000
Caroline entered the sitting room and sat down. She couldn't believe it. She was married. Mrs. Caroline Fitzwilliam. Caroline Fitzwilliam, she wasn't even sure it had even really happened.
She had opted to wear a simple white gown and Richard had surprised her with a bouquet of white peonies. It was simple but beautiful and very thoughtful of him – she loved peonies especially white ones. They had been married in the church where Richard and his siblings had been baptized; the ceremony had been simple and everyone happy; she had spent a bit of time talking with Georgie Darcy who seemed very happy for her cousin. After the service they had had lunch – a very grand affair at a four star restaurant and then everyone had left to give the newlyweds some semblance of a honeymoon; Richard was due back at work in barely over a weeks' time, and everyone agreed that they needed some time to themselves.
Caroline had seen off Louisa and Rebecca; they hadn't tried to talk her out of marrying Richard, they were very happy for her and they knew that she was going to be very happy. She wondered what they saw when they looked at her and not for the first time in her life Caroline wished that she could see herself as other people saw her.
000
"So Mrs. Fitzwilliam," Richard said as he joined her on the sofa, "what shall we do with ourselves this evening?"
"I have no idea," Caroline confessed, "I thought your mother would be here preparing us or something."
"It's our wedding day," Richard reminded her, "she wouldn't want to intrude."
"She knows why we got married," Caroline said, "it's not like we can't wait to tear each other's clothes off."
"We still need sometime alone," he countered.
"Okay," she said, "what are we going to do then?"
"You up for a walk?"
Caroline looked at him like he was crazy. "No thanks, I'm not much of a walker, as I'm sure you already know."
"I do," he agreed, he had checked her out obviously, or rather his mother had. They didn't want any surprises.
"Thanks for the flowers, by the way," Caroline told him, "that was really very sweet."
"You're welcome," he replied, "And I know I should have said this sooner but better late than never. You look great; in fact better than great, you look amazing."
"Thank you," Caroline smiled at him, "the words every bride should hear on her wedding day."
"I mean it," he said.
"I know."
Caroline stared out of the window; maybe a walk was what she needed, she would just change clothes and go with him. Her clothes and other personal effects had been delivered to the house in their absence but she had yet to find out where they had been put, now was as good a time as any. "So, just give me a few minutes to change and then we'll go on that walk," she said.
"Too late," he said, "there's been a slight change of plans."
"What do you mean?" It had been barely two minutes since he'd suggested they take a walk. She looked at him and was surprised to see him stand up and produce a strip of white silk from his pocket. She frowned at him, what was doing, she wondered. Remain calm, she told herself, remain calm.
As she looked at her he circled around to stand behind her and pulled the cloth over her eyes.
"Richard, what are you doing?" she asked nervously, she was almost one hundred percent sure that he wasn't a serial killer or into any kinky stuff, she forced herself to remain calm even as the silken scarf tightened around her head.
"Mrs. Fitzwilliam," he whispered in her ear even as he planted a soft kiss just below her earlobe, Caroline was unprepared for the tingling sensation that went through her body. "I have a surprise for you."
He took ahold of her hands and helped her get up from the sofa.
"Richard," she told him, "if you read up on me as I'm sure you did, then you know that I absolutely hate surprises."
"Come on," he teased her, "surely you can make an exception on your wedding day."
She let him lead her towards the door and then round a bend – she was almost sure they were still in the house, and since they hadn't climbed any stairs, he hadn't led her to a bedroom, unless there were some downstairs that she didn't know about which was entirely possible. He helped her put on her coat and tucked her arm in his.
He opened a door and she could feel the air on her face. They were outside somewhere. Surely they weren't going to take a walk with her blindfolded, were they?
"Is this some sort of trust game?" she asked him.
"No."
Suddenly the arm that had been tucked in hers left and he wrapped both his arms around her pulling her in for a hug. Caroline didn't like hugs, she never hugged anybody and her family was not the kind that showed open affection but somehow she felt secure in his embrace. Maybe she would rethink her thoughts about hugging.
As suddenly as Richard had hugged her he released her and took her hand in his again.
"What was that for?" she asked, her voice raspy. What was wrong with her?
"You just looked like you needed a hug," he told her.
She walked carefully, taking a few steps and then she said, "Why don't you just take the scarf off? It'll make it much easier for me to walk if I can see where I'm going."
"Nice try, Caroline, I wondered how long it would take you to tell me that, anyway we're here."
"We are?" she asked him, "so would you take the scarf off then?"
"Not yet."
"Richard, you said that we'd arrived," Caroline tried to reach up and undo the knot but he quickly grabbed her hands.
He squeezed one of them tightly. "Please."
He might have pushed a button somewhere or maybe he had it on a timer because the place was suddenly filled with soft romantic music. She stood silently as he reached out and untied the scarf from her head.
Caroline closed her eyes, she didn't even know why she was doing it, but she kept them tightly closed.
"Open your eyes," he told her.
They were standing on the balcony that led off from his study. It was lit by candles which had placed in frosted glass containers making it seem cozy and very, very intimate.
"You never got a chance to have your dance," he told her, "And that I heard is a very serious no-no."
"Really?"
"Yes, it is," he said, "may I have this dance?"
"You may," she smiled at him.
They danced for a few minutes in silence and then much to Caroline's embarrassment her stomach begun to rumble.
"I also got us some food," Richard told her, "I noticed that you barely ate at lunch time."
She had been too nervous to eat, one part of her wanting the guests to leave immediately so that she could get on with her charade of a marriage, and the other wishing that they'd never leave so that she would not have to get on with that same charade.
"I thought of having a table set here on the balcony with rose petals and everything," Richard said, "but I figured it would be too corny."
"Yes it would have been," Caroline replied, "but corny's acceptable on a wedding day, isn't it?"
"I'll remember that the next time I get married."
"You better buy a book," Caroline replied, "There's lots you're going to learn."
They went back to the kitchen where the food was, and it was perfect, she couldn't have wished for a better meal.
"Tell me about yourself," she told him.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything," she said, "what do you do for fun?"
"I read, I walk, I run," he replied, "recently I got into mountain climbing."
"So have nothing in common," she told him.
"I've heard that opposites attract," he said, "and you do like to read."
"I doubt we read the same books," she said.
"You'd be surprised," he began, "I've read - ."
Caroline didn't get to know what Richard had read because the phone rang. Its sound loud and jarring and Richard stood up and answered it. As she watched he changed from easy going to urgent, his words were few, he seemed to be mostly listening and although he didn't his back on her, she was sure that he didn't want her hearing whatever it was that was being said. She continued eating for a while and then stopped her appetite gone, for a few minutes she had allowed herself to forget that she had married him in order to help him do a job; she had actually fooled herself into thinking that they were married because they wanted to be.
Thank God for the telephone.
She cleared the table; kept the leftovers in the fridge, washed the utensils they had used and after ensuring that the kitchen was clean and clear – Caroline hated untidy kitchens she made her way upstairs.
000
Richard watched Caroline leave the room and sighed deeply. What had he been thinking? When he'd asked Cameron, a friend from work, to decorate the balcony and also get the food delivered, he'd only been thinking of Caroline, how sad she had seemed. It was supposed to be a simple thing – no blindfold, no romantic music or dancing and certainly no flirting or kissing.
He wasn't supposed to be angry at Cameron for calling him to inform him that the news of his recent marriage to Caroline Bingley had reached the Harrow group. This was business, he'd known that going in, the marriage was real but it was for a mission and would be over as soon as possible.
He realised that he hadn't even heard what Cameron had said for the last two minutes. "I'll call you in the morning," he told him. He would call him in the morning when he wasn't distracted; a good night's sleep would clear away the cobwebs that were currently clouding his mind.
His mind would be totally focused on the job. Nothing else.
000