Page 51 of The Hired Hero
After a while, the duke gave up even a semblance of trying to sleep. He struggled back up to a sitting position and stared glumly at the small oil lamp that was rolling wildly on its gimbals.
“If only Caroline would learn to temper her penchant for taking risks,” he murmured out loud, though he was speaking more to himself than to his nephew. “Heaven knows she has more courage and wits than most, but she seems driven at times to foolhardiness.” He shook his head. “Would that I knew why.”
Lucien heard every word, but he hesitated in replying. There were times, it seemed, when his uncle still considered him a child with only a child’s grasp of reality. How would the duke react to hearing a truth that may strike him as rather harsh?
Another wave crashed into the side.
Deciding that perhaps this moment was as good a time as any to test the waters, Lucien summoned the courage to speak up. “Do you really wish to know?”
The duke sat up straighter. “O-Of course I do!”
Lucien took a deep breath, then plunged on. “I think Caro is under the impression that she is, well, a…disappointment to you.”
The duke’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “Why, of all the absurd things! Surely, she cannot think that!”
“She isn’t a male,” said Lucien simply.
“For God’s sake, what difference does that make?” he cried. “She is my child! I love her beyond anything.”
“Have you told her that?”
“I, well, that is… Surely, she must know.” A note of uncertainty had crept into his normally self-assured tone.
“Uncle Thomas,” said Lucien quietly. “I think she needs to hear it. You can be demanding, sir—sometimes it is hard to know whether one has lived up to your high standards. And for her, the task is even more daunting. As a female of keen intelligence and determination, she sometimes finds her role in society very…confusing.”
The duke looked shaken. “I…I hadn’t realized that I was so unfair.”
“No, not unfair. I didn’t mean that at all. You set high standards, and the two of us have both benefited from that, but in Caro’s case, she is harder on herself than you will ever be. For you see, only she can learn to forgive herself for not being the heir.”
The timbers of the ship creaked and groaned, and the beam of light rocked wildly, one moment illuminating a part of the duke’s face, then the next moment leaving it in complete darkness. Lucien could see only that his uncle’s fingers were steepled under his chin, but he couldn’t make out his expression.
When finally the duke spoke again, it was barely above a whisper. “You have been infinitely more perceptive than I have, Lucien. How could I be so blind?” He released a sigh. “I…thank you for your advice.”
“You are very welcome, sir.”
Fifteen
Caroline turned up the collar jacket tighter to her chest as she stood in the chill shadows, waiting for the earl to return from seeking information on traveling by coach to London. It seemed like an age since he had entered the small tavern set on a quiet side street.
Ha!He was probably having a nice joint of mutton, she thought with a scowl as her stomach growled, a reminder that her last meal had been some hours ago. She wiggled her toes in the damp boots and vowed that if he didn’t appear by the count of fifty, she was going in after him. After all, she had a full purse.A shilling was a shilling.Surely, no barman would care what the pitch of a customer’s voice was.
The thought of food—hot food—was so appealing that she was halfway disappointed when Davenport emerged before she had reached thirty-five and sauntered over to where she was hidden.
“The coaching inn is not far from here—we go to the top of the hill and turn right, then look for the sign of The Flying Dolphin,” he reported. “Though it appears there is nothing that leaves for London until early morning.”
“You’ve been drinking!” she muttered after catching a whiff of his breath.
“Well, one has to pay for information, one way or another,” he reasoned. “It would have looked odd had I not lingered for a tankard.”
“No doubt you had a decent meal too,” she grumbled. “You were in there long enough.”
“Feeling peckish?”
She was about to let loose with an angry rejoinder when he slid something out of his pocket and into her hand.An eel pastry, still hot to the touch.
“Mmmm.” The rich crust crumbled at her first bite, and a bit of the juice spilled down her chin.
Davenport smiled as he raised a finger and wiped it away. “I would have purchased two had I known you have the appetite, as well as the clothing, of a boy. I thought ladies merely picked at their food.”
