The Good Twin
an excerpt

Chapter one in which we see the Scandalous Beginning or the Heroine’s Abduction
Lady Jersey surveyed the gathering with immense satisfaction. She loved having the most successful ball during the season, and this ball was definitely the biggest crush of the year. Perhaps two years, she considered without too much pride. Everyone who was anyone was at her ball. Again. Even Prinny had made an appearance, if only briefly. She could not really approve of the prince regent, but he was the ruler of the country, and as such, was necessary for any gathering to be considered truly a success. The chandeliers sparkled, reflecting the light of the hundreds of candles. She had the gas lights on the walls lit as well. All of this glittering splendor, as well as the vibrant colors of the ladies’ gowns, was reflected by the mirrors hanging on the walls. She had ordered the palms and other tropical plants from her conservatory to be moved into the ballroom for the occasion, and these were placed so as to provide pleasant places for resting and gossiping between sets. The dinner which would be served at Midnight, was already being laid out in an adjoining room, which was as sumptuously decorated and lit as the ballroom. She smiled a contented smile and rejoiced in another successful evening.
She was about to leave her post at the door where she had been greeting her guests as they arrived, when HE entered. She was sure the Earl of West Worstishire hadn’t attended any of the Ton’s social events in the last several seasons. He never came to balls. Ever. But even so, here he was striding majestically into her ballroom as if it were the House of Lords and he were about to speak on the benefits of the Corn Laws. Arrogant, she thought, but mercy, is he handsome. More so than I remember. And he looks slightly broader and taller too.
“Isn’t that the Earl of West Worstishire?” someone whispered. Or, Lady Jersey supposed, perhaps whisper was the wrong word, because everyone in the room had heard. Every head turned as the handsome, muscular man glided elegantly across the floor. The gentleman looked neither left nor right, but stared at the one he had come to save. She didn’t know she was being rescued yet, but in the end she would thank him he was confident. When he finally had woven his way through the crowd and stood before her, he almost reconsidered his decision. Not that he ever wavered in his duty. A man in his position could not waver. He knew the right thing to do and he meant to do it, even though the scandal could linger for years. His years in His Royal Highnesses’ navy had taught him many things, he mused, not the least of which was that the more unpleasant the task, the better it was to do it swiftly and have it finished.
“Milady, you look beautiful, as usual.” The words were matter of fact, and hardly seemed to be said as a complement, but Lady Caroline inclined her head as if they were indeed complementary. She wasn’t sure they were.
“My lord?” Her words were questioning, because she hadn’t seen her fiancé since the previous season and even then he had only called on her once. The neglect might have stung, had she even liked him, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to be in the same room with him, and dreaded the day when they would be married. She knew her fate was sealed. She was resigned to it. After all, her father had signed the marriage contracts during her first season several years before. But somehow, despite the obvious doom that lay in store for her she held out hope. She knew that knights in shining armor no long rode up on their white stallions and saved damsels in distress. Still, she hoped. Until the marriage was a fact, she would continue to hope. It was the only way she was able to remain sane when considering her future.
Lady Caroline was therefore, quite pleased that the earl was not interested in building his nursery just yet. She supposed the wedding would have to happen eventually. But later was better than sooner, in her opinion. “Never would be better,” she often thought to herself. Her friends saw only a title and a handsome face in the Earl of West Worstishire. And his wealth, although no one spoke of it. They certainly did not understand her loathing for the man who stood before her. They had never seen the evil the handsome earl could commit. She had seen it. And she had tried many times to repair the damage. Some things could never be repaired, however. She had gathered quite an army of maids she had rescued from the Earl of West Worstishire. She was glad her father paid no attention to his staff, or else he might wonder why he needed fourteen downstairs maids in his townhouse alone. And those were just the maids in Town.
Without any more conversation, she found her arm grasped firmly by his large, cool hand. She was startled, and flinched at his touch but said nothing. She looked up at the handsome face and felt nothing kind or loving at all. Her brother however thought that his treatment was too rough and said so.
