cousin would take her words seriously. After all, despite being a wallflower, Caroline could, at present, name two men within her small circle of acquaintances who no doubt possessed hidden agendas. Agendas that worried her. Agendas that kept her awake at night and made her fidget nervously during the day. Needless to say, she didn’t much care for hidden agendas!
Suddenly, the look in Rebecca’s eyes…changed…in a rather alarming way that sent cold shivers down Caroline’s back. “How did you see him?” her cousin demanded, suspicion sneaking into her voice as her eyes swept over Caroline’s face. “From the window of your chamber, you couldn’t have seen him. You couldn’t.”
Caroline’s heart slammed to a halt, and it took all her concentration to keep the smile on her face.
“Where were you when…?” Rebecca’s brows rose in challenge. “You weren’t in your chamber when you saw him, were you?” And this was why keeping secrets was generally not a good idea!
Knowing when a battle was lost, Caroline sighed in annoyance…with herself as well as her observant cousin. “Fine. No, I was not in my chamber.”
“Where were you then?” Rebecca pressed.
“That, I cannot tell you.” After all, her cousin had been less than forthcoming as well.
“Why?” Which, of course, didn’t stop her from asking questions.
Caroline gritted her teeth. “It is of no importan—”
Shaking her head, Rebecca interrupted her. “How can it not be of importance? You left your chamber in the middle of the night and went…where?” Her eyes were wide as she stared at her cousin. “Did you leave the house? Where did you go?”
Willing herself to remain calm, Caroline held her gaze. “As I said before, you have your secrets and I have mine. I’m not asking you to tell me what you’re up to today. All I’m asking is that you’re careful.” As Rebecca kept staring at her in awe, Caroline decided to forge ahead. “You’re meeting him at Hyde Park, are you not? Are you not worried that my father will hear of this? You know you will not be able to hide in such a place.” The conspiratorial gleam in Rebecca’s eyes gave her pause. “But you don’t care, do you?” she whispered, trying to understand what it was her cousin was hoping to accomplish. Clearly, an elaborate plan lay at the root of today’s outing.
Clearing her throat, Rebecca shrugged. “As you said, you have your secrets and I have mine.”
“Very well,” Caroline said with a sigh. “Do what you must, and good luck.” She turned to head back down the street when her cousin spoke up again.
“Tell Aunt Mildred I slipped away while you were looking at ribbons…or something, and that you don’t know where I went.”
Caroline nodded. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Heading back the way they’d come, Caroline had no intention of returning home so soon. After all, her parents thought her in Hyde Park with Rebecca, and even if they would later hear of whatever scandalous thing Rebecca had planned, there was still time for Caroline to stop by the orphanage and feign ignorance later.
A yawn stretched across her face when she finally reached the two-story building. The window to the office was still boarded up, and Caroline could see in her mind’s eye the stack of ledgers resting on the desk inside. With the additional expenses and the money Mr. Wolsey had taken, Caroline worried for the children’s futures. How were they supposed to continue on?
Turning around the corner, Caroline spotted the door to the office wide open, the sound of someone moving around inside drifting to her ears. Had Mr. Wolsey returned? Inhaling a deep breath, Caroline braced herself for another confrontation. However, when she turned to step across the threshold, she found a tall, slender man standing behind the desk, his eyebrow-less eyes surveying the papers upon it. He seemed about her father’s age, his face slightly strained like someone who knew well the meaning of misery. His attire was impeccable, in order, and she watched him as he reached out a hand, its forefinger giving one of the ledgers a slight push so that its bottom right-hand corner moved up a bit, now perfectly aligned with the others at its side.
Caroline cleared her throat.
The man almost jumped out of his skin, his gaze wide as his head jerked up. When his eyes fell on her, he closed them briefly, his hand coming to rest on his chest as he exhaled a deep breath. “Good morning, Miss Hawkins,” he stammered,