Free Nicole Jordan by Master of Temptation

his coat pocket. Then upturning two barrels to make seats, he settled on one, leaning back against the stern bulkhead. “Tell me about Lady Isabella.”
    Caro hesitated a long moment before joining him. Surprisingly, she found herself wanting to explain to Max why she was so determined to save her friend and how their relationship had come about in the first place.
    “My mother died when I was eight, and Bella was our nearest neighbor. She took control of raising me, even though she claimed to be lacking in maternal instincts, because my father was away a great deal of the time. It was only after her second husband died that Isabella began to travel the world in search of adventure.”
    “Have you always lived on Cyrene, then?” Max asked.
    “Not always. My parents moved there when I was a child. My mother suffered an affliction of the lungs, and the doctors thought a warm climate would benefit her. It helped, but not enough.” Caro smiled sadly. “In fact, my mother’s debilitating illness was the main reason I became so interested in learning to heal.”
    “And your father supported your interest?”
    “Completely. He was thankful I had something to occupy me while he was gone.”
    “What took him away so much?”
    “Various diplomatic duties for the Foreign Office,” she replied, offering the same tale that the world knew. “He grieved so keenly at my mother’s death that he threw himself into his work. And then he was killed when I was sixteen—”
    Caro broke off suddenly. Her father had been killed in France during a mission for the Guardians, which had led to her taking his place in the order. But she shouldn’t be skirting the truth this closely, for Max was too clever for her to blithely share such confidences.
    When she remained silent, he asked another probing question. “Yet you lived with Thorne’s aunt for your Season. How did that come about?”
    He had chosen a safe subject, at least. And she could look back on those days now without the misery she’d felt then; she could even laugh at herself now for entertaining such naive desires of fitting into that haughty, disdainful society. Their acceptance seemed so insignificant to her now, doubtless because she had far more meaningful ways to occupy her time.
    “Oddly enough, Lady Hennessy and I became friends when she visited Thorne on the island. Her own daughters were grown by then, and I think perhaps she was appalled to find me so…provincial and lacking in social graces.” Caro couldn’t suppress a wry smile. “You’re aware that Lady Hennessy is one of the leaders of the ton?”
    “Yes,” Max said.
    “Well, she firmly believes that every young lady should have a Season. She took me on as her special project and offered to sponsor me. But it was Isabella who convinced me to go to England. Bella never cared a fig for British society, but she persuaded me that I needed to broaden my horizons before deciding on my future. To see more of the world before burying myself on the island. She contended that if I was exposed to more of life, I would make better choices.”
Such as not becoming a Guardian,
Caro thought. “It
is
common for all the island’s young ladies to have a Season. So five years ago I set out for London, along with two other debutantes and their families. To put it succinctly, I didn’t ‘take.’”
    “Because of your unconventional interest in medicine.”
    Caro wrinkled her nose while giving him a pert glance. “Precisely. And as you may have observed, I am not sedate or proper or missish.”
    She could see a glimmer of amusement in Max’s eyes even before he responded. “No, sedate and proper are not qualities I would attribute to you.”
    “Nor was I willing to master the feminine arts to ensnare a husband. So to spare Lady Hennessy any further embarrassment, I cut short my London stay. But I didn’t mind in the least having to return home to Cyrene to work with Dr. Allenby.” Her smile took on a hint of