His words had the effect of a physical punch to her heart, and shock danced right through her. Before she’d recollected herself, Cassian was back in the main room, swapping out his empty glass for another.
She didn’t know what exactly to make of his words; all she knew was that her heart had sunk to her feet. It was clear that for as much as she knew about Cassian, she truly knew so little.
I’ll ask him more when we return home. This is not the place nor the time for such a conversation.
Turning, she headed to join the rest of the party, and as she rested a hand on Cassian’s arm, she tried to find the words to say—but none came.
“Cassian—”
“Oh, I forgot,” he pulled away to fish inside his jacket for a moment, and then drew out a small pouch. Then, he took out a set of pearl and diamond earrings and added, “Shall I?”
Wordlessly, she inclined her head so he could brush her hair from her ears and pin the earrings in place. When she pulled away, she straightened with a soft ache in the middle of her chest.
The air around them had supped in conversation and chatter for a moment, and she felt the weight of gazes on the back of her neck. Briefly, she touched the left earring, the only jewelry she was wearing that night.
“I…” She swallowed. “Thank you.”
“Consider it a late marriage gift,” Cassian murmured coolly.
A butler entered the room, cleared his throat, and bowed. “My Lord and Ladies, dinner is served. Please, follow the footmen.”
Cassian took her arm this time, and they followed the flow of people across the parlor, down a hallway lined with portraits, and into a very grand saloon with deep windows overlooking tranquil courtyards on either side.
It was a large square room with a patterned tile floor that must have been forty feet wide and just as tall, with a balcony above around all four sides. Four massive chandeliers dangled from anexquisitely painted ceiling. She smiled in appreciation at such grandeur.
They were seated by the head of the table, only a few seats away from the host. Seated across from Cassian at the lavishly set table and with Dowager Rainsville, Cecilia slid him a surreptitious glance over the elaborate floral arrangement.
“That was so lovely,” the dowager said quietly.
For a moment, Cecilia was confused about what she meant, but then she brushed her earrings with the back of her hand. “It was.”
Cassian was already engaged in conversation with an older lord who sat to his left, so Cecilia turned her attention to the older lady. “From your comments earlier, I sense you knew his mother?”
“Oh, yes, Your Grace,” the dowager nodded, her powdered cheeks still red from Cassian’s comments earlier. “For ten years, give or take. A few of the ladies here knew Lady Marianne as well.
“She was a lovely soul, so wide-eyed and gracious. She had her head in the clouds at times, but you could not have met a sweeter soul.”
“Asparagus soup, my lady?”
Belatedly, Cecilia realized she had not been paying attention, and abashed, she gave an absent nod to the footman. The footman ladled the creamy green concoction into the shallow bowl, and she reached for her spoon with the others.
The first course passed with her steering the conversation into lighter topics, the weather, who was the best modiste in London, and the upcoming balls.
Once or twice, she met Cassian’s eyes across the table and smiled, but focused on seeing how she could possibly get the dowager to tell her more about Cassian’s mother.
“You know, Your Grace, after dinner, the ladies and I will rejoin in a drawing room while the men play billiards,” the dowager began. “Will you join us? I know there are quite a few ladies who would love to meet you.”
Cecilia could not believe she had just been handed the very thing she wanted. “I’d love to join you. Thank you.”
She did try to steal looks at Cassian, and at times, he did meet her eyes. He winked once, and she blushed, then returned to her roasted pheasant.
“I must say, I never expected to see Duke Tressingham smitten,” the kind dowager whispered.
Closing her utensils, Cecilia wiped her mouth and then reached for her water. She knew deep down that Cassian was playing thepart of dutiful husband, and as much as she wanted to tell the truth, she knew she, too, had a part to play.
“It startled me, too,” she replied softly. “He is… he is not the person many think he is.”
“He never was,” the dowager smiled secretly.
