Chapter Seventeen
John escorted the countess back to Hadleigh’s side, but then frowned when Caroline wasn’t standing with her cousin. He’d procured a cup of punch for her, thinking she might be thirsty after two sets, yet she wasn’t anywhere around.
“Where is my wife?” God, he would never tire of saying that. It was one of the most joyful things to have ever happened, something he’d never thought he would have.
The earl frowned. “After our dance, she indicated an interest in going to the ladies retiring room, but now that you mention it, she should have returned by now.”
“I’ll go check. Perhaps she’s torn a hem.” As the countess moved away, Brand and his brother joined their little circle.
“Never say you’ve already lost your wife, Mr. Butler,” Finn joked. His eyes were alight with amusement. “Not a good thing and you so recently married.”
“Indeed,” Brand added, and gave him a mock punch to the arm that sloshed the punch in the cup John held. “Married for less than a month and can’t find his wife.”
“I’m sure she’s about somewhere.” Had the crush in the drawing room as well as the stresses of dancing and conversing caused her to hide? Concern circled through his gut. “I should go search for her.”
Seconds later, the countess returned. Worry etched her forehead. “Caroline isn’t in the retiring room. None of the ladies there have seen her.” She looked at her husband with a silent appeal. “I went to the refreshments table, but she’s not there either.”
Brand frowned. “I’ll check the terrace. It’s possible she wished for some quiet and air.” He darted away through the milling crowd before anyone could stop him. When he returned not two minutes later and shook his head, the earl cursed softly beneath his breath.
“I should never have allowed this.” Of course Hadleigh would grouse.
John narrowed his eyes. “Allowed what, Your Lordship? My marriage or Caroline coming here to circulate within society on her own terms?”
“All of it.”
His fingers tightened on the cup of punch. So much so that he feared the crystal might crack. Something inside him snapped. “You—and the Stormes collectively—have done Caroline a grave disservice. Not only this past year but the last twenty that she was sent away to that asylum.” A wave of white-hot anger swelled inside his chest even as concern for her rattled around his head. This needed to be said. When Finn took the cup of punch from his hand, he nodded his thanks. “I’ve already talked about this with Brand, and he has since made inroads into befriending Caroline, but the rest of you will hear me out.” His voice shook with the force of his ire and the effort at keeping his tone low.
The earl crossed his arms at his chest. Though his expression resembled a thundercloud, amusement danced in his eyes, which only annoyed John more. “Go on.”
“My wife is a beautiful person, both inside and out.” He shoved a hand through his hair, upsetting the easy style he’d worked on during his earlier toilette. “She doesn’t think like everyone else, and yes, her mind operates on a different plain than perhaps ours does, but she’s highly intelligent, creatively talented, and endearingly sweet.”
Finn cleared his throat. “Perhaps you should arrive at your point of how we’ve failed her instead of waxing poetic about her.”
The droll comment had the corners of John’s lips twitching despite his upset. “She was left to her own devices in that asylum. Lonely, afraid, neglected. No one cared, and your familial visits twice a year did nothing to help her. I doubt she was even aware you were there, for she’d retreated into her mind. She developed trust issues and shied away from people. Do you know how much it would have helped her to have one of you believe in her and her abilities despite her difficulties?” Undeterred, he met each of the Storme family member’s eyes. He hoped to God they wouldn’t yank Caroline back into the fold after this. “She has bloomed since she married. I won’t say that it’s due to my influence, but it is from the freedom and encouragement she’s been given.”
The countess laid a hand on John’s arm. “You could have knocked me over with a feather when I came into this drawing room and saw her dancing with you, as well as conversing as if she weren’t aware of anyone else here.” Her eyes were kind. “She rather adores you, Mr. Butler, and whether or not you want to claim the credit for letting her grow, none of us is denying that fact.”
Heat crept up the back of his neck. “I merely believed in her, but what she needs now is for her family to do the same.” He glanced about the crowded drawing room but didn’t spy either Caroline or his father. The latter wasn’t a surprise, for he’d probably slipped off with his cronies to drink or gamble away the rest of his coffer’s contents. “Caroline has befriended Brand, and it’s my hope she’ll give the rest of you the same latitude.”
Hadleigh cleared his throat. He leveled an assessing glance at John. “Why do you care, Mr. Butler? Is not your marriage one of convenience? An excuse to pull my cousin from my own household?”
The heat bled into his cheeks as four pairs of eyes landed on him. “It started out in that fashion, yes. I won’t deny that, but over the course of the weeks I’ve spent with her, I’ve come to know her, understand her, appreciate her for what she is instead of wishing she was something she’s not.” For long moments, he held the earl’s gaze. In this profound handful of seconds, the realization hit him that his feelings for Caroline had grown and changed.
Bloody hell. Why didn’t I see it before?
“Is that all you would say?” The earl cocked an eyebrow in challenge.
“I…” Some of the anger slipped away in the face of these new emotions. “I rather think I’ve fallen in love with my wife,” he admitted in a low voice. Though it shocked him down to his soul, a blanket of peace wrapped about him. While Brand and Finn stared at him, John nodded. Now that he’d spoken those words, he had no intentions of taking them back. “Yes, you heard me correctly, Your Lordship. I love Caroline more than life itself. I only just realized it, so if you think to take her away from me, you will have to fight me for that right.”
Dear Lord, had he just issued a threat to an earl?
Remarkably, a chuckle emanated from Hadleigh. “It’s not going to come to that, Mr. Butler—John.” He unbent enough to drop a hand on his shoulder. “However, before you decide to get your dander up once more, you should know that Caroline and I have come to an understanding, have begun a tentative friendship this evening. She was the one who initiated it, and I will say the change in her is remarkable.”
“Oh.” Some of the wind had gone from John’s sails. He looked at Brand—his best friend in the whole world—and gained comfort by the delight in his expression. “Well, I suppose it was only natural, but…” His words faltered. A sick feeling rose in his throat. “But Caroline is gone, apparently.” The muscles in his stomach clenched and the urge to retch grew strong. Quickly, he swallowed as he met the earl’s gaze. Damn, but he was the one now who needed comfort. “Has she run from me because she can’t bear to stay married? That she realized tonight I’m not good enough for her?” Despair rushed through his chest to dampen everything else.
It was Brand who pushed his way forward to clap his hands on John’s shoulders and gave him a hard shake. “Snap out of it, man! Never have I seen two people more suited for marriage to each other than you and Caroline.”
The earl nodded. “I quite agree with my brother. After talking with Caroline tonight, I’m glad you married her. She certainly holds you in high esteem.”