the door as though afraid he would snatch her once more.
For the life of him, Pierce could not understand her reaction for she had returned his kiss most passionately. Had she sought to end it, he would have released her immediately. Did she have regrets? Was he not the kind of man she thought she could give her heart to? Or was it simply that she didn’t want any man no matter who he was?
Watching her all but flee his presence, Pierce sat down on the edge of the desk and closed his eyes. What did it mean that his heart ached and throbbed painfully at the thought of her rejection?
If only he could pretend he didn’t know.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Highwayman
It was him!
Or not? Was she going mad? Had she imagined the…familiarity of his kiss? Or was it truly him? Was Lord Markham her masked savior?
Caroline spent the next few days doing little else but staring out the window, her thoughts hopelessly entangled, going through each and every memory she could conjure. Moments in the dark with a stranger with neither name nor face, and others in the ballrooms of London with an irritating and most persistent lord. Could both men be one and the same?
The kiss at the orphanage had felt so…it had instantly drawn her mind back to the moment the masked stranger had pulled her into his arms in that dark alley. Once again, she’d felt his hands on her, his lips against hers. It had been a memory and, at the same time, it had not been, the sense of him, the feel of him. Or had she been mistaken? Had her mind instantly linked the only kisses she’d ever received? Had it been nothing but her inexperience that had led to this confusion?
Sarah watched her most carefully throughout the following days, her dark green eyes full of concern. Fortunately, she refrained from asking questions to which Caroline did not know the answers. What ought she to do? Confront Lord Markham? What if she was mistaken? Would he laugh at her? Be offended that she’d allowed a stranger to steal kisses?
The thought of Lord Markham turning from her stirred regret in her heart as well as a pain she’d never experienced before. As irritating as she’d found his presence not long ago—and, to be honest, still did—he’d proved himself worthy of her trust, had he not? Had he not come for her when she’d needed him? As he’d promised? Had he not kept her secret?
But so had the masked stranger she still did not know what to call.
Caroline paused in mid-stride, her eyes unseeing as they stared outside at the busy street. Perhaps it would be safer to ask him. The masked man. If he laughed at her, if he truly was not Lord Markham, where would be the harm in that?
Unfortunately, Caroline knew not where to find him. He had always been the one to find her. Was she mad for considering once more setting out at night simply to draw him out? Would he notice? Was he watching her even now?
Frowning, Caroline peered out at the street, hoping to spot a dark-clad man hiding behind a tree or simply standing off to the side. However, all she saw were people going about their business. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing and no one that reminded her of him.
Her heart sank.
“What will you wear tonight?”
At the sound of Sarah’s voice, Caroline flinched. “What?” She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. “Tonight?”
“The Cavendish ball,” Sarah clarified, her gaze narrowing as she regarded her friend. “Are you unwell? Shall I excuse you?”
Caroline shook her head. “No, I’m…I’m fine, simply preoccupied.” She managed a weak, halfhearted smile, which Sarah clearly did not buy, but chose to ignore.
At least for now.
The Cavendish ball was a large affair and all of London seemed to be in attendance. Although Caroline all but abhorred such gatherings, she could not deny herself the chance to see Lord Markham again. Oddly enough, she’d come to realize that she’d missed him these past few days. Or had her dark mood merely come from her confusion over his kiss?
Whatever the reason, perhaps seeing him tonight would grant her an answer. Perhaps there was some way she could find certainty when it came to his identity. Was he truly the kind of man who donned a mask at night and set out to rob his fellow peers?
Those that don’t deserve what they possess. Was that not what the