“You will treat my sister as a lady, not as one of your whores!” He said with an undertone of seething anger. He knew the true colors of the Earl of West Worstishire. He wasn’t any more pleased with the match than his sister, but with several more years at Oxford ahead of him, he knew he could do nothing to rescue his ill-fated sibling.
The Earl of West Worstishire merely raised one dark eyebrow and started to drag Lady Caroline across the floor. Her brother grabbed her other arm and Lady Caroline had the urge to giggle as she was caught in an unusual tug-of war between the two men. Obviously, the early was several stones heavier and many inches taller, but she was flattered by her brother’s attempt to save her, however misguided it might be. Wisely, however she said nothing. She twisted both arms away from the respective gentlemen. Then she watched in horror as the Earl of West Worstishire’s fist met her brother’s nose, with a resounding crunch. The sound seemed to echo off the glittering walls of the elegant ballroom. Once again every eye in the room stared at Earl of West Worstishire. In a concerted effort to remain calm, Lady Caroline merely handed her lacy handkerchief to her brother to staunch the flow of blood from his obviously broken nose.
The Earl of West Worstishire did not seem to notice the younger man at all anymore. He looked at Lady Caroline and with a sigh drawled out, “I guess we will have to go about this in a more unusual fashion. I had hoped to avoid being noticed.” Lady Caroline’s eyes widened at this uncharacteristic statement, but still she said nothing. She had learned through the years, that the best way to get through meetings with the Earl of West Worstishire , was to bite her tongue. Fighting with him fueled his anger and contempt for her, and that she wished to avoid.
With that cryptic remark, he picked up Lady Caroline as if she were no bigger than a tot in the nursery. Throwing her over his shoulder he walked purposefully and unhesitatingly toward the exit of the grand ballroom. The twitters and gasps of the assembled members of the haute ton seemed to not even register in his mind as he carried Lady Caroline across the crowded room. Too surprised and shocked to respond, Lady Caroline gazed in horror at the guests at the ball she was apparently leaving in a most undignified manner. The gaze of the gentleman across whose shoulder she hung so ignominiously lingered where no gentleman’s should: on the exposed ankles and calves of the lovely Lady Caroline, which were exposed to his gaze because of the awkward position she was in.
The gentlemen, bid a vaporish Lady Jersey farewell, gathered his hat and stick from the awestruck footman at the door, and walked down the front steps to his waiting carriage. He placed Lady Caroline on the forward facing seat and settled his impressive form on the seat opposite.
“How dare you, sir!” was the first thing Lady Caroline said when she finally had overcome the shock enough to find her voice. Her exclamation was met with the very slightest of shugs, but no words explaining the gentleman’s outrageous behavior. Lady Caroline’s eyes grew wider as she looked intently at the handsome man sitting across from hers.
“You aren’t the Earl of West Worstishire!” She whispered in what was she hoped a calm voice. She was really quite overset by the behavior of the man whose carriage she shared. And now she was shocked to see he wasn’t whom she had thought. He wasn’t the man any of the Haute Ton thought he was either. She had heard the whispers in the ballroom, even if he had not. The gossip caused by leaving with her fiancé without a chaperone could perhaps be quelled with a stern look and a wedding date. Leaving with his twin brother would create a more difficult situation. Lady Caroline knew that if the Haute Ton learned who her abductor really was, her reputation would be completely tattered, if not destroyed so completely that she would have to retire to the country for a decade or two.
“Lord Good Twin?” Lady Caroline wasn’t sure if she was seeing what she thought she saw. Hadn’t Lord Good twin gone to the West Indies after the Battle of Trafalgar? She considered this thought. She was sure he had gone to the New World. So why he was here now and why was she in a carriage, no doubt compromised beyond redemption with him? What could he possibly want with her? Knowing his brother as she did, she supposed it couldn’t be anything honorable or good.
