“Seth, I’vemissedyou.” In her voice, he heard the same desperate yearning he had felt for the past week. It shouldn’t have soothed him, but it did.
“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart. So much.” He squeezed her hand. “Why won’t you look at me?”
“Isn’t it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?” she teased. And yes, there she was, his little bird.
He tapped his elbow on her side and smiled. “We could use all the luck we can get.”
A gentleman in a black tailcoat and top hat walked by, only a flash of his sneer visible, and it seemed familiar. He must have met him before, but Seth paid him no mind..
Let them all stare.
Under Cassandra’s bonnet, he caught a flash of a smile, and he redirected his focus to the corner of her mouth.
“Thank you for the gifts. They’re lovely, but you have to stop sending them.” She gave a laugh, abeautifulsound. “The floor is half soil by now. There’s no space to walk, pots are being knocked over all day. If you send anything else Matthew might kill you.”
“That would require him speaking to me.”
“You haven’t seen him at all since you arrived?”
Seth shook his head.
“How have you been conducting business?”
“Through Trevor. He’s been running all over London.”
“He does look thinner.”
“Much,” Seth agreed.
A few steps.
“What do you expect me to do with two dozen fruit trees?”
“Plant them.” Seth smiled. “I’ll help you.”
“Where?”
“There’s a sun room in the house I’m about to purchase, and a garden in the back. Small, but it’s a start. I’ll move your plants there once we’re married, and then we’ll look for a permanent place for them. Point to a spot on the map and I’ll buy some land. Then I’ll build you a—” Her head lifted, a smile graced her lips, and covering the left side of her face, swollen speckles of purple bruising marred her cheekbone. Blood rushed in his ears, every muscle tensed and his tone darkened. “Did someonestrikeyou?”
With a controlled sigh, Cassandra pushed her hair from her face so he could see the inflamed skin. Someone hadrecentlystruck her, andhard.
“Who?”
“See? This is exactly what I didn’t want.” She huffed. “It’snothing.”
“Someone hittingmy wifeis notnothing,Cassandra!”
“Seth, I don’t wish to talk about it. You’ll be upset, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s done, let it go.”
“DidCooper—”
“No!”
“Someoneassaultedyou, Cassandra. Who?”
She gave a frustrated exhale and pursed her lips.
“Lady Honora slapped me at the modiste’s. She said something cruel. I responded in kind, and she slapped me. Knocked me right to the ground.”
