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behind made her turn toward the doorway.
    Her father, the Earl of Hawksford, widened his gruff stance, his aged features and stark white hair reminding her of the long, wild life he had lived. His green eyes grudgingly observed her as if he knew everything that had been said.
    She awkwardly lowered the coin from her lips. “Were you listening?”
    He stared her down. “He had no right discussing his personal affairs with you.”
    She glared. “Coming from a man who discusses everything with me, including what nude portraits he plans on importing from Italy, I find that laughable.”
    His lips pressed into a hard line.
    Realizing she was being a bit harsh, she sighed. “He needed someone to talk to.”
    “He could have talked to your brother.”
    “You know how Alex is. He doesn’t take anything seriously.” She panicked. “Papa, you have to help him.”
    He strode toward her. “And what makes you think I have ten thousand pounds to toss at a man who was thick-witted enough to invest everything into the breeding of racehorses?”
    “Things were going well for him, which is why he invested what he did. It wasn’t his fault, nor was he reckless. The stable he rented had caught fire and killed every last horse. Can’t you—”
    “No. It’s a ridiculous sum of money. He would never be able to pay it back.”
    She kept her voice steady. “Mama informed me last month of my financial worth.”
    He paused. “And how does that play into this conversation?”
    “I am asking to borrow ten thousand pounds against my inheritance to assist him.”
    He lowered his chin. “I’m not dead yet.”
    “Papa, please. You know full well that isn’t what I meant.” She placed both hands together and shook them, ensuring the coin in her hand didn’t fall. “This is me begging for him in a way I have never begged before. He means everything to me.” She pleadingly held his gaze. “He is the only friend Alex has ever had. The only friend I have ever had. You know how the aristocracy is. They treat us with disdain because of Mama’s lineage and only ever judge us. But Caldwell never judged us. Not once. We need him just as much as he needs us. You and his father were once friends, were you not? Does that mean nothing? Knowing the man looks down upon his son from the heavens and sees this?”
    The old earl muttered something. Scrubbing his thick, white hair with a hand, he eventually supplied, “If you knew Caldwell’s father the way I did, you would damn well know Jacob isn’t looking down on us. He is looking straight up at us. From hell.” He glanced down at the floor. “Sorry, Jacob.” He sighed. “Everything I own is heavily invested. I could give him six thousand, at most, but not much more. It would be enough to bide him time to pay off the remaining sum and ensure he doesn’t end up in prison. I can also speak to whichever gentlemen he owes.”
    A breath escaped her. She hurried toward her father and flung herself into his arms. “Thank you.” She clung to him, her limbs trembling at the realization that Caldwell was going to be all right. “I don’t understand why he has such burdening debts. He is a titled gentleman. He—”
    “A title doesn’t pay bills, Caroline. In fact, a title disillusions a man into thinking he has more than he does. And Caldwell has never had much to begin with. His father had become irresponsible to the bone after Caldwell’s mother died and had left a staggering pile of debts. Aside from his uncle, everyone in that boy’s family is ruined. And Caldwell is constantly paying their bills. His generosity is killing him.”
    Anguish overwhelmed her. Caldwell never spoke of his past. Even when she had tried to get him to speak of it. And now she knew why. He was ashamed of it. “Talk to him, Papa. Tell him to take better care of himself. He will listen to you. I know he will.”
    “I will speak to him.” He smoothed her hair against her head. “You love him, don’t