condemn Caroline now? Or would she recognize her as a kindred spirit?
Holding her breath, Caroline looked at the other woman, knowing her words would carry more weight than anyone else’s. She could only hope—
A small smile teased the woman’s lips before she nodded her head. “It would seem I was mistaken,” she stated in a tone that allowed for no argument. “Lord Markham, please accept my apologies.”
“What?” Coleridge snapped, his face turning red as he stared at Lady Brockton. Then his eyes moved to Caroline, hatred burning in their depths before he suddenly charged toward her. “You!”
Caroline flinched, but Pierce immediately stepped in Coleridge’s path, felling the man with a well-aimed punch to the jaw. Coleridge went down like a ton of bricks, a groan of pain wrenched from his lips.
The crowd went still, then broke out laughing.
Holding his face, Coleridge staggered back to his feet, his eyes shooting daggers at the crowd around him, now eyeing him with pity and disdain. His attention, however, returned to Caroline, singling her out as the target of his wrath, understandable considering that without her interference his vile plan might have succeeded. “You lying—”
“I wasn’t lying!” Caroline snapped back. “I saw you slip Lady Brockton’s necklace into Lord Markham’s pocket only moments ago. How else could you have known it was there?” Her brows rose in challenge as she glared at the man who had thus far always shown impeccable composure.
Not tonight though.
“Why should we believe anything you say?” he growled, rubbing his chin. “You’ve just admitted to spending the night at a scandalous masquerade with a man who’s not your husband.”
“I may not be her husband,” Pierce stated loud and clear as he reached for Caroline’s hand, gently slipping it through the crook of his arm. His gaze, however, remained hard and unyielding as he glared at Coleridge. “Not yet, at least, but she is my fiancée.”
The crowd gasped, and Coleridge’s jaw dropped.
Caroline felt her heart jar to a halt and her breath lodge in her throat. Had she heard him correctly? Had he just—?
And then his dark eyes were on hers, a soft smile playing on his lips as his other hand moved to cover hers ever so gently. “If you’ll have me,” he whispered, his voice trembling as though he truly feared she would reject him.
Caroline blinked back tears. “You don’t…you don’t have to do this,” she whispered, aware of the crowd around them, their ears no doubt straining to hear what was being spoken. “It was my choice. You don’t have to do this.”
His smile deepened, warm and loving, and Caroline felt her insides melt. “I’m not doing this because I have to,” he murmured. “I’m doing this because I want to.” He swallowed, and his gaze intensified as it lingered on hers. “I want you, you and no other. I have for a while.” He exhaled slowly before his hand moved from hers and his fingers gently grasped her chin. “I should have told you this a long time ago.” He shrugged. “I love you, little mouse. I have since that first night you caught me off guard.”
A deep smile came to his face, and Caroline could not help but smile with him as joy hummed through her body. “I love you, too,” she finally told him, surprised how effortlessly the words tumbled from her lips.
Pierce’s breathing quickened as he looked down at her, and she wished they were alone for she wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her. And he did. It was a rather chaste kiss on her forehead. “I’ll kiss you properly later,” he whispered against her hair. “We better not put fuel in the fire. Tongues will no doubt be wagging for weeks to come.”
“I don’t care,” Caroline told him, knowing that she’d never in her life felt as much at peace as she did in that moment. A moment she’d chosen out of her own free will. A moment she was sharing with a man she loved. A moment that held the promise of many more to come.
“I believe congratulations are in order,” Lady Brockton exclaimed as she strode closer, grasping Caroline’s hand, a conspiratorial smile on her lips as she looked from Pierce to her. “My dear, you ought to have told me you were betrothed. This is splendid news.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “I expect the wedding will be soon.”
Smiling down at his fiancée, Pierce nodded. “Very soon,” he mumbled before looking back at Lady Brockton. “We