“Of course you don’t,” he said bitterly. “You’ve been pulling the strings of all of us mere mortals.”
The blood drained from her face. “What on earth do you mean?”
He faced her again, fighting to ignore her shocked and hurt expression. “For one thing, you kept Kitty’s secret about her not writing the letters.”
“What does that have to do with anything? I did that because she asked me to. Because her lack of writing ability embarrasses her.”
He could understand that, although at the moment he didn’t wish to. “You made sure I didn’t know you could save my estate.”
“I told you why. And there was another reason, too. I wanted Kitty to be settled before I let it be known that I had a substantial dowry. I knew she would require all my attention to make sure she didn’t marry a fortune hunter herself.”
“Like me,” he growled.
“I didn’t say that. But yes, when you told me that you needed a fortune, I did consider you might marryherfor it. As you might realize, that made me rather reluctant to reveal my true situation. Then you said you couldn’t marry her, wouldn’t marry her as long as it meant being near me, and everything changed.”
“Exactly. And at that moment, you should have told me the truth.”
“Really? Why? Did you expect me to accept your attentions, fearing that they were only borne of your need for my money?”
The logic of her assertions perversely infuriated him. “I expected you to be honest with me. I expected that if you cared about me, you wouldn’t have let me believe I was losing everything by marrying you.”
“I tried! Last night, I said I wanted to tell you something, and you said it didn’t matter.”
He dragged in a breath. She was right. Shehadtried to tell him. So he shouldn’t complain. But part of him was still furious. She’d known he was worried about their future. About their income. She could have relieved his fears at any time.
Yet she’d chosen not to. “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. I will act as I must, independent of what you believe or think about me.”
“Heywood, please . . .”
“No, I won’t listen.” He slid from the bed, his face stormy. “You are not the woman I took you for. I don’t want a wife who sees me as some . . . fortune-hunting scoundrel. Keep your dowry. I can go on perfectly well without it.”
Heywood expected her to beg. To express a suitable remorse for having hidden