Cassian wondered if she knew the purpose of his visit and if she had read the same scandal sheet.
“You are a man of honor,” she said in a low voice. “We at least have that to be thankful for.”
“Mama,” Lady Adelaide interjected, “what are you?—”
“This is what must be done, dearest. Unless he has come to inform you that you will not be married, that is.”
“On the contrary, Lady Wynn. I have proposed, and she has accepted.”
While not strictly the truth, it was not as though Lady Adelaide could say otherwise. There was no changing what had to be done, for if Mr. Hargrave was as vengeful as Cassian believed him to be, there would be no escaping him.
“Is that true?” Lady Wynn asked her daughter, who nodded sheepishly. “Very well, then. Welcome to the family, Your Grace.”
“That will not be necessary,” Cassian replied, turning to Lady Adelaide. “Ours will be a marriage of convenience only. There shall be no demands, no expectations, and absolutely no affection. All our marriage will offer is protection in name and in law. Do you understand?”
He could see her fighting with herself. No lady wanted to be in a loveless marriage, but then not many ladies in her position received offers either. He knew that she would accept, for she did not have a choice, but that did not mean she would be pleased with it.
That was just as well, for he did not take any pleasure in it either.
“If you refuse,” he added in a low voice, “Mr. Hargrave will ruin you. He will also drag me down with you, and I will not stand for either.”
At last, her defenses were broken. She seemed to accept defeat just as he had, and though he could not claim to be pleased that she looked so miserable, at least it meant that there were no hopes in her to be dashed. Had she thought that she could change his mind, there would have only been more trouble.
“Then we shall get married,” she said softly.
“Very well. It shall be done within the week.”
“A week?”
“Yes. The ceremony will not be what you might have dreamed of, but I will do what I can. I will see you then.”
He turned to leave, but Lady Wynn called him back. He turned to find Lady Adelaide glowering at her, but the older woman seemed rather unaware that anything was amiss.
“Would you at least like to stay for tea? I should like to get to know my son-in-law.”
“That will not be necessary,” he replied in a cool tone. “You and I will not speak with one another.”
“What do you mean?”
“I won’t be frequenting this place. Though, of course, I will not stop your daughter from visiting.”
“But my mother will be alone,” Lady Adelaide argued. “I am her only child.”
“Which is precisely why you will be free to come and go as you please. I did not want a wife, so for all intents and purposes, I shall act as though I do not have one. I urge you to do the same.”
It was harsh and not the proposal a lady deserved, but he did not want to get her hopes up. He would not be a cruel husband, but he would not be a good one either, and he wanted her to be aware of that before he put the ring on her finger.
Then again, it was not as though she was able to turn him away, even if it was not what she wanted.
He had named it a marriage of convenience, but as he climbed into his carriage, he laughed emptily at just how inconvenient it all was. He was better off alone, without someone to thinkof, and that could not change simply because he had pitied her once.
And she was better off, he decided, without being tied to a man like him. They would be married and live in the same house, but she would not see him. There was no other way for them to be, he was certain of it.
Even if he felt a pang in his chest at the fact that he was to blame for it.
CHAPTER 4
Come to the gardens. Now. Alone.