“Have you gone mad from the heat in the Indies?” She asked. Then she placed her gloved hand over her mouth. “Did I say that aloud?” And then overcome by the stress of the evening, she began to laugh nervously. She always giggled when she was overset. She had tried for several years to overcome the habit, but without success. While she tried to gain control of her laughter, Lord Good Twin sat stoically across from her, and said nothing.

Chapter Two in which The Voyage begins
The carriage finally came to a halt and Lord Good Twin sprang from the vehicle to assist Lady Caroline down. She glanced around at the surrounding buildings, but did not know where they were. When he saw that Lady Caroline was going to keep her questions to herself, Lord Good Twin stayed silent himself. He spoke to John Coachman, directing him to return the carriage to his brother and to see that the horses were returned to his own stables. His twin brother, the Earl of West Worstishire cared even less for his horses than he did for women of any sort. Both were useful, his brother had once conceded, but beyond seeing his own needs were met, he paid neither any attention at all. Having finished that routine task, Lord Good Twin took Lady Caroline’s arm and began to walk down a narrow street. The stench of the area caused Lady Caroline to wrinkle her nose, but she remained silent. Beneath her calm demeanor, she was seething with anger. She knew herself well enough however, to suppress her feelings. If she vented her anger now, she would regret it she was sure. Her brother did not call her Contrary Caroline without just cause, but she had learned that controlling her temper was a necessary skill. It required all of her effort to restrain her seething resentment, however.
As they walked, Lord Good Twin stole confused glances of Lady Caroline. She was not at all as he expected her to be. This would complicate his plans, he feared. He was hoping to have this task over and done with before dawn, but he could see that his scheme would take longer than that. He was hoping to get her settled, albeit unwillingly about his ship the Swiftsure and be done with her, but he had expected her to be older, brazen and self-reliant. He found her instead to be young, imprudent, and shy. His sailors would have her for breakfast the first day at sea!
“Where are we going Lord Good Twin?” asked Lady Caroline after what seemed to her to be hours.
“To visit my sister,” was the gruff reply.
“Oh, I didn’t know you had a sister, my lord,” responded Lady Caroline. “She must not be in London this Season or last, else I am sure to have met her. We seem to be near the docks now. Must we travel by boat to see her? I hear that traveling on the canals is much faster than traveling by carriage, although I am sure I would not want to travel without my own carriage. It has all of the necessary things I need for a long journey. I do hope the boat is comfortable, even if we shan’t be on it very long. I didn’t realize they had evening departures. But if I may ask, my Lord, why are we going to visit your sister in such an unconventional manner? Surely a simple invitation would have been sufficient. All of the haute Ton will be gossiping about our extraordinary departure from Lady Jersey’s ball. And I am sure to lose my vouchers for Almack’s. Such a shame. You should know how to behave better, my lord. You have not been behaving like a gentleman a ‘tall this evening. Not a ’tall! Must you hold my arm so tightly? It is beginning to get quite numb you see. Of course, my feet are numb from the cold, so perhaps…”
“You are babbling, my dear. Please stop.“ The mildly spoken reprimand silenced Lady Caroline at once. She knew her tendency to prattle on was one of her worst faults, but was it necessary for Lord Good Twin to point it out so abruptly? It was after all a rather awkward situation he had thrust upon her this evening. The least he could do is to make small talk and be polite! As if he had heard her thoughts, Lord Good Twin continued:
“My sister lives on King George Island in the West Indies. Her late husband had a sugar plantation. When he died, she stopped operating the plantation, but has continued to live on the island.”

When they reached the dock, he guided her to a large full-rigged ship. He saw her aboard, escorted her to the main deck, and set off to find the captain. She stood shivering on the deck of the ship, feeling very confused, very alone, and very cold. A swift breeze was blowing and her ball gown was designed for over-heated ballrooms, not decommissioned warships. She was silently condemning Lord Good Twin, along with the Earl of West Worstishire; Duke of Viceborough her spendthrift rakehell of a father; and all men in general to the devil, when a sailor approached from behind.
