Kaleidoscope: A Regency Novella by Hannah Meredith Read Free Book Online

The severe way she was dressed suddenly made sense. She was conducting a business deal, not engaging in seduction.
    He leaned further toward her and took one of her hands into both of his. It was cold, and he found himself rubbing his thumbs along her fingers to warm them. “Caro, I don’t understand. You’re a widow, and I assumed you had—well, I assumed there was nothing inconvenient to get rid of. And if this is not the case, then virginity should not be an inconvenience. It is something most women value.” He tried to keep is voice low and measured.
    Her chilled hand wrapped around one of his with a surprisingly strong grip. “My husband’s nephew, Gerald, has found a doctor who will swear that Charles was impotent, and he plans to challenge the validity of our marriage on those grounds. And so I thought if I were ever asked to offer proof that Charles and I had…”
    “Wait! Kelton said lack of consummation would invalidate your marriage?”
    Carolyn nodded, “He told me that he could take over the shipping company if Charles and I weren’t legally married.”
    “Were you?” Luke felt her jerk away, but he continued to hold her hand tightly. He could see anger flash in her eyes, but the question needed to be asked.
    “We were married at St. John’s Cathedral in Calcutta. It was the standard Church of England service. Bishop Thomas Middleton officiated. Over three hundred people attended. There can be no question our marriage was legal. Gerald knows he can’t refute that, but he’s questioning whether ours was a true marriage for this, this other reason.”
    All Luke had to do was lie and tell Carolyn that her marriage could be questioned on the grounds of non-consummation, and he could have this fascinating woman in his bed. And Lord, how he wanted that to happen. His fingers tingled with the desire to discover if her skin were as silky as it appeared. He could easily imagine himself over her, in her.
    But not like this. Not as a one-time business arrangement. That would be worse than never making love to Carolyn at all.
    “Caro, Mrs. Rydell, I’m not a solicitor, but I’m fairly certain that a marriage cannot be challenged for non-consummation. Kelton is trying to scare you. I have a friend who knows the law, or you can contact your own solicitor, but this needs to be checked before you take such a drastic step.”
    She suddenly looked more like a young girl than a businesswoman. “Could you talk with your friend without mentioning my name? I don’t want to do anything that would cause gossip about Charles. He was a good man, and I wouldn’t want to hurt his memory. This is the reason I couldn’t ask the attorney that the shipping company keeps on retainer.”
    “Of course. I’ll keep the question generic, but I think you have nothing to worry about.”
    Carolyn took a deep breath and relaxed back onto her chair, her hand slowly sliding from Luke’s now loose grip. “Thank you.”
    He smiled, trying to feel buoyed by doing what was right and ignoring the part of him that wished he had done otherwise. “I told you I’d do whatever you needed—and in this case you needed nothing at all.”
    “Except your wise counsel.”
    “I hope it’s wise. As I said, I think Kelton is just tormenting you. If this turns out to be the case, perhaps you can think of some way to pay him back for what he’s threatened. If you need help with this, remember I am always at your disposal.” Not that she’d necessarily need further help from him, not when she was surrounded by so many flower-bearing swains. “And now I need to leave so you can disappear before the arrival of your admiring horde.”
    She gave him a tremulous smile and stood when he did. He started to turn for the door when he felt her hand on his arm. Turning back, he was surprised when she went up on tiptoe and brushed her lips softly across his cheek. “You are a good man, Lucien Harlington,” she whispered.
    Her girlish kiss flashed like