Page 35 of A Royal Kiss & Tell
The prince chuckled and eased himself onto the foot of her bed. “He takes very good care of you.”
That was true. Beck could have made her life miserable if he’d wanted to after their parents were gone. But he’d always been very protective of her. “I take care of him, too. It’s been only the two of us for so long now,” she said wistfully. For some reason, tears welled in her eyes.Lord.“He’s been like a father to me. I scarcely remember my real father. You’re fortunate, to have your father still with you.” She swiped at one tear that had leaked. Is this what illness had done to her? Made her wretchedly sentimental?
“My father was not much of a father, really,” he offered matter-of-factly. Caroline waited for him to clarify, assuming he said it in jest. But the prince didn’t smile. He merely shrugged again. “Old complaints die hard, I suppose, but my brother had my father’s attention. He spent our youth preparing Sebastian for the throne. I was... I was merely there. He scarcely noticed me at all.”
Surely that wasn’t true. Caroline couldn’t imagine having a father who didn’t notice her. What little she remembered of her father came with warm, loving feelings.
“Ah, but such are the hazards of being born the second son in a royal family,” he added with a wistful smile.
Someone knocked softly on the door. The prince stood as it swung open, and the new maid came in, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup. The scent was so savory that Caroline’s stomach growled.
But the maid stopped walking halfway across the room. She was obviously flustered by the prince’s presence, as well she should have been, and dipped an imperfect curtsy and almost spilled the soup. “Don’t mind him, Ann. He shouldn’t be here.”
But Ann did mind him. Her face turned red and she so ardently avoided making eye contact that Caroline couldn’t help but notice. She couldn’t imagine how shy one would have to be not to at least steal aglimpseof the man—he was a handsome prince! But Ann Marble was working very hard to keep her gaze averted from him as she carried the tray across the room.
She put the tray on Caroline’s lap and almost spilled it again when Beck burst through the door, his hair dripping from being combed wet.
“Caro! You’ve come to! What a relief it is to see you sitting up. Martha says we ought to apply one more poultice,” he said, striding across the room. “The fever has broken, but we must be cautious and draw the last of the illness out of you. So if you have the slightest inclination to help the poultice along, I suggest that you do so.”
Caroline picked up her spoon. “How on earth does one help a poultice along?”
“What? I’m not a doctor, darling, so I can hardly be expected to know. But do heed what I say. I hope you are never so ill again. We were desperately close to having you leeched.”
“Leeched!” she exclaimed as Beck straightened the tray on her lap.
“You see? That’s why I need you to help the poultice along.” He gestured for her to sit up and removed some of the pillows from behind her. “Oh dear, your hair,” he said with a wince. “Well, Martha will repair it. If she can, that is. It looks as if some of it might need to be cut out—”
“Beck!”
“Ah, here is Martha with the poultice,” he said as her lady’s maid appeared at her bedside.
Whatever she was carrying smelled bloody awful. “Might I have the soup first?” Caroline begged. “I’m famished.”
“Yes, of course!” Martha chirped. “And then we’ll put this on your chest.” She pushed Caroline gently forward and put the same pillow behind her that Beck had just removed. She smoothed Caroline’s hair. “Dear me,” she said, wincing. “That will take some work.”
This was exhausting. Caroline wanted only to eat her soup and sleep again. She looked around her brother to see if the prince was still standing insouciantly at the foot of the bed. But he’d disappeared.
And so had Ann.
The only way Caroline could be certain the prince had been here at all was by the presence of the very cheerful flowers on her bed stand. She frowned down at her soup as Beck nattered on, proclaiming himself so relieved she would recover in time for the Montgomery ball. “I know how you love a ball,” he said, pleased with himself for remembering.
Caroline might have been desperately ill, but she was still whip smart when it came to men, and she still knew when they were catting about.
And that rake of a prince was catting about with one of their chambermaids.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Invitations have been delivered for the Montgomery ball, an annual event that marks the beginning of the summer social calendar. All persons of import will be in attendance, including the new prime minister. His wife will not be in attendance, however, as she is said to be enjoying her cabbage garden in Kent. Other guests will include a recently widowed earl who is in much demand and, naturally, a visiting prince to round out the list.
Ladies, a hint of rouge on your cheeks at dusk will give you a healthy, youthful glow, which will delight your husband and keep him at home.
—Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and
Domesticity for Ladies
ANNMARBLEWASa mousy thing, and Leo was mystified how she came to be involved in this indelicate matter.
He caught her in the hall when Beck had come into Lady Caroline’s room. Cornered her, really, in a manner he was not proud of, particularly given how frightened she had seemed of him. “You’ve nothing to fear,” he assured her. “I need your help.”
