The American Bride (22 page)

"I had forgotten; so much has happened since that time." Julian ran his hand through his hair in agitation. He seemed distracted for all his anger. His face was baffled as well as furious. In frustration he grasped her arm, pulling her towards a bench along the side of the tiny structure.

"Sit down, Cara." Julian spoke harshly but despite the fierceness of voice his hands were gentle as he pushed her onto the bench. "I must talk with you. It may be the last chance we'll ever have."

Cara's heart jolted with the pain of his words. The interview with her grandmother must have gone very badly indeed. She had hoped at least for some kind of hearing but by his words it was evident that Julian had made up his mind to reject her. In agony she stared at her hands praying for the strength to endure the discussion with some dignity. But it was so difficult, she thought, biting her trembling lip. She loved Julian so much that the thought of never seeing him again was almost more than she could bear.

"I asked the Duchess to begin annulment proceedings."

Julian flung himself away from Cara as though her very presence was repugnant to him. As he paced back and forth in front of her, Cara's mind refused to take in any of his other words. Her heart felt as though it were breaking at his harsh statement. She had expected him to be angry but she had always held out some hope that he would show some understanding.

In a small voice she asked, "Is there no hope for us?"

"No!" The bald syllable tore across Cara's heart and for a moment blackness engulfed her. Fighting against the swoon, she tried to sit straighter but her whole body trembled at his next words.

"The Duchess has suggested that you be sent back to America on one of the ships belonging to her family."

"Oh no," Cara wailed. At least she had hoped to be able to stay in England. Somehow she might even see Julian, although his offended behavior gave her little encouragement that their future meetings would be anything but coldly formal.

"You will leave as soon as arrangements can be made," Julian rasped out.

Keeping her head bent Cara was able to stem the tears that threatened to overflow. Although inwardly shattered, she attempted to salvage a little of her pride.

"And the children?" she whispered.

"I know the children love you. It will be horrible for them but they're young and will get over it."

Cara was silent, aghast at the disaster she had created with her scheming. To lose Julian was to lose her life and now even the children would be gone.

Fidgeting in the silence, Julian finally burst out, "You can see that there is no other way. We can not be together in the same household."

Cara flinched at his cutting words and glanced up at the face of the man who was her whole world. Julian's features were distorted with anger and has hands flexed as though he wanted to strangle her.

"Do you hate me so much then?"

Cara gasped at her own temerity. Then she recoiled as Julian lunged toward her. His hands bit into her shoulders as he hauled her to her feet. In his agitation he shook her until Cara thought her neck might break.

"Hate you? Haven't you been listening to me at all? My dear girl, I love you. That's why you must go away."

"Love me?" Cara felt stupid with her inability to understand.

For answer Julian pulled her against his chest, bending his head to her ashen face. His kiss was excruciatingly gentle as he tried to communicate his love for her without words. Cara was stunned momentarily, then her heart expanded at the wonder of his words as their meaning finally penetrated her brain. Her senses fired at his touch. Blissfully Cara melted against him, reaching up to circle his neck with her arms. With a groan of despair, Julian tore her arms down and pushed her away.

"Now do you see why it's impossible? I couldn't keep my hands off you if you were to remain in England."

He flung himself down on the wooden bench. His breathing was ragged as he fought for control. Puzzled by his behavior and even more confused by his words Cara stared down at him in motionless dismay. Then suddenly her eyes opened wide and she expelled her breath in a sigh of pure pleasure. She knelt down at Julian's feet taking his hands in her own. Putting them against her cheek she scanned his anguished face.

"Please, Julian, don't be angry with me. At least not yet," Cara cautioned with a guilty laugh. "You say you came to the Duchess to ask for an annulment of your marriage. Why, Julian?"

"Because I had fallen in love with you," he stated flatly.

Cara closed her eyes, bending her head to kiss his hands. Then glancing up into his beloved face she smiled. It was a smile of such infinite sweetness that Julian found his own heart swelling with love.

"Did you tell her Grace why you wanted an annulment?"

"I tried. I couldn't seem to be able to explain it very well." Julian clutched at Cara's hands by way of apology at his own inadequacies. "It had never mattered before whom I married. What little I had seen of marital bliss was a sham. I had never met a woman I could either love or trust. And then you came storming into my peaceful life."

Julian's dark head bent to Cara's burnished curls and he kissed the silken strands. Then tipping her head, he kissed her softly on the lips.

"You annoyed me. You angered me. You frustrated me at every turn. You took over my household; made me burn with desire and had the audacity to criticize my behavior toward the children."

Cara had the good grace to look shamefaced but Julian did not fail to spot the mischievous smile at the corners of her mouth.

"You ran from me in the woods and I searched for you all over the county. And there you sat, night after night, in the schoolroom telling stories and embroidering some infernal chair cover. I must have been blind."

"But I didn't want you to find me," Cara declared.

Defiantly she met Julian's black-browed glare. Then ignoring the interruption he continued.

"You were everywhere I looked. And when I didn't see you I thought about you. First it was in anger; then in frustrated desire. And finally with love," he finished quietly.

The two of them were silent. Cara was the first to break the spell of enchantment around them. Her question jolted Julian back to the present.

