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“No.” Emma giggled as she shook her head, sending her dark curls bobbing up and down. “Areyouafraid?”
“Me?” Marc soundedincredulous.
“Lord Haversham isn’t afraid of anything,” Caroline said evenly, glancing at Marc to see if there was any sign of the crack in his unshakable façade she’d spotted along thesouthwalk.
But his usual devil-may-care expression seemed quite in place at the moment. And then he winked at Emma as the waiter returned to their box with a tray of food. “Imightbe afraid that Emma Benton may try to stealmyham.”
“Oh, be afraid of that,” Luke chimed in from the other side of the table. “That little piece of baggage is quite thethief.”
“Uncle Luke!” Emma laughed, and the sound of her joy lifted Caroline’s heart just a bit. What she wouldn’t do to hear that sound always, for Emma to be as happy and content from this day forward untilherlast.
Contrarily, Rachel seemed beyond bored with the entire event, as though she couldn’t wait for the family excursion to come to an end. Caroline sighed as her gaze landed on her eldest. She supposed a very tame outing at Vauxhall was a far cry from the dagger-throwing criminal she’d set out in search of the night before. That whole thing still seemed so very strange. Even in the wilder days of Caroline’s youth, she couldn’t imagine ever having done somethinglikethat.
“I am simply saying,” Luke continued, “that there is a cinnamon biscuit thief who resides at Staveley House and she looks very muchlikeyou.”
“Cook made them forme,” Emma protested as she plucked a piece of cheese off the tray in the middle of thetable.
“Aye,” Luke agreed. “But you still took it offmyplate.”
Beside Caroline, Marc stiffened in his chair, and her gaze immediately went back out across the expanse of the gardens. Had the mysterious man from the walk returned? Was he coming towardthem?Or…
Mr. Winslett? Was that who Marc was scowling at? The young man was certainly one of the more pleasant of his generation. Charming, intelligent, second in line to the Chatham dukedom. In fact, Caroline had never heard an unpleasant thing about the fellow. But Marc was definitely scowling at him. How very odd…then she realized that Chase Winslett was looking in their direction as well, or most specifically in Rachel’sdirection.
Well, that was interesting. She didn’t think the young man even knew her daughter. But he must from the look on his face. Not that Rachel noticed. She was gazing out toward the musicians and sighing rather dramatically, not realizing at all that she apparently had anadmirer.
Of course, Marc had noticed. But then he knew the thoughts in men’s minds better than Caroline did. And he truly did mean to involve himself in all aspects of their lives, apparently. Even assuming the role of protective guardian for Rachel. Oddly, Caroline found a bit of comfort in that. For the last while, she’d felt so incapable of doing everything alone, but…Marc was fitting into their lives rather well. He seemed to adore Emma as much as Emma did him; and after Rachel’s ill-advised journey into Covent Garden, he definitely seemed to be keeping a much-needed eye onhertoo.
She tipped her head toward Marc and whispered, “What’s wrong withWinslett?”
“He’s an idiot,” Marc repliedsoftly.
“Indeed?”
“One of the biggest inLondon.”
“His mother is pleasant,”Carolinesaid.
“Pleasant people can bearidiots.”
She bit back a smile. “I supposethat’strue.”
His hand landed on her knee beneath the table and he squeezed her gently, making her belly flip. “Do we have to stay through thefireworks?”
Was he serious? Leaving before then was not even an option. Caroline glanced in Emma’s direction. “Doyouwant to tell her we’re leavingearly?”
“All right.” He blew out a breath and said, “Fireworks,itis.”
Who would have ever thought Marcus Gray could have a soft spot for anyone? Especially a child? The fact that he appeared to have one for Emma made happiness course through Caroline and made her fall even deeper for him. Perhaps all her fears had been for naught. What if they really could be a happy little family? Marc was so very different from David, though he seemed to be equally effective with her children. Actually, she wasn’t certain if David would have been able to find Rachel as deftly as Marc had done. They were two very different men with very different methods, and she was quite fortunate to have had both in her life. Quite fortunate to have had the love of both of them. And quite fortunate to love them bothaswell.
* * *
There wasnothing Marc hated more than feeling trapped. And as he spotted St. George across the way, glancing toward him, Marc knew he was definitely trapped. Even worse, he feared he’d sealed Caroline’s fate alongwithhis.
He had the urge to say something truly awful to her, to have one enormous fight, with everyone at Vauxhall as a captive witness. And he would do so in a heartbeat to protect her, to put some very real distance between them in the eyes of society, and even in reality, if that would keep her safe. But he suspected St. George would see through such a stunt, and it would put an even bigger target on her very lovely back in theprocess.
He was quite clearly damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. There was no wayaroundit.
It seemed as though he’d lived an entire lifetime waiting for those bloody fireworks. And when the last bit of color exploded in the sky, Marc grabbed Emma’s hand and whispered to Caroline, “Hold on to Rachel and stay closetome.”
