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fear nothing!” he snapped, his satin pantaloons rustling as he rose to his feet. “Just take care you remember what I have said. You might think yourself a woman grown, but you are still my ward and under the law I have full charge over you. Provoke me again, and you will learn to your cost precisely what that means.”
    The door had scarcely closed behind him before Caroline rang for her maid. If Uncle was going to post the banns she had to act fast, and clearly the first order of business was to call upon her solicitor. He’d been of great assistance in the past, and she was confident he would be now. Less than an hour later she was sitting in his office on Harley Street, listening in horror as he destroyed her last vestige of hope.
    “I am sorry, my lady, but I fear your uncle has the right of it.” Mr. Garrett’s voice was filled with regret as he regarded Caroline over the rim of his spectacles. “As your guardian he does have legal charge over you, and that does, unfortunately, grant him power to have you committed for your own protection.”
    “But it’s not for my protection, it is so he canhelp himself to the rest of my money!” she raged, furious at his apparent acquiescence. “There must be something you can do to stop him!”
    “Again, my lady, I fear the law can offer you little protection,” Mr. Garrett said, shaking his head firmly. “It is appalling to be sure, but so long as your uncle remains your legal guardian, he exercises full control over you. Naturally if he attempts to have you committed I can petition the courts for cause, but it could take some time to have the case heard.”
    He droned on, pointing out her uncle’s power and what they might do to circumvent him, and with each word Caroline grew increasingly desperate. She kept remembering Olivia’s wan appearance after being rescued, how ill she had been, and the way she’d started at the smallest sound. She would not let that happen to her, she vowed, refusing to give in to the panic clawing at her. She would not.
    “… your grandfather,” Mr. Garrett concluded, looking thoughtful. “Your uncle would still remain your guardian, of course, but if His Grace lets his displeasure be known, Lord Westhall is certain to abide by his wishes.”
    Caroline stirred in her chair, annoyed with herself for failing to pay attention. “I am sorry, sir,” she apologized, “but would you repeat that?”
    “I merely said that as the duke has returned to England, it might well be in your interest to contact him and beg him to intercede with your uncle,” Mr. Garrett responded dutifully. “When your father first drew up his will he spoke of having his father named your guardian, but asHis Grace was out of the country more than he was in it, he decided it was best to name his brother instead. A mistake, it would seem,” he added wryly.
    The solicitor’s mastery of the obvious usually amused Caroline, but the situation was far too dire for her to find much humor in it. Even now Uncle Charles could be posting the banns, or having the orders for her commitment drawn up, and speed was of the essence. She vaguely recalled hearing that her grandfather, whom she’d met but a handful of times, had retired from the army to spend his dotage in Bath, but it had never occurred to her to seek his aid. Now she wondered that she could have been so foolish as not to have thought of him herself.
    “Do you really think he might be able to help me?” she asked, a tenuous plan already forming in her mind.
    “He could scarce hurt you,” Mr. Garrett answered with a shrug. “At worst he might side with your uncle, but at best he could petition the courts to transfer guardianship to him. His Grace has many friends in the highest of circles, and it would be an easy matter for him to arrange matters to your mutual satisfaction. Shall I contact him for you?” And he picked up his quill in eager anticipation.
    Caroline thought of the look on her uncle’s face