“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not the sort of woman Mr. Malet notices.”
“Then he’s a fool.”
Damn. He hadn’t meant to say that. He wished they could escape the stagnant air of the carriage, to where the frosty temperatures could clear his mind.
A long silence ensued. She gazed out the window, and the glow of moonlight on snow turned her profile into a study in alabaster and ivory.
Alabaster and ivory . . . what maudlin nonsense. What was next, the sun turning her profile into fire opals and rubies? It was Kitty he should be gazing at, if he meant to live up to his responsibilities. But his eyes stayed on Cass’s silhouette.
“Anyway,” she said after a moment, “it wouldn’t matter if hewasinterested in me. I’d never choose him.”
“I’m glad to hear it. A woman of your caliber would be wasted on Malet.”
Judging from her sharp intake of breath, that was another remark he should not have made. But he wouldn’t take it back.
She cleared her throat. “Is your family at Armitage Hall?”
“My mother, brother, and sister are, at the very least. So you needn’t worry about you and Kitty not being properly chaperoned.”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t want to see Kitty ruined.”
He stared hard at Cass. “You’re not worried about your own ruin?”
“I learned long ago how to keep myself out of the line of fire.”
Her uneasy laugh gave him pause. “Interesting choice of words.”
She shrugged. “I’m a soldier’s cousin. Besides, no one cares enough about a poor relation to attempt her ruin.” Her eyes glimmered in the dark. “Even you, sir.”
That told him all he needed to know. Cass wasn’t nearly as immune to him as she pretended. It shouldn’t affect him, but it did. Because he wasn’t remotely immune toher.
Damnation. She was a complication he did not need.
She folded her hands at her waist. “At least we don’t have to worry about Mr. Malet for the moment,” she said in a throaty voice.
“What do you mean?”
She nodded toward the window. “The weather outside is frightful. If he doesn’t depart until later, he’ll have trouble following us.”
Heywood frowned as he looked out. “Or even leaving Welbourne Place at all. It’s a good thing we’re headed south.”
“Indeed it is,” she said. “Though if we don’t reach Armitage Hall before long, we may yet find ourselves stranded on the road.”
“I doubt it. Let it snow. The horses are equipped with frost nails, and the estate isn’t far. Besides, Malet thinks I headed north to Gretna Green, so he’ll go in that direction first.”
“Why on earth would he think that?”
“Because that’s what I told his coachman I was doing. I figured it would buy us some time before we have to deal with the man again. The weather will be far worse up north. And when he finally does show up at my brother’s estate, we’ll be ready for him.”
“That’s assuming your mother will give refuge to two unannounced and unmarried ladies in our situation.”
He’d already considered that. “You can trust me to handle my mother’s questions to our mutual satisfaction.”
Cass tipped up her chin. “In other words, you intend to lie.”
“Would you rather I reveal all to Mother and risk being overheard by our servants? I’ve already had to buy our coachman’s silence—the fewer people who know the truth, the better. Once the gossip gets out, you’ll never repair the damage to your reputations.”
A heavy sigh escaped her. “In any case, I’m more worried about my aunt. I hate to think of her frantic over not knowing why Kitty and I have disappeared.”
