“Hedoes! Doesn’t he? Oh, I’m certain Harbury is not human at all, but a right demon. Shouldn’t be allowed to live!” Eliza folded her arms. “Oh, yes! Let’s hate him!”
Cassie broke into a true laugh. “That’s enough!”
Eliza lifted a brow. “I’m right about the cloven feet, aren’t I?”
Cassie groaned. “He’s got fine feet to go with averyfine figure. His looks have never been the problem.”
Eliza extended her hand. “Come. Let’s climb into bed, shall we? Just like we used to before we were old and married. And you can tell me all about what went wrong.”
Together, they climbed up onto the bed. Cassie sighed as they huddled. Sitting so close—head to head, as they’d so often done—made her feel less unmoored.
“I can’ttalkabout it, Eliza.”
“Twaddle and bilgewater,” Eliza dismissed her objection. “Was he simply arrogant? Or was he truly dastardly? I’ll bet his cloven feet are terribly scratchy, too. Hoof lacerations would upsetanyone.”
“Taradiddle.” Cassie chuckled half-heartedly. “No. Andno.”
“Then why are you here…alone?”
“I needed time away.” Cassandra chewed on her lip. “I just can’tthinkwhen he’s near.”
“You can’t think? Or you can’t be as mad at him as you would like to be?”
Cassie smiled reluctantly. “The latter, I suppose.”
“I completely understand. Sometimes I could wring Adrian’s neck, but then he smiles at me in his special, intimate way, and—” Eliza interrupted herself with a growl and then punctuated with an eyeroll.
“Evil!” Cassie said mockingly.
“I know!” Eliza nodded enthusiastically.
Cassie sighed. “I’m hopeless.”
“Doubtful.”
“Really? What if I told you I can’t stop thinking about the moment he swept me onto the Almack’s dance floor?” Again, the dizzying memory. The colors. The scents. The unbelievable thrill of being chosen by a young, handsome duke, followed by the absolute horror of humiliation when the patroness had ordered them out of the room.
Tears blurred Cassie’s vision.
“Don’t cry, Cassie.” Eliza gripped her shoulders. “There’s no need to relive that night.” She shivered. “The gasps, the whispers, the way the women swept aside their skirts.”
“The crowd’s reaction came after the countess ordered the music to stop. And, to me, the gasps werenotthe most mortifying part. Notat all.”
Eliza’s brow wrinkled in question.
“At first, when he was walking toward me with a look so full of determination,” Cassie explained, “I thought he’d chosen meon purpose.”
“Oh, Cassie.”
“I thought—I was stupid enough to think—the handsomest, most powerful man in the whole room had chosenme.”
The room blurred even more, and she covered her face with her hands.
“Oh, my poor sweet girl. How did I never suspect you had true feelings for him?”
“I never wanted you to suspect.”
Eliza rubbed her back. “Love at first sight?”
