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“So, you like it?” Caroline could not have looked happier; her eyes glimmered and her smile shone brightly. That had Anthony’s chest tightening because he loved seeing her so happy.It has been so long since I’ve had that effect on anyone, forgetting too how it makes me feel to know that I do.

“It is perfect,” Anthony said to her, still smiling. “You are perfect.”

To that, she said nothing. Rather, she walked up to him and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before then leading him to the blanket. There they sat, all pretenses dropped, no need to mention this as Anthony’s ‘fourth chance,’ or whatever they were calling it. That was a thing of the past.

This marriage wasn’t what it once had been. Both knew it now, and both seemed ready to take it to the next level. As to what that might be? From the look in Caroline’s eyes, the hunger on her lips, and the way it made Anthony’s heart beat, he didn’t need to guess too hard to figure it out.

ChapterTwenty-Two

“Icannot believe that you managed to swear the staff to silence,” Anthony said with a shake of his head as he dipped some bread in oil. “I thought I had them better trained than that.”

“Scared of you, you mean,” she teased him.

He scoffed. “It is not fear which keeps them in line. They are my servants, wholly aware of who pays and feeds and provides them lodgings. They ought to know better than to keep secrets from me.”She raised a questioning eyebrow at him and he grinned. “And maybe they are just a little bit scared of me.”

She laughed. “Not nearly as scared of you as they are of me, I promise you.”

“Is that right?”

“How else do you think I managed to convince them to keep their mouths shut?” She looked at him pointedly, as if what she was saying had any truth to it.

The reality of the situation was far more straightforward than what Caroline was suggesting. She had asked for help from a few key members of staff, directing them to the forest ahead of her and Anthony to set the picnic for their arrival, all but pleading with them not to tell him. They did not wish to lie to their master, so she simply asked that they do what they could to avoid him until then. That way, they were not lying. Not technically speaking.

“So, tell me,” she started. “How did I do?”

“How did you do?”

“This...” She gestured to the setting; an empty glade, the moon sitting full overhead, silence all around so that it felt as if they were the only existing people in the world. “I know that I stole your evening plans, for which I could not be more sorry.” She winked playfully. “I just hope you can forgive me.”

“I will try my best.” Where she was sitting on the blanket with her legs folded beneath her, he sat with his spread before him, leaning back on his hands while facing her. “It is perfect, Caroline. Truly, beyond anything I might have had planned.”

“All I heard was that I am perfect.” She shrugged and had another sip of wine. “And it is about time you said as much.”

The evening was going better than she could have hoped for. Gone were the days of being unsure how she felt about Anthony. And gone were the days of being unsure how he felt about her also. Now, Caroline was convinced that they were both of the same mind, their marriage of convenience a thing of the past.

That, to her mind, left just one thing for them to do.And I am through feeling guilty about it. Now, the thought excites me.

“Anthony...” she began softly, looking away because she suddenly felt nervous. “I was hoping I might ask you a question.”

“Oh?” Anthony picked up his glass of wine and had a sip. “I am surprised you are asking permission. Very unlike you.”

“That is not what I am doing.”

“It sure sounds like it,” he said with humor.

“It is a sensitive question,” she said. “And I do not want you to think that I am prying or trying to upset you.”

Anthony considered her as he had another sip of wine. “Ask me. And I promise I will do what I can to not get upset. No promises, however.”

She smiled at the joke, even if she was still nervous, for what she wanted to ask him was something that had the potential to ruin the entire evening. But she had to know.

“It concerns...” She hesitated, looking away and speaking into her chest. “It concerns your mother.”

She sensed Anthony turn rigid. “Oh? What about her?”

“You have spoken about her before,” Caroline started with caution, feeling the duke’s eyes on her. “And I could sense in that instance that you cared greatly for her. It made me think—wonder, really. What...” Her tongue felt swollen suddenly, and a lump appeared in her throat. “What people say of you. The rumors that they...” She swallowed the lump. “... that they speak.”

“What of them?” he asked stiffly.