Caroline (10 page)

"Last spring," Mrs. Van Der Pat continued, "he came to see us after a long absence and stayed a full week. Gretchen grew more serious about Sacha then, and I suspect that she actually believes she can win him!" Katrina paused momentarily, patting Caro's hand. "She has been on edge since he brought you here. Gretchen cannot see, or will not admit, that he has only the most casual interest in her—she provides him with female diversion while he is here, and nothing more. At any rate, I hope you will make allowances for her rudeness."

Katrina continued to chatter on about their life at the manor, but Caro was still thinking about what she had been told about Gretchen—and Alec. Mrs. Van Der Pat's conversation seemed to be innocent, but Caro couldn't help wondering if a subtle warning was intended for her as well. What remained of her lunch lay cold on her plate when Katrina stood up to go. Her eyes were twinkling as she exclaimed:

"How could I forget to tell you! Sacha has asked me to arrange for you to have a bath, after which you may join us downstairs if you feel strong enough. Would you enjoy that?"

"Oh, yes! The only problem is that I have just one dress." Impulsively, Caro rose and went to the wardrobe where she saw her yellow gown, neatly pressed and hanging inside. She withdrew it and held it up against herself.

"I know this must be very unfashionable. I do not have hoops or paniers like Gretchen... The sleeves are all wrong, and the bodice—"

"My dear child, it is a lovely gown! You will look charming in it."

"I can't help feeling drab next to Gretchen; her eyes are blue and she has a flawless complexion—"

"Would it make you feel better if I related the flattering way Sacha described you to us the night he brought you here? He said that you had honey hair and caramel eyes with a nature equally as sweet. No one could ever use those words to describe my Gretchen!" Katrina gave Caro a reassuring hug. "You've been through a difficult time. I'll have a maid prepare a bath for you and let you know when to join us downstairs. I must assure you that you have nothing to be frightened of. You are among friends here!"

* * *

Caro napped, awakening later to find that a copper-lined bathtub on casters was being rolled into her room, followed by a procession of girls with steaming containers of water. Soon, she found herself soaking in scented water.

A round-faced maid named Mary dried and dressed her hair after her bath. Caro refused to let her insert pads into her coiffure, insisting on a simple, elegant style with no powder. Mary was doubtful, but in the end she was so pleased with the results that she slipped fresh yellow and white flowers into some random curls.

Her simple gown was the color of creamy butter, its only trimming handmade eyelet lace. Caro donned white stockings and shoes, then stood before the looking glass to appraise her appearance.

There were roses in her cheeks from the hot bath and, Caro suspected, probably from nerves as well. Her dress was very simple, but she couldn't help believing that it flattered her. It nipped in at her waist and the lace-trimmed bodice demurely screened the first curves of her breasts. She gazed back into her own golden-brown eyes that shone with anticipation.

It came to her that she was not so nervous about the other people as she was about seeing Alec. The memory of his parting words returned and the image of his harsh, compelling face appeared in her mind.

"If I may say so, miss, you look just beautiful. Like one o' those fairies you hear tales of as a child!" Mary's face appeared behind her, pink-cheeked with pleasure in her accomplishment.

"Thank you, Mary. What time did Mrs. Van Der Pat say I should join them?"

"Seven o'clock, miss. It's five after the hour now."

Caro was somehow surprised that Alec had not come to escort her to meet his friends. "Well, I suppose I'd better be going. Thank you for all your help, Mary."

"'Twas my pleasure, miss! You'll find the front parlor on the left at the end of the entry hall."

Caro slowly made her way down the wide hallway, gazing around in admiration. She peered into the first open door she encountered out of idle curiosity, and was surprised to see Alec sitting alone in a corner of what appeared to be a library, staring into the fire and smoking. The room was shadowy, but there was no mistaking his broad shoulders and dark unpowdered hair. On an impulse, she entered. Her approach was quiet, and Alec was apparently so deep in thought that he did not hear her footsteps. She stood almost beside him before he looked up in surprise, and Caro saw for a moment an unguarded expression of open admiration cross his face.

