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“No.” He laughed slightly as he stalked toward her. “You had heard that after she jilted me, I flew into a rage, kidnapped her, and ruined her in theprocess.”
Well, thatwaswhat she’d heard, but Caroline didn’t want to even acknowledge the truth of that with a nod. Even if she couldn’t fathom the Marc she knew doing something so horrific, she knew that he had done so. Everyone who’d been in London at the time knew what he’d done. So she simply met his gaze head on instead. “Why did you do such athing?”
He stood right before her and said very evenly as he softly brushed his fingers against her cheek, “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,Caroline.”
A jolt of heat washed over her, but Caroline pushed the sensation away. What did he mean by that? Was he denying that he’d kidnapped Miss Burke? She remembered quite well when he’d done so. Tales of that horrible incident had circulated all through Town and had terrified her whenever she heard his name back during her first Season. “Are you saying you didn’tdoso?”
“What do you think?” he asked, sliding her to the middle of the bed so he couldjoinher.
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine you doing anything likethat,but…”
“But?” he urged, resting his jaw on his elbow as hefacedher.
“Well, whatdidyou do?” she countered. After all, he said he always told her the truth, didn’t he? What was the truth about MissBurke?
“Well, I didn’tcourther, that’s for certain.” His wolfish grin was firmly inplace.
He truly could try the patience of a saint. “Marc,” shecomplained.
Of course, that only made his smile widen. “Alice was an operative, Caroline. From a family of operatives, really.” And then his smile disappeared. “Though how her father thought it the thing to do to involve his daughters in such games escapes me. The very last thing I would ever do is push Callie into service for King andCountry.”
Caroline couldn’t imagine doing anything like that either. “A family ofoperatives.”
He shrugged. “Well, his sons gained military honors, but hisdaughters…”
When he said nothing else, Caroline prodded, “Hisdaughters?”
“Ended up serving their country on their backs. Hardly the life any man should want for his daughter.” He shook his head. “Alice was beautiful. Smart girl. Deserved better than her lotinlife.”
An operative. Caroline would have never suspected that. “So you met her in some…spymeeting?” sheguessed.
“We never hadspy meetings. We weren’t in some sort of club.” He shook his head as though the idea was ridiculous. The twinkle in his eyes, however, softened that rebuke a bit. “We were working on a mission together. It benefitted the mission for us to be betrothed, and so we were.” He heaved a sigh. “The mission came to an end, and since only a woman can call off abetrothal…”
“Shejiltedyou.”
He nodded. “But the mission wasn’t truly over. I found that out when part of the group we infiltrated, the group we thought we’d broken up, ended up abducting her.” He blew out a breath as though he was remembering something awful. “Anyway, I found her, broken as she was, rescued her from that awful place, and delivered her to the fellow she really did love, one who could take her away from the life her father had subjected her to. They live a very quiet life in Norfolk, last Iheard.”
Goodness! That was what had happened? “You’ve been painted a villain for nearly twodecades.”
“Upstanding fellows have a more difficult time being accepted into the dens of devils.” Marc shrugged. “My reputation served me well for manyyears.”
Caroline leaned back against the pillows and let out a breath. “I feel like I don’t even know youatall.”
He slid her beneath him and tugged a stray curl behind her ear. “Do you know Iloveyou?”
She did know that. She believed it in every part of her. So Carolinenodded.
“Do you know that I would never let any harm cometoyou?”
She nodded again, biting her lower lip, which made his gaze settle on her mouth and her core to pulse with need. “So what else do you wish toknow,love?”
Everything. She wanted to know every single thing there was to know about Marcus Gray. But what she said was, “I suppose I’d most like to know what it’s like to be made love to inSaddleworthHall.”
He flashed her a grin. “I am your most humble servant,” he whispered against her lips before capturing themwithhis.
Chapter24
Caroline didn’t thinkshe’d ever tire of lying in Marc’s arms. There was a headiness that came from loving him, from seeing the look of devotion in his eyes as he made love to her. And even now, tired as she was, giddiness washed over her; and the last thing she could do was nap. Her body hummed, her heart soared, and her mindraced.
