Chapter 5
“You certainly know how to make a statement.”
Cassian, when he did know what else to do with himself, liked to see his friend.
Rowan Hartwell, the Marquess of Stanton, was a good man. But it was more than that. There was a calmness about him, one that Cassian had always desperately needed. When everything was at its most intense, his friend was always there to support him, and he needed that at that moment.
He had expected to be welcomed into Stanton House and be served a glass of brandy. He had expected to be sent immediately to his friend’s study and be invited in before he had even knocked. He had not, however, expected sarcasm.
“I had no intention to make a statement,” he refuted. “All I have done is help a lady who was in need. I did not mean for any of this to happen.”
“And yet it has. I will admit, I knew that icy little heart of yours would thaw one day, but I did not expect a social pariah to be the reason behind it.”
Cassian swirled the amber liquid in his glass, forcing himself to sip it rather than chugging it down. “What do you mean by that? I read that she is not the most proper, but I do not know anything more.”
“Then you should have asked about her before proposing. At least, you should have listened to what people have been saying in the square. She has only just returned from the north, as she had to leave in disgrace a year ago.”
He raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. He remembered Lady Adelaide claiming that she did not want to trap him in marriage, but he had not thought to question it. Given what Rowan was telling him now, it was perhaps an error on his part to have done so.
“She does not seem like the sort to cause trouble. She strikes me as a pleasant enough lady, which is precisely why I do not like what I am doing. I do not want to trap her in a life with me.”
“On the contrary. You are saving her, for no other man in London would dare take her as his wife. The last man who tried was viciously attacked by her, and he had to call off their engagement.”
Cassian thought back to how terrified Lady Adelaide had been when Hargrave had followed her. If she were indeed a violent lady, she would have handled herself, but she had not. That was why he had stepped in. He knew that something was wrong, and he did not want it to go any further than it had.
“But that is not how I thought she was at all.”
“And it may not be what truly happened, but not many men would admit to being so severely injured by a lady. Think of the shame!”
“An excellent point. Then again, if a man’s pride is wounded enough, who knows how far he would be willing to go?”
“In any case,” Rowan sighed, downing his drink and pouring himself another, “Edmund Hargrave is not the sort to be questioned. His word is gospel here, and anyone who defies him risks ostracism.”
The name echoed in Cassian’s ears. That was the very same man who had chased his fiancée, the same man who had accused him wrongly of assault.
He shuddered at the thought.
“What is it?” Rowan prompted.
“Well, I can tell you with absolute certainty that my betrothed is innocent, for that is the same man who has accused me of assault. I do not know how or where he got his injuries, but it was not me, nor was it Lady Adelaide.”
“Is he really so badly injured? I know people are saying that you have caused him grief, but this time, he is not flaunting his injuries.”
“I saw him yesterday. He had a bruise under his eye and a cut on his lip, as though someone had punched him. You and I both know that I would only do that when necessary. All I needed to do was grab him by the collar, and he was sufficiently frightened off.”
“Well, of course, you are twice his size. I doubt you would have even had to lay a hand on him at all.”
“I am inclined to agree with you. I dare say that was what persuaded him to go to the constable. I believe he was so frightened that he had to ensure I could not go further.”
“But I do not understand what he wants from Lady Adelaide. He has made the most damaging accusations against her, so why would he want to be seen with her? It would only discredit him.”
“Who knows how insane men think? I dare not imagine what happens in his mind, for I would be terrified of what I found. All I know for certain is that he had her cornered, and I wanted him to stop, and now I am getting married. I am being punished for something he did.”
“If it matters to you at all, I would not say that Lady Adelaide is a punishment. She is a beautiful young lady, and aside from her less-than-stellar reputation, she is known to be rather talented, too. She can play several instruments and is fluent in a few languages. She likes to paint, too.”
Cassian raised an eyebrow, finishing his drink and presenting his glass for his friend to refill. “You seem to know a lot about her.”
“As an unmarried man, it is important that I know things about all the eligible ladies here. She was someone I considered, for she would have made an excellent wife, but then she was swept away by Hargrave, and before I knew it, she was engaged, and then she vanished. It was a shame. But if she has not changed much, you will be a very happy man, indeed.”
Cassian smiled and thanked his friend, but he did not feel fortunate. Instead, he felt immense guilt that he was stealing a good lady away from those who truly cared for her.
Lady Adelaide would have made a perfect duchess. Indeed, she would have made any man most content, but he did not intend for her to be anything more than a wife on paper.
“You will think so little of me when I tell you the truth,” he confessed.
“That is not possible, and you know it. We attended school together, and if I could respect you after your antics there, then I can respect you now.”
“Even if I tell you that I shall effectively see her as another servant?”
As expected, his friend’s mouth fell open.
It was no surprise to Cassian; he and Rowan had always had immense respect for women. Even in their adolescence, they had not treated ladies with such contempt as he was suggesting.