"My God, Caro, for a moment I thought I was having a dream! You look absolutely lovely—like the first daffodil in springtime."

Impulsively, she smiled back and sat down beside him, trying not to betray the impression his appearance made on her. His suit was well-cut from a soft black fabric with pewter buttons, beneath which he wore an elegant slate-gray silk waistcoat. The glow of the firelight accentuated his snowy cravat and finely chiseled clean-shaven face.

"Alec, your beard is gone!"

The clear lines of his jaw and cheekbones made his tanned face more appealing than ever. His mouth quirked on one side in response to Caro's exclamation.

"Yes. I cultivate one when I'm traveling away from civilization, but those days are at an end for now."

There was a long, awkward pause, during which Alec smoked slowly, staring back into the fire with thoughtful eyes. Finally he looked up and their eyes met.

"Alec, I—"

He raised his hand. "No, let me. I behaved badly this morning, not for the first time where you're concerned. I'm a scoundrel, as I'm sure you've realized. It will be a blessing for you to reach Philadelphia where you can meet men who will treat you with the respect you deserve." Pausing, he sighed sharply. "I beg you to accept my apologies."

Caro longed to reach out and touch him, to pour out her own feelings, but there was something in Alec's voice and expression that held her in check. He seemed withdrawn and unusually serious, and the wall which he had erected between them once before had returned.

She raised her chin and managed a stiff smile. "Certainly you're forgiven. I behaved very childishly myself this morning, and I assure you it won't happen again."

Standing, she looked down at the dark, handsome face with its piercing turquoise eyes that had come to mean so many bewildering things to her.

"I really must go," she declared suddenly, and darted out of the room like a golden sunbeam in the darkness. Alec rose, looking after her, and a muscle moved in his jaw.

Caro easily found the parlor next to the front door, and somehow cleared her head sufficiently to make her appearance. Katrina Van Der Pat, dressed in over-ruffled green silk, rushed to her side.

"My dear, you are entrancing! Everyone has been so anxious to meet you. By the by, you didn't happen to encounter Sacha on your way down did you?"

"Uhm—yes. I did. He's in the library."

"Dearest girl, are you feeling unwell? Do have a glass of wine!"

A goblet filled with crimson liquid was produced, and Caro eyed it dubiously, remembering the brandy. Then, on an impulse, she accepted the glass and sampled it.

"This is delicious!"

"Of course it is; it's from France!"

Then she grasped Caro's arm and guided her around the room, making exuberant introductions. Stephen Van Der Pat was tall, pencil-thin, yet imposing with his long, narrow nose and sharp eyes. The white, neatly curled wig he wore accentuated his pale skin, but Caro still felt a vitality emanating from him.

"Miss Bergman, I am honored to make your acquaintance. I have heard nothing but praise for you, and now I can see why!"

"The pleasure is mine, sir, for you have been a most kind and generous host to me."

As Caro chatted with Van Der Pat she watched Gretchen out of the corner of her eye. She wore a fashionable white wig and her gown consisted of rich ivory satin with a carnation-pink overskirt edged in lace. The bodice was cut to accentuate her narrow waist and creamy white shoulders, and when Katrina brought Caro closer, she could see diamonds in her ears. Neither girl had spoken when suddenly a tall, extraordinary-looking man appeared between them. He was slender and elegant with wavy brown hair and large, liquid brown eyes topped by slashing dark brows. His face was not handsome, yet there was a fascination about it with its high cheekbones, dominant nose, and magnetic white smile. Caro judged that he was even taller than Alec, but thinner.

"I am certain I have died and gone to heaven, for it would be impossible to find two such perfect angels on this earth!" He spoke flawless English with a pronounced accent.

Gretchen blushed behind her French fan while Caro smiled, quite charmed.

Katrina spoke up: "Gretchen and Caroline, I would like you to meet Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko, General Green's famous Polish engineer. He has become quite a colorful hero these days! Colonel, may I present my daughter, Gretchen, and Sacha's ward, Miss Caroline Bergman."

