Page 31 of For a Lady's Fiery Heart
There it was again. She was not saying that just to make him feel good. She genuinely wanted children, he could see. And, of course, he wanted them as well. “Have you dreamed of having children for a long while?” he asked.
Caroline shifted, looking embarrassed. “I suppose I have dreamt of it as much as any other young woman. I–” She stopped, hanging her head. “I suppose I thought that I would never have the chance of a family of my own. Since my father had no dowry to grant me besides this house, apparently, I thought I would end up a spinster.”
James could never have imagined Caroline as an old maid. She was too beautiful in spirit and countenance. Any man would have been lucky to have her. However, she was his. He was more and more thankful every day that she was his.
Caroline smiled. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. She left her perch on the arm of the settee and joined him on the cushion.
James cleared his throat. He was taken by the overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and kiss her. However, he restrained himself. “I–nothing,” he replied. “I just cannot imagine that.”
“What? That I would be a spinster? It happens all the time.” Caroline curled up on the settee once more. “Women have nothing unless they marry. Without the protection of a man, what are we to do? And without a dowry–no husband.”
A knock sounded on the door, and James went to answer it again. The maids brought in two trays, one laden with food and the other with tea and coffee. Caroline set about pouring cups of tea for them. She looked so beautiful, with her hair falling over her shoulder as she leaned forward to hand him his cup. He took it and thanked her, sipping at the steaming hot liquid. It would be wonderful to spend his mornings like this, he surmised.
After they had finished eating, he dressed first and left the room to give her some privacy. While he was waiting for her, he went downstairs and started the arduous task of detailing everything that would need to be fixed. The roof, they had already discussed. When she did join him in the library, she nearly took his breath away.
Dressed in a simple yet elegant lavender gown, she looked like she belonged there as the woman of the house. She joined him at the desk, looking over his shoulder as he jotted down notes. “Well, it seems the library is too much worse for wear. What do you think?” he asked.
Caroline took a moment to survey the adequately sized room. Of course, it was not as large as the library back at Thorneby, but it would do very nicely. She turned once, looking up toward the ceiling.
“I do not think there is much as far as repairs. Perhaps some new furniture for the sitting area, but that can be done a few years down the road when all the larger repairs have been completed.”
She looked around the musty library and smiled sadly.
“Papa had to sell many of the valuable tomes before we moved away just to try to make ends meet. Perhaps someday we can restock the library with some of them.”
“Yes, that is a good idea. Every home should be fitted with a proper library.” James noted it and then stood. “Well, I think that is all for this room. Shall we go to the next?”
Caroline nodded and followed him into the drawing room, parlour, dining room, study, and ballroom. After a while, she was the one taking notes, and he was the one walking about the rooms, telling her what needed to be fixed in each.
When they finished downstairs, they went to see the upstairs bedrooms. There were four bedrooms for the family and two more guest rooms. There was also the nursery, the schoolroom and the governess quarters.
“I suggest we repair the family bedrooms first, and the nursery, of course, and wait to renovate the schoolroom and governess quarters until later. I should like to have the servant’s quarters updated as soon as possible, so they might have adequate accommodations.”
Caroline jotted down the notation and replaced the quill in the inkwell. “I agree. It is odd to think that Pembroke will be silent no longer. Can you imagine giving parties here one day? That we will have the means to hire staff once again? The village will benefit from our being here once more, you know. The estate provides a good many jobs.”
“I do know,” James replied. He let out a contented sigh. “Well, I believe we have done the bulk of the surveying in the house. We shall do the rest of what needs to be done around the grounds tomorrow and should be able to head back to Thorneby the day after.”
Caroline looked disconcerted. “So soon?” she asked.
James smiled, knowing what she meant. He was not eager to head home either. “The sooner we return the information to my father, the sooner we can get started on the repairs.” He went to her, placing his hands on her shoulders as she finished up her notes. “And the sooner we get this place finished, the sooner we can move here.”
She seemed to like the idea. “Well, I am eager for that to become a reality.” She sighed. “I suppose if we do have to, we have to,” she teased. “Thank you, James.”
James frowned slightly. “For what exactly?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you for this. I do not know of any man who would take this project on for the family of the wife he barely knows.”
James came around the other side of the little desk that she had been using in the school room to write her notes. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it gently, making her meet his gaze. “I am not doing this for your family. I am doing this for you, Caroline.”
She smiled, the light reaching her eyes, and that was all the payment he needed.
Chapter 18
“Ahh, home again,” James said as they walked into the house.
Caroline flashed him a sad smile. “I wish we could have had more time at Pembroke, but I do see the wisdom of your decision to return home as quickly as possible. I can only hope that your father will agree to the plan.”
James placed a hand on the small of her back and led her away from the front door and deeper into the foyer. “Trust me, he will agree. I will use all of my persuasive powers to convince him.” He danced his eyebrows, teasing her.