“If that is a joke, I am missing the humor in it,” Rowan scoffed.
“It is not a joke. It is not exactly what I mean either. I shall not have her scrubbing the floors or washing my clothes, but I do not plan on claiming her.”
“Then you should explain what you expect of her, for I wish to remain your friend. You know how I feel about how ladies should be treated.”
“I will not be cruel to her,” Cassian asserted. “But I cannot be the loving and doting husband that every lady dreams of. You know as well as I do that that is not the sort of man I could ever be, and I accepted that long ago.”
“And is she content with that?”
“She is.”
Rowan shot him an incredulous look.
But it was the truth. Cassian had made it plain to Lady Adelaide that he would only be her husband on paper, and she had agreed.
Then again, it was not as though he had given her much of a choice. It was less him asking her to be his wife and more him telling her that she would be, and arguing the point so much that she felt she could not refuse.
That was not her fault, nor was it his. It was simply what had to be done.
“I do not like how you are passing judgment on me,” Cassian sighed. “I helped the lady, and now I am marrying her despite her reputation. If you think you are a better man than I, then go and propose to her.”
“There is no need to sulk.” Rowan chuckled.
“I am not claiming to be any better than you, and you need not worry that I want her for myself. Even if I did, it would be far too late. The scandal sheets are discussing nothing other than your engagement, and it is impossible to avoid the news. The entire ton is talking about it.”
“That is even worse. Can a man not ask for a quiet wedding?”
“Not a duke, especially not one who takes a wife after a chance meeting and a split-second decision where his hand was forced.”
“It was not a chance meeting,” Cassian confessed.
Rowan blinked.
Cassian wondered how on earth he could possibly explain what he had been doing without sounding like a stalker.
“You see…” he began tentatively. “I saw her for the first time the day before. She was visiting Lady Winston, and I was passing by the house when she stepped outside. I was studying the ivy on the front wall, and then my eyes landed on her.”
“Chance would be a fine thing.”
“That is what happened!” he protested. “You know that I am passionate about such things. But when I saw her flushed and breathing deeply, she caught my attention. I thought she was pretty, and I wondered what she was doing, but then she noticed me, so I left quickly.”
“What a pity. You could have spoken to her and saved us all the trouble.”
“Do not be so certain of that. I saw Hargrave leave later that day, so had I approached her then, I likely would have lost my temper with him.”
Rowan laughed, pouring them both doubles. “I do not think it would be wise for you to tell her that you were watching her as she went about her day.”
“I was not watching her. I was… You know I have a strong intuition. I felt that something was wrong, and I wanted to make sure that nothing bad happened.”
“And I assume the same thing happened the second time?”
“Do not mock me.”
“Well?”
Cassian folded his arms, aware that he looked like a petulant child, but knowing that his friend would ridicule him even if it was all in jest.
“Yes, that is precisely what happened. I happened to be in the square, and I saw him following her. They walked together for a while, but I could see the discomfort in her eyes. She did not want to be there, and I wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her.”
“I see, and how has that been for you?”
Cassian could not help but laugh at his misfortune, as he did often. It was his curse, and it was his burden to bear, which was one of the reasons why he had not wanted to marry before.
He knew that eventually, he would succumb to pressure and force a lady to share his fate, but he had hoped to avoid it for longer. And now, he had days left before he cursed another.
“You need not fret,” Rowan said encouragingly. “The wedding will be dreadful, I will not lie to you. But after that, everything will be easier to handle. Lady Adelaide is not someone to fear, so all you need to do is be good to her in the way you know how.”
“Being good to her means keeping my distance, and I will gladly do that.”
Rowan rolled his eyes, sighing.
Cassian did not blame him; he knew that he was being difficult, and there was only so much kindness one could show him before they realized that there was no point in trying to change his mind.
“At least make the day enjoyable for her. Ladies dream of their wedding day, and if you care for her like you seem to, you will at least give her a beautiful ceremony as a gift.”
“I do not have the time for that. I have the license—I am still stunned I obtained it so quickly—and that leaves me with very little time to make arrangements. Is it not enough that I have not asked for a dowry?”
“She will not know that you have not asked in kindness. She will think that you did not see the point in inquiring about it. Lady Adelaide does not have a dowry, and she and her mother are not particularly wealthy.”
Cassian thought back to how Lady Adelaide had presented herself, poised and elegant. He did not understand how she hid her turmoil so well. He never would have guessed that her family was not well off, for she held herself with such grace and pride.
Which was perhaps why she did it.
“I should try to do something for her then.” He grimaced. “Perhaps I could send her money for the wedding gown.”
“That would be a start,” Rowan agreed. “You could also tell her that she may redecorate your house, for regardless of what she tells you, she will not like it.”
Cassian could not argue against that. He hoped that Lady Adelaide would want to fix everything she found, for he did not like any of it either.