“So do you.” Cassandra leaned her head on his shoulder. He smelled of ink and the same cedarwood scented pomade from earlier. “I’m not the one who was hiding in the barn all day. What did they say?”
Matthew barked out an empty laugh.
“They were not impressed.” Each word was a sharp jab. “They said that the rifle looks as cheap as the materials used to build it. Duke Kendall’s representativehatedit. Lord Bolderwood drilled Reeves endlessly, but he hardly had two words to rub together for me. That man is made from granite. They wanted a demonstration, and the wind was ghastly today,” he said blandly, turning to her, “as I’m sure you’ll recall.”
Cassandra ignored the barb as disappointment sank in.
“You aren’t moving forward.”
Cassandra gripped her blanket closer, and she swallowed around the lump forming in her throat. It had been a long shot from the beginning; she had known that. But Matthew promised he had an advantage that no one else did, was confident in Mr. Reeves’ abilities, and sure that they had a real chance. He threw the last of their savings at the project,and promised her that when they won, he would take care of everything. He promised her a lot these days, but this time, she had allowed herself to hope.
Now, finding a wealthy husband would be that much more of a challenge. Even if she were pretty enough to catch the eye of a gentleman, he would have to overlook that she was two-and-twenty, had no dowry, and came from a family that squandered their last penny on a gamble.
“No.” Matthew’s shoulders fell with his sigh. “We are. We’ve been invited to Lord Bolderwood’s hunting party next week as finalists. I’m bringing you as my guest.”
Cassandra jolted up. “You said they hated it!”
“Theydohate it!” Matthew beamed. “But they couldn’t deny its performance. The wind was not favorable today, but Reeves still managed to shoot a bullseye at three hundred and fifty yards, and once again when the wind took the target. He was incredible! You should have seen the look on their faces! I was sure that Mr. Edgars was having an apoplexy, his face waspurple!”
They were still in!
Cassandra punched Matthew’s shoulder.
“Why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Because I wasn’t sure that I was going to accept the invitation.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Of course you’re going to accept it! You’ve been working toward it all this time! You’ve thrown everything into this! Why—” She stopped speaking as the wind tossed Matthew’s hair from his eyes, and for the briefest of moments, he seemed… older, somehow. Up close, she could see the deep bags under his eyes. Something raw and vulnerable lurked behind his masks of smiles and enthusiasm. She only witnessed flashes of it when he didn’t think she was paying attention. His mask was gone now, and he was open to her, perhaps for the first time in years. Rather than being elated, he looked as though he were sinking into a pit.
“Why would you not accept it?” she whispered.
Matthew closed his eyes and released a long exhale.
“Before you sell your soul to the devil, you should stop to consider the terms.” He pointed his gaze skyward. “To think long and hard about what it’ll cost you.”
“Your soul?” Cassandra frowned. “Matthew… what does that mean?”
“It hardly matters now.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Reeves and I are riding into London tomorrow to sort out the paperwork.” He turned to her. “Make sure you’re ready to leave for Hampshire when I return.”
I suppose this isn’t a time to relax.
They may have won this round, but the competition was fierce from here on. For both of them. If Matthew didn’t win, the responsibility of the family’s financial future would land on Cassandra’s shoulders. The sooner she could marry, the better. Already her best years on the marriage mart were gone after two years of back-to-back mourning periods. Now, she was reentering society with no support from her parents. Matthew refused to match-make for her at all and would be absolutely no help.
She would need to find a match for herself.
“I’m ready,” Cassandra said. “When do we leave?”
Matthew laughed loudly.
“You act like you’re going into battle!” he cooed and pulled her close to him, wrapping her in a messy hug. Her hair caught between his arms and the blanket. “I don’t want there to be any pressure on you. Let your big brother handle it.” He ran his knuckles over the top of her head. “Consider this a holiday. All you have to do is enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about husbands, or gentlemen at all. Spend time with yourfriends. You do have at least one?”
After elbowing herself free, she pushed him away with both hands. The blanket fell from her shoulders onto her lap with the movement. “Be serious! I don’t have time to put this off any longer. You can’t stand in my way when we go, Matthew. I need to marry well if this family hopes to survive, even if you win—”
“WhenI win.” Matthew knit his eyebrows and his voice lowered. “Cassandra. I’m not selling you. We’re done talking about this.” She was treading through dark waters, and it had been such a long day. At the rate things were changing, they might not have time for this conversation later.
“We need to talk about it.” He turned his head away. She tugged on his sleeve, holding it in her fist. “You act like everything is going to magically turn out, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll win. The odds areconsiderablystacked against you.” Matthew flinched and grit his teeth, but she held her grasp. “If someone offers for me, you need to accept it. I might not get another chance, I’ll have to settle for whoever will have me.”
