Oh, he knew all about nurturing pain, wallowing in disappointment. But to save his home and his marriage, he would have to learn another way to be.
And learn fast.
“If I went back with you now, would she see me?”
“See you?” Adrian rolled his eyes. “Of course,she will see you. And if we leave now, we could be back at Ravenswood by nightfall.”
“I’ll get my coat.” He glanced down at Mercy. “And a satchel.”
*
Cassie stood atthe window, part of the whole and yet separate, alone, listening to the sounds of Eliza’s guests as they laughed and mingled behind her, a sound she’d come to think of as bittersweet.
At first, being with her sisters had brought her comfort, but with every passing hour, she became increasingly aware of a growing emptiness within, a hollow only Harbury could fill.
She missed quiet breakfasts with her husband, the exchange of pleasant nothings that had quickly come to flavor her days. With Adrian’s sister Emily, Lord Asquith, and Harbury’s cousin Lord Neville in residence at Ravenswood, breakfasts here were far louder and more boisterous, as boisterous, in fact, as the present gathering in the parlor.
A gathering minus one. Adrian had taken himself off before the morning meal. And, since Eliza hadn’t seemed concerned in the least when Adrian had not returned for tea, she suspected his destination had been Harbury Hall.
Would he come back alone? Or was she soon to be reunited with her husband?
She stared down at a miniature Harbury had given her just after they’d agreed to wed. In the tiny painting, Harbury’s hair was darker than the shade she could vividly imagine running through her fingers. His brow was slightly cocked, and his look was entirely raffish. He appeared, in fact, exactly as she’d pictured the scoundrel from her favorite book.
“Harbury looks particularly dashing in that portrait.”
Cassie hadn’t noticed her sister Eliza glancing over her shoulder.
“Doesn’t he just?” Cassie resisted the urge to rub her finger across the protective glass. “He reminds me of a character fromSense and Sensibility. The one Marianne fell for first.”
“Willoughby?” Eliza cocked her head as she studied the miniature. “Perhaps. Harbury not only looks the part of a romantic rogue, but he’s also proven he canbea rogue, too.”
Cassie nodded in agreement. “Clearly, he is capable of falsehoods.” And of binding an innocent’s heart to his own, of carelessly breaking that heart in service of his own best interests.
Eliza sighed. “Too bad Harbury hasn’t suffered a similar punishmentfor his flaws.”
“Punishment?” Cassie frowned.
“Willoughby had to marry a jealous heiress, while Harbury—though equally undeserving—got you, one of the finest ladies I know.”
Cassie sent her sister a grateful smile.
“Elinor reminds me of you, you know.”
“Longsuffering?” Cassie chuckled half-heartedly. “Committed to duty above all else?”
“No,” Eliza drew out the single syllable. “Capable of deep and lasting happiness with a man who, eventually, proves himself worthy of her love.”
Cassie blinked away the sudden water in her eyes.
“Harbury will realize what he lost.” Eliza snaked an arm around her waist. “And soon.…If he knows what’s good for him,” she added under her breath.
“Will he?” Cassie asked rhetorically. She wasn’t sure.
She hadn’t left him in order to be chased, but she had expected to hear from him by now. For the last four days, she’d inquired about the post. And, though a packet had arrived all the way from London for Adrian—one dated after she’d left Harbury Hall—she’d received nothing.
Deep in her heart, she was starting to lose faith.
“Oh, heavens!” Eliza leaned toward the window.
