A Scandalous Past (Regency Romance, Book 4) by Ava Stone Page B

against
you
, when needs be. But when it seemed she was
about to be engaged to that naval captain, it broke my heart. Not
that he didn’t seem like an all right sort, but… Well, he isn’t
you
.”
    “Caroline!” he bellowed. What the devil was
she going on about?
    She blinked at him, a frown settling on her
pretty face. “Yes, darling?”
    “What have you done to my salon?” That was
as good a place as any to start. After all, he was fairly
accustomed to her ramblings. Whenever she was excited, she always
gushed until she ran out of strength. Though he had no idea what
had her so giddy today.
    Caroline’s hazel eyes twinkled
mischievously.  “Well, after visiting with Gladys Avery this
morning and she told me the wonderful news, I thought I would come
and congratulate you in person. A note is too informal, don’t you
think?”
    Gladys Avery? A cold chill crept along
Brendan’s spine, as the reason for Caroline’s visit began to sink
in. “Too informal?” he echoed.
    “I’m so glad you agree,” she gushed. “So,
that butler of yours, who is quite a disagreeable fellow by the
way, brought me in here after I insisted on waiting.  And
honestly, darling, if this is the best room in the house you have
for entertaining, you are in desperate need of a
refurbishment.  Stuffing was actually coming out of the
settee. Did you know that?”
    He didn’t know that, actually. It was so
rare that he was in London, or that he entertained. But that was
neither here nor there. What the devil was he doing listening to
this anyway?  “For God’s sake, Caroline, you can’t go around
tearing people’s rooms apart.”
    Caroline pouted. “I’m not tearing it apart.
I’m
fixing
it. If you’re going to entertain the Averys you
can’t do so in this room. It just wouldn’t do. And since Juliet has
so meticulously refurbished Prestwick Chase, I know just the right
people to help with this mess.” Her hands gestured in a wide
sweeping motion to encompass the whole room.
    “It wasn’t a mess until you touched it… And
I have
no
intention of entertaining the Averys.” The less
he saw of them the better.
    She pursed her lips. “Blast you, Brendan.
You
are
going to be difficult, after
all.”          
    He raked a hand through his hair and began
to pace around the desolate salon. “What are you after, Caroline?”
he asked, though in his heart he already knew the answer. Caroline
Staveley liked nothing better than matchmaking. He’d watched her
over the years, always in awe at her abilities in this realm. She
rarely, if ever, failed.
    “You need a wife, Brendan.”
    There it was.
    He groaned, stopped his pacing, and leveled
her with his iciest stare. “I had one, and I have no intention of
ever replacing her.” Honestly, with everything else he had to worry
about, the last thing he needed was to marry some girl. Not even a
girl who made his pulse race or his breeches embarrassingly
uncomfortable, though finding Miss Avery in Haversham’s arms had
certainly dashed a bucket of cold water on
that
problem.
    Caroline crossed the room in just a few
strides, an understanding smile upon her face. “You don’t have to
pretend with me, you know. I remember Marina and I know what she
put you through.”
    She was one of the few who did.  But
Brendan didn’t want to have this conversation, so he shook his
head. “Get my salon back the way it was, Caro. Settee missing its
stuffing and all.”
    “Be reasonable,” she pleaded. “Livvie is
beside herself with worry for Cordelia—something she doesn’t need
at the moment. And—”
    “I am not going to marry or even court some
foolish girl simply to put your cousin’s troubled mind at ease,” he
interrupted, narrowing his eyes on her.  Then he started for
the door. “I trust you can put this room to rights and then see
yourself out.”
    Just as he opened the door, just as he was
almost free of her, Caroline’s words stopped him in his tracks. “I
don’t