“But you don’t love him.” The young man addressing Caroline appeared to be perhaps a year or two older than she. He was smartly dressed and entirely too handsome to suit Win.

“I am, however, extremely fond of him.”

Excellent. Win was extremely fond of her as well. Why, he was practically in love with her.

“I know any number of couples who have married with far less affection between them,” Caroline said.

The young man gazed at her with an intensity Win could almost feel. “But you love me.”

For a long moment she didn’t say a word. Win held his breath. At last she heaved a resigned sigh. Her voice was so soft Win could barely hear it.

“Yes, well, I always have.”

“I knew it.” The young man pulled her into his arms. “Then you can’t marry him.”

“Stop that, Lawrence.” She pushed out of his arms. “I can’t not marry him. I have given my word after all, as has my father. Besides, Lord Stillwell is a very nice man—”

Win bit back a groan. Didn’t all men hope their fiancée considered them very nice?

“And quite dashing as well,” she added.

Much better.

“I suppose,” Lawrence said. “For an old man.”

Old? Win’s brow rose. Why, he had just passed his thirtieth birthday. One could scarcely consider that old.

“I would not call him old,” Caroline said staunchly. That was something at any rate. “Older perhaps but not old.”

“He’s ten years older than you.”

“Which is insignificant.” She shrugged. “There’s a greater difference in age between my parents and between yours as well.”

“I know.” Lawrence blew a long breath. “I am simply trying to think of reasons why you shouldn’t marry him. Although . . .” He paused and considered her. “One would think the fact that you love me would be reason enough.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that simple. Indeed, it’s all rather complicated.”

What did she mean by complicated?

“You promised to wait for me. You gave your word.”

“I did wait for you,” she said sharply. “I waited for months past when you were originally scheduled to return. When you promised you would return. Who would have imagined representing your family’s interests abroad would have taken so long? If one was a suspicious sort, one might have thought you were having entirely too good a time of it to bother with returning home. To me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But I did wait. Until your letters stopped and your sister informed me you had become betrothed to the daughter of an Austrian count. Then, Lawrence, then I decided there would be nothing so foolish as my continuing to wait.”

“That was a misunderstanding,” Lawrence said quickly.

Win was intrigued in spite of himself. How was this young man going to extricate himself from this?

“Oh?” She cast him a scathing look. “Which part?”

“We were never actually engaged.” He scoffed. “It was really nothing more than a, oh, misunderstanding, really. There was simply a great deal of gossip and a fair amount of manipulation. But believe me, Caro, I didn’t ask for her hand and I didn’t consent to marriage to her, nor did I ever have any desire to do so.”

She stared with suspicion. “Your letters stopped. What was I to think?”

“I never stopped writing you,” he said firmly. “I don’t know why you didn’t get my letters, but I did write.”

“That’s possible, I suppose.” Reluctance sounded in her voice and she thought for a moment. “Entirely possible, really. My mother was delighted when we heard you were engaged and wasted no time in encouraging me to put you completely out of my head. She wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of your letters before I saw them. She doesn’t like you, you know.”

“She thinks you can do better.” He paused. “She thinks you can marry a viscount.”

“As I fully intend to do,” she said in a lofty manner. “If you have said what you came here to say, you may leave and—”

“I have no intention of leaving.” He stepped toward her. “I came home as soon as I learned of your engagement.”

“You should have returned long before that.” She sniffed.

“Yes, I should have, but I didn’t. In truth, I couldn’t. It was all quite awkward and convoluted and complicated.” He ran his hand through his hair. Win had no idea what Caroline was thinking, but he felt a touch of sympathy for the young man. “And yes, I admit, it has been rather exciting and I have enjoyed myself. But I am here now and I never intend to leave you again.” Lawrence took her hand. “And I will not allow you to marry another man.”

“Allow?” She pulled her hand from his. “You have no say in the matter.”

He stared at her. “But I love you and you love me.”

“And I fully expect to love Lord Stillwell. In time.” She shrugged. “It shouldn’t be at all difficult. Why, I daresay I am already a bit in love with him. He kisses extremely well.”

