Damien scoffed.
“Stop that,” he repeated, raising an amused brow. “Those seem to be your two favorite words.”
“Well, if you would stop being so insufferable, perhaps I would not have to repeat them so much,” Caroline testily replied.
“Oh, but I do it for you,” Damien retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Caroline tsked her tongue, her fear of him sliding away a little more.
Then his smirk faded, and he looked almost sincere as he leaned his elbow onto the arm of his chair and pressed his fingertips to his temples.
“I am just trying to show how easily most of your problems can go away when you have the fortune I am about to give you,” he stated.
“Is that what you are trying to do?” she countered. “Trying to buy your way into my heart? I will have you know that I shall not be bought by your displays of wealth.”
Damien’s amber gaze hardened as his lips settled into a grim line.
“Do be serious, Caroline. As if you would ever allow me anywhere near your heart.”
Caroline’s brows furrowed; she was not at all sure why what he had just said caused a bad taste to spread over her tongue.
Mrs. Parks returned a moment later, and as the two of them discussed the designs of the dresses, Damien made no further mention of buying the shop out from under her. To Caroline’s surprise, he even gave her enough money to hire two new seamstresses so the new order would be filled in time.
Mrs. Parks’ eyes lit with greed as she took the money, but then, in a rare show of kindness, she handed some of it to Caroline.
“I suppose I never told you, but you were a talented seamstress for me. One of the best I ever had. These are the wages I owe you. I wish you the happiest of marriages with your future husband, Miss Mason,” she said.
Stunned, Caroline was silent for a moment as she held the money in her hand.
“Thank you,” she managed to say.
Mrs. Parks curtsied toward her, surprising her even more. Then Damien took the money from Caroline’s hand and handed it back to Mrs. Parks.
“My wife will never have to worry about money again,” he stated, nodding for her to take the money back. “You can keep her wages.”
Though it was not kind, Caroline nodded her head.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Do keep it all, Mrs. Parks.”
Her employer, who had been so cold and cutting from the moment she had hired Caroline, looked as if she were about to cry as she accepted the money being handed back to her.
“You are truly a lady, Miss Mason,” she whispered hoarsely.
Caroline was not at all sure what to say to that or how to handle the woman’s rare show of emotion, so she simply said her goodbyes after Damien stated that they would be back in two days for the finished dresses.
Not sure what to do with her sudden and vast amount of free time, Caroline sighed and stilled for a moment as they made it back outside.
“What is it?” Damien asked.
Caroline shook her head.
“I suppose I just became accustomed to not having so much free time,” she explained. “I am not sure what to do with myself.”
She looked up at him, as if he had the answer.
“Shall we go back to the orphanage?” she asked.
“We could,” Damien agreed. “After we do a little more shopping. We will visit the milliner. I saw it as we were on our way here. And the cordwainer. As I said, you need a new wardrobe, and that goes beyond dresses.”
