Caroline started to argue with him and then realized how futile it would be. The man's mind was set and she knew she couldn't change it. "You make it sound like a challenge."
"It is a fact," he replied, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
"And if it is a challenge," Caroline said in a soft whisper, "then you are my opponent. I warn you, milord, I don't play games I can't win."
"I think, Caroline," Bradford returned in a whisper that touched her heart, "that we will both be winners." He sealed his promise with a long, satisfying kiss.
"Lynnie, whatever are you doing!" Charity's voice penetrated the shared kiss between Bradford and Caroline. "Oh, it is you, milord! I knew you would pursue my cousin, but you really mustn't be out here by yourselves. I don't believe it's at all proper."
Charity smiled at Bradford when he pulled away from Caroline. "Didn't I tell you, Caroline, that he was taken with you?"
Bradford grinned and Caroline groaned. She had just been caught in a most awkward position, and there wasn't any way she could convince Charity that she wasn't a willing participant. Good heavens, her arms had been clinging to Bradford's shoulders.
"Quit smiling and explain yourself to my cousin," Caroline demanded as she nudged Bradford's arm.
"Certainly," Bradford answered. "But first, allow me to introduce myself," Bradford stated with mock seriousness. Caroline, reading the vast amusement lurking in his eyes, decided to intervene.
"Charity, this is Bradford. He's a duke," she added almost as an afterthought. "And it was a good-bye forever kiss that we just shared, wasn't it, milord?"
"Good-bye until tomorrow," Bradford returned. He ignored Caroline's more determined nudge and took hold of Charity's hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Charity."
Bradford and Charity exchanged pleasantries and then she asked, "Do you happen to know a man by the name of Paul Bleachley?" She glanced over at Caroline for approval and her cousin nodded encouragement with a gentle smile. She knew how important the matter was to Charity and felt guilty that she wasn't helping more.
"I do."
Bradford's quietly stated reply caused quite a stir. Caroline grabbed him by the arm and tried to turn him back to face her, but it was like trying to move a rather large elm tree. He was firmly rooted to the ground.
Charity also tried to gain his full attention, tugging with insistence on his other arm. "Have you seen him recently?" she asked in a breathless voice.
Bradford took hold of Caroline's hand and pulled her into his side. Then he gave Charity his full attention. His thumb rubbed against the palm of Caroline's hand as he listened to Charity explain how she had met Paul Bleachley.
"Can you tell me if he is married?" Charity asked. "He left Boston so suddenly, and without a word of explanation."
"No," Bradford answered. "He isn't married. He returned from the Colonies several months ago and is now living in his home on the outskirts of London."
There was much more to tell, but Bradford was reluctant to go on. From Charity's reaction to the news that Bleachley was back in England, he realized that the two must have formed an attachment while Paul was in Boston. Her eyes filled with tears and Caroline tried to pull away from Bradford's hold to offer her comfort. Bradford wouldn't allow it. He pulled a linen handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Charity, and then suggested that she return to her uncle and that they would shortly follow.
Caroline smiled when she saw the handkerchief. There wasn't a bit of lace on it. It wasn't like Brummell's bit of fluff at all.
"Is she in love with Paul?"
Bradford's question demanded an answer. Caroline nodded. "He made promises he didn't keep," she replied. "He has broken her heart."
"Paul is also broken," Bradford said. "I imagine that he loved her or he wouldn't have made any promises. He is an honorable man."
"You're mistaken," Caroline argued. "Charity told me that he asked her to marry him and that she accepted. Then he disappeared."
Bradford continued to hold Caroline's hand as they strolled toward the doorway. "I will tell you what I know, but you must think long and hard over it before you decide if you will tell Charity. What I am about to say will only cause your cousin added pain, and I think that perhaps she should be spared the truth."
Caroline turned so that she faced Bradford and blocked their way. "Then tell me and let me decide," she demanded.
"Paul was injured while in Boston. There was an explosion and his ship was destroyed. He almost died and will carry the scars for the rest of his life. He lives like a hermit in a small cottage about an hour's ride from here and will not even allow his relatives to see him."
"Have you seen him?" Caroline asked. She was appalled by the story and ached with concern for her cousin and Paul Bleachley.
"Yes, shortly after he returned to London. He has lost the use of one arm, and his face has been disfigured."
Caroline closed her eyes and shook her head. "I believed the worst of him when he disappeared like that, but Charity never accepted that he willingly abandoned her." She took a deep breath and then said, "Describe his face to me. Don't think me ghoulish, Bradford. I need to know in order to tell Charity."
Bradford shook his head. "You aren't listening to me. Paul won't even let me see him anymore. And I have known him since we were children. One side of his face was burned and his left eye protrudes from the socket. He is no longer handsome."
"She never loved him because he was handsome," Caroline argued with conviction. "We Richmonds are not so shallow, Bradford. It's what I was trying to tell you earlier. Wanting someone because he or she is attractive is not important. Charity has more substance to her than you realize."
She took hold of Bradford's hand, unaware of the affectionate gesture she was making and his reaction to it. He knew that she wasn't conscious of what she was doing, understood that she was only concentrating on what he had just told her, but still felt a small victory over the touch. It was a beginning and he recognized it as such.
It was true that he could force a reaction from her. She had responded to his kiss, but he had had to initiate it. The touch was somehow symbolic to him. Bradford found himself smiling inside.
"The family has given Charity a nickname. They call her Butterfly," Caroline said. "She does seem to flutter about like one, and she is as pretty as a butterfly," Caroline continued. "But she's also strong. She loves Paul Bleachley and I don't believe that his injuries will change her heart."
"Then you plan on telling her?" Bradford sounded worried. "Paul's my friend and I won't be a party to causing him more pain. The man's been through enough."
Caroline nodded. She understood his concern and admitted that if the situation were reversed, she would probably be as protective as Bradford. "You will have to trust me in this matter," she told him.
It would have been easier if she had asked him to hand over his fortune, or his right arm for that matter. Trust! It wasn't possible. Bradford's face returned to its hard, cynical expression. Caroline noticed the abrupt change and the firm set of his jaw and mouth. But having been kissed by that same mouth, having touched the softness beneath the rough facade, Caroline knew the look of granite was just a way of blocking what he was truly feeling. "I assume, from the way you are looking at me, that my statement doesn't please you," Caroline stated. "You don't wish to trust me?"
He didn't answer her, and Caroline frowned with puzzlement. She decided to let the matter drop and let go of his hand. "Thank you for telling me about Bleachley," she said. Before he could stop her, she hurried toward the open doorway. She paused at the entrance and turned back to look at him. "And thank you for apologizing. I know it was difficult for you."