Evan turned around to see the woman currently uppermost in his mind standing in the middle of the floor, resplendent in her evening finery and tapping her foot as angrily as a disgruntled fish wife. This would not be good. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the punch, prompting him to close it again.
"Betrothed? To you?" Thankfully she was not yelling, but the quiet calm of her voice was nearly just as terrifying. Actually, in some ways, it was worse.
"It had to be done, Cassandra. Surely you can see that. And it will solve a great many of our problems." He reached out to take her hands but she crossed her arms over her chest and he pulled back. He might be a bit of a rake at times but he did not force himself on women. He also rather thought she might be inclined to bite him if given a chance. Or kick him. Neither option was all that appealing.
She glared at him instead. "What I can see is that something that could have and should have been handled rather quietly and discreetly has now become a scandal that neither of us can escape. You, for all of your talk about being this wretched rake, are far more afraid of scandal than you let on."
Evan threw up his hands and kept his voice as low as possible - which really wasn't all that low given how upset he was. "The bastard was staking his claim upon you in the middle of Weston's bloody dance floor! He all but undressed you right there and you certainly could not have missed his announcement that he intended to bed you!" His voice was rising now as well, his anger and fear taking hold. "What would you have had me do? Simply hand you over to the man and say 'All the best, Follett! If you don't immediately murder her after your wedding so you can have at her funds, be a good chap and return her to me, would you?' Because that is what it would have been, Cassandra! The man is a beast and while I may be a dragon I would never harm a female!"
"Do you think I am unaware of what he is?" she shot back.
"Until today? Yes! I do not think that you truly have a bloody clue!" This time, Evan did reach out and grasp Cassandra by the upper arms but not hard enough to hurt her. He simply wanted her attention. "My God, Cassie! The man has beaten countless women and is rumored to have killed at least three of his old lovers. True or not, I could not take that chance with you!"
"It would have solved our problem!" Her eyes were mere slits and her chest was heaving.
"Never, ever say that again! Do not even think such a horrible thing!" He resisted the urge to shake her so instead he pulled her closer until he could see her pupils dilate.
"But it would have." Cassandra's gaze was fixed upon him, her eyes wide and her voice a mere whisper as she took in the full force of his anger - and fear - for what it truly was. "Isn't that what you want, Evan? To go back to your old life?"
"Not at the expense of yours, Cassie. Never that." His voice was just as soft as hers now, the anger that had flared between them a moment ago turning into something...more.
"Evan, I..." She faltered then, and she swallowed hard. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and suddenly, all he could think about was how those lips would taste and how it would feel to pull her just a little closer and press his lips to hers.
He had denied thinking about her in this manner for so long. Now that it was likely going to become his reality? He found that he could not stop himself.
When someone cleared their throat, breaking the spell, both Evan and Cassandra sprang apart like scalded cats.
"Children. That will be quite enough, thank you."
Evan blinked a few times to clear his line of vision. He had been so focused on Cassandra that she had been all he was able to see. "Aunt Louisa? How did you get in here?" He didn't think that even she was that quick to find a spare key.
Louisa wasn't dressed for bed, exactly, but wore some sort of long, flowing robe of vaguely Indian design. It was bright and colorful and looked well loved. For a moment, he had a vision of his now-beloved aunt as she must have been when she was younger and traveling across India with her father, wild and untamed. That was Louisa and for a moment, he was truly glad that he had been able to give her back at least a little of what she had lost in her youth.
The older woman shrugged unapologetically. "I picked the lock." She did not look in the least sorry about the act, either. "When Moses Haddington was your brother, you learned to become proficient at a great many talents not suitable for a lady. Even one raised in India, as I was."
"Auntie, we are not finished yet." Evan made certain his tone was calmer than he felt. Inside, he still felt jittery and twisted, as if his clothes were suddenly too tight and his skin itched unbearably.
"No, I don't imagine that you are. Likely you may never be. However, Franklin is here and he wishes to see you." She sniffed indignantly. "I'll not have this good man standing about all night while you two screech and yowl at each other like wet cats." Then she eyed them both for a long moment. "Or whatever else it is that the two of you are about. There's time enough for that later, I think. For now, more practical matters must be discussed."
"Franklin?" That came from Cassandra who seemed to finally be coming back to her senses as well. "But we only just left the ball and the note sent 'round. How could he know?"
The man in question moved out from behind Aunt Louisa. "Because I have been on alert each and every night since you returned to town, Miss Grove." He gave Evan a small bow. "My lord. I had been expecting...well, not this precise outcome, but some sort of devilry from Follett. The man is angry and feels he has been cheated out of what he has been raised since birth to believe is his. We were not unaware of this, or at least I was not. To that end, he will do whatever he feels is necessary to regain what he believes he has lost, and by whatever means, no matter who is hurt in the process. Tonight, he made his move and thankfully, you were on hand to prevent matters from becoming worse."
This bit of news immediately brought Evan to attention and he unconsciously moved in front of Cassandra as if the bounder Follett was actually in the room. "So are you saying that by marrying Cassandra, Follett could become Berkshire?" Oh, this really was worse than Evan had imagined. Did that same clause apply to any man? Or just one of Haddington blood? How much worse could this night possibly get?
Franklin pinched the bridge of his nose, dislodging his spectacles. "I cannot say anything yet, my lord. What I can tell you is that, under your uncle's will, I must accept the first man who offers for Miss Grove, no matter his circumstances, provided the man is not in prison, and that whoever the lucky man is to win her hand, there will be...compensation."
This time, Evan did not give Cassandra an opportunity to speak. "Very well, then. I am officially offering for the hand of Miss Cassandra Grove in marriage. I desire to wed her as soon as possible so that we may begin our lives together as husband and wife." That was not at all how Evan had hoped to do things. In fact, he had hoped that he might propose to Cassandra in private first, but there was something in the way that Franklin had worded his response that caused unease to churn in Evan's gut.
The solicitor nodded. "As I have not yet had another offer for Miss Grove's hand, I accept your offer, Lord Berkshire, and will draw up the necessary papers. We shall now consider this matter settled." Then he smiled, his first all evening. "And, of course, this will include the full transfer of the marquisate to you. Congratulations, my lord. On all counts."
Evan let out an enormous sigh of relief. "Thank you, Franklin." He paused for a moment, his gut still churning. "Could I have lost it? The marquisate, I mean? If I had not offered for Cassandra?"
"Not outright, no," Franklin conceded. "But had Follett made an offer for Miss Grove first, it would have become rather complicated. A man not of Haddington blood would have received a large chunk of everything that is not entailed, but a man of family blood, even partially? Well, as I said, it would have been complicated, made so at your late uncle's request of course. I am thankful that is a path we do not have to trod."
Evan would have expected Aunt Louisa to be overjoyed, even though his own s
tomach felt as if it was filled with rocks. So when he found her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, he did not take that as a good sign. "Auntie? Is something amiss?"
She shook her head. "I know that I have promoted this match from the beginning, mostly because I do truly believe the two of you would be good for one another. But not this way. If I had been there tonight..."
Evan was surprised when Cassandra stepped forward. She had gone silent again after Franklin's entrance and he was not quite certain what to expect from her now. "If you would have been there tonight, Aunt Louisa, Follett would have shoved you aside to reach me, just as he did Lady Hathaway. He was set upon his course and would not be dissuaded from it. The moment he grabbed my arm, I knew." The anger in her gaze from earlier was gone now, replaced by something dark and weary. "Despite my fit of temper earlier..."
"Is that what that was?" Evan quipped, but another glare from Aunt Louisa made him shut his mouth.
"As I was saying," Cassandra continued stiffly, "Despite my fit of temper earlier, I am no fool. Tonight when Follett swept me onto the dance floor, he knew what he was about. He whispered all sorts of horrid suggestions into my ear and intimated that once we wed, he would be Berkshire. That it might take time, certainly, but that it was a fight he could and would win. He knows what is in that will, even if Evan and I do not, and he played his hand this evening believing he could win. I do not know much of him, but he is a shrewd man and he would not have taken that risk if he thought for one moment that he might lose. Given that most of Society believes that Evan and I sill cannot tolerate one another, I believe he miscalculated based on the recent gossip that Evan was looking to wed any other woman but me."
There was fear in Cassandra's eyes. Even could see it plainly, though he doubted the others could. It was the same fear he saw there when she attempted a new and difficult jump on Marigold. However now, just like all the times before, he had no doubt that she would face that fear and take the risk. It was simply the way of her and he respected that.
"So we are agreed?" Evan asked, his gaze moving back and forth between Cassandra, Franklin and his aunt. "I shall marry Cassandra as quickly as possible, give her the protection of the Berkshire name and secure the marquisate for the benefit of all."
"I am in agreement," Franklin replied. "I need not be involved in the finer details, of course, and I will depart at once to begin drawing up the appropriate papers and secure a special license since I do not believe we can afford to wait for a proper ceremony and for the banns to be called."
Evan tilted his head. "Auntie?"
For a long moment, the old woman simply stared at the two of them. "Yes," she finally agreed with a nod. "This isn't how I'd hoped such a union would come about and I would like there to be some degree of affection between the two of you, but I can't say this is unwelcome news."
"You should also leave London for a time," Franklin interjected. "Return to Brambly Fields. Wed there quickly and quietly until the worst of the scandal blows over. Follett expects you will wed in a big, splashy ceremony as all of the previous Berkshires have done. By obtaining a special license and going to Brambly, you will have the advantage. In a fortnight? You can return already wed, and, forgive me for being crass, but the lady bedded, and there will not be a thing he can do."
Evan nodded. "It is a sound plan. I like it. However, there is one more person who must agree. Cassandra? Do you agree to this plan?" In his mind, she was the most important person in the room at the very moment. Despite their rocky start, they were now friends and he had vowed to protect her. If she truly did not want this marriage to him? Well, he would find another way to keep them all safe.
He watched the muscles in her throat work up and down. She was obviously torn and he knew that, had the world been perfect, she would have never felt the need to marry at all, instead running the Gray Ladies from the safety of Ivy Cottage and indulging in an affair with Matthew Taylor if she could somehow reconcile bedding a married man with her rather strict morals. However, the world was not perfect and people did not always receive what they most desired. He hoped and prayed she understood that.
"I agree as well," she finally said, her gaze flicking to Evan's over and over again. "I will marry you as soon as it can be arranged."
"There." Aunt Louisa stamped her cane for emphasis. "Now that the matter is settled, I am off to bed." She didn't look in the least bit tired, but then Evan was not about to say anything. He had learned from the first that his aunt had her own way of doing things and, at her age, he firmly believed she had every right to continue doing exactly as she pleased. Provided she did not start gambling away the family silver or anything as rash as that, of course.
"Franklin? May I see you out? Contracts to write and licenses to procure and what not, right?" Louisa's tone brooked no argument and Evan had to hide a smile as she practically shoved the man out of Evan's study, prodding him with her cane as if she was herding sheep.
After the couple had departed, Evan turned back to Cassandra, only to find her looking at him, her expression uncomfortably blank. This wasn't truly what either of them desired, but it was their reality now.
"You could do worse than me, you know?" he offered in an attempt to break the tension. "I understand that Lord Grimsby is searching for a wife. That position might suit you better, should you desire it. Of course, the man in question is in his seventh decade, all but completely blind and has a tendency to drool when he sleeps. Though I understand that otherwise, he can make quite the charming husband. When he is awake, that is."
