Chapter Eight #2
His manner changed as he turned back to Cassie. ‘I might let it pass if we were alone. But Miss Fisk has witnessed your knavish treatment of me.’ He shook his head as if amazed. ‘The man does not recognize my rank. He speaks to me as if we are equals. Outrageous!’ He gave Cassie a significant look.
It took a second before she recognized her cue to speak. Then she said, ‘Indeed, Your Grace,’ in a dutiful voice. But he noticed she was leaning back into the hedge behind her as if she needed its springy branches to hold her upright.
‘Now, see here,’ Rutland said looking around as if he feared that someone might see him being less than gallant.
‘See here, Your Grace,’ Sebastian prompted, puffing out his chest to display his injured dignity. He felt ridiculous, but it worked.
‘Your Grace,’ the man said in a whispered surrender. He seemed to shrink before he spoke again. ‘It is a delightful evening. Let us not ruin it with an argument.’
‘Of course not, old fellow,’ Sebastian said, giving the other man a clap on the back that nearly sent him to his knees. ‘Now that the matter is settled, you had best run along and find the centre of the maze. It defeats the point of the thing to hang about in a corner like this.’
Rutland looked confused for a moment, as if he was not quite sure how he’d come to being dismissed from a liaison that he’d arranged. Then he held out his arm to Cassie, ready to escort her.
‘Ah.’ Sebastian held up a finger of warning. ‘I think Miss Fisk might need help finding the exit again. The poor girl looks quite pale. Perhaps she has taken a chill.’ He turned to Cassie. ‘Which would you prefer—onward with Rutland, or a return to start?’
‘I have had enough fun for the evening,’ she said inching closer to him. ‘Perhaps we could go and find my brother.’
‘Very well,’ Sebastian said and made a shooing gesture to Rutland. ‘Run along, then. Don’t let us keep you.’
With a final, frustrated grimace, Rutland turned on his heel and walked back down the pathway, disappearing around a turn in the hedge.
As Andrew walked away, Cassie released her held breath and stared after him afraid to turn to her rescuer.
What must he think of her? After the incident in his bedroom and now this, she must look like the sort of girl who gave kisses freely to anyone who asked.
If the news of tonight’s encounter was spread around London, her reputation would not survive.
That such ruin would force her into marriage with Rutland made it all the more painful.
She turned back to Westbridge, unsure of what to say.
He stared back at her, his expression softening. ‘You needn’t worry. All I will say, should anyone ask was that Miss Fisk arrived on the scene and found us arguing. She could not possibly have been here earlier, for she is a virtuous young lady not prone to wandering in secluded spots with men.’
Was he teasing her? He was looking at her with the same bland expression he had used when harassing Andrew, as if he truly believed nothing had been going on.
But it had been so much worse than that.
She was so relieved and so grateful and had been so frightened.
And now it was over. How would she ever thank him?
Without a word, she threw her arms around him, hoping he could understand.
For a moment, he seemed confused, barely responding to her assault. Then, his arms came up to hold her, gingerly at first and then in a gentle, brotherly way that was totally unlike the passion he’d shown in his bedroom a year ago.
‘Did he hurt you?’ He said it softly, into her ear, in a tone that was quite different than the playful one he had used only moments before. He sounded hard, resolved and dangerous.
She shook her head, still unable to express what she was feeling. Andrew hadn’t done anything so very bad. But there had been the feeling when they were alone that he had wanted to. And that he was quite willing to take advantage of a situation to do anything he wanted, to her or anyone else.
‘You are trembling.’ He held her tighter, one hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck. ‘Do not worry. You will get no trouble from me. You are perfectly safe.’
‘I know,’ she whispered and took a breath struggling to regain control of herself. ‘How will I face him again? What shall I say to Julian and Portia?’
‘You will not see him again.’ He said in that firm, quiet voice that cut through the last of the panic in her head. ‘And as for your brother?’ She felt him shrug. ‘Reality is what you say it is. You do not have to tell him anything, if you do not wish to.’
‘But do not tell him that I have been holding you, please.’ He laughed softly and she felt the expelled breath ruffle her hair. ‘Tonight, you can trust me. Not all the time, perhaps. But in this moment, I mean to be a gentleman.’
His hands dropped away, and she was relieved to find she could stand without help.
He offered her his arm, tucking one of her hands into his elbow much more gently than Andrew had done and giving it a reassuring pat.
Then he walked her to the turning of the path and unerringly back towards the entrance of the maze.
By the time they had gone a few feet, she was completely herself again and managed a smile.
‘Very good,’ he said softly. ‘That’s the spirit. You are fine. Everything is going to be all right.’
‘But what if he talks?’ she whispered hardly turning her head.
‘Then he will be thoroughly sorry for doing so,’ he said in a voice still pleasant, but with that undertone that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.
