Chapter Seventeen
The Duke was absent the day before the wedding.
Cassandra was simply told that he was otherwise occupied, and that he would be working that day. She did not mind so much, for she did not know, in all honesty, what she would say to him even if he was there. Even so, when she arrived at breakfast she caught herself searching the room for him.
“I have someone for you,” the Dowager said brightly when she saw her. “I was hoping you might come to greet them with me, given the circumstances?”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
Cassandra did not trust the woman, but she allowed herself to hope all the same that it was to be for her benefit. She wondered if a friend had been invited, or if someone was to arrive to assist in final wedding preparations. She would never have considered that the Dowager suddenly approved of her, for she knew itwould never be the case, but there had to be kindness in the lady somewhere.
Except, when she stepped out into the front, she was proven wrong in an instant.
Lashton was unmistakable. His hair was longer than she recalled, but it was undeniably him. She felt the hairs on her arms stand on end, and her heart began to race. It was not, however, the wonderful way that she felt when it was the Duke causing it. Instead, it felt as though every ounce of her being was urging her to run away.
“Lady Cassandra,” he greeted. “It is so good to see you.”
“And she is most happy to see you, too,” the Dowager replied for her. “Shall we take tea? I have had it prepared in the drawing room.”
“Actually,” Cassandra said suddenly, not thinking, “I was wondering if I may speak with you, Your Grace? I must ask you about– about the wedding tomorrow.”
“Everything is in hand.”
“Yes, but I wanted to ask your advice. You have… you have such great taste, and I would not want to disregard your wants.”
That seemed to satisfy the older woman, who glanced between her and Lord Lashton before sighing.
“Very well, but it cannot take long. I have plans.”
Cassandra raised an eyebrow. Was her plan not to join them for tea? Regardless, Lashton was taken to the drawing room to wait, and Cassandra took the Dowager to a smaller room, one that offered privacy.
“I know what you are doing,” Cassandra said firmly.
“I do not know what you are referring to. I thought you might appreciate some closure before you–”
“Do not treat me as though I am a fool.”
Her tone was colder than it had ever been before, but she could not help it. The lady before her had hated her from the moment they had met one another, and she had tried to hide from it but she no longer could.
“Do you think that I have not noticed?” Cassandra continued. “You look at me as though I am a stain on your household, and when you dare to speak with me it is as though I am all but five. I may not be the brilliant and wealthy young lady you expected for your grandson, but I am hardly a disgrace. Even so, you have had objections to this match from the beginning. My only question is why, and I believe I have a right to know.”
The Dowager paced the floor for a moment, not looking in her direction, and then she sighed, followed by a small laugh.Cassandra wished that she understood the woman, but she never had.
“If you do not understand why I do not want you here,” she said at last, “then it only proves that I am right to treat you as I have. I cannot allow my only grandson to marry someone so simple. The truth, Lady Cassandra, is that you are not good enough for him. That is not entirely your fault, of course; you could have been the very best lady that you could be, and I would still have refused to comply. You are not the sort of lady that can become a duchess. It is not for girls of your sort.”
“Of mysort?I am a lady, and a member of the nobility just as much as you. No, I may not be from the most illustrious family of theton, and I may not be a meek and mild debutante from an extraordinary background, but that does not make me unworthy of–”
“A duchess would never speak the way that you do. You do not know your place, yet another reason why this life is not yours to have. I have seen the way you quarrel with him, and if you think that I would ever allow that under my roof then you are very much mistaken. My dear grandson shall have a wife that cares about him, not one that tears him apart.”
Cassandra thought back to the time she had shared with him and wondered if that was what everyone else saw. They had had their differences, to be certain, but she had never considered that those around them thought there was any hatred there. She did not hate the man, and if she were honest with herself she never had. He challenged her, and he made her question herself,but in his absence she noted that that was precisely what she had needed.
If she had the match that the Dowager was describing, one where neither partner questioned the other, then she would have been bored within a matter of days. His innate ability to make her question her actions was one of the traits that she loved most about him.
The word startled her, but she tried not to show it.
“I do not tear him apart,” she argued. “Do you know what does that, Your Grace? Having his every desire refused, only to be replaced by whatever it is that you think is better for him. You have never once stopped to wonder what was truly best for him. You simply remember an agreement that was made years ago and keep to it, without considering whether or not it is right.”
“How dare you?” she snapped. “My son was an intelligent man, and he knew what was best for this family. He would only have made a decision if it was the right one, and I refuse to believe that you could possibly know better than him.”
