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Cassandra watched her fiancé leave, dread and unease churning in her stomach. This very situation was exactly what she hadn’t wanted.
How had last night ended so terribly wrong?
She straightened, refusing to allow the tears pricking behind her eyes to fall. Should she end the engagement? In some ways, dissolving their arrangement was the best course. She’d begun their relationship with a lie. Granted, she’d never intended to actually become engaged to a duke, but even still, she couldn’t blame him for being angry.
She’d betrayed him. In a far different way than his first fiancée but it was still a betrayal.
But her shoulders sagged again. Last night had been magical, transformative. She’d come alive in his arms, rediscovering herself in ways she never imagined. And if she could find that magic again perhaps they could be…happy together?
Because the real reason she could not just walk away was that, far more than just her financial future was at risk. More than anything, it was her heart that was in danger of being ruined.
Cassandra was falling in love with Damian and if she wasn’t careful, her feelings could be crushed before they even started their life together. She rubbed her arms, then crossed the room to ring for a bath. A good soak would help her think.
But after bathing and dressing she had no more answers.
She knew the vague outlines of her soon-to-be husband. What drove him, what sort of man he was but the truth was, she needed to know him better to understand fully how to win his heart back.
She made her way down to the breakfast room to find several people she didn’t know in attendance. Raithe sat next to a beautiful dark-haired woman, along with another handsome couple.
Damian was gone. Her heart skipped a beat. How could she convince him of her good intentions if he wasn’t in attendance?
“Cassandra.” Raithe stood as she entered. “I’d like you to meet Lady Charlotte Summerset.” Raithe put his arm around the woman who’d stood next to him. Turning toward her, his eyes glowed with affection, tender and achingly sweet.
She dropped her eyes, wincing. How did Charlotte get Raithe to look at her with such a glance? She tucked her envy away and crossed to take the woman’s hands. “I am so happy to meet you.”
“And I am thrilled to meet you.” The other woman reached out her hands. “Call me, Charlie. Please,” she said. “We’re to be family.”
Raithe turned to the other man. “And this is her cousin, His Grace, The Duke of Rathmore.”
The scent of roasted meats and lightly seasoned eggs filled the air, but she couldn’t face eating a single bite. Not with her stomach churning and clenching with regret and anxiety. But she hid her discomfort, dipping into a curtsy while greeting the duke. “Your Grace,” she said.
The other man gave her a warm smile. He was classically handsome in a way that instantly put her ease. “Mrs. Winterset. A pleasure.”
“Though it will soon be Lady Danesbury, I am told.”
Cassandra grimaced, nausea threatening to rise in her throat, but she gave a quick nod of assent.
She didn’t manage to hide her internal turmoil from everyone, she realized, when Charlie’s eyes narrowed to study her carefully.
Introductions over, Cassandra crossed to the buffet and helped herself to breakfast, then pushed around the food on her plate, vainly trying to hide her lack of appetite, silent as the others chatted.
Finally, Raithe stood. “I am sorry to have to leave so soon. But I must prepare for our journey and catch up with Danesbury.”
Charlie grimaced, her hand trailing over his arm. “We’ll miss you.”
Rathmore chuckled. “I like how you lumped me into the people who shall miss Balstead.”
Everyone laughed, even Cassandra. Then she realized, Charlie had travelled here to be with her fiancé, and he was leaving as soon as they’d arrived. “Raithe, you don’t have to go. I’m sure he’ll come back.” Her voice caught on the last word as she considered him not returning.
But he shook his head. “It will be fine, Cassandra. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Charlie gave her a large smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Was that happiness or worry? “We should go on a walk this afternoon. You can show me the property.”
“Of course,” Cassandra answered. “I’ll show you anything you’d like. It will be your home.”
Raithe nodded as he stood again. “We’ll be leaving shortly. Your duke is anxious to get this journey started. He said something about leaving without me if I wasn’t ready on time.” Raithe quirked a half grin. “Besides. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll return.”
She drew in a shaky breath. As things were, she wondered if that were true at all. She needed to have a private conversation with Damian. She needed to reach some understanding with Damian before he left.
