When Leopold entered, he seemed surprised at the number of people assembled but was clearly practiced in collecting himself. He bowed. “I beg your pardon for the interruption.”

“Your Highness, how good of you to call after all this time,” Caroline said, and sank into a curtsy.

“Thank you. I, ah—”

“You know Lord Ladley,” she said, twirling away from him. She introduced her aunt and uncle, and Lord Ainsley, as well. When she’d finished the introductions, she turned back to him. “I regret that we were on our way out,” she said.

“Yes, perhaps we ought to be on our way,” Ladley said, offering his arm. “Supper is at nine.”

“I wish we’d known to expect you,” she said. “I could have spared you the trip here.”

“Hmm,” he said, his gaze steady on hers.

“Shall I give Beck a message when he returns?”

He smiled slowly. Her heart felt as if it was beating out of her chest.

“That won’t be necessary, thank you. But if I may intrude for one more minute before you go...might I have a word, Lady Caroline?”

“Well...” She glanced at her guests.

“I won’t take but a moment.”

“Yes, of course,” she said, and gestured for him to speak.

His brows dipped. “I had hoped for a word in private.”

“Ah. Well, as you can see...”

“Caro, darling, you should hear him,” her aunt suggested.

“Of course you must, Caro,” her uncle added. “We’ll be here when you’re done. Take all the time you need.”

Caroline shot Leopold a look. “Very well. But I won’t need long at all.”

The prince stepped to one side to allow her access to the door. She walked out of the room. She supposed Leopold followed. She was so angry and confused and annoyed that she marched down the hall to the small receiving salon near the front of the house. She walked into the room, whirled about and folded her arms.

Leopold entered behind her, quietly closed the door, and smiled. “Well. From the reception I’ve received from you and your guests, it would appear my reputation is even worse than I feared.”

“Oh, it’s quite awful,” she agreed.

“You’re cross with me about Jacleen,” he said, pushing away from the door.

Caroline gaped at him. Then she laughed. “How astute of you! I can’t believe you would utter her name out loud.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked as he slowly advanced on her, his gaze moving over her. “Her name is Jacleen Bouvan. She is a Weslorian from the mountains that border Alucia.”

Caroline frowned with confusion. Why was he telling her this? What possible reason? Had she been his lover before? Or... Why was he smiling at her? “Did you think I would find it amusing that you took a maid from her gainful employment and...” She stopped talking before she said aloud what she feared he’d done.

“No. Did you think so ill of me that you’d believe I’d find such pleasure with you, then only hours later take advantage of that poor woman?”

Did she think so poorly of him? At the moment, she didn’t want to think of him at all. But if she did think of him, she desperately wanted to think poorly of him. It helped her prepare for his inevitable departure. For his perfidy. “I don’t know, Leopold—are you really so different from any other man?”

He blinked. “I left with Miss Bouvan because she was being used by the duke for a purpose that offended me. I wanted to help her.”

Caroline was prepared to be indignant and make him understand that she knew the nature of men. But she hadn’t expected for him to say what she knew was true—Jacleen was being used. She rubbed her nape. “And, what, then the prince swooped in and saved her?”

He looked surprised by that and glanced away a moment, as if pondering it. “Je, I suppose I did. Caroline, you must believe me—I enjoyed your company far too much to ever sully it with a meaningless tryst.”

Her cheeks began to bloom. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Her blush deepened. Surely it was impolite to ask her. But then he lifted his hand and lay his palm against her neck. “What a question,” she said softly. “You know I did. Very much.”

Leopold’s smile was slow. “And yet, it’s nice to hear you admit it.”

Caroline’s blood was heating with his casual caress, but she was determined to give him no sign of it. “But why? Why you? Why must you be the one to take her from Arundel?”

He shifted closer, his gaze dipping to her lips. “Why not me?”

He bent his head as if to kiss her, but Caroline put her hand on his mouth. “I have two callers waiting in the salon.”

“I won’t linger,” he murmured, and touched his lips to hers.