“Are ye lost miss? We don’t take passengers on the Swiftsure, But I’ll find ye the ship ya’ needs shore nuff,” reassured the wizened old sailor. “Young misses like you gotta be careful here by th’docks, ya’ know”
“I am sure you are trying to help, kind sir, but I think I had best remain where I am. I am assuming of course that Lord Good Twin will eventually remember where he left me.” replied Lady Caroline through her gritted teeth. He would soon see the extent of her wrath she fumed.
“Lord Good Twin, eh? Oh, then, I guess ye’d be right, then miss,” mumbled the sailor as he shuffled off. Though what he could do that would be useful on the ship, was incomprehensible to Lady Caroline. He had to be at least seventy years old, she mused, pulling her thin wrap closer about her shoulders. She stood on the windy, frigid deck for sometime before she heard the unmistakable sound of Lord Good Twin’s hessians treading the deck behind her. She whirled about, planning to start he tirade about inconsiderate men who where no better than common farmers and with worse manners but when she saw his expression, she swallowed her words like a bitter pill. He looked apprehensive and anxious. The concern on his face was visible even in the dim light of the deck.
“You must come below. We said on the next tide and I haven’t time to deal with you falling overboard or upsetting my men. My captain has taken ill, so I am needed to get us sailing on the next tide.” He spoke rapidly and moved even faster. As he spoke, he again grabbed her arm in his firm grasp and led her below deck to a small cabin. He opened the door, thrust her inside the tiny room, and turning on his well-polished heal, left her without another word. Lady Caroline was not about to allow anyone treat her in such a high-handed manner.
Running after him in an effort to overtake him, she knew she could no longer contain her anger and frustration. Tearing off one of her now hopelessly scuffed and filthy slipper, she threw it with stunning accuracy, striking Lord Good Twin squarely on the back of his head. He didn’t even turn to see what had hit him. She threw her second slipper which hit his arm. Sensing that this limited barrage of footwear (for she was already out of ammunition) was not going to stop him, she said in her most authoritative tone (the one usually reserved for the mischievous children of her housekeeper), “You will stop there Lord Good Twin and return here this instant.” He continued with even steps up the stairwell to the deck. Quickening her step she reached the steps just as he was about to reach the upper deck. The she shrieked. This was no lady-like shout. This was a blood-curdling, hair-raising shriek from the depths of her now frustrated and furious psyche.
Lord Good Twin turned, and replied with studied calm, “My Lady, you will return to my cabin now and wait for me there. I have far too much to do this evening to put up with spoiled infants.“ Then, placing a boot on the deck, he stepped nimbly onto the deck with a single fluid motion and disappeared from her sight. She started to follow him, but at the moment she took her first step, the ship lurched alarmingly under her feet, which no longer were able to support her. She sat down on the wooden floor abruptly and without any gracefulness at all. She tried to pretend she had intended to sit down, but gave up the charade when she realized no one could see her anyway. The boat must have set sail, she supposed and she struggled to her bare feet. She stooped to pick up her dirty, ruined slippers, for they were the only shoes she had, and once again found herself sprawled supine on the floor. With great effort, she managed to return to the cabin just in time to fill the chamber pot with the contents of her stomach.
She should be thankful, she supposed, that she had been kidnapped before the sumptuous dinner Lady Jersey had promised. She sat down on the bed which was attached to the wall, and then wished she hadn’t. Her backside was rather bruised from its abrupt contact with the hard wooden floor. She pulled her legs up and rolled onto her side. She found that lying down stopped her stomach from roiling as violently as it had a few moments before and so, rolled onto her side facing the wall. She planned to mentally catalogue the sins of Lord Good Twin, but as the rocking motion of the boat grew more gentle in the open seas, her eyelids grew surprisingly heavy.
After a long night of navigating the ship out to sea from, London, all Lord Good Twin wanted was to find his bed. But when he descended between decks to seek his cabin, he was forced to respond to a summons from the captain, who yelled for him to enter his cabin. The captain of Lord Good Twin’s ship, was in bed recovering from a bout of gout, brought on no doubt by too much rich food and ale while in London. He was usually the one to sail the ship on her voyages to the West Indies to take goods from London and to bring sugar and cotton back to England. Because he was ill, Lord Good Twin was forced to take the helm himself on this voyage. This was a complication he had not anticipated, but the ship had to leave that evening before his brother got word of what he had done.