‘Don’t do anything rash on my account,’ she said.
‘Better me than Julian,’ he replied, still smiling. ‘Until he is sure of an heir, he shouldn’t be taking any risks. Got to protect the title, after all. I suspect you and Portia would miss him, as well.’
‘Don’t talk rot,’ she said, wishing she had a fan to flutter as a distraction.
He laughed and ignored her. ‘He has too much to lose. But I?’ She felt him shrug. ‘I am quite unencumbered. No one would miss me in the slightest.’
That is not true.
She bit back the response. She should not be encouraging him. There was no real future in it. ‘You know very well you are a duke, just as Julian is. But I suppose you are fishing for a denial.’
He laughed again. ‘Unsuccessfully, it would appear. Never mind then. Just know that you needn’t worry about any revelations.
I will not speak and Rutland would be far too embarrassed to.
’ He glanced down at her with what looked like genuine fondness.
‘Now, keep smiling. I see Julian up ahead. Remember, we have been out for a pleasant stroll through the hedge maze, nothing more than that.’
She nodded nervously and did as he said, giving a forced laugh as they stepped clear of the bushes. She must have been gone longer than was proper for Julian was just ahead walking towards the maze at a purposeful pace. He looked angry, but his scowl deepened as he realized who she was with.
‘Westbridge,’ he said, his attention focused on his friend.
‘Julian,’ her companion replied, as sunny as ever.
‘I see you are with Cassandra. Again.’
He shrugged. ‘She lost her way. I was only bringing her back to the bosom of her loving family.’
‘She does not need your help,’ her brother said. He seemed to grow bigger as she looked at him, as if he was likely to explode at any minute. She needed to do something to calm the situation before he did.
‘On the contrary,’ she said in the firmest voice she could manage. ‘I was in dire straits. I had no idea where to turn before His Grace arrived.’ She added a pleading look that she hoped would convince her brother not to make a scene.
‘What happened to Rutland?’ he snapped. ‘He was supposed to be watching you.’
‘He had to leave,’ Westbridge said, looking directly into Julian’s eyes, and spoke with the same dire voice he’d used on Andrew.
Julian paused. His brow knit in confusion and he looked from the Duke to her and back again, as if trying to form the story of the last few minutes out of those few words.
Westbridge took advantage of the situation to escape.
‘And now that I have done what I set out to do?’ He gently disentangled her arm from his, raising her hand briefly as if to kiss it.
Then he thought the better of the gesture and stopped it several feet from his lips, bowing his head in a kind of salute. ‘I must take my leave.’
‘Do that,’ Julian said, back in control and staring at him until he turned and walked away.
Then, he turned to her. ‘I thought I told you to stay away from Westbridge.’
‘You also allowed me to be alone with Andrew Rutland,’ she said giving him a rebellious look. ‘You must pardon me if I take future advice from you with more than a few grains of salt.’
He looked shocked and reached out to take her hand. ‘Did something happen?’
She was surprised to find her earlier fear replaced with anger. ‘What would you do if it had?’ she snapped. ‘Force him to marry me? Do you not understand that at the same time you would be forcing me to marry him? You are practically forcing me now.’
‘Cassandra,’ he said, shocked. ‘I did not mean to impose my will on you in any way.’
‘You do not mean?’ With a growl of frustration, she turned and walked away from him, back towards the table and Portia.
He hurried to catch up. ‘Cassandra, you are acting like a child.’
She stopped to turn on him. ‘You are treating me as a child, so you should not be surprised. I am twenty-six years old, Julian. I was happily on the shelf until you took it into your head to matchmake for me.’
‘I thought… It is my job, Cassandra. As the head of your family, I should see you married.’ The look he gave her was so confused that her anger evaporated, replaced by a desire to soothe him.
And that was a gift from her other family, she supposed.
This tendency to mediate, even at the expense of her own happiness.
‘I understand that you are trying to help,’ she said.
‘But I also have years of experience fending off unwanted advances of less than gentlemanly men.’ It could not be proved by this evening’s escapade.
She had let herself to be lured into the darkness by a cad.
That problem existed because she had followed the advice of her family instead of her own instincts.
But blaming Julian for her troubles would not make them any better.
She sighed and said, ‘You must trust that I will not do anything to put myself or my reputation at risk.’
He was still staring at her, doubtful.
‘As for the Duke of Westbridge?’ She took another breath. ‘I will not allow my head to be turned by any of his nonsense.’
This seemed to satisfy him and he took her back to the table where a plate of sweets awaited along with tiny glasses of orgeat.
As they enjoyed them, Julian and Portia exchanged significant glances, but neither of them said anything about the absence of Andrew Rutland.
Nor did they comment when Cassie took his portion of the gimblettes and drank his cordial.