Caroline’s eyes fluttered shut. His confession wasn’t fitting with the story she’d created for herself, the one where she never forgave him and promptly forgot him. And yet here was her hand sliding up his chest, her head angling to better kiss him. Here she pressed her body against his, her hand snaking up his arm, to his shoulder. She wanted him to seduce her, wanted to feel his hands and his mouth on her skin again.

Unfortunately, somewhere in her heart a bell was clanging, warning her. She had proudly protected her virtue for six and twenty years. She was not going to be swayed by how handsome he was, or that his lips felt like butter against hers. Or that he smelled like cinnamon and clove.

She put her hands on his chest and pushed back. “This isn’t...there is something not...”

“Something not right, I agree,” he finished for her. “About the way you are feeling about me. About the way I am feeling about you. But devil take all if I know what to do about it.”

Caroline’s breath caught. Had he really just said those words to her? Was he really feeling something for her? Did he feel the same light and fluttery feeling that made her want to sit down and snatch her breath back? “When you determine what to do about it, I’ll be delighted to hear it. In the meantime, I should return to my guests. My aunt will come looking for me if I don’t. We are to dine at Sir Walter Debridge’s tonight.”

She moved to pass Leopold, but he caught her hand before she reached the door and twirled her around. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, then cupped her face with his hand. “Caroline.” His eyes darted around her face, and he looked as if he wanted to say more. But he didn’t speak—he kissed her so hard that everything in her began to tingle and all thought flew out of her head other than how much she wanted this man. And then just as abruptly he let her go, leaving her a little dazed by that kiss. “Best wishes for a lovely evening.”

Her skin was sizzling. She forced herself to look down and smooth the lap of her skirt until she could find her breath or a thought that wasn’t lustful. She touched her curls to make sure they were in place and no one would detect what she’d been doing, then finally looked at Leopold. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

“I honestly don’t know.”

She sighed. She went out of the salon, but her step was much lighter than it had been going in.

She swept into the salon, beaming at her guests. “There we are—thank you for waiting! Oh dear, look at the time. I’m afraid I’ve made us late. Shall we?”

Ladley looked past her, to Leopold.

Caroline glanced at him. “Oh! I quite forgot,” she blurted. “I invited His Highness to join us this evening. Sir Walter won’t mind, will he?” she asked cheerfully, and very carefully avoided the looks of the others in the room. Including Leopold’s.

Caroline had no idea what she was doing, either. She’d need a hot bath and a glass of wine and perhaps even Hollis nearby to figure it out. She’d gone from despising him, to despair, to suddenly feeling better than she had in days.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


It is a conundrum of the first order when an uninvited guest arrives at the supper hour, as was witnessed recently at the home of a knight of the realm. Some would advise to refuse the uninvited entry with the claim of not having prepared enough food. But sometimes the uninvited is of such superior social standing that it would cause undue talk. In this situation, one is advised to open the doors of hospitality and endure it.

Might we soon hear the wails of a newborn? It has been observed that a woman of High Moral Character married to a Man of the Cloth has had some skirts altered recently in anticipation of that happy event.

Ladies, science suggests that if you do not satisfy your cravings for unusual foods and in great quantities during pregnancy, the deprivation may appear as a birthmark on your child. When with child, eat well and a variety of foods, and don’t give in to those who claim you’ll never regain your figure after birth.

—Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and


Domesticity for Ladies

ONE-HALF OF the Debridges minded very much when Leo appeared quite unexpectedly with Caroline’s party. Not surprisingly, given his reputation of late, it was the female half. In fact, Lady Debridge looked positively stricken when he sheepishly entered the foyer, as if he were an ogre come to eat her children.

On the other hand, Sir Walter was quite happy to have an Alucian prince to dine in his home and crowed to the other guests that he’d also had the German cousin of Prince Albert to dine once, and now could add an Alucian prince to that very short but illustrious list of guests. The man seemed oblivious to the looks many of his guests gave him and neither did he seem to notice his wife’s anger, nor how many people moved to the far end of the drawing room when Leo entered. Instead, Sir Walter very happily and loudly commanded his butler to add another place setting for their unexpected, but certainly very welcome, guest.