He sighed as he entered the captain’s cabin. He was bone weary and in no mood to have a protracted conversation with anyone, let alone his cantankerous captain. The man was a fine sailor, but rather old-fashioned in his views and opinionated to boot. He had strong views about the lax morals of the haute ton and expressed them loudly and with verve whether his audience was interested or not.
“Aye, Cap’n,” said Lord Good Twin as he entered the cabin. He had to duck his head to pass through the low doorway.
“George the cook has informed me that there is a lady asleep in your cabin!” began the bad tempered captain. Despite the difference in their ranks, the captain still treated Lord Good Twin as if he were still the boy he had been when he had joined his royal highness’s navy fifteen years earlier. Although Lord Good Twin had reached the rank of captain after the Battle of Trafalgar, he still felt out-ranked by the captain of his ship. The fact that Lord good Twin employed the captain seemed of no import at all.
“Aye, Cap’n, she is my brother’s intended. I felt it imperative to rescue her when I received my mother’s letter informing me that he intended to set a wedding date. He is a monster you know. I had planned to leave her at my sister’s house. I didn’t intend to have to escort her there, however. Your sudden illness forced me to change my plans and travel with the ship.” The latter part was intended as a reprimand, but he doubted the older man heard it as such.
“Well, that changes nothing. She spent the night in your cabin. You will have to marry her as soon as I can leave my bed.”
“Marry her?! Are you mad?” replied a shocked Lord Good Twin. “I was not in my cabin last night.”
“Your location is immaterial, my lord,” retorted a steely-eyed captain. “She has been compromised beyond redemption unless you marry her today. As captain I order the ceremony to be held this evening if I am able to leave my bed by then. If not this evening, then the following morning will have to do. You have put her in this situation, my lord, and you have to do the honorable thing to preserve her good name. Now get some sleep.” The captain closed his eyes, obviously considering the conversation at an end. Realizing the captain was, unfortunately, correct about the appearances of the situation, Lord Good Twin sighed. He had hoped to avoid this complication, but he knew that in the circumstances, a marriage to Lady Caroline was indeed the only honorable option.
Lord Good Twin finally returned to his cabin as the sun began to paint the sky with fingers of pink and orange; he found his soon-to-be wife sound asleep and drooling on his best pillow. Too tired to care about bathing, his pillow or his erstwhile roommate, he stretched out on the bunk beside her and was asleep before she knew he was there.

Chapter 3 A Battle and Perhaps A Truce
The morning sun was slanting brightly through the small, dingy porthole when Lady Caroline awoke. She was surprised and rather startled to see Lord Good Twin lying on the bed next to her. That he was fully clothed did not diminish her anger. Having had a good night’s sleep, she was less likely, she hoped to throw things and Lord Good Twin, but she knew she had to know what he intended to do with her -or to her, she considered with a shudder as she remembered tending the damage his twin brother had inflicted on his innocent and unsuspecting house maids!
With these unsavory images filling her with fear, she leapt from the bed with surprising alacrity, especially when one considered that the bruises from the falls she had taken the night before were still very tender. Standing as far away from the bed as she could get in the tiny cabin she said in a loud, falsely cheerful voice, “Good morning, my Lord, I trust you slept well. I certainly did not expect to have to share my accommodations with you.” Her greeting was met with a groan as Lord Good twin pulled the quilt over his head.
“Go ‘way.”
“I require some information before I go anywhere, my lord. I do wish you would arise!” Her voice had risen in both pitch and volume as she struggled to tamp down her rising ire. Unable to do so she picked up the inkpot on the desk. It had been set into a recess in the desk and she broke a nail trying to pry it out. This did not help to improve her mood. Once she had it free, she threw it across the cabin at the inanimate lump on the bed. She noted with satisfaction that the ink seeped through the coverlet and dripped down the pillow and mattress.
