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“Stay in the house, stay away from the windows,” he ordered.
She nodded again.
His gaze narrowed. “No argument for me?”
Forcing a strained smile, she shook her head.
“Promise me you are not planning something reckless.”
“I promise.”
The need to do something still lingered, she could not deny that. The fury that a servant had been attacked and Eleanor nearly been hurt had eased but not abated over the past few days of no more incidents.
Thankfully Betty was recovering well but the thought that someone had waited so close to the house to deliberately beat a defenseless woman kept her awake at night. She had brought this upon them all and she needed to fix it. If she could not leave the house then she would find some other way of ending this and finding who was responsible for harming a servant.
This was about more than simply proving herself to her sisters and aiding Jane. None of them could live until justice had been done. They were nearing the end of the Season and yet could not even leave the house. She hated that someone had done this to her and her family.
“There are additional men on the grounds and outside the gates now,” Luke assured her.
“Go,” she said, gesturing with a hand. “You shall be late.”
He sighed, eyed her for a moment, nodded and swung a sideways glance at the butler who waited solemnly to one side. She met his gaze. His eyes darkened briefly.I would kiss you now if I could, they seemed to say.
She would let him kiss her if he could. She might even cling to him and plead for more. It was hard to believe she had gone from little interest in the opposite sex to wanting Luke’s touch all day long. He had awakened something in her she did not know existed and it both excited and terrified her.
What would happen once this was over? Would they ever kiss again? Would she experience his hands on her body once more or would they return to being simply friends?
Unfortunately, she had to conclude the latter. He was a rake and would no doubt return to a life of flirtation until he was ready to marry.
Straightening her shoulders, she snapped her gaze away. Luke wanted her to act with more caution and she had done so but now she needed to transfer that caution to whatever this was between them.
Cassie hastened to the window of the drawing room to watch him walk efficiently down the path until she could no longer see him. Hands pressed to the cool painted wood of the window sill, she shook her head at herself. Here she was, trying to prove she was more than some silly, spoiled daughter of a duke and instead she was sighing over handsome rakes.
She straightened, tweaked her bodice and sat at the leather-top desk. She glanced around and withdrew a stash of papers, secreted away in one of the drawers. If she could not go out then she could at least figure out what they were missing. This attack surely proved they had found something, and it had been overlooked. But what?
They were going to follow Mr. Harding now, but she had her doubts as to his guilt in all this. Lord knew, the man was hardly a pleasant one but why the pretense of the body? Unless he knew it meant no one would look for Jane’s brother. Then there was the strange shipping company. She would write to all the London newspapers and see if they could find mention of it.
She plucked out the will and eyed the mention of Jane’s house. This niggled. Why would a company even be willed a house, if not to sell for profit? Yet no mention of it coming up for sale had occurred. Could the company be using it for other purposes? Illegal ones perhaps? She grimaced. If she had not been so tangled in this desire to Luke, maybe she would have visited sooner and concluded this whole messy affair.
The door to the room opened and Cassie swiftly pulled out a blank piece of paper to hide her notes. She smiled as Chastity walked into the room and visibly relaxed at the sight of her.
“There you are.” Her sister pressed a hand to her chest. “I was worried.”
“I am quite well and nowhere near the window.” She gestured at the new position of the writing desk.
“Good.” Chastity glanced out of the window in question. “Where did Luke go?”
“Oh, he had some business to attend to,” she replied vaguely. “I’m not certain what.”
Cassie could not admit they were still pursuing the case. Chastity, in particular, would not be happy at all.
“I’ll admit, I have not always trusted him, but his desire to protect you is admirable.”
“He wishes to protect us all.”
Chastity nodded. “Anton will be grateful for his care.”
Cassie tried not to think how Anton would react if he knew his best friend had kissed his sister. But Anton had no say in what she did anyway, especially if he returned home and still pressed for her engagement to the duke.