Kosciuszko kissed Gretchen's hand courteously, but pressed his lips against Caro's fingers for an impertinent length of time.

"You must pardon me for staring, mademoiselle, but the sight of your glorious hair is too much for a mere mortal like me."

Now it was Caro's turn to blush, and she wished she too had a fan to hide behind. Just then, Alec appeared in the doorway and Gretchen hurried to his side. She took his arm and directed a triumphant smile at her rival.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko watched both girls with his expressive brown eyes, then turned to look at his old friend, Sacha Beauvisage. They had met in St. Petersburg as wild young men, again in France while both were in school, and their paths had crossed many more times during the War for Independence. Kosciuszko had only stopped over at Van Der Pat Manor because word had reached Washington's camp at Newburgh that Beauvisage was visiting here. Now he knew what was keeping his old friend from getting up to Newburgh. Kosciuszko had seldom encountered a female with a guileless appeal to match Caroline Bergman's, and he had never seen his usually devil-may-care friend look so disagreeable. Obviously there was more than a guardian-ward relationship in progress, and knowing Sacha, it did not surprise him. The question was, what had gone wrong? Now, Alec smiled slightly, lifting one black brow in silent greeting, and Kosciuszko returned it by raising his hand in a half-mocking salute, then proceeded to turn all his attention and considerable charm on Caro.

By the time they went in to dinner, Kosciuszko was calling the girl on his arm Caro, and she was calling him Kosci. With each sip of wine her depression lifted and she soon felt like they were very old friends. Thaddeus took care to seat Caro at the opposite end of the table from Alec and his dark looks.

Dinner began with steaming bowls of clam and mushroom bisque. Kosciuszko was a charming, witty conversationalist who was careful never to mention Alec's name, though the sight of the latter's grim watchful countenance pleased Caro.

When the main course and side dishes arrived, her appetite increased at the sight of the goose with sauerkraut stuffing, baked acorn squash, young greens with bacon dressing, and hot biscuits. She was enjoying the meal so much that she was perfectly content to sit and listen to the men talk. Most of the conversation was directed at Kosciuszko, concerning his visit to Newburgh.

"How is our good general faring these days?" Stephen Van Der Pat inquired.

"Not well, sir. As you well know, General Washington has been lodged at Newburgh over two years, and he sorely misses his plantation life in Virginia. Also, he was complaining to me of the lack of amusements in his life these days."

Alec took up irritably. "I have spent many months at Newburgh in the general's company, and I know that the local people have made every effort to keep him entertained." He smiled then in spite of himself. "I shall never forget Baron von Steuben's fishing expedition! He returned to tell us he had caught a whale, and we all rushed down to the bank to see it for ourselves. There lay a Hudson River eel—which the good baron's German accent had transformed into 'whale.' No amount of kidding from us could diminish his pride, though!"

Everyone was laughing, Caro included, and Alec's mood lightened somewhat as they discussed the famous "birthday party" Washington had given in honor of the French Dauphin in May 1782. The soldiers had built a green canopy to sit beneath as five hundred of them feasted on roast oxen and drank toasts to the French.

"I believe that the general himself was feeling those toasts when our musicians began to play 'Soldier's Joy,' " laughed Alec. "I shall never forget the sight of our revered commander stepping off with one of the soldiers, doing the gander hop!"

He went on to recall the fire that had been ignited at the end of the party. Men had strewn saplings all the way down the west bank, and when they were lit, the flames leaped brilliantly into the blue-black sky.

"Those beautiful Hudson hills became the most startling silhouettes, and the river itself seemed to change to fire," Alec recalled. "I'm not a man given to emotion, but that sight has stayed lodged in my memory ever since. It was like an act of God."

Everyone was watching Alec, and then Kosciuszko broke the silence by lifting his glass. "For my own part, I say here's to the Hudson, a magnificent river, and to the free land called America."