A Little Bit Scandalous Page 0,18

there alone. Aggie’s most trusted servant accompanied her, kept an eye on things, and was prepared to remove her if things became questionable.”

“A servant. Splendid.” He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “Mother, I cannot imagine why you thought this was such a grand idea, sending her in there with those men.”

“You are one of those men.”

He pointed at her. “Precisely. And it only took me playing her twice to realize he was actually a she.”

She held up one finger. “Ah, but you have always been more observant than most. You and your brother.” She frowned. “I suppose that means the trait came from your father. Must be the only good thing he gave either one of you.” She waved her hand. “In any case, her disguise was quite good. Even you must admit that.”

“But why a disguise to begin with?”

“Well, she certainly couldn’t go into Rodale’s as a woman,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Caroline would never have been admitted. Or at least she wouldn’t be allowed to play. And she wanted to play.”

“By all means then, we must cater to her every whim.” It was an unfair statement; he knew it as soon as the words left his mouth. There had been no catering when it came to Caroline. She had lost everything.

“Monroe, honestly, the girl has lived such a dull life, trapped in the country with only me to keep her company. She loves to play, which if you remember correctly, is your doing. You taught her the game.” She was quiet for a moment. “She’s quite good, isn’t she?” She smiled broadly.

“That isn’t the point!” His anger was subsiding. It was his mother’s way. She was such a pleasant creature that it was difficult to remain surly in her presence, though his father had managed to do precisely that for more than twenty years.

“You can’t deny it, though I suppose you don’t have to acknowledge it aloud. I suspect you are going to insist we leave for the country.”

“On the contrary. I am going to insist you come back home with me. I should like to keep an eye on you two for a while, lest I discover you’ve gone to Brighten and are playing in the hells there.” He shook his head.

She reached forward and touched his hand. “I love her, Monroe, as I would my own daughter. I would never have put her in harm’s way.”

He exhaled slowly. “I know you wouldn’t, but honestly, Mother, a gaming hell is no place for a lady.”

“Neither is hiding in the countryside.” He said nothing in response, so she nodded. “I shall go and have our belongings packed. We will be ready to return to your townhome within the hour.”

He knew he should give them a reprieve, allow them to stay here one more night and retrieve them in the morning. But damned if he wasn’t ready to have Caroline under his roof so he knew she was safe. Thankfully, Aunt Aggie’s staff seemed undaunted by the late night packing.

She turned to go, then faced him with a bright smile. “It is lovely to see you again, my boy. I have missed you.”

“And I you, Mother. Now go.”

Caroline would be under his roof, under his protection in the very literal sense. Yet something told him that the only thing he would have to protect her from was himself.

…

“He won’t be angry for too much longer,” Millie said as she entered Caroline’s room. Her eyes rounded in surprise as she watched the maid packing Caroline’s belongings.

“The housekeeper overheard Roe and instructed the maids begin packing straight away.”

“I see,” Millie said. She tilted her head to the maid. “Polly, give us a moment, please.”

The maid bobbed her head, then quickly left the room.

“I’m not so certain about that,” Caroline said. “About his anger, that is. Obviously you know Roe better than I, but he is quite furious.”

Millie waved her hand dismissively. “It shall pass. He never could stay angry for very long. Well, once his father died. Roe did manage to be angry with him for the majority of his life. Then again, he’s probably still angry with him. Can’t blame him. Arthur was never a kind man.” Millie walked over and stood behind Caroline at her dressing table. She undid the rest of the pins in Caroline’s hair and ran the hairbrush through her brown mane. The brush smoothed through her tangles, pulling the stress from her scalp and relaxing her.

“What did he tell