Page 19 of Fortune Favors the Frivolous (Matchmaking Mischief Makers #2)

C aroline knew she’d slept some more. In fact, she was in the midst of the most exquisite dream when a gentle hand upon her shoulder roused her.

But she wasn’t yet ready to open her eyes.

In her dream, she was a lady of the court of King Arthur astride a white horse, and coming towards her was Henry, dressed in shining battle armor and balancing a lance.

His smile was the same she remembered, but tinged with shy pride, for he’d just been victorious in battle and was coming to claim his reward.

The pale-blue favor that she’d tied around his arm fluttered like a banner in the breeze.

He was just leaning across in the saddle to kiss her when someone else intruded from a different sphere, shaking her. Just as she was about to kiss her brave knight.

She frowned and tried to resist, but the shaking was insistent.

“Caro, it’s time to wake up. I have to go.” Henry’s voice, gentle but urgent, pulled at the edges of her dream.

Doggedly, she kept her eyes closed. Let him kiss her again.

She’d liked it too much the last time but had been left somehow unsatisfied, as if there were depths to kissing she had yet to discover.

She wasn’t sure why. She just knew she had to be allowed to breach the last distance between them so she could press her lips to his.

She was nearly there. The horse shifted slightly, and her lips touched only air. But he was leaning back towards her. He wanted their kiss as much as she did.

“Caro, please!”

This time his shake was more forceful and, with a gasp, Caroline sat up in bed, her dream knight dissolving into the golden afternoon light.

“What happened?” She glanced down at her thin nightgown, not immediately remembering the events of earlier, her mind still half lost in Arthurian romance.

“Nothing happened, Caroline, I promise! Well, nothing bad or serious, if that’s what you mean—” Henry backed away, his hands raised as if to prove his innocence, though his eyes held a warmth that suggested he wasn’t entirely sorry about their earlier intimacy.

“Oh, Henry! Of course! It’s only you, and now I remember everything.

” Relieved, she pulled the covers up to her neck while a delicious warmth spread through her at the memory of his lips on hers, the way he’d held her as if she were something precious.

Then she threw her arms wide and exclaimed, “I’ve had the most beautiful sleep after the most wonderful adventure.

Of course, the first part of the adventure was truly terrifying, but then you came along and now I’m even glad it all happened because—”

She stopped, aware of the intensity in his gaze as he watched her, the way his breathing seemed to quicken at her enthusiasm.

Suddenly she remembered her friend and, horrified, straightened, her previous dreamy contentment evaporating like morning dew.

“Venetia! Where is Venetia? Is she safe? Oh, Henry, what have we done by staying here—?”

“Stay calm, Caro. Venetia is safe. She’s ensconced at the Rose and Thorn, and we had to stay here for some rest because I’d not slept all night and nor had you.”

His eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, his cravat loosened, and his hair disheveled in a way that made her want to smooth it back from his forehead.

“But Venetia is alone.”

A wary look crossed his face. “She is safe with others, as I told you, Caroline. I made sure of that. And now that you are safe, I can organize suitable transport to discreetly ensure your return home is somehow explained.” He ran a hand over the stubble darkening his jaw and shook his head.

“I’ve been pondering it the past hour or more.

In fact, I’ve just returned from trying to source a suitable carriage to take both of you girls to London, but right now, there isn’t one. ”

Caroline wrinkled her nose, glancing at the aromatic heap of theatrical costume upon the floor beside the bed.

“I’d be better off in this disguise for now, surely?

” she asked, feeling heat steal across her body at the memory of how intimately he’d helped her remove those very garments.

“If you can bear being so near to me, I’d be quite happy to ride the distance to where Venetia is right now.

” She cleared her throat, realizing how much she wanted to feel his closeness again, the solid warmth of him at her back.

“We could worry about a suitable conveyance then. After all, Venetia is dressed as a lady. She’d need to go in a carriage.

I’m just… Well, no one would cast me a second glance. ”

Suddenly, the freedom was exhilarating. To be free of the constraints of being a lady, even for a little while longer.

To sit astride a horse rather than sidesaddle, to feel the wind in her hair without concern for propriety or reputation.

It was a heady thought, almost as intoxicating as Henry’s kisses.

But Henry’s next words were dampening. “You’ll get attention you don’t want, Caroline.

Your clothing marks you out as a theatrical performer, and some people view such folk with suspicion.

You might be accused of theft, or worse, before you know it.

” His tone was gentle but firm, protective in a way that made her heart flutter.

“Well, that’s very unfair, since I’ve never stolen anything in my life. And I’m sure most of them haven’t, either.” She lifted her chin defiantly, though she appreciated his concern.

“Except you did steal the apples from Mr. Wilson’s orchard, so that’s not quite true.” A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth, the same teasing expression that had charmed her since childhood.

“I was seven!”

