growing discomfort in her lower limbs. “And what did he say?”
“After staring at me for a very long moment, he smiled. And that reassured me greatly, for my brother is not the sort to readily of
fer a smile. It was after that encounter I resolved to learn his language.”
Phoebe stared at her in astonishment. “But that was last year!”
Caroline flushed guiltily. “I confess both William and I did not perceive that Hugh held us in deep affection. It is simply not his way to be…emotional, but he cares.”
Phoebe rested her hands protectively across her stomach, hating the sudden way her heart ached. “And your warnings earlier, you do not believe him to care about me beyond the advantage I bring to this marriage with my connections?”
Caroline grasped her hand eagerly. “Pray do not regard it to mean so! I truly mean that Hugh is extremely reserved, and I believe he is careful with his heart, though he does not know it. I’ve never seen him emotional or too concerned about anything, and I simply did not wish for you to have too many expectations that would only lead to a heartbreak. I…I saw how you looked at him earlier when you thought no one was looking.”
Alarm darted through her. “And how did I look?”
“Do you not know it?” Caroline asked softly, her eyes wide and luminous.
Phoebe wanted to know exactly how she appeared so she might nip that in the bud, and was about to demand it, when prudence intervened. Wolf bounded into the drawing room and jumped onto the sofa beside Phoebe. She laughed when he licked her chin.
“Ill-mannered beast!” Caroline cried, trying to shoo him away.
“Please, no, let him be,” Phoebe said. “I’ve missed him dreadfully these days.”
Caroline hesitated, but clearly sensing that Phoebe wished to be alone, she made excuses and hurried from the room.
Phoebe was about to stand when the housekeeper bustled inside.
“There is a letter for you, milady,” she stated with a kind smile.
“A letter!”
“Yes,” she said, handing it to her.
