A Fine Caprice - A Regency Romance (35 page)

Three days later Caprice was sitting beside her friend, sipping tea and discussing the peculiar behaviour of one Lord Cassius Merridew.
She had borrowed heavily on her friends wardrobe and was charmingly attired in rose silk, her dark curls (which did indeed take some time to untangle – Angelique’s poor maid had been utterly exasperated) sporting the latest fashion.
A satin
ribbon
in the same shade of rose as her dress
had been threaded through the curls in an artful manner. The sight of h
er hands, which had rather suffered during her sojourn as a stableboy, had
caused considerable consternation and had
been immersed in a special cream every night before being encased in gloves. They were now restored to their natura
l
l
y delicate
state.

Life, as a high born lady, felt a little strange after the freedom experienced by Jem Morris.
But the sight of her beloved’s face when he had seen her in a dress had gone a long way towards compensating for the need to now accede to propriety.

‘He is a delightful man,’ Angelique observed, with a sideways glance at her friend. ‘
Do you know, he is considered one of the most eligible
bachelors
in England?’

Caprice blinked. ‘Is he?’

‘Assuredly.
And
he is
so very taken with you. Dear Caprice, I do believe I have never seen a man so struck with a lady on such a short acquaintance.’

‘No,’ Caprice agreed cheerfully.
She hadn’t known that his lordship was so eligible but she should have. He was enchanting.
‘It is rather wonderful.’

‘He can barely drag his eyes away from you.’

‘I’ve noticed that as well.’

Angelique set down her cup rather forcefully. ‘Caprice Lambert, don’t you bamboozle me! You and Merridew share some very knowing glances. Half your comments to each other are said as if you share some secret or other and I swear I have seen him touch you very inappropriately for a man who has only just met you. What is going on?’

Caprice grinned. ‘
You will be shocked if I tell you. Better not to say anything. You don’t
want
to be shocked, do you?’

‘Of course I do,’ Angelique said indignantly. ‘I depend on you for such things.’

‘Oh well then…’ And, as succinctly as possible, Caprice endeavoured to explain her relationship with Cassius Merridew.

At the end of it, Angelique looked a little scandalized but not nearly as much as she should be. ‘What a dreadful creature you are,’ she sighed. ‘But oh, I cannot help but think the whole thing romantic.
Spies and bodies and a hero who is delightfully dashing.
It sounds like something out of a novel. You’re not making it up, are you?’

‘I should say not.’

Angelique shook her head. ‘Only you could become involved in anything so outrageous.’

‘That’s hardly fair. I didn’t mean to stumble into the wrong house.’ But how grateful she was that she had. It had changed her life completely. In a short space of time she had gone from unhappy refugee who was convinced she would never discover love to besotted female who would be marrying the man of her dreams. On the rare occasions in the past few days that they had stolen a moment alone with each other, Cassius had taken pains to show her what delights awaited. Frankly, they could not be married too soon
for her liking
.

‘He will have to see your father, of course.’

‘I believe we are leaving for Warwickshire tomorrow.’

‘So soon?’ Angelique demanded. ‘But you have only just arrived!

‘Oh do not fuss. We will shortly have a wedding to plan and I would be most grateful if you could help me plan it.
With all speed, of course.
His lordship has mentioned a special licence.’

This time, Angelique looked genuinely shocked. ‘You’re not in the
family
way, are you?’

‘Good heaven’s Angelique. I only met the man four days ago! And we have not…
you
know.’

‘I don’t know,’ her friend retorted frankly. ‘By the way the two of you look at each other I would have thought quite the opposite
if the truth be told
.’

Which made Caprice smile for it was true, after all. She could not help but want to touch his lordship whenever he was nearby
and she knew that he felt exactly the same. The need to connect was overwhelming.

When he was announced, some ten minutes later, her heart skipped a beat with excitement. Would it always be that way
, she wondered
? Would she always feel this strange, breathless feeling whenever she caught sight of him? She could not imagine anything else and when his eyes met her own, she knew from the way pewter darkened into stormy grey that he felt the same way. Rising to her feet, she came and kissed him while Angelique looked on with resigned amusement. He did not resist, but kissed her back instinctively, then flushed when they finally drew apart.

‘Miss Lambert -’

‘It’s alright. I have told Angelique everything.’

Lord Merridew turned and looked at the woman on the couch. He arched an eyebrow. ‘Everything?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘My behaviour may not have been entirely proper,’ he confessed.

Angelique waved a hand and rose to her feet. ‘Do not excuse her, my lord. I know my friend very well.’ She headed towards the door,
then
paused for a moment. ‘I find that I need to give my housekeeper some urgent instructions. I might be gone for… oh, I’d say ten minutes?’ An
d with a final
look at the pair, she left them together.

Caprice immediately turned and wound her arms around his neck.
Lifting her face up to his, she smiled. ‘Ten minutes is not a very long time.’

‘Not p
articularly. So let us not waste
a moment of them.’ And wrapping her in his arms, Lord Merridew kissed her with all of the hunger he had been repressing for the past three days.

Caprice sank into the kiss and, in among the exquisite passion that he stirred in her, found room to be grateful for the most unlikely outcome to her adventure she could have ever imagined. She had found her love quite without meaning to and her life was now on a course for happiness she had only ever dreamed of.

By running away from her life she had run headlong into her dreams and that, she knew, was a rare and wonderful thing.

All lovers – spies
or not – deserved a happy ending, did they not?

S
miling up into the face of the man she loved beyond reason, Caprice knew she
had certainly found hers.