Chapter Seventeen #3
Cassie squinted, trying to identify the figures partially hidden behind branches. “Is that Lenora and…Asquith?”
Lenora, they both knew, had harbored unrequited feelings for her guardian and their godmother’s son for years.
Asquith, for his part, appeared oblivious. But he had never, to Cassie’s knowledge, allowed himself to be alone with Lenora. Millie, yes…Eliza, too, as both had enjoyed riding as much as he did, but never Lenora.
Cassie didn’t think he held Lenora in contempt; she’d assumed he was being cautious.
She might have assumed wrong.
Eliza stepped closer to the sash. “What is she doing?”
“I don’t know,” Cassie replied. “Is it me? Or does Asquith look particularly harassed?”
Just then, both figures disappeared fully into the maze.
“Who is looking harassed?” queried Millie from behind them. “And what has the two of you looking so intent?”
Both Cassie and Eliza turned. Behind them Millie stood arm-in-arm with Lady Emily, Adrian’s sister, and their youngest sister Nettie, all of them with wide-eyed expressions of curious innocence.
“Where is Lenora?” whispered Eliza.
“Headache,” Nettie replied, at the same moment Millie said, “Resting.”
“Lenora,” Lady Emily clarified, “is resting because she has a headache.”
Vigorous, simultaneous nods followed.
Eliza folded her arms. “And the two pairs of shoes visible beneath the yew?”
Nettie stood on her toes. “I don’t see any shoes.”
“Lenora,” Millie murmured her sister’s name like a curse. “I told her to go all the way into the maze.”
“A much better place to—” Emily stopped herself. “Converse,” she finished with a guilty blush.
“Millie, what’s going on?” Cassie demanded.
“Nothing,” they answered in unison.
While Cassie and Eliza exchanged a glance, Neville sauntered over to the group.
“Why is it,” he asked Millie, “you always appear to be up to something?”
Millie cast him a withering gaze. “What you perceive as ‘up to something,’ Little Lordling, is, in fact, the exercise of wit and imagination.” She smiled sweetly. “Two things beyond your experience.”
Lady Emily snickered. Nettie bit her lips as she did whenever she wanted to keep from smiling. Cassie and Eliza sent Millie identical warning glances.
“Lacking in imagination, am I? Well…” Neville cast his gaze about the room. “Asquith is missing. As is Lenora.” He turned his gaze back to the sisters, looking from one to the other. “I can imagine a few reasons why that might be so.”
“Lenora has a headache,” Nettie repeated.
“And has gone—”
“And,” Cassie interrupted Millie, “has gone out with Asquith to take a turn about the garden, in hopes a little air would help improve her condition.”
Cassie ignored the young ladies’ mutinous glares.
But what could she have done? Neville’s too-perceptive gaze had landed in the general direction of the visible shoes. To be caught in a blatant lie was worse than whatever game they had decided to play.
Or so Cassie hoped.
“Should they be alone outside?” Neville glanced at Eliza. “Is that proper?”
Millie glanced heavenward. “He’s their godmother’s son. And our legal guardian.”
“We’ve known him all our lives,” Nettie added.
“They are in full view of the house, too,” Lady Emily pointed out, although that wasn’t quite true at present.
Neville’s gaze narrowed. “I don’t trust you…any of you. I’m going out there.” He headed toward the door muttering something about Wainwright wiles.
“Oh dear,” Nettie breathed.
“Don’t worry,” Millie whispered back. “I’ll catch him before he catches them.”
Eliza’s hand shot out, preventing Nettie and Lady Emily from following Millie. “Four people wandering the garden is quite enough.”
Nettie pouted. “You never let me have any adventures.”
“Speaking of adventure, how did you and my brother first meet?” Lady Emily asked, her voice deceptively light. “I’ve always been a little bit curious about the speed of your engagement.”
“Fair enough,” Eliza replied. “Just be sensible. I don’t want Lenora to get hurt.”
“You don’t have to worry,” Nettie replied. “Truly.”
“Very well.” Eliza’s expression remained skeptical. “But remember—Cassie didn’t sacrifice herself only for her younger sisters to raise scandals of their own.”
Sacrifice.
Cassie felt rather than heard the word. She had never felt marrying Harbury was a sacrifice. But if he didn’t write soon…
“Nora just wanted to talk to him,” Lady Emily replied.
Cassie turned toward her sister, and they exchanged a speaking glance. Then, behind Cassie, the door opened. Cassie knew from the way Eliza’s face lit, her husband had returned. Her own heartbeat sped, but she couldn’t bring herself to see if Harbury had come with him.
“Perhaps Nettie, Emily and I should go for a walk after all,” Cassie suggested.
“I don’t think you’ll want to leave,” Eliza whispered, with an elbow nudge to her ribs.
Cassie turned, and everything else faded away. She was so blind, she hardly noticed the room empty of guests. All she could see was Harbury—somewhat worse for wear, but present. And looking at her as if she were a cool glass of ale after a long, hard, and dusty ride.
He came toward her with outstretched hands.
“Please—”
His voice made her heart sing.
“—Stay.”
Yes, she would stay. She could hardly trust her legs to walk, after all.
But her weak knees weren’t the only reason she would not be running away.
One smile and two outstretched hands were proof enough. He was the husband she desired. She was the wife he needed. And, even if he had not come with the express intention to take her home, for once in her life, she intended to fight for him.