Free Kaleidoscope: A Regency Novella by Hannah Meredith

through her. Initially joy. The idea seemed so right. Uncertainty swiftly followed. Had his financial position suddenly worsened and he needed her money to bail him out of a tight spot? And lastly disbelief. No man of value would want to marry her for herself alone. She was well acquainted with the tons feelings about her mixed blood.
    These thoughts tumbled over one another in a matter of seconds, leaving her confused as to how she felt about his statement. “Is this a proposal?” she asked, realizing the words sounded inane as they left her mouth.
    “Yes, I suppose it is, although I suspect I’m going about it very poorly.”
    She felt herself grin at the absurdity of the situation. “I’d have to agree with your conclusion.”
    “Let me explain, then.”
    “That would seem a logical idea, but first, is there a reason you are hovering behind a chair rather than sitting in one?”
    Luke glanced around, as if surprised at his location. “It seemed a good idea when I first came in and saw you all warm and tousled from your bed. I had this powerful compulsion to loosen the rest of your hair from your night braid and then undo that lovely robe to see if your nightgown is as prim as the bit sticking above the neck of your wrap would suggest. At which point, I’d probably fall on you like a ravening beast and manage to convince you that you wanted nothing to do with me. And so, I’m using this chair as a shield—which is ridiculous. Good Lord!”
    Shaking his head, he came around the side of the chair and lowered himself into the seat. Caro felt a powerful compulsion of her own. She wanted to leap from her chair into his lap and discover just what happened when one was fallen upon by a ravening beast. It sounded quite arousing. She wondered how both of them could have taken leave of their senses simultaneously.
    “Let me begin at the beginning, so my revelation makes sense,” Luke said.
    She nodded encouragement. Her scattered senses made any sort of logical comment impossible.
    “My mother was my father’s second wife. Well, you would have guessed that since I have older half-brothers.” He shook his head again. “Mother and her family escaped France during the Terror. Like most émigrés, they brought their portable wealth with them. In my mother’s case, this was a large quantity of gemstones. I remember playing with them when I was a young boy.
    “As I grew older, I lost interest in pretty baubles, but Mother always mentioned them as my legacy. When the whole Lady Belinda disaster came about, however, I didn’t see my mother for a few years—and then, only when she was dying. After her funeral, I asked my father about the stones, and he told me my mother had sold them to help other émigrés.”
    Carolyn sat transfixed. She couldn’t see how lost jewels could lead to Luke’s irrational desire to marry someone his family would find unacceptable. Regardless of his present estrangement, this tale alone showed he still cared for them.
    “I didn’t believe him.” Luke continued. “I’m not proud to admit that I even helped break into the family’s most secure safe, with the idea of stealing back what should be mine. But the jewels were never found. I began to think my father was right and that there was no inheritance to help see me into a comfortable life.”
    He suddenly leaned forward, his eyes avid. “And then tonight, I saw my brother David’s wife wearing one of the larger stones. Hopefully, the bulk of the jewels my mother intended for me are intact. David must have stolen them. My job now is to steal them back. At which point, I will no longer be the impoverished Lord Lucien.” He gave her a blazing smile. “I’ll be a worthwhile suitor of a wealthy widow.”
    In one smooth movement, he went down on one knee before her. “Carolyn Rydell, would you do me the great honor of being my wife?”
    To have this startlingly handsome and good-hearted man all for herself for the rest of her life was