Caroline laughed softly to herself. She could not help but wonder what Sebastian’s reaction would be if he knew the books the two sisters read only in secret: the racy novels about roguish lovers and wanton kisses. Would he blush?
She glanced up at him and her face flushed slightly when she caught his eye—as though he could read her thoughts. For some reason, she was quite certain that he would not blush. No,instead, Caroline thought, she thought he’d be quite similar to the roguish lovers that existed only in the pages of books.
Sebastian laughed softly at this and inclined his head in Beatrice’s direction. “It is interesting how two sisters can be so different,” he teased. Caroline narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
Her first instinct was to defend herself, but she remained quiet, allowing the pair to speak, even at her expense.
To Caroline’s relief, the novel was just the thing they needed in order to get a conversation flowing, though it was Beatrice who made sure to involve her younger sister.
“I also must admit that I am rather partial to Lady A’s novels,” Beatrice said, her cheeks turning crimson. “I know it is not all that often that a lady reads those novels, but I do enjoy them quite a bit.”
“Fret not,” Sebastian said easily, a grin appearing around his lips. “I too am quite an avid reader.”
Beatrice laughed softly at this and shook her head. “While I do enjoy reading quite a bit, it is really my sister who is an avid reader,” she admitted with a look in Caroline’s direction. Sebastian seemed quite intrigued at this as he turned his glance towards her.
“You are?” he asked almost eagerly. “What is your favorite novel?”
“Oh,” Caroline shook her head with a laugh. “I could not possibly choose. It is a new one each week. What about you?”
Sebastian flashed her a grin, though he did return his attention to Beatrice almost instantly. “What about you?” he inquired, and she shrugged.
“Oh, anything romantic for me. I am not like my sister who dreams of adventure and excitement. I dream of the normal things in life, like love and stability. A good husband.”
Sebastian laughed softly. “Well, who is to say marriage, love and stability are normal? In fact, I do believe that love may be rather extraordinary indeed.”
While Beatrice swooned at this, Caroline once again had to suppress the urge to scoff. Who was he trying to fool? Love and stability were like prison chains, keeping women from achieving all they were meant to.
Despite the animated conversation now happening across from her, Caroline found her thoughts drifting toward Edward.
She could understand why Beatrice was certain they’d marry soon, but she couldn’t see how a life with Edward Pembroke could be exciting in the slightest.
Of course she enjoyed spending time with him and often when they spoke, they shared some laughs… but was that enough for a marriage?
She looked up with a thin frown between her brows. Sebastian and Beatrice were still engaged in an animated conversation. She shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the pair of them. Beatrice had a lively blush on her cheeks, and she grinned brightly as she looked up at Sebastian—her chance at a marriage, as she had explained.
Sebastian was something else entirely and Caroline took the opportunity to truly observe him. Of course, at a first glance, the man was quite attractive.
No, she mentally corrected herself. Incredibly so, with the grassy green eyes, the dark hair falling over his forehead and the thin lines next to his eyes.
But there was something more about him. He seemed… kind, she realized. As though he would truly be willing to help those who needed him to.
Caroline kept sparing glances at her sister and the man next to her.
They truly made a beautiful pair, she couldn’t help but think. Soon, to Caroline’s hidden relief, the dinner came to an end, and she waited eagerly for her father to announce that they were to retire to the parlor.
As she had expected, her father rose to his feet as soon as the last dish was finished, and he looked at his guests proudly.
“Thank you for joining us for the delightful dinner,” his voice boomed through the dining room. “Now, shall we retire to the parlor?”
None of the other guests showed even the faintest hint of apprehension at this. Instead, they quickly made their way to the parlor, Caroline trailing behind. Beatrice seemed to notice this, and she turned to face her sister with a sympathetic grin.
“Oh, Caroline, darling. I apologize if we’d excluded you from the conversation. We ought to have invited Edward too.”
She turned to Sebastian, despite the man not having responded in any way to her comment, and smiled brightly. “Edward is madly in love with Caroline,” she explained eagerly. “I believe they will marry soon.”
Caroline merely smiled stiffly at this unnecessary comment from her sister. She knew that Beatrice was merely over-excited at the prospect of marriage and as such it was easy to let it slide. Sebastian, luckily, did not comment and Caroline made her way into the parlor silently too.
Once the tea was served, it was not hard for Caroline to realize that she was once again on the outside of what seemed to be a rather intimate group. There was her father and mother, of course and next to them stood Sebastian’s parents—the Earl of Burlington and his wife—and off to the side, delicately sipping on tea, were Beatrice and Sebastian.
