“You wished to speak,” she said, more cautiously now.
“Yes,” he said, remembering why he was there, “What were you thinking?”
“About what?”
“The lake,” he said. “Or is that simply part of today’s entertainment? Nearly drowning yourself in front of the entire party?”
Her eyes widened.
“I did not intend-”
“You did not intend,” he repeated. “You never intend, you simply do as you wish.”
She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing at him as if he had been the one to do something wrong.
“I fell. It is not as though I intended to do it.”
“You tipped the balance of the boat,” he shot back.
“That was not deliberate.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?” he demanded. “After that other stunt of yours? What is next, releasing the dogs? Setting the house on fire with everyone inside?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I am beginning to wonder if you have,” he said coldly.
Her expression hardened, and he remembered what his grandmother had said.
“You cannot think I did that on purpose.”
“I think you are reckless enough not to care what happens to yourself,” he replied. “And apparently unconcerned with the consequences for anyone else.”
“That is unfair.”
“Is it?” he said. “You place yourself in danger repeatedly. You provoke, you defy, and then you look surprised.”
She stepped closer, her eyes searching his, and in spite of himself he could not find a trace of duplicity in her eyes. It was a terrible accusation for him to have made, especially knowing that there was a young child in the boat that could easily have been risked, but he knew how it seemed.
“You think this is about ruining your party, yes?”
“I think it is about you trying to escape responsibility.”
“You also think I enjoy being paraded around,” she shot back. “You think I enjoy being watched, judged. Placed wherever your grandmother finds most convenient.”
He hesitated. She saw it, and she said the word grandmother like it burned her throat. He had not intended for her to take his grandmother’s opinions to heart, but it was clear that she had.
But her actions had only proven such accusations, and George was certain that Cassandra could see that. If she wanted to be perceived differently, she certainly was not acting as though she did.
“Do you think I wish to humiliate myself?” she continued, quieter now. “Do you think I would choose this?”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you do not understand how close you came to serious harm.”
“I understand that perfectly.”
They stood facing one another, the air between them thick. She took a breath.
“You assume that I act without thought, and yet you never ask why.”
