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“I purchased it before we lost everything,” Caroline said cheerfully. “It gave me pleasure to order it, and it gives me more pleasure now to see it in your own little cottage. What use was money if not to gift happiness?”
Byron inspected it, then jumped on the seat and curled up to sleep.
“It has the cat’s approval already, so yours can’t be far behind.”
“It’s perfect. I love it,” she said. “I loveyou. And since I have had you in my heart, you have opened me up and expanded my horizons beyond what I could have imagined. You are the shore upon which I wish to rest my head. You are the tide pulling me closer and closer until I don’t know how we could ever be drawn apart again.”
Caroline felt tears well up. “I never thought I would have this kind of love for myself,” she said. “I had never given a thought to what I wanted beyond providing for my family, until you showed me the wonder that we could share together. You are the music that I want to fall asleep to every night, along with the waves and the crickets and the owls. Your soft sighs as you turn in your sleep. The sound of you moving beneath my sheets. If I could listen to the symphony of you for the rest of my life, I would be a happy woman.”
Arabella drew her into her arms and rested her head on her shoulder. “I thought my only chance to be with you was in dreams. Even in dreams, I didn’t dare wish for too much. A look. A touch. The merest brush of your lips. I yearned for those things, but was too timid to reach out my hand for my deepest desires. You taught me that I could be confident. That my dreams are worth it. That it’s better to try and learn and fail, and maybe reach higher heights than the bluffs.”
“Together, we can reach anything we set our sights on,” Caroline declared. “There isn’t anything in Inverley or beyond that could stop us.”
Chapter Three
“What?” Jacob half-rose, then crashed back into his chair. His eyes were glassy and his mouth was open like a fish, as unlike his usual air of fashionable ennui as one could get.
Caroline wished, suddenly and desperately, for Shelley or Byron to come mewling their way through her kitchen window so she could clutch one of them to her chest for support.
“Is this true?” she asked. Her hands were gripping the edge of her seat so hard that her fingers hurt.
“I am your second cousin, once removed. I thought I held the title and the holdings for these past few years, but recent investigation proved me wrong. I cede them to you.” He gave Jacob a curt nod. “Sir Jacob.”
“I didn’t know we had any cousins,” Susan said, stepping further into the room. She was radiating joy. “Let alone titled cousins. This isthrilling.”
“Say not a word of this to anyone,” Caroline snapped at her, and glowered at Mr. Taylor. “What proof do you have of any of this? How are we to know that you are who you say you are? And how do you know that we are who we say we are?”
He looked affronted. Not accustomed to anyone questioning him, she supposed. Good. Served him right to be interrogated now. What business did he have, barging into houses and disrupting lives and throwing everything into disarray?
“I am a man of honor. Besides, I took the liberty of consulting with Inverley’s vicar. He is not the same one as held the post while your parents were alive, but he let me see the books.”
“You looked up my parents’ wedding records before coming to see us?” Ice ran through her veins, followed by hot fire. “You doubted that they were honorably wed?”
He grinned at her. “As you said—how do we know each other? A wise man finds out the truth first. We were unable to track down your branch of the family years ago. Luck was on our side when we managed to find you now. I wanted to be certain of the connection.” He rose and gave them a short bow. “A solicitor is on his way from the Somerset estate to review the paperwork with you tomorrow. In the meantime, I am staying at the hotel on Church Street with my secretary if you wish to find me.” He put his hat on his head and strode out.
For once, Caroline experienced complete silence in the Reeve household. She and Jacob stared at each other in shock.
Then Susan squealed and grabbed Caroline’s hands, pulling her up from the chair and into a wild swing around the room. “We shall berich! Think of the ribbons we shall buy!”
“No!” Caroline snapped and wrested her hands away as Susan’s face fell. “I meant what I said.Tell no one. How do we know if we can trust this man? What if this is some cruel jest?”
“Why would anyone jest about such a thing?” Jacob rose to his feet and passed a shaking hand over his face. “Caro—if this is true—it’s no jest, but amiracle.”
“I cannot wait for Betsy to come home! I can tell her, at least. And little Will and George. Why, it will be ever so fun to see their faces!” Susan danced out of the room and hummed her way up the stairs, no doubt to collapse into daydreams in the room she shared with her sister.
Caroline grasped Jacob’s shoulders. “Please tell me that you share my reservations about this.”
“If what he said is true—I can quit working tomorrow.” His jaw was set, his eyes wild. “Imagine, a baronetcy! The boys will think this is capital. And itis, Caro! You worry too much. You always have.”
“Quit! You shall leave the shopkeeper in a bad position if you leave with such little notice.”
He took a step back. “And how am I to explain that Sir Jacob is keeping his hands dirty for the fun of it! No, Caroline. I won’t have it.”
He stormed out, slamming the front door.
Caroline sucked in a breath. This was outrageous. Her whole family was against her. For surely Betsy would side with Susan and start dreaming of shillings pouring out of the cracks in the walls. Will and George were too young to be anything but excited.
The only person who could keep a secret and who would always be sympathetic to how she felt, no matter what, was Arabella.
