“Not so memorably.”
They found the arrow lodged in the soft earth beyond the target line. Cassandra bent to retrieve it, brushing dirt from the shaft with unnecessary care.
“I do not like doing things badly in front of others,” she said suddenly. “I never have. I am always laughed at, or reminded that I should have practiced more, tried harder, been better. It becomes exhausting.”
The Duke was quiet for a moment.
“This is about music, yes?” he asked, “I heard you play with your cousins. You played beautifully.”
She froze.
“That is not true,” she said at once. “You are lying.”
“I am not.”
“You were surrounded by other guests,” she pressed. “They were laughing. It has always been dreadful.”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “So I blocked them out.”
She stared at him.
“I focused on your violin,” he went on. “On the way you played, how you were far better than the other two.”
Her grip tightened on the arrow.
“No one hears that,” she said quietly.
“I did,” he replied.
The words settled between them, unsettling in their sincerity.
She looked away first.
“If you are trying to flatter me–”
“I am not flattering you.”
“Then why tell me now?”
“Because you believe yourself incapable,” he said. “And that belief is inaccurate. Also, you refused to listen to me when I tried to tell you before.”
They stood too close. He gestured toward the bow in her hands. She hesitated, then handed it to him.
“I will show you properly,” he said. “So you do not feel embarrassed when we return.”
He positioned her feet, hands light at her waist. She was acutely aware of every point of contact, each adjustment made with deliberate care.
“Relax,” he murmured. “You are holding tension where it is unnecessary. Now, raise your arm slightly.”
She did. Their fingers brushed as he corrected her grip once, then again. Neither of them stepped away. She drew the string back more carefully this time, breath shallow.
“Good,” he said. “Now release.”
The arrow struck the tree before her, not the center, but close enough. Her eyes widened at her victory.
“I did it.”
“You did,” he agreed.
