promise, they were like brothers, but then he proved false.”
Pierce frowned, trying to remember all the Bow Street Runners had uncovered about Coleridge and his family. “Yes, I believe there was a cousin. A young man by the name of Ruthledge, Oscar Ruthledge. I think he’s Coleridge’s aunt’s son. Years ago, they were close and Ruthledge…let’s say…indulged as much as Coleridge himself, but then a while back, they started going their separate ways.”
“In what way?”
“As far as I know, Ruthledge has all but retreated from society and spends his days with a bottle in his hand.”
His little mouse frowned, a suspicious twinkle in her blue eyes. “When was that? When did he change his ways?”
Pierce felt his breath lodge in his throat. “I think it was about two years ago.”
“Two years,” Caroline echoed, a look of hopefulness coming to her face. “Do you think he was there that night? With Coleridge, Kearsley and Amhurst?”
Pierce nodded. “It would make perfect sense. Perhaps Ruthledge felt regret afterward or he never wanted to participate in the first place. Perhaps despite his familial connection to Coleridge, the man has a sense of decency in him and now he does not know how to live with what he saw…and so he drowns his sorrows.”
“We need to find him!” his little mouse exclaimed, her fingers all but digging into his arms in her eagerness to see justice done.
“And we will,” Pierce assured her. But justice would have to wait a few moments. “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Any more that you need to say?”
The look on her face became thoughtful, then she shook her head. “Not that I can think of.”
“Good.” And without a moment of hesitation, Pierce’s head swooped down and his mouth claimed hers in a long-overdue kiss.
Chapter Forty-One
A Moment Alone
Lost in his kiss, Caroline wondered at the oddity of how he made her feel.
Her knees felt like water and she all but sagged into his arms, dependent on his strong hold on her, keeping her upright and saving her from crashing to the ground. Her pulse was racing like a horse thundering down the track, and she felt utterly lightheaded.
Weak even.
He made her feel weak and vulnerable. Her heart ached with the knowledge that her well-being, her happiness was now tied to him. It frightened her that he possessed such power over her, that if he chose to he could crush her with little to no effort.
A part of Caroline was terrified.
And then she felt his own desperate need for her in the way he kissed her, the way he held on to her as though he, too, was terrified. I cannot bear the thought of losing you. Was that not what he had told her?
His hands were in her hair then, traced the column of her neck. His touch was gentle, achingly so, as he cradled her in his arms. He held her to him, shielded her, protected her, offered everything he was if only she would give him her heart.
With that knowledge, Caroline’s fears went away and she felt utterly at peace for the first time in her life.
Balanced.
Safe.
Home.
Her arms snaked around his neck and she returned his kiss with the same fierceness as they clung to each other, too many words still left unspoken. Her heart urged her to speak, and yet, she could not bring herself to pull away.
Her world moved then, tilted, up and down changed, and Caroline belatedly realized that she was lying on the settee with Pierce draped over her like a blanket. His weight did not make her feel crushed, but warm and comforted. His hands were everywhere as were her own, and she found the hammering pulse in his neck with her gloved fingertips, marveling at the connection she felt to him despite the fabric separating them.
As though Pierce had read her thoughts, she felt his hand move over her ribcage and up to her shoulder. His fingers slipped under the fabric and touched bare skin, then brushed the puff sleeve off her shoulder as the pad of his thumb traced along her collarbone, sending delicious shivers across her skin.
When his lips closed over her own hammering pulse, Caroline smiled. “Do you like my dress?” she whispered almost breathless, feeling reminded of the last time he’d held her in his arms like this.
His teeth nipped her sensitive skin. “I love your dress,” he murmured near her ear, his warm breath making her gasp with longing, “but not nearly as much