My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth

Author:Adele Ashworth
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: American Light Romantic Fiction, Man-woman relationships, Romance - Historical, General, Romance, Romance: Historical, Historical, American Historical Fiction, Romance & Sagas, Fiction, Fiction - Romance
ISBN: 9780061905872
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-01-06T08:00:00+00:00

Charlotte knew what she had to do. Just watching her brother stare at his wife across the dinner table, his face betraying such depth of feeling for the woman he’d married, filled her with compassion and understanding.

By all accounts, Brent and Caroline had not yet been intimate with each other. She was almost certain of that, although she’d never speak of it to anyone. She could see it in the way they looked at each other during dinner with such longing between them, both trying to hide the fact that they were doing so, could sense it in the detached, matter-of-fact way Caroline spoke about her brother. There was something holding back the closeness, and in her own loving, irritating, sisterly manner, she felt it her duty to force each of them to acknowledge what their stubbornness wouldn’t allow to come forward.

Everyone had left the estate or retired for the evening, including Carl, who willingly left her side so she could talk to Brent alone. It took her only minutes to find him. He stood just outside the French doors overlooking the garden below, in the frosty, late-November air, hands resting on the railing as he stared at the clear, star-filled sky.

Wrapping her shawl tightly around her shoulders, she walked out onto the terrace, moving quietly to stand by his side. He drew a slow breath as he realized who was beside him but he didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t acknowledge her in any way.

“It was an interesting affair, Brent.”

“Madam,” was his rather curt reply.

She turned her body to face his stiffened side. “I’m certain you remember my name.”

He said nothing, just continued to stare blankly at the stars.

Finally, her patience wearing thin, she murmured, “Caroline is a lovely woman. You did a wonderful thing for her tonight.”

He exhaled loudly and slowly as he lowered his gaze to the darkened garden. “Her family needs to recognize that I married an intelligent, elegant lady instead of a plain spinster who can do no more with her time than plant flowers.”

Charlotte looked out over the garden as well. “She’s certainly done a tremendous job with that. It’s as beautiful as I’ve ever seen it.” Dropping her eyes to study her blue satin slippers, she added, “I think she probably has more talent than Mother—”

“Of course she has,” he interjected with sudden distaste. “That’s plainly obvious.”

She gave him a calculating look and softened her voice. “You care for her very much, don’t you?”

He said nothing, and it took everything in her not to clobber him over the head for being so obstinate. He probably hadn’t even admitted as much to himself. Folding her arms across her chest, she decided to get directly to the point.

“Do you have any idea where she goes each morning?”

She nearly smiled when, just for a second, he seemed startled by the question as he turned his head to look directly at her for the first time since she’d returned to Miramont. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she

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