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And neither could Caroline. Sixteen. A year older than Caroline had been when she’d married David. And then Rachel had come along nine months later. How had time flown so quickly by? At 32, she still felt young, or at least she had until David died. “Be careful,” she said to her daughter. “No dagger throwingfiends.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, much in the same way Caroline would have done at her age if given the same warning. “Not even Kitty could talk Mrs. Greywood intothat, Mama.” Then she waved from the doorway. “See you soon, Livvie.” And then shewasgone.
Livvie’s eyes were still wide when Caroline looked back at her. “On my life, I blinked and she’sgrownup.”
“She thinks she is,” Carolinecorrected.
“Adam’s doing wellatEton?”
“His marks are good.” Though he was still adjusting to coming into the viscountcy at such a young age. Her son had been silently stoic about the whole thing, reminding her completely ofDavid.
“And Emma?” Livvieasked.
Caroline swiped at a tear before it could trail down her cheek. “She’s having the hardest time adjusting,” she admitted softly. “She loved David more than anything in theworld.”
“And he adored her,” Livvie agreed. And then she closed her eyes as though composing herself before opening them to pin Caroline with a most serious expression. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all? I owe you so much, so many people do. And I just feel helpless. But if there’s somethingyouneed—”
Caroline hugged her cousin to her and squeezed Livvie tightly. “You’ve always been here for me. That’s allIneed.”
“It doesn’t seem like enough,” Livviewhispered.
“It hastobe.”
After securing Caroline’s promise that she and the girls would attend Astley’s Amphitheatre with the Kelfields later that week, Livvie departed for her own home and Caroline was left alone, staring at the walls of her white parlor, fending off the familiar grief that had become so much a part ofherlife.
How everything had changed since she’d last sat in this room! Once upon a time, she would have never justsatin a parlor. She would have been plotting and planning and devising schemes, mostly of the matchmaking variety. She would never have just sat in her white parlor feeling sorry for herself. And she didn’t want to spend the rest of her years doing that either. It wasn’t in her nature. There had to be more than that. There just hadtobe.
She just wasn’t sure how to find it. How to go on. But sitting alone in her parlor wasn’t the way to go about it, whateveritwas. So…a stroll. A stroll somewhere,anywherewascalledfor.
With that immediate thought in her mind, she pushed off the settee, bid a farewell to Tindle, and made a direct path out of Staveley House and down the steps onto Curzon Street. But she only made it a few paces before she felt something…almost as if someone was watching her. Caroline stopped on the walk and glanced across the street to findMarcus Gray,of all the villains in the world,watching her with such a serious expression, her stomach tightened inresponse.
Chapter2
Dear God.It had been months since Marc had seen Caroline and…now he couldn’t pull his eyes from her. She was still so goddamned beautiful, just gazing at her struck him in his gut. The sun reflected off her dark blonde curls like it always did, but…well, there was a coolness to her hazel eyes that had never been there before, and quite a bit of anger, which was newaswell.
Shehatedhim.
She still hated him. That was easy enoughtosee.
And he still loved her. That would neverchange.
After a quick perusal of his person, Caroline tipped her nose in the air and headed east down Curzon Street without even a glance back over hershoulder.
Marc had been on the receiving end of the cut direct a number of times during his life, but never from her, not even when she was furious with him. That was unfortunate. It was going to make ensuring her safety more difficult, but it wouldn’t change his course. He couldn’t let it. Caroline Staveley was the only woman he’d ever truly loved, and even if she hated him for the rest of her life, her wellbeing was of the utmostimportance.
But damnitall!
He never chased after anyone, not really. He always went his own way and did exactly what he wanted. And to hell with anyone else. But there he was, chasingher anyway, crossing the street and increasing his pace until he was almostuponher.
At that moment, Caroline spun on her heel and glared up at him as though he was the worst villain ever born. “Honestly! Haven’t you doneenough?”
Not nearly enough. Never enough. Marc sighed. “You have a new butler,” he said instead of taking her bait. They’d get nowhere discussing his guilt or lack thereof in regard to Staveley’s death. And none of that had anything to do with her presentsafety.
Caroline’s brow scrunched up, and she blinked at him in disbelief. “I beg yourpardon?”
“Your butler,” he said again. “Your former one was an old man when God created the Earth.” The fellow had to be dead these days. “But now you’ve got a new one.” And from the looks of the servant Marc had spotted just a bit ago, he was more than certain he’d already found Galloway’s man. “Where did you find him? Whorecommendedhim?”
She shook her head, and her golden brown curls bounced against her shoulders. “Why? Are you in the market for new servants,mylord?”
