feel fear. She had listened to Julian's declaration without thought to the eventual outcome. Now it was time for her to confess. In her heart Cara suspected that her revelations would not be met with the same joy in which she had received Julian's confidences.
"Julian, do you swear that you love me?" Cara begged earnestly.
"Of course, I do. But it solves nothing in our present damnable situation?"
"Even if I tell you that I've done something so terrible that you may have trouble forgiving me?"
"Ah, sweetheart, you could never have done anything that dreadful." he patted Cara's shoulder as though consoling a distraught child.
"But I have, Julian. You see I am your wife," she blurted out.
"You're what?" Julian shook his head in bewilderment.
"I am your wife," Cara repeated. "The Duchess' granddaughter. I am Caroline Leland."
Julian stared at Cara in stupefaction, unable to understand her meaning at first. Slowly his eyes narrowed and she turned away from the penetrating brown stare that bored into her heart. He jerked his hands away from her. Jumping to his feet he glared down at the abject girl, crumpled like a wilted flower.
"Do you mean to tell me you wormed your way into my household under false pretenses?" he thundered.
Cara flinched as his angry words pounded at her. Now that she had confessed, her bravery deserted her and she cowered at Julian's feet.
"Yes, Julian, but...."
"And all the time you were preaching at me about the honesty of Americans?" He whirled around striking out at the pillar of the gazebo. "What a mockery. You must have laughed into your hand at the spectacle I was making."
He stormed to the far side and leaned on the railing, staring out over the Duchess' lush gardens. Scrambling to her feet Cara ran after him, stopping in dismay as she faced the rigid wall of his back.
"Oh, Julian, it was never like that. Please believe me," she argued. "I was desperate. I was married to a man I had never seen. All I wanted was to find out a little about you before we were forced to begin our married life." She stared at his rigid figure.
As Julian continued to turn from her Cara felt a frisson of fear but then she remembered what little choice she had at the time. Her voice which had been pleading took on a note of indignation at the injustice of her situation.
"Perhaps you have a right to be angry. But all I intended to do was just to observe you. I was to stay in the background and then was to return here. And you would never have known." Cara waited for a moment hoping for some sign of thawing, then at his continued silence found herself once more furious with him. "Besides you were hateful at first, I just couldn't keep quiet. The children needed me to speak for them."
Julian turned, his eyes taking in Cara's angry expression. It seemed strange that he had never even considered what his bride would feel on her arrival in England. He had given so little thought to the marriage. Looking down at Cara he was suffused with fury, but this time at his own insensitivity. Gently he gathered her into his arms.
"My darling girl, I never realized what an awful prospect our marriage was for you. I didn't think how dreadful it would be for a gently bred girl to be suddenly faced with a stranger who had all the rights of a husband."
"But you see I made a pretty mess of everything," Cara said. "I had come to love you, Julian. If I could have just remained uninvolved everything would have been well."
Cara's eyes brimmed with tears of love that overflowed as she reached up to encircle his neck. With infinite care, Julian bent to kiss her tear-stained cheeks. He tasted the salt and followed the trail of moisture to the corner of her mouth where he nibbled for a moment. He smiled tenderly at the girl in his arms.
"It wouldn't have all gone well, my dear, because by that time I had fallen in love with a saucy termagant who tyrannized my household."
Cara had the grace to blush at his teasing. Then tipping her head to the side she quirked an eyebrow up at him.
"Do you mind very much, milord?"
Julian's lips told her how little he minded. But suddenly he pushed her away and stared at her, a frown wrinkling his forehead.
"It's getting very confusing, you know. Miss Farraday. Caroline Leland. And now I'll have to learn another name. But Lady Wilton does become you."
Unabashedly the Duchess stood at the window watching as Julian bent his head to kiss the lovely girl in his arms. A smile of remembrance appeared at the corners of her mouth as she recalled her own romance. Cara was definitely going to brighten up the dull days ahead, the older woman thought. Perhaps she would soon be seeing a great grandchild. If only the child had red hair and a temper, the Duchess would be well satisfied.
THE END
AUTHOR’S NOTE
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About the Author:
Karla Darcy lives with her husband, several tame geckos and an occasional friendly snake on the Treasure Coast on the east side of Florida. She has always felt she lived in the Regency period in a past life. Her early writings were musical comedies and humor columns so it was an easy transition to the romantic and humorous style of Regencies. Lovely dresses, masked balls and witty conversations which contained saucy double entendres were the perfect cup of tea for this author.
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Enjoy these other Karla Darcy Sweet Deception Regency Romances
(Click to buy or download a sample)
The Five Kisses
The Masked Heart
The Marriage Wager
The Scandalous Ward
The Virtuous Ward
Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve