Caroline (19 page)

Caro's face was lovely in the candlelight as she apprehensively turned her eyes up to him. She saw a muscle tighten at the base of Alec's throat, and his hard stomach seemed to knot.

"Please don't alarm yourself
.
I did not come here to ravish you. I was merely undressing when I saw the light beneath your door. The hour is quite late, you know—could you not sleep?"

She relaxed visibly at his words, warming to the gentler tone of his voice.

"No, I could not. I suppose it is the strangeness of the new room—and the knowledge that I am embarking on a new life without even knowing what my old one was...."

"I trust that our earlier conversation did not upset you? I wouldn't want to cause you a sleepless night."

"Do not overestimate your impact, sir," Caro replied in what she hoped was a cool voice. His sudden amused smile was not the reaction she looked for.

"
Touché."
He bent over her then, running one brown finger up her creamy neck to tip her chin back. "Don't worry that I shall creep into your bed while you sleep, for I hope I have not reached such depths of depravity yet. However, if you like, you may move to another room—"

"No!—That is, I do trust you, Alec, and I really will feel safer knowing you are near."

He bent over her, so close that she inhaled the aroma of brandy mingled with smoke, and his hand cupped her tiny chin securely.

"Perhaps," he whispered huskily, "the thought of me in your bed is not as unpleasant as you would have me believe?"

Caro could not see Alec's face clearly in the shadows, but she faintly perceived a glittering turquoise spark before he closed the distance between them. His mouth brushed her own so lightly that she felt faint with hunger. Their lips clung and he traced the outline of one of Caro's breasts with his free hand. Her breath was coming in little gasps, but she was powerless to control it, for the soft touch of his mouth was unbearably tantalizing. Her entire being waited for his kiss to deepen and his arms to encircle her. Alec's tongue brushed her lower lip as he ran his forefinger over her nipple, then he drew back.

Caro's breasts were rising and falling quickly as she stared up at him. Alec straightened completely, running a hand through his hair as he smiled ruefully.

"That was unkind of me, wasn't it? I suppose I needed to prove something to both of us, but God knows I'd have been better off leaving it alone. It is a crime for a woman to look like you do, Caro—too bad you're not made of ice, because it is what's inside of you that ultimately draws me on." He paused, looking down ruefully at her tear-filled eyes. "Scares you, doesn't it? Believe me, my dear, it scares me too."

Chapter 14

Sitting in her window seat sipping hot tea, Caro viewed the outbuildings and gardens behind Belle Maison. It was a clear, colorful morning, and the morning sun's warmth lightened her mood. Watching the servants hurrying over the raised brick footpaths between the kitchen and the house, Caro felt that their energy was infectious. Then an all-too-familiar pair of shoulders came into view below her window and she watched as Alec bent to absently pick a late-blooming purple aster. He seemed to survey the garden, which consisted of boxwood-edged flower beds divided by brick walkways.

A manservant stopped to converse with Alec, who was looking singularly stern. The servant nodded repeatedly, bowed twice, then hurried into the house. Alec strode on past all of the outbuildings, and Caro noticed that he wore riding boots and soft buckskin breeches. The last building had the appearance of a stable, and he entered there. She waited, sipping her tea, until he appeared again, leading Ivan. Mounting gracefully, he put a heel into the black stallion's flank and they galloped off into the field beyond. Alec's dark head was held arrogantly high, and Caro's face burned when she recalled his caress the night before.

At the same moment that horse and rider disappeared from view there was a soft tapping at her door and Natalya's pert face appeared.

"Good morning! I see that you are out of bed! May I come in?"

Caro laughed nervously. "Please do! Am I being very slow this morning?"

"Goodness no, for it is barely eight o'clock. I am an incurable early riser, except after the nights I have been to parties. I felt certain that you would still be asleep, but Rose told me you had already rung for your tea, so I decided to burst right in!"

Natalya was wearing a stunning gown of strawberry satin edged with stiff white ruching. Her black hair was upswept, and her cheeks were in rosy harmony with her gown. Caro regarded her with open admiration.

"I truly wish that I had your coloring, Natalya. You can wear the loveliest colors!"

The other girl laughed charmingly as she perched on the edge of the bed. "Don't be a goose, Caro. You have far too much beauty of your own to waste energy envying mine. Wait until you hear my news! Sacha has instructed me to take you into Philadelphia today and see that you are fitted for a full wardrobe, and we must spare no expense. Isn't that wonderful?"

"But—I couldn't accept—"

"Don't be silly! Besides, I should think you would have learned by now that it is foolish to argue with my brother. Now, hurry and get dressed and we can breakfast together downstairs." Hopping to her feet, Natalya ran over to hug Caro. "It will be such fun!" she exclaimed before slipping out the door.

Less than two hours later, Caro had her first view of Philadelphia. The city itself was almost exclusively concentrated within one square mile, bordered by Vine Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east, Lombard Street to the south, and Seventh Street to the west.

