Stephan gave her an anxious look. “If what I have just told you changes your opinion of me—”
“Oh, it changes my opinion,” Caroline said. “Absolutely.”
Stephan swallowed hard. “If you do not want to marry me, I will understand.”
Caroline took his hands and smiled. “What you told me just makes me want to marry youmore. I amproudof what you have been doing.”
His eyes widened. “You are?”
“Absolutely,” she said again. “If those goods you have intercepted have inflated invoices so someone—or a group of someones—can duplicitously send English gold to finance a rebellion in France, then those culprits need to be found and turned over to the authorities. The prime minister should be giving you a medal.”
A corner of Stephan’s mouth lifted. “Lord Liverpool is not big on giving medals. I would just settle for the traitors to get caught. Did Tisdale give you any indication as to why he thinks I am involved?”
Caroline shook her head. “He only said he had it on good authority that a warrant was being prepared and that you had better enjoy the race Saturday because it would be your last.”
“We will see about that.” Stephan grimaced and told Caroline about the sabotage that had already taken place on theLady. “Given what you have said, I think it best not to announce our intentions until after the regatta. I do not want something else unexpected to happen.”
“I suppose you are right. I had no idea the earl would stoop to such a low level.” Caroline drew her brows together and contemplated. “I know he wants to marry me for my dowry—”
“He will rot in hell before that happens.”
“Perhaps a fitting place for him given that he struck his own daughter,” Caroline replied and then resumed thinking. “I wonder if he is desperate for money. That would explain why he wants to have you arrested and why he wants to win the regatta. Both have large purses involved.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Stephan said. “He would not be the first noble to owe his vowels to too many creditors.”
“Perhaps he is the one who should be investigated,” Caroline suggested.
Stephan grinned. “That is already in the works. I am expecting a post from my solicitor any time now.”
Caroline returned his grin. “Smart man. I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you.”
Stephan lifted an eyebrow. “Only one?”
“Well, perhaps two.” Caroline let her blanket fall away as she reached for the top button of his breeches. “But you will have to demonstrate so I can be sure.”
“Insatiable minx,” he said.
…
By the time they returned to Brighton, dinner had just finished and the guests were coming into the long gallery to pursue evening entertainment. Their timing could not have been worse.
Although Caroline was dressed once again in her cycling skirt, blouse, and short jacket—thanks to those items being tied to the sailboat’s stays and allowed to dry in the blowing wind—her clothing was wrinkled, her hair askew, and she was pretty sure she had an idiotic expression on her face, since she couldn’t stop smiling every time she thought of Stephan’s thorough lovemaking, which was about once every ten seconds.
She had hoped to escape unnoticed to her bedchamber, have a hot bath, and then fall into bed to dream of Stephan. Unfortunately, Jeannette and Melanie spotted her coming in the front entrance.
“You poor dear!” Melanie hurried toward her, Jeannette on her heels. “We have been so worried!”
“What an ordeal you have had,” Jeannette exclaimed, although she gave Stephan a covert glance. “Are you all right?”
“I am fine,” Caroline answered, “but I would like to—”
“Daughter!” Caroline’s father rushed past the ladies to pull her to him. “I was so worried when the storm came up so suddenly and Alfred returned without you. He said you fell overboard and Kendrick refused—”
“Stephan saved my life, Father.” Caroline squeezed her father’s shoulders and then disengaged. “You need to thank—”
“There you are!” Tisdale came striding into the room, glaring angrily at Stephan. “It is about time you brought my intended back.”
Caroline started to say she was not his intended, but other people were crowding into the entrance hall, expressing various degrees of concern amid questions about what had happened. Although Caroline thought some of the concern might be genuine, most of the guests would already have learned that she’d survived and heard Tisdale’s account of what happened. She felt like she and Stephan had just become the entertainment for the evening.