“Yes, but I was just reminding you that your claims were not quite accurate—”

“Because you can’t help yourself, Henry, from saying exactly what you think about me and my behavior, which is one of the things I like most about you,” Caroline said with a grin that felt almost flirtatious.

“I never have to worry whether you’re being truthful or not.

All right, then I’m an untrustworthy performer, but I still want to travel to wherever Venetia is, sitting astride a horse and pressed close to you. ”

The words hung in the air between them, charged with new meaning after their earlier intimacy. She watched as a flush crept up Henry’s neck.

He bit his lip. “You’re not ashamed about what happened between us?”

“Should I be?” She raised herself on the pillows, and quickly he interrupted, “No, no! I didn’t mean it like that at all! I thought it was wonderful too. I was just worried you’d be regretting what we did and maybe even angry with me.”

Caroline suddenly felt the wind drop from her sails as a terrible thought assailed her. Slowly she asked, “It was just a kiss, was it not?” Her heart seemed to pause between beats as she waited for his answer, suddenly aware of how little she truly knew about such matters.

For a moment, the room was utterly silent. Caroline’s heart hammered in her chest as she watched Henry’s expression shift from confusion to understanding to something that looked remarkably like tenderness.

“Lord, Caroline! Do you think I’d be so ungentlemanly as to go any further than a kiss?” His voice was a mixture of shock and disappointment—or perhaps relief.

The relief that flooded through her was powerful enough to make her lightheaded. But underneath that relief was a curious sensation.

Yes, disappointment, though she would never admit it, even to herself. She twisted the edge of the sheet between her fingers, avoiding his gaze as warmth crept up her neck.

“You’d never be anything but a gentleman, Henry.

And I don’t really know what going any further than a kiss really means, but I’ll take your word as a man of honor that my reputation is not going to be compromised if we can find some way of returning to London and my absence—and Venetia’s—somehow explained to everyone’s satisfaction.

Which I am sure my brother Frederick will help with once he knows everything.

” She looked up at him through her lashes.

“But to get to Venetia, I believe the quickest and best way is for me to ride in front of you on the same horse. I do not want to be sent on my way. Alone.”

Henry’s cheeks colored slightly, and he turned to look out the window as if the pastoral view held sudden fascination.

“When I saw you on the back of that cart, and then the country lout pursuing you, I was angry enough thinking you were just a country lass in need of rescue… But when I discovered it was you.” He shook his head, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “Oh, Caroline—”

“You came to my rescue just in time, and that’s all that’s important.” She leaned forward, wishing she could touch his hand, offer reassurance and perhaps feel that spark of connection again.

But Henry was not yet ready to let the matter lie.

“When I finally saw through your disguise…” He turned back to her, his expression earnest, his eyes dark with an emotion that made her breath catch.

“I’ve never been more frightened in my life.

The thought of what might have happened to you—what could have happened if I hadn’t arrived when I did—”

“But it didn’t happen,” she interrupted, not wanting to dwell on the dangers she’d faced when the present moment felt so much more compelling. “And now we must turn our minds to getting back to Venetia and then home to London without causing a scandal that would ruin us both.”

He nodded. “You’re right, of course. Very practical, as always.”

“Not always,” she said with a small smile. “After all, I did dress as a stable boy and leap onto the back of Lord Windermere’s carriage. Hardly the action of a sensible young lady.”

That earned her a reluctant laugh, the sound warming her more than she expected. “True enough. You’ve always had more daring than sense, Caroline Weston.”

“And you’ve always had both, Henry. Which is why I trust you to get us all out of this predicament.” The words were light, but the sentiment behind them was genuine. She did trust him. Completely. With her safety, her reputation, and—if she were being honest—her heart.

“Well… I’ll wait outside while you dress,” he said, his voice suddenly formal though his eyes lingered on her face. “And then, yes, we’ll ride together to the Rose and Thorn. But we must be careful. Windermere’s men could still be searching for you.”

As he reached the door, Caroline called out, “Henry?”

He turned, his hand on the latch.

“About that kiss…” she began, unsure how to continue. Her fingertips unconsciously touched her lips, as if they could still feel the pressure of his, the warmth and surprising softness.

His expression softened, his gaze dropping to her mouth before meeting her eyes again. “What about it?”

“I’d like to remember it properly,” she said, emboldened by their shared adventure and the new understanding blossoming between them like a flower unfurling in spring sunshine. “When I’m not half-asleep and confusing it with dreams about knights and ladies.”

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Something warm and promising and decidedly ungentlemanly that made her pulse race. Then he shook his head slightly and smiled, a smile that reached his eyes and made them crinkle at the corners in the way she’d always loved.

“Let’s get you and Venetia safely back to London first,” he said, his voice slightly rough with an emotion she was beginning to recognize. “Then we can discuss… proper kisses.”

The promise in his words sent a thrill through her that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the adventure that awaited them.

Not just the journey back to London, but the journey of discovery they’d begun in each other’s arms.