The man is as mad as any hatter.
Nervously, she watched on as he decimated the roof, bit by bit.
Gritting her teeth, she returned her attention to the book— when a horrendous crack had her head flying up. The roof collapsed, and Cassian swung the hammer over his shoulder with a satisfied look on his face.
He and another footman rolled a tarp over the gaping hole and tied it down. When he finally descended the ladder, she realized her chest was burning because she had not taken a breath.
That man might be the death of me!
Collecting her things, she went to her rooms to take a nap, unhappy and a bit perturbed at how things had gone.
Sleep did not come easy.
Tossing this way and turning the other way, Cecilia realized that she wouldn’t be in this predicament if she hadn’t had her head in the clouds, dreaming of a prince in golden armor who rode on a white horse.
There are no princes anymore, just that devil with dark grey eyes…
Later that evening, when Abigail woke her to attend dinner with Cassian, she’d changed into a dark blue gown and had her hair braided down her back. This was to be a simple dinner, nothing to take out the silks and satins for.
“We are not using the dining room?” she asked Abigail.
“No, Your Grace,” the maid said as she walked to a smaller room. “His Grace says there is no reason to use a ten-seater table when it is just him and prefers to use this one.”
“Thank you, Abigail.”
The small oval table near a window was set, and so was the sideboard, while Cassian was absent.
She took a seat and asked the butler, “Is he going to attend our inaugural dinner as a wedded couple or leave me to my lonesome?” She shook out the serviette. “Maybe he slammed that hammer into his feet and toppled from that roof.”
“Should I be touched that you are worried for my well-being?” Cassian walked into the room, utterly undressed, as he wore only a silk robe and trousers.
The vee of his robe, dipping down to his sternum, revealed the corded column of his throat, an intriguing glimpse of his muscled chest.
Cecilia found herself distracted. His garment, as indecent for a meal as it was, molded to the breadth of his shoulders and showcased his whipcord-lean frame. The casual disarray of his unruly, damp hair gave him the air of a pirate rising from the water.
“Do you always dress like this when eating with company?” she asked archly.
He sat across from her. “Seeing as I usually eat alone, be grateful that I did not come here as naked as I sleep.”
Her pulse leaped into a beating drum under her breastbone. His knowing smirk made his eyes crinkle at the corners. As infuriating as he was, he was still undeniably and maddeningly handsome.
“Asparagus soup, my lady?”
Embarrassed by her thoughts, she nodded to the footman.Gadz, she was supposed to be immune to Cassian’s charms, not falling for them.
She picked up her spoon and took a few bites. “Do you care to tell me why you decided to risk life and limb on that roof?”
“Remember my rule to not enquire about my business?” He cocked a brow.
“You saidmeddle, not enquire,” she returned easily. “The two terms are not synonymous.”
Cassian swirled his wine. “Touché. If you must know, it is a project I intend to use to occupy my time during the sixty days before the annulment. While you have your distractions, I will have mine.
“And as I said before, that is a room you should not step into. Consider it my private domain.”
“I… see,” she replied, while finishing her bowl. “You wouldn’t be happening to be recreating Bluebeard’s antics inside that building, would you?”
He laughed, “Such macabre thoughts of me. I see how I stand in your eyes.”