Cassandra couldn't help herself. She laughed. "Oh, Evan! That is awful! Poor Lord Grimsby!"
Evan shrugged. "He makes no pretension about the situation and really, if I am not suitable husband material for you, I should think he would be acceptable." He said that last bit with as straight of a face as possible and was gratified when she laughed again.
"No," she said with a shake of her head, "you shall be an acceptable husband, I suppose."
He raised an eyebrow, though, to her credit, she was no longer as angry or defeated as she had been earlier. "Just what every soon-to-be husband hopes to hear from his intended, my dear. That he is acceptable, much like the delivery from the costermonger every morning. I had hoped for something a little more...anticipatory. Such as good or even nice. Might I hope that in the future I might rank that high in your esteem?"
Evan was joking and Cassandra quickly realized that it was for her benefit. He probably did not like this arrangement much either, but Cassandra had known from the moment that Follett had quite literally pushed Abby out of the way so that he could yank her out onto the dance floor to stake his claim upon her that nothing in her life would go as she had hoped.
"Very well," she acquiesced. "You will make a good husband. I think. Satisfied?"
"Enough for the moment." Evan took her hand and led her to one of the overstuffed settees she frequently occupied when they were alone and conversing in his study. She expected him to take the other one so she was surprised when he sank to his knees before her as if this was a real proposal - which they both knew it was not.
She was even more surprised when he removed both of their gloves and took her hands in his, his gray-green eyes staring up at her unblinking. She wished that she knew how to read the emotions she saw there, but she did not because she had never seen this side of him before and it frightened her a bit. For a long moment, she simply stared at their clasped hands, unaccustomed to seeing his bare flesh against hers. Her hand was small inside of his much larger one, and her skin pale where his was tanned. Two pieces soon to be made one whole. It made her feel...unsettled inside.
"I will not hurt you, Cassie. I promise."
"I know, Dragon," she sighed softly as she squeezed his hands. "Out of everything, I know that better than just about anything else."
Evan shifted again so that now he was almost sitting crossed legged, as if he truly was her suitor begging for her hand. "I cannot promise you
that I will be a perfect husband. I think you know me well enough by now to understand that I am, in many ways, a rake of the worst sort. Until tonight, a wife was simply a concept, something I thought to obtain like a new horse in order to make all of our lives easier. She did not have a face, nor was she a living, breathing creature. I honestly do not know what she was other than a goal I knew I eventually had to meet. But now? Now, you are to be that woman. My wife. And I must tell you that it scares me to death."
She snorted and that made him smile. "You? Evan Haddington? Afraid of marriage? And of me?"
"I did say that I was not perfect.
Cassandra nodded. "Neither am I."
"Tell me something I do not know, Queen. I also know this shall not be easy, but I will give you as much freedom as I can. Once the contracts are signed, the Gray Ladies are yours. I don't want them. I never did. However, I could also never quite know if giving them to you would cost me Berkshire. As I have said before, this is a narrow path I have been walking, but now? That path widens a bit. I am free to make choices and the Gray Ladies shall be my wedding gift to you when all of the proverbial dust has settled." This time when Evan smiled, the expression met his eyes, changing him from merely handsome to heartbreakingly so in the briefest of moments.
"Thank you." Cassandra felt her heart swell a bit. "You cannot possibly know how much this means to me." She squeezed his hand. "And in return? What is it that you want from me? For I know you, Evan and I know that there has to be at least one thing that you desire in return."
"There is." He rose now and joined her on the settee. "I would simply ask that you would be faithful to me and me alone until we have our heir and spare. After that? You are free to carry on a discreet affair if you wish. More than one, if that is what you desire. In return, I offer you the same. I shall not bed another woman until we ensure that the marquisate will continue. This is no love match and we both deserve to be happy. I would simply ask that the future be secured before we seek that happiness in another's arms."
A Scandal In the Making Page 9
