the woman she was and not the woman she pretended to be and declare herself. It was as simple as that, was it not?
With impatience suddenly pulsing in her veins, Caroline set down her teacup and lifted her head. Then she removed the spectacles from her nose and met her mother’s gaze. “I promise I’ll have an answer for Lord Coleridge tonight,” she declared, eagerness in her voice. “First, however, I do believe I need a new dress.”
Astonishment rested on her parents’ faces as they absorbed their daughter’s words. “That is marvelous, my dear,” her father beamed as he lowered his paper. “Truly marvelous.”
Her mother nodded eagerly, a large smile on her face. “Indeed, it is.” Pushing to her feet, she rounded the table and then grasped Caroline’s hands as she, too, rose from her chair. “I know just where to find the perfect dress for you.” Smiling, she brushed a curl behind Caroline’s ear. “You’ll look beautiful.”
Squeezing her mother’s hands, Caroline returned her mother’s smile and nodded, ignoring the small stab of guilt at deceiving her parents thus. However, it would be the last time, she promised herself. Of course, she would give Lord Coleridge an answer as she’d promised. It would not be the one he’d want to hear.
Chapter Forty-Three
A Butterfly
With Charlaine on his arm, Pierce walked into the Hawthorne townhouse. His mind was elsewhere, of course. He hoped that Caroline would attend tonight as well. He needed to see her.
He definitely did.
Or he feared he’d go mad.
“You seem distracted,” Charlaine commented with a knowing look in her brown eyes, her gaze focused on him alone, ignoring the hushed words and pointed stares exchanged behind her back.
While some things could be hidden behind a mask, others simply stood out no matter what one did. It was unfair and cruel, but it was the way of the world. Men like Coleridge could conceal their true nature, evil and dark, behind smiles and good manners while women like Charlaine, good-hearted and genuine, had no way to be acknowledged for who they were, unable to hide their exotic appearances even if they should wish to try.
Clearly, Charlaine did not for she never used powder to hide the bronze glow of her skin or sought to cover up the unusual shape of her soulful eyes. She always walked with her head held high, and yet, every now and then, Pierce thought he saw exhaustion in her eyes as well as the desire to be accepted for who she was. Did Caroline feel the same way? He wondered, remembering her words from the night before. Was that why she’d reacted so harshly to his words of caution?
Of course, it was no stretch to imagine it to be so. After all, Caroline had been hiding her true self all her life. Such an effort had to have taken its toll.
The thought riled Pierce, and he vowed that, tonight, all that would change. Tonight, he would speak to her. He would tell her he loved her—not with a passion-crazed mind, but with a clear and level head. He would ask for her hand and they would both step into a future free of the restrictions of the past.
If she were to accept him, that was.
“Now, you look worried,” Charlaine observed as she held out a glass of lemonade to him. “I do believe it wise you keep a clear head tonight.”
Pierce frowned, taking a sip and trying to hide a grimace at the sweet taste. “What makes you say that?”
Her brown eyes lingered on his face. “I cannot help but wonder if…” She cocked her head thoughtfully before her lips curved into a knowing smile. “Will you finally ask her to marry you?”
Shaking his head, Pierce laughed, awed by her perceptiveness. “I assume you would not object to such an endeavor?”
Smiling at him, she squeezed his hand. “I want to see you happy,” Charlaine whispered, her eyes misting ever so slightly, “and she is perfect for you.”
“How would you know?” Pierce demanded, trying to ignore the somersault his heart did at hearing her observation. “You barely know her.”
“I’m a good judge of character, or have you forgotten that?” Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder to where Mr. Caswell stood all but glaring in their direction. Pierce had urged him to attend earlier in the week. He could not help but wonder why the man was, indeed, in attendance after the shock he’d received the previous night.
Pierce sighed as he took note of the tension hiding