Page 70 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman (The Marlow Family Secrets #3)

He hailed a hackney carriage to take them to Pembroke House.

‘My family will make a fuss,’ Rob stated as they travelled. ‘We will not tell them about the child yet. You do not obviously show, so we will keep that our secret until after the wedding.’

Finch opened the door. ‘Good day, Master Marlow and Lady Caroline.’ He bowed, as though it were not at all odd that she was with Rob.

‘Hello, Finch,’ Rob acknowledged. ‘Is everyone in the family drawing room?’

‘Yes, sir.’

As they climbed the stairs, Caro longed to take Rob’s hand, but he held the banister to help him climb.

‘You say I should have told you about the child. Equally, you should have told me about your accident.’

‘And cause you to worry over me…? No.’

‘Perhaps we are too alike at times. I did not tell you about the child because I did not want you to worry, and you did not tell me you were hurt for the same reason. ’

‘And did you refuse to marry me when you were in London to avoid hurting me, or yourself?’

‘You,’ she admitted.

He smiled. ‘Well, you failed at that, it hurt me very much.’

When he stepped up on to the landing, he took her hand and they walked towards the sound of conversation coming from the family drawing room.

‘You need not worry,’ he said in a low voice. ‘They will be nice, my parents know I love you.

‘I have a visitor,’ he stated, lifting her hand as they entered the room.

Relief raised a smile. It was only his close family, his mother and father, sisters, John and Katherine. She bobbed a curtsy to the room in general as Ellen stood.

‘This is a surprise,’ Ellen said, walking across to greet her.

‘You did not say you were travelling to Maidstone today.’ His father stood too.

‘I did not travel, Caro did. She came to London to visit me.’

Rob let her hand go and took off his hat, as Ellen hugged Caro. ‘Let me take your outdoor clothes,’ Ellen offered. ‘I am surprised no one helped you with them downstairs.’

‘We were too eager to tell you our news. Caro and I are engaged to be married.’

‘Robbie!’

‘Oh, Robbie!’

Helen and Jenny squealed and rushed to embrace him.

‘Steady.’ He held them back. ‘Mind me.’

‘Congratulations.’ Kate came to congratulate Caro. ‘What a surprise. How lovely.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I am pleased for you, son.’ His father embraced Rob .

John shook Rob’s hand, as Edward took hers.

‘Caroline. I am thrilled,’ he said. ‘I shall be very glad to call you daughter.’

‘This ought not to be a surprise, though, I suppose,’ John said to them both, ‘after the two of you formed such a friendship in the summer.’

‘Caroline, you look peaky. It must have been cold travelling. Come, take off your outdoor clothes and sit near the fire,’ Ellen urged. ‘Helen, would you ring for tea and ask for some warm chocolate too? I think Caroline is in need of something sweet.’

Caro let Ellen help her remove her bonnet and pelisse.

‘I am postponing my journey to Yorkshire,’ Rob told everyone. ‘We will marry in St George’s then leave.’

‘The banns must be read, that will take a month,’ Helen said.

‘Unless you acquire a special licence from the archbishop,’ John replied.

Rob looked at Caro. ‘We will discuss this when I take you home tomorrow.’ Then he looked at Kate. ‘I hope you do not mind, but I said Caro could sleep the night here.’

‘Of course I do not mind. I will ask Finch to let the housekeeper know.’

‘I am sorry. I have nothing to wear for dinner,’ Caro told her.

‘Never mind, there are only a few of us, we may be informal,’ John said.

‘Will you have bridesmaids?’ Georgiana asked.

‘I have had no time to think about that,’ Caro answered. ‘But if there is time to organise bridesmaids, I will, and you shall be one of them.’

‘Me too.’

‘Me too,’ Rob’s other sisters called.

A light knocked tapped on the bedchamber door. ‘Caro.’

Rob.

‘May I come in?’ he whispered.

‘Yes,’ she called back, getting out of the bed. She picked up the candleholder. The wick of the single candle was still alight and illuminated the room as she walked across and opened the door. ‘Hello.’

‘How are you?’ he asked as she let him into the room. He was clothed in his nightshirt, dressing gown and slippers.

He shut the door behind him and turned the key in the lock.

‘I cannot sleep,’ she answered.

‘Nor I. I am excited and terrified all at once.’

‘Joyful and petrified,’ she said in answer.

‘You too…’ He smiled.

She smiled back.

His hand lifted and braced her cheek, his thumb touching her lower lip. ‘In the summer all I wanted to do was make you smile, and now we have a child. I cannot sleep because I am in awe of you.’

Her mind drew comparisons between Rob and Albert. When she told Albert about a child he had never looked as happy as Rob. Now she saw Albert’s emotions were always selfish. He wanted his son to inherit his title, not to love.

‘May I share your bed? I think if I hold you, I will sleep.’

She nodded, her loosely plaited hair brushing across the shoulder of the borrowed nightdress.

She put the candle down beside the bed, lifted the covers, shuffled over to make room for him and lay down beneath them. He lay beside her and snuffed out the candle.

‘Snuggle up against me.’ She heard his smile in his voice.

Facing away from him, she lay with her body pressed up against his, her thighs against his, her bottom against his groin, her back against his chest.

His arm wrapped about her, and his palm rested on her stomach. Then he kissed the skin behind her ear, and whispered, ‘Goodnight.’