Free Kaleidoscope: A Regency Novella by Hannah Meredith Page A

a dream. “Yes” hovered on the edge of her lips. But dreams belonged to the land of sleep and wishful thinking—and she was awake.
    She would never fit into Lord Lucien’s world. She would always be the half-caste outsider. People would assume Luke had married her for her money, and if his illusive legacy didn’t materialize, this would probably be the case. She doubted Luke would be happy with the title of Fortune Hunter forever tied to his name.
    And if he did recover his lost fortune…he would be tied to a wife who would never be accepted by his peers. How long would it be before he found her an embarrassment, before everything good between them dissolved into something bad?
    If she didn’t care for him as she did, she might be willing to settle for a half-life, for a pretense of happily ever after. But she did care. She probably loved the man. And because of this, she would grasp the here and now, and not worry about some improbable future.
    “No,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “I will not marry you, but I’d very much like you to be my lover.”
       
    No? Luke couldn’t believe Caro’s answer.
    No? After he’d explained that his prospects were greatly improved. After he’d come to her, heart in hand. Anger surged through him, and it took a moment for the second part of her statement to sink in.
    “You’re rejecting my offer of marriage but are willing to be my mistress?” He needed clarification for this bizarre situation.
    “Yes.” Her dark eyes were tear-filled. “But I prefer the word ‘lover,’ since mistress suggests a woman who is kept and I see this as a meeting of equals.”
    He rolled back onto his feet and moved away. Motion and distance seemed imperative. He was torn between the desire to either kiss her or throttle her. “It’s nice you see us as equals.” His voice was tight.
    Caro stood and took a few steps toward him, her hands held out before her in supplication. “Luke, you’re imagining some offense where there is none. Don’t you see that I’m not rejecting you? I’m rejecting marriage—especially to someone I care about. I would be a millstone around your neck. My heritage will never change. I’ll never be accepted by English society.”
    Luke shook his head in negation. He was certain Caro believed what she was saying. She’d told him that in India she’d been welcomed only in the merchant portion of Anglo-Indian society, and he could see how that exclusion had hurt her. But it wouldn’t be like that here. He would see that it wasn’t.
    Caro frowned with intensity. “If you retrieve your legacy, you’ll be able to marry a real lady, one with a sterling background who would be accepted by society and your family. If I were your wife, however, you would have to endure the subtle snubs and snide comments that I’ve become accustomed to. You’d eventually realize marrying me was a mistake and come to hate me.”
    “That’s ridiculous—”
    “Let me finish before you say things you’ll regret.” She overrode him, voice strident. “If you never find the gems, people will say that you were willing to overlook my heritage and the fact that I’m in trade to get your hands on my money. They will see you as venal and grasping—a joke. And you’ll soon come to resent that, and you’ll hate me.
    “Don’t you see that regardless of which scenario unfolds, you’ll end up hating me? Is it not better that we have a glorious here-and-now than end up with recriminations and hate?
    Luke searched for the words that could convince Carolyn that her assumptions were wrong. “I could never hate you, Caro. I love you—and you’re the only woman I’ve ever said that to. I want to spend my life with you, not some stolen hours. My reputation is such that society at large will wonder how you lowered yourself to take my name. My friends, however, will happily get to know you and envy me for the lucky man I’ll be.”
    Luke understood her reservations, but he