‘But do not tell him that I have been holding you, please.’ He laughed softly and she felt the expelled breath ruffle her hair. ‘Tonight, you can trust me. Not all the time, perhaps. But in this moment, I mean to be a gentleman.’
His hands dropped away, and she was relieved to find she could stand without help. He offered her his arm, tucking one of her hands into his elbow much more gently than Andrew had done and giving it a reassuring pat. Then he walked her to the turning of the path and unerringly back towards the entrance of the maze. By the time they had gone a few feet, she was completely herself again and managed a smile.
‘Very good,’ he said softly. ‘That’s the spirit. You are fine. Everything is going to be all right.’
‘But what if he talks?’ she whispered hardly turning her head.
‘Then he will be thoroughly sorry for doing so,’ he said in a voice still pleasant, but with that undertone that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.
‘Don’t do anything rash on my account,’ she said.
‘Better me than Julian,’ he replied, still smiling. ‘Until he is sure of an heir, he shouldn’t be taking any risks. Got to protect the title, after all. I suspect you and Portia would miss him, as well.’
‘Don’t talk rot,’ she said, wishing she had a fan to flutter as a distraction.
He laughed and ignored her. ‘He has too much to lose. But I?’ She felt him shrug. ‘I am quite unencumbered. No one would miss me in the slightest.’
That is not true.
She bit back the response. She should not be encouraging him. There was no real future in it. ‘You know very well you are a duke, just as Julian is. But I suppose you are fishing for a denial.’
He laughed again. ‘Unsuccessfully, it would appear. Never mind then. Just know that you needn’t worry about any revelations. I will not speak and Rutland would be far too embarrassed to.’ He glanced down at her with what looked like genuine fondness. ‘Now, keep smiling. I see Julian up ahead. Remember, we have been out for a pleasant stroll through the hedge maze, nothing more than that.’
She nodded nervously and did as he said, giving a forced laugh as they stepped clear of the bushes. She must have been gone longer than was proper for Julian was just ahead walking towards the maze at a purposeful pace. He looked angry, but his scowl deepened as he realized who she was with.
‘Westbridge,’ he said, his attention focused on his friend.
‘Julian,’ her companion replied, as sunny as ever.
‘I see you are with Cassandra. Again.’
He shrugged. ‘She lost her way. I was only bringing her back to the bosom of her loving family.’
‘She does not need your help,’ her brother said. He seemed to grow bigger as she looked at him, as if he was likely to explode at any minute. She needed to do something to calm the situation before he did.
‘On the contrary,’ she said in the firmest voice she could manage. ‘I was in dire straits. I had no idea where to turn before His Grace arrived.’ She added a pleading look that she hoped would convince her brother not to make a scene.
‘What happened to Rutland?’ he snapped. ‘He was supposed to be watching you.’
‘He had to leave,’ Westbridge said, looking directly into Julian’s eyes, and spoke with the same dire voice he’d used on Andrew.
Julian paused. His brow knit in confusion and he looked from the Duke to her and back again, as if trying to form the story of the last few minutes out of those few words.
Westbridge took advantage of the situation to escape. ‘And now that I have done what I set out to do?’ He gently disentangled her arm from his, raising her hand briefly as if to kiss it. Then he thought the better of the gesture and stopped it several feet from his lips, bowing his head in a kind of salute. ‘I must take my leave.’
‘Do that,’ Julian said, back in control and staring at him until he turned and walked away.
Then, he turned to her. ‘I thought I told you to stay away from Westbridge.’
‘You also allowed me to be alone with Andrew Rutland,’ she said giving him a rebellious look. ‘You must pardon me if I take future advice from you with more than a few grains of salt.’
He looked shocked and reached out to take her hand. ‘Did something happen?’
She was surprised to find her earlier fear replaced with anger. ‘What would you do if it had?’ she snapped. ‘Force him to marry me? Do you not understand that at the same time you would be forcingmeto marryhim? You are practically forcing me now.’
‘Cassandra,’ he said, shocked. ‘I did not mean to impose my will on you in any way.’
‘You do not mean?’ With a growl of frustration, she turned and walked away from him, back towards the table and Portia.