"What did the Duchess say about the annulment?"

"She said it was impossible," Julian replied furiously. "She even had the gall to ask me if I intended to make you my mistress."

"Do you, Julian?" Cara asked curiously.

"I could never treat you so shabbily, my dear," he answered. "I do love you so but I could never permit you to become the topic of malicious gossip. It seems our honor stands in the way of our love."

His last words were spoken ironically as he brought her hand to his lips. Gazing down at the exquisite girl at his feet he was proud of his decision no matter how much it hurt. Cara's face glowed with pride and her eyes touched him with love.

"So you see, my dear, this is goodbye. I was sent out here to wait for my wife. Unaccountably I found you instead."

It was Cara's turn to feel fear. She had listened to Julian's declaration without thought to the eventual outcome. Now it was time for her to confess. In her heart Cara suspected that her revelations would not be met with the same joy in which she had received Julian's confidences.

"Julian, do you swear that you love me?" Cara begged earnestly.

"Of course, I do. But it solves nothing in our present damnable situation?"

"Even if I tell you that I've done something so terrible that you may have trouble forgiving me?"

"Ah, sweetheart, you could never have done anything that dreadful." he patted Cara's shoulder as though consoling a distraught child.

"But I have, Julian. You see I am your wife," she blurted out.

"You're what?" Julian shook his head in bewilderment.

"I am your wife," Cara repeated. "The Duchess' granddaughter. I am Caroline Leland."

Julian stared at Cara in stupefaction, unable to understand her meaning at first. Slowly his eyes narrowed and she turned away from the penetrating brown stare that bored into her heart. He jerked his hands away from her. Jumping to his feet he glared down at the abject girl, crumpled like a wilted flower.

"Do you mean to tell me you wormed your way into my household under false pretenses?" he thundered.

Cara flinched as his angry words pounded at her. Now that she had confessed, her bravery deserted her and she cowered at Julian's feet.

"Yes, Julian, but...."

"And all the time you were preaching at me about the honesty of Americans?" He whirled around striking out at the pillar of the gazebo. "What a mockery. You must have laughed into your hand at the spectacle I was making."

He stormed to the far side and leaned on the railing, staring out over the Duchess' lush gardens. Scrambling to her feet Cara ran after him, stopping in dismay as she faced the rigid wall of his back.

"Oh, Julian, it was never like that. Please believe me," she argued. "I was desperate. I was married to a man I had never seen. All I wanted was to find out a little about you before we were forced to begin our married life." She stared at his rigid figure.

As Julian continued to turn from her Cara felt a frisson of fear but then she remembered what little choice she had at the time. Her voice which had been pleading took on a note of indignation at the injustice of her situation.

"Perhaps you have a right to be angry. But all I intended to do was just to observe you. I was to stay in the background and then was to return here. And you would never have known." Cara waited for a moment hoping for some sign of thawing, then at his continued silence found herself once more furious with him. "Besides you were hateful at first, I just couldn't keep quiet. The children needed me to speak for them."

Julian turned, his eyes taking in Cara's angry expression. It seemed strange that he had never even considered what his bride would feel on her arrival in England. He had given so little thought to the marriage. Looking down at Cara he was suffused with fury, but this time at his own insensitivity. Gently he gathered her into his arms.

"My darling girl, I never realized what an awful prospect our marriage was for you. I didn't think how dreadful it would be for a gently bred girl to be suddenly faced with a stranger who had all the rights of a husband."

"But you see I made a pretty mess of everything," Cara said. "I had come to love you, Julian. If I could have just remained uninvolved everything would have been well."

Cara's eyes brimmed with tears of love that overflowed as she reached up to encircle his neck. With infinite care, Julian bent to kiss her tear-stained cheeks. He tasted the salt and followed the trail of moisture to the corner of her mouth where he nibbled for a moment. He smiled tenderly at the girl in his arms.

"It wouldn't have all gone well, my dear, because by that time I had fallen in love with a saucy termagant who tyrannized my household."

Cara had the grace to blush at his teasing. Then tipping her head to the side she quirked an eyebrow up at him.

"Do you mind very much, milord?"

Julian's lips told her how little he minded. But suddenly he pushed her away and stared at her, a frown wrinkling his forehead.

"It's getting very confusing, you know. Miss Farraday. Caroline Leland. And now I'll have to learn another name. But Lady Wilton does become you."

Unabashedly the Duchess stood at the window watching as Julian bent his head to kiss the lovely girl in his arms. A smile of remembrance appeared at the corners of her mouth as she recalled her own romance. Cara was definitely going to brighten up the dull days ahead, the older woman thought. Perhaps she would soon be seeing a great grandchild. If only the child had red hair and a temper, the Duchess would be well satisfied.

THE END

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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Karla Darcy lives with her husband, several tame geckos and an occasional friendly snake on the Treasure Coast on the east side of Florida. She has always felt she lived in the Regency period in a past life. Her early writings were musical comedies and humor columns so it was an easy transition to the romantic and humorous style of Regencies. Lovely dresses, masked balls and witty conversations which contained saucy double entendres were the perfect cup of tea for this author.

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