Win grinned. He did kiss extremely well.

“No doubt because he has kissed so many,” Lawrence snapped. “Do you really want a man who has already been engaged twice and yet has never married?”

“I am certain the blame for both of those falls squarely at other feet,” she said. Win did like that she came to his defense. “Why, his first fiancée broke it off with him to marry a man who was expected to inherit a lofty title and huge fortune. My sister says she’s a bit of a twit at any rate. The second, well, everyone says she is overly proper and extremely stuffy. I suspect Lord Stillwell was entirely too . . . too nice for her.”

True enough.

“If he is such a very nice man, surely he will understand when you tell him you are in love—”

“Oh, but I can’t. I simply can’t.” She shook her head. “I could never do that to him. He’s been wonderful to me. Really, all a girl could ask for, and I have no doubt he will make an excellent husband. Besides, while he hasn’t said it, I suspect the failures of his previous engagements have affected him deeply.”

He had been extremely annoyed.

“He gets the oddest look in his eye when the subject comes up, as it has once or twice. It’s not something he likes to talk about.”

Lawrence snorted. “Nor would I if two women had left me practically at the altar.”

Where did the boy get his information? Win huffed. It was never actually at the altar.

“Regardless of whether or not it was for the best, I think he was hurt by both ladies.” She shook her head. “I will not do that to him.”

Lawrence studied her for a long moment. “You said it was complicated. What haven’t you told me?”

“Isn’t this complicated enough?”

“I know you, Caro.” He shook his head. “There’s something else.”

Was there something else?

Caroline twisted her hands together and drew a deep breath. “My father is having some financial difficulties. I am not privy to the exact details, but it has to do with unwise investments. Lord Stillwell has made something of a reputation for himself in his handling of his family’s investments. Father says he is quite brilliant in that respect.”

Well, brilliant might not be entirely accurate, but close.

“Father hopes, once we are all family, Lord Stillwell will come to his rescue in some manner.”

“If he’s such a nice man, wouldn’t he be inclined to assist your father anyway?”

“Father would never ask. He scarcely knows Lord Stillwell. Besides, he has a great deal of pride. Even asking my . . . my husband will be difficult for him.”

“So you are marrying him to help your father?”

“No,” she said firmly. “I am marrying him because I am very fond of him, because he is a very nice man”—Win did wish she would stop referring to him as very nice—“and I think he will make an excellent husband. Regardless of my father’s difficulties, I would not marry him otherwise.”

“Marry me instead. I’ll find a way to help your father. My brothers say I have a great deal of potential when it comes to business and investing and that sort of thing.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“But you love me.”

“I know! And that’s the tragedy of it, isn’t it?” She stared at him for a long moment. “If you had come back when you were supposed to, if I had received your letters, if all sorts of things had happened differently . . .” She shook her head. “But they didn’t. And now, well, now it’s too late. I will not hurt him. I have tasted the kind of pain one feels when one has been abandoned and I will not inflict it on someone else. He’s a good man, Lawrence, and he does not deserve that.”

“I will not give up, you know.” Determination showed in the young man’s stance, in the tone of his voice and the look in his eye. It would have been most admirable had it not been that said determination was in regard to the woman Win was to marry. “I have been an idiot. I have made any number of mistakes, but this is one I will not make. I’ll be back, Caro. Tomorrow and the day after and every day until your wedding. And I will protest at your wedding as well if I need to. I will not lose you.” He nodded, turned and strode toward the far end of the field and the opening in the south wall of the hedge.

Caroline stared after him. Her manner resigned, her eyes touched with sorrow, she was the very picture of heartbreak. Win’s heart twisted. There was nothing to be done about it then.

He waited until Lawrence had disappeared through the hedge, then straightened and walked through the archway.

Caroline turned, caught sight of him and gasped. “Winfield!”

“Caroline.” He smiled. “I suspect we have a great deal to talk about, don’t we?”

Her gaze searched his. “Dare I ask how much of that you heard?”

“More than enough.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Caroline.” He took her hands. “In four days, you are to become my wife. I would like nothing better than that.”