Caro fell in love immediately with William Penn's "greene, countrie towne" which was barely one hundred years old. All the streets were a spacious sixty feet wide, and were arranged in a gridiron pattern: straight streets intersecting at right angles with others. The houses were impressively neat; generally Georgian in design, built of brick and two or three narrow stories high. The raised brick footpaths which bordered the streets were shaded by elegant poplar trees, and the general atmosphere was one of pleasing, harmonious prosperity.

"Of course, William Penn planned it all," explained Natalya. "All the streets are named for things that grow in the country. Should you like a short tour before we go shopping?"

"Oh, yes!"

At Alec's request, Pierre was driving their small, lightweight carriage, and he smiled at Natalya's idea. Staying on Third Street, they passed row after row of connected, elegant homes.

"Pierre," called Natalya, "why don't we turn around at Pine Street?"

As they paused to accomplish this, she pointed to a building on the northeast corner.

"Do you see the house there next to St. Peter's Church? Kosci lived there a few years ago when he came here to plan Philadelphia's fortification against attack. My parents' house is just a few blocks away, so we all saw a great deal of him. I understand that you met him at the Van Der Pats'?"

"Yes! He is a fascinating man."

"I agree," Natalya smiled saucily. "I'll admit to a small infatuation with him—I was little more than twelve at the time and he seemed to be the most exciting man in the world."

In front of them, Pierre cleared his throat meaningfully, then said, "We have arrived at the Beauvisage residence, mesdamoiselles. Do you wish to go in?"

The carriage drew up before a magnificent Georgian mansion built of red brick with large white-shuttered windows. It was three stories tall and considerably wider than most of the other houses Caro had seen. Natalya smiled proudly, then asked: "Do you like it? It is a much different type of house than Belle Maison, of course, but its charm is undeniable. There's a lovely garden in back—one of the nicest in town, I believe." She leaned forward, addressing Pierre. "We shan't stop. I fear that I would chatter on and on and we would never get away."

They drove on, jogging over on Chestnut Street to detour onto the tiny court which boasted Benjamin Franklin's home.

"Of course," Natalya said, "he hasn't lived there much since it was built, but be assured that it has his touch—even if he had to give the directions at a distance!"

"Has he been in France a long time?" she asked tentatively.

Natalya wrinkled her forehead in surprise. "I believe it's been about seven years and he was in England for many years before that. Papa and Maman know Dr. Franklin very well, and I was able to visit him several times while I was at school in France. He is a most extraordinary man! I have often thought that he and Grandmere would have suited very well, but Dr. Franklin has scores of younger lady friends in Passy. For a man of his age, he has tremendous energy!"

Caro listened attentively to everything Natalya said all that day. In fact, she was so busy listening and looking that she was sure Natalya found her quite dull.

Once they reached High Street, located immediately north of Franklin's home, the girls abandoned the carriage and set out on foot. Pierre followed them at a discreet distance.

It was past noon and the marketplace was bustling. In the east, Caro could see the clean brick-pillared stalls of the outdoor market, but she was not to shop there that day. Natalya took her to the exclusive dress shops, where instructions from Alec had mysteriously preceded them. The seamstresses viewed Caro with frank curiosity until Natalya candidly informed them that she was only Alec's ward and
not
his mistress.

Caro was turned this way and that, measured and fitted for what seemed to be an eternity. After the fittings for her gowns and the orders for underclothes and accessories, they continued on to millinery shops on Second Street. The two girls were like children as they tried on lovely wide-brimmed hats with frothy ostrich plumes in every color imaginable. Caro was astounded to hear Natalya order an extravagant quantity of hats, pushing her out the door before she could protest too loudly.

"I know you're scandalized, but this is what Sacha wants and you may as well enjoy it. I would love to be in your place today!"

"All I know is that I am exhausted. Can't we go home now?"

"One more stop," Natalya exclaimed as she linked arms with Caro. "You wouldn't want to go barefoot, would you?"

"No," she sighed. "I suppose not."

"To be honest," laughed Natalya, "if I did not know better I should swear we were assembling a trousseau!"

Back on High Street, they reached the shop owned by John Wallace which dealt exclusively in women's shoes. Most of his stock was imported and there were shoes fashioned in elegant worsted, satin, and brocade of every color.

Finally the afternoon's work was done and the girls left the shop to find Pierre and the carriage waiting outside. Caro sank gratefully into the upholstered seat, momentarily shutting her eyes.

"I never knew that shopping could be so exhausting," she murmured.

"You'll find that it is a skill which is readily acquired," laughed Natalya.

It was nearly sunset when they reached Belle Maison. Neither Alec nor Nicholai was there, and the three women ate a quiet evening meal alone. Caro felt strangely melancholy as the night wore on, and finally pleaded a headache and went up to bed early. Although she fell asleep almost immediately, part of her mind was alert all night long, listening and hoping for the nearby door to open.

Chapter 15