“I believe I deserve to know what you intend to do with me.” She punctuated this remark with a barrage of books from a cabinet with glass doors, hanging on the wall above the desk. She looked for something else to throw. A china shepherdess would be the perfect thing, so thought with a momentary scrap of her usual good humor. They do shatter so nicely, she thought, smiling to herself.
“As I am here unwillingly, I can only assume you mean to do me some sort of harm. If that is true, I wish you would get it over with and let me go. On a positive note, I suppose your despicable brother will cry off if you choose to ravish me. That would be a blessing indeed. You may begin with the ravishment then.” This last bit seemed to finally get the attention of the man on the bed. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he crossed the cabin in two steps and glared down at the ashen face before him. “Bloody hell!” he muttered under his breath.
“I would ask you to temper your language in my presence. I am a lady after all,” chided Lady Caroline. Then to her horror (and though she didn’t know it, to his horror as well), she burst into tears. These where no pretty tears trickling down her cheeks to get her own way. She knew such skill was highly prized among the unwed ladies of the haute ton, but she despised such manipulative artifice. She was never able to control her tears anyway. Her tears were always accompanied by noisy sobbing and swollen eyes. She knew she would look a fright, but she could not stop her earsplitting weeping. She tried to continue speaking between sobs and gulps, but her words were unintelligible, even to herself.
Upset by her obvious distress and unsure what to do or say, Lord Good Twin stepped around her and gathering the books she had hurled at him, returned them to their cabinet. That was when he noticed his shirt, breeches, and bed were splattered with ink. “Bloody hell” he yelled, swiveling on his heal to glare at Lady Caroline.
“A LADY,” he retorted bitingly, “would not have created such a scene, nor caused such a mess.” His sweeping gesture encompassed the ink spattered not just throughout the cabin but also all over his clothing as a result of her pitching the inkpot at him as he slept.
“A gentleman, “she yelled back, through her now lessening sobs “would not abduct a gently bred young lady from a ballroom, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her off to who knows where on a ship! Nor would he climb into her bed!” Her tears spent and her anger disintegrating into horror, she sank into the chair by the desk and covered her face with trembling hands. “I am ruined.” She sat that way for several long minutes. Lord Good Twin decided he preferred her yelling and throwing things to this silent, disheartened resignation.
“Lady Caroline,” he began, pausing to choose his words carefully. “I promise my intentions are indeed honorable, even if my methods are not.” She did not move, but some of the stiffness seemed to leave her shoulders. “I do not intend to ravish you. I prefer my women welcoming and willing.” The tenseness returned. He wondered what he could say to reassure her of his honor. Obviously this was not the way to do so.
“What I mean is,” he paused again, unsure of how to explain without airing his family’s dirty laundry in her presence. He knew things about his brother of which no gently-bred young lady should have to have any knowledge. Things no one should do. And yet his brother did commit those heinous acts. As a peer, he would never face punishment as much as he deserved it. But if he could help it, Lord Good Twin could keep the horrid tales from Lady Caroline’s ears.
“Blood...”he caught himself this time and swallowed his curse. “What I am trying to say is that I know what sort of person my brother is. No gently-bred lady should have to be in the same room with him, much less marry him. In fact, no female of any rank is safe around him. I had planned to take you to my sister so that you may be able to escape that fate.” Lady Caroline looked up at him and pushed a swath of hair over her shoulder for a better view. Her eyes were swollen and still somewhat misty. She had never met a man who cared about whether she wanted to marry Earl of West Worstishire. Well, she mused to herself, that isn’t fair. She’d never met a female who cared either, save the maids she had squirreled away at her father’s townhouse and at several of his smaller estates.
“What if I want to marry your brother?” she retorted, ashamed by her words, but still angry at his high-handed actions. “He is titled, has many estates and a lovely town house; he is handsome and rich, after all.” She ticked off the list on her fingers. Lord Good Twin sank onto the bed behind him. This was a complication he had not considered.
