Passionately Yours (Hellions of High Street 3)

Though happiness did seem to be something that was deucedly difficult and daunting to define. Perhaps that was because Life felt so cursedly complicated at times, with no easy answers…

Caro quickly shook off such maudlin thoughts, determined to match her mood to the sunny skies and smiling faces of her friends.

Her feelings about Alec were best dealt with in… the velvet darkness of the midnight hours.

“Shall we be off?” Andover hefted the hamper and slanted a look at Isobel. “You are sure you don’t mind walking? I could easily fetch my curricle. The three of us could squeeze in quite nicely on the driver’s bench.”

“Ha!” murmured Caro. “I shall refrain from asking who should be put in the middle.”

Isobel’s face now looked on fire.

“I am simply trying to be a gentleman,” protested Andover, though a tiny twinkle did flash in his eyes.

“We’ll walk, Andy,” she replied. But then, on recalling the twilight attack and Thayer’s ominous behavior, she decided to err on caution. “On second thought, the curricle might be a good idea. We may feel a bit fatigued after an afternoon of exploring and welcome a ride home.”

“An excellent point,” he agreed. “Why don’t you ladies wait here with the hamper. I shall not be long.”

“I hope you did not feel obliged on my account to forego the walk,” said Isobel softly, after he had hurried away. “I dislike being thought of as too delicate to carry my own weight.” She paused. “Or too lily-livered to defend myself from peril.”

“I think neither,” assured Caro. She did not wish to alarm her friend. But nor did she wish to treat her like a helpless child. “The truth is, we still do not know whether we were attacked at random, or for a reason. So I believe it is wise to exercise caution.”

“Alec said much the same thing this morning.”

“He cares very much about you,” she replied.

“He is the very best of brothers, even if he does tend to be overprotective. I only wish…” Her words trailed off in a sigh.

After a moment’s hesitation, Caro seized the opening. “Forgive me if I am prying, but your brother has hinted to me that his marriage was not a happy one.”

“Alec mentioned his marriage to you?”

“He did, but gave very few details.” Caro paused to choose her words carefully. “He said only that it had been a mistake. I did not wish to press him on it, but…”

The rattle of carriages jostling over the paving stones filled the ensuing silence, and for a long moment it seemed that Isobel would not respond.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” began Caro, at the same time that her friend finally spoke up.

“He finds it very difficult to speak of it,” said Isobel, her voice barely audible above the street sounds. “Men seem to think they aren’t supposed to feel pain or hurt.”

Caro sucked in her breath, wondering if she really wanted to hear the details. Perhaps her suspicions were wrong. Perhaps Alec had been madly in love with his wife, and his heart was still wedded to a ghost.

“I—I have decided that I would like you to know the real story, not the nasty hints that Mr. Thayer has told you, because…” Isobel looked up from plucking nervously at her skirts. “Because I feel you should know the truth, and I fear my buffle-headed brother is too stoic to do it himself.”

“He can be vexingly stubborn about certain things,” murmured Caro. “As can I.”

That drew a fleeting smile from her friend before she cleared her throat with a cough. “Elizabeth Caldwell was… well, in short, she was selfish and manipulative,” explained Isobel. “Alec had gone down to Oxford for his studies—at nineteen, he was hardly more than a boy! She was beautiful, charming, and vivacious…”

A tremor took hold of her voice. “And in dire need of money, for she and her secret lover had very extravagant tastes. Alec, it seems, presented a very appealing target. He was wealthy and titled, but being Scottish, he was far enough beneath the notice of the English aristocracy that any scandal that might swirl around his name would be ignored.”

“I take it Elizabeth was English,” said Caro.

“Yes. A baronet’s daughter, though we later learned that her father had fled to the Continent to avoid debtor’s prison.”

The reason for Alec’s aversion to all things English was suddenly becoming clearer.

“As you no doubt have guessed by now, she exerted herself to seduce my brother. I—I don’t think it was a very hard task. You might not guess it, but beneath his steely, self-assured strength, Alec possesses a very sweet and sensitive soul.”

“I…” Caro wasn’t sure how to answer. But thankfully, Isobel didn’t seem to need any encouragement to go on.