Page 13 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman (The Marlow Family Secrets #3)

When Rob walked into the drawing room, for the dinner hour, he hoped Caroline would be there.

She was not.

It was going to be hard to become her friend if he never saw her. He had not seen her since their brief conversation in the garden.

‘You are a little late, Robbie. Did George tire you out?’ Drew walked forward. ‘Dinner is ready to be served, shall we go through?’ He raised a hand, encouraging Rob to lead them to the dining room.

‘Did Drew tell you, Mary, your son is a natural with a bat? He quite surprised me. By the end of the afternoon, he hit nearly every ball.’

‘When I am sure they were carefully thrown to hit his bat.’ Mary smiled, glancing at the bowler, Drew.

He shrugged. ‘Perhaps.’

The two of them walked beside Rob as they crossed the hall.

‘Hello, Caro. I did not think you were coming down,’ Drew said .

‘I changed my mind.’

Rob looked up. She was walking down the stairs in a shimmering amber silk evening dress.

Its style was simple, but the fabric was stunning.

The colour highlighted the many hues of her dark-blonde hair, in the same way it did with her hazel eyes.

Nothing about her was one shade. A small amber cross pendant, on a silver chain, rested in her cleavage.

He swallowed against the dryness in his mouth. He was thirsty tonight. ‘Caroline.’ He walked to the bottom stair, his arm rising, offering it to her.

She smiled but reached for Drew’s arm.

There was not enough room for four to walk alongside each other, so Rob held back and Mary walked with him.

How many times had Mary given up her husband for Caroline’s sake? It seemed an odd situation. Surely Caroline did not enjoy being a constant third in their couple.

In the dining room, Drew pulled out a chair for Caroline.

The footman pulled Mary’s chair out, Rob walked about the table and sat opposite Caroline. Mary sat at the opposite end of the table to Drew, and in their small manor house the dining table’s arrangement meant they were all only a yard or so away from one another.

The footman reached past Rob to fill his glass with wine. Across the table, the maid served Caroline with muscles, which had already been teased from their shells, in a cream sauce. Caroline’s hands trembled as she picked up a spoon and fork.

Rob lifted his glass and took a sip as Mary, then Drew, were served. He leaned to the side as the maid served him, the glass still in his hand.

It was hard to avoid looking at Caroline, especially when he was so pleased she had come downstairs. Yet he did not want to do anything that might dissuade her from coming down again, and she had asked him not to stare.

When the maid finished dishing up the mussels, Rob looked up and caught Caroline watching him. She looked down at her meal, her cheeks colouring.

He had an urge to laugh.

Friends.

Just now he thought it impossible, but no, he was determined and she was not against the idea.

His gaze watched her spoon and fork work, as she did not want him to look at her face.

He had thought her frail, but she must be stronger than she looked if she bore beatings. Had she suffered broken bones? He would not ask that.

He looked at Drew. How much did Drew know about Caroline’s past?

‘We will leave after breakfast tomorrow,’ Drew said, then went on to talk through the people they would visit.

‘I shall ask Cook to make some jam tarts,’ Mary said. ‘You can take them with you to give to the children.’

Did Caroline confide in Mary?

When everyone had finished their muscles and the footman removed his bowl, Rob’s gaze accidentally caught on Caroline’s.

He swallowed against the dryness in his throat once more, took a sip of wine to clear it then smiled.

Her lips lifted at the edges, in a shallow smile too and her head bowed, just a touch, saying something he did not follow.

Drew talked about how excited George was to be joining them, making Rob suspect Drew was keener on showing off his son than showing his brother-in-law his estate.

While Drew talked, Rob’s mind raced, searching for something to say. He wanted to ask questions that might draw Caroline into a conversation, but his mind drew a blank.

The next service contained a salmon terrine, chicken in aspic and roasted venison.

He lifted his glass and took a sip of wine, as Caroline did, and once again their gazes collided. He smiled and lifted his eyebrows, in a humorous expression, as he would if it were Mary across the table.

Caroline’s skin turned pink and she looked at Mary. ‘What will you do tomorrow?’

His jocular communication had been a step too far.

‘I am planning to drive to Maidstone and visit some of the shops. You may join me…’

‘That would be pleasant.’ Caroline nodded.

So, Caroline did occasionally leave the house.

As they ate the next course, Mary talked through the things she wanted to buy in Maidstone.

Caro pushed her food about the plate, she was not very hungry, it was too odd with Robbie at the table.

Because he sat opposite her it was only natural for him to look at her, and yet he was doing his best to comply with her request and not do so.

‘ Friends ’, he had proposed this morning. And she had said ‘ that would be nice ’. How would she know? She had never had a friend. Mary was the closest person to such a thing, but Mary was Drew’s confidante, and Caro had avoided interfering too deeply in their closeness.

Albert returned to her thoughts. Even from the beginning, when Albert adored and admired her, he never treated her as an equal – a friend. He would never consider any woman his friend .

Her gaze caught on Robbie’s again as the second course was removed.

He smiled. His smiles were swift and natural, without artifice.

She would guess Robbie had no cunning in him.

He was truly kind, thoughtful and… a gentleman.

And unlike the other young men in his family, he was neither brash nor assertive, but confident.

At his age, Drew fought against the world, Robbie seemed to sit back and watch it.

Friends . The idea appealed. He was likeable and with just the four of them here, it seemed possible. It was not overwhelming for him to be seated at the table with them.

He picked up his wine glass.

She noticed how gently he held the delicate stem. Oddly it reminded her of the press of Albert’s fingers at her throat. She could not imagine Robbie’s hands hurting anyone.

She tried to imagine Albert at Robbie’s age. She could not.

Yet her thoughts compared their looks. Albert was a handsome man.

Robbie was more than handsome, he was strikingly beautiful when his head turned in a certain way, or his smile caught at a particular angle.

Mary, her mother, some of her aunts and sisters had a breathtaking beauty, he had their beauty but with a masculine edge.

There were elements of his father as well as some of his mother; his father’s angled features and colouring, his mother’s large eyes and full lips.

He engaged in Drew and Mary’s conversation. He laughed. A deep, low sound, which, again, showed no sign of posturing. He was as genuine as Drew and Mary.

He glanced at her, as if he knew she was watching him, and smiled more broadly.

It might be easier than she thought to become his friend.

She smiled too, then looked at Mary and joined the conversation. She was not wholly comfortable, yet nor were her nerves screaming.