“Do you really want to marry him?” asked Lord Good Twin, clearly puzzled. This was a complication he had not considered. Surely, he thought, no lady in her right mind would want to marry his deranged brother.
“No,” replied Lady Caroline with her characteristic honesty. “But you should have considered that before you carried me out of Lady Jersey’s ballroom-over your shoulder no less. You do realize I am quite ruined now?” This last part she found surprisingly cheery. She attempted a watery smile. “Having cleaned up enough of his messes to know what happens to any woman left alone with him, I would never want to marry your brother. Do you realize how many of his bastards I have to care for right now? And some of those maids he ravished will never be fit to work again. Of course, the stable boys fair worse, I suppose, though my brother cares for them at his hunting lodge, so I am not sure of them,” She broke off at his gasp.
“My lord, did you not know about your brother’s despicable behavior? I hope I haven’t shocked you by my straightforward speaking. I am told, ‘tis most unbecoming, and I suppose some must think so, else I wouldn’t be told so as often as I am. Men are allowed to speak their minds, but women aren’t to have a thought in their heads beyond the latest styles in hats or pelisses. I think that is quite unfair, sir and I stand…”
“My dear Lady Caroline, please stop your babbling. I swear you will give me the headache! No, your plain speaking does not bother me. I am merely ashamed that you have had to deal with the results of my brother’s depravity. I had hoped no one had noticed. I guess his behavior is worse than it was when I left Town ten years ago. The Duchess, my step-mum, you know, had written to me that he was worse, but I had no idea.” He raked his hand through his already wild hair and stood up jerkily, without his usual grace. “I should thank you…”
“I did only what had to be done, no more. As his future wife, I felt the duty would be mine before long anyway, and….” Her voice trailed off as she noticed the weariness that she saw in his face. “You look tired, my lord, I should let you sleep. Is there another cabin where I could freshen up?”
“This is the only cabin available, Lady Caroline. The other is being used as a sickroom currently. I suppose I should have left the captain in England, but he insisted he would be well in a day or so. ” His voice was tinged with exhaustion. You will have to perform you r ablations in here. He rose to leave. I’ll have someone bring you warm water.” Lady Caroline felt selfish for asking. Clearly he had been up the entire night working.
“Oh, I guess I’ll wait, my lord. I haven’t a clean gown anyway.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it didn’t matter. Without aid of comb or mirror, she quickly replaited her hair into a single braid that hung down her back. She found her now crumpled wrap on the floor and smoothes it as best she could with her hand. Flinging it over her shoulder in a way she hoped looked carless and gay, she opened the cabin door. “I’ll go get some fresh air while you sleep. You need not worry about me. I’m used to doing for myself.” She quickly offered up a silent prayer for forgiveness for this blatant lie, and hoped Lord Good Twin wouldn’t question her patently false statement. He had to know that she never “did for herself”, no one in the haute ton did! But instead of arguing with her, Lord Good Twin sank gratefully onto the soft mattress and overcome by exhaustion, was asleep before she could quietly close the door.
Chapter Four: In which the Captain Recovers and a Wedding is announced
Leaving Lord Good Twin asleep in the cabin, Lady Caroline went in search of breakfast. She found that between decks, where the cabins and kitchen-“no, galley,” she corrected herself-were. There was also a room which appeared to be used as a gathering room for the crew. In this room she found a few crew members enjoying their breakfast, and she was able to eat there as well.
After nibbling some dry toast and sipping her tepid tea, she heard her name being called. She followed the voice to the other cabin. The door was ajar when she approached the room, so she could see clearly a man sitting against several pillows on the bed. He also had a cup of tea and some toast. His salt and pepper hair matched the beard on his chin. His eyes were hidden beneath bushy eyebrows and darkened by a rather forbidding expression.
“You are Lady Caroline,” it wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. “I had thought you to be older. But it can’t be helped. Are you older than on and twenty, my lady?”
“y-y-yes,” stammered Lady Caroline, taken aback by the man’s forbidding expression and impolite question. “I am, if you must know five and twenty. Were I not betrothed I should be considered an ape leader!”
“Well, then. So he told you. The ceremony will be performed by me as soon as I am well. ‘T is naught but a bit of gout caused by too much time ashore, I suppose. I shall be able to be up and about this afternoon. I will expect to see you both on the main deck before the evening meal. I do hope you have something more suitable to wear, however, Lady Caroline. That dress leaves most of your bosom quite exposed. It is not modest in the least. Now, you may leave me to my rest. After a short nap I shall be right as rain. Good day, Lady Caroline.” Having concluded his diatribe, he set his tea cup down on the bedside table rearranged his pillows and prepared to sleep. Lady Caroline was shocked by his comments and not a little bit confused. She stepped backward and trod heavily on the toe of Lord Good Twin.
“My lord, I thought you were still sleeping,” began Lady Caroline as she stumbled over his booted foot. He grasped her shoulders and steadied her.
“I rarely sleep more than a few hours at a time while we are at sea, Lady Caroline. I have to much to do to waste time wooing Morpheus. And, we need to have a talk, my dear. There is much I have not discussed with you.” He rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “Indeed, several of the events of last night were not in my plans. Still…” He was interrupted by Lady Caroline. Daggers flashed from her eyes as she replied.
“So you mean to say your plans didn’t include a shipboard wedding? Whom am I to marry? Obviously the captain the captain knows, as he has informed me to prepare myself for the ceremony.” All of the color drained from her face as she drew her own conclusion. “Please,” she begged, “You wouldn’t make me marry your brother in a misguided attempt to reform him? I should rather throw myself overboard!” She matched her words with action and ran toward the steps leading up to the main deck. Lord Good Twin caught up with her in a few short steps. He pulled on her shoulder forcing her to turn and face him. His expression was both grim and angry.
“I assured you that would not happen. You should not question my word. I find that insulting and were you a man I would call you out.” He tried to push past her on the steps, but she placed herself in his way and stood her ground.
“My lord, I do apologize. But them whom shall I marry? Or is the captain mad? He seemed sane enough, but then, some illnesses do cause one’s mind to wander. Once when my brother had a fever he was convinced I was our late mother and insisted I stay with him all hours. Of course he also thought the cook was Mother as well, although naturally we look nothing alike. He remembered nothing…
“Please be quiet, Lady Caroline,” ground out Lord Good Twin through his clenched teeth. “Your incessant chatter will drive me to be madder than you assume the captain to be. He is quite sane, however.”
“Yes, my lord.” Lady Caroline was genuinely remorseful, because her rambling speech had been caused by her overset nerves. She knew that her tongue was something she needed to control better.
“You shall marry me.” said Lord Good Twin. He took advantage of Lady Caroline’s obvious shock to brush past her and ascend to the deck. Lady Caroline was still standing there unable to move when he returned a half hour later. It wasn’t until he saw her still standing there that he realized the extent of her shock.
“Come, Lady Caroline,” he said to her gently, while taking her hand. He led her to their cabin and opened the door for her. “I will have water heated so you can have a bath. Just wait here and I’ll be back with the tub.” He left the small cabin unsure if she even knew where she was. She was so quiet and unresponsive! He rubbed his chin with his hand as he walked to the galley. After asking the cook to heat water, he went into the hold to get the copper tub. He brought it up to Caroline, who was sitting on the chair near the desk still looking emotionless. He returned to the hold and found the trunk of clothes he was taking to his sister. Hoisting it up on his shoulder he carried it up to the cabin as well. He knew his sister was slightly heavier and shorter than Lady Caroline, but he was sure that the clothes would do in the situation. Lady Caroline certainly couldn’t wear her ball gown for the entire voyage, no matter how lovely it was. He recalled how lovely she had looked when he had spied her across Lady Jersey’s ballroom and decided that his unplanned marriage to her would perhaps not be as bad as he originally had thought.