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Prologue: The Beginning

EARLY AUTUMN, 1818

Tears streamed down Caroline Brown’s cheeks as she packed her valise and a small trunk provided by Mrs. Harris.

She was leaving Baydon Hall, the only true home she had ever known, for a new position in the local doctor's household that Mrs. Harris had arranged for her. Yet she did not deserve the post.

I deserve to be thrown out of the manor, without any assistance, for what I have done.

Regret and shame warred in her chest, which felt too small and tight to contain the emotions threatening to brim over.

It is all my fault.

She had lost her home, her friends, and her self-respect, and for what? For a few stolen kisses in a nobleman’s arms. So desperate for attention, she had succumbed to temptation and betrayed a dear friend.

Three days earlier, Miss Annabel Ridley, the daughter of the baron at Baydon Hall, had caught her in an embrace with the lady’s betrothed, the Earl of Saunton, in the stables. Lord Saunton had failed to defend her, and the young miss had been rightfully enraged, unwilling to see or speak to Caroline. Nevertheless, Miss Annabel had seen fit to provide her with a reference for her position as a maid and bade Mrs. Harris, the housekeeper, find her employment elsewhere.

It was very generous, given the circumstances, but Miss Annabel had always been kind. As a girl, Miss Annabel had taught Caroline to read and bestowed gifts of fabric, ribbons, and thread on her birthday each year to encourage her interest in sewing. Now, despite the horrendous deceit, Miss Annabel had assisted Caroline with her future position.

But the young mistress of Baydon Hall was furious and distraught. She had instructed that Caroline remain out of sight in the kitchens and leave the estate as quickly as possible.

The unexpected generosity added to Caroline’s crushing guilt. She wished she could plead for forgiveness, to assure Miss Annabel that she had seen the error of her ways and wished to make amends for betraying their friendship, which had meant so much to her. But she had no amends to offer.

I am a dishonorable woman.

Worse, she was a disloyal friend, undeserving of the help she was receiving. Her grandmother would turn in her grave to hear how Caroline had thrown away the opportunity afforded her by the old woman’s friendship with Mrs. Harris. One of her last acts before dying had been to write to the housekeeper to request her help with the then-thirteen-year-old Caroline, who was about to lose her last living relation. Mrs. Harris had offered employment as a favor to her old friend, and Caroline had been summoned into service at Baydon Hall.

Since Grandmama had died, the servants, along with Miss Annabel, were Caroline’s only family. She had let all of them down, and in doing so, had ruined Miss Annabel’s happiness.

A few tender words from a handsome nobleman, and compliments to her figure, and Caroline had allowed herself to be lured into a series of impassioned kisses with a rogue. Fresh sobs tore through her chest, despair a physical pain. How would she ever forgive herself for what she had done?

Chapter 1

The Meeting

8 NOVEMBER, 1820

Caroline waved goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and their daughter and gently shut the door of her shop, Mrs. Brown’s Elegant Millinery & Dress-Rooms, to draw an exhilarated breath. The scent of wood, fabric, and beeswax invaded her senses, and she gave a deep sigh of happiness.

The shop was now hers and hers alone. As of today, she was officially a modiste—the proprietress of her own business. Well … hers except for the interest-free loan from Lord Saunton that she must repay as profits allowed.

Caroline still experienced moments of unreality, wondering if she had dreamed all that had happened in the past few months. Lord Saunton had summoned her to London, nearly two years after the incident in the stables, to apologize for the disruption he had caused to her life. He had offered her financial assistance, but instead of accepting charity, Caroline had seized the opportunity to request the loan Miss Annabel had once intended to provide following her planned marriage to Lord Saunton.

Of course, Miss Annabel never married Lord Saunton. Caroline had since learned from local gossip in Filminster that Miss Annabel had married the Duke of Halmesbury and now lived somewhere nearby in Wiltshire.

Lord Saunton had corrected his wayward behavior and wed a young woman in London, for which Caroline could only be grateful. His offer to help her pursue her dream of opening a shop had been part of his effort to make amends. He had set his man, Mr. Johnson, to find a suitable location and assist her in preparing for a successful enterprise.

The humiliating events that led to her proprietorship must remain a secret now that she had begun afresh in Wiltshire. It would ruin her business before it began if the townspeople learned she had been compromised—or if they assumed she was a kept woman.

That will not happen.

Those who knew the truth of her past were the Duke and Duchess of Halmesbury, the Baron of Filminster, Mrs. Harris, Lord and Lady Saunton, along with his men, Johnson and Long, and Caroline herself. Thus far, all involved had been discreet, and Caroline was the only one living in Chatternwell. She supposed Mr. Thompson, the earl’s half-brother, might be aware, but he had given no sign.

As long as Caroline focused on her business and formed no personal entanglements, she could safeguard her secret. She had employed the same caution in Filminster while working for the local doctor.

For months after being caught in the stables, Caroline had lived in fear that her shame would be exposed. But then, thanks to her book learning and knowledge of numbers—skills Miss Annabel had imparted to prepare her for business—she had earned a promotion to housekeeper. That had been the day she realized her secret was safe. No one intended to reveal that she had once been caught kissing her mistress’s betrothed.

She had vowed to devote herself to her duties and avoid forming close attachments, and she had thrived in that role. If she adhered to the same rule here, she would succeed again. Caroline had been in Chatternwell for two months preparing for today’s opening, and she was satisfied with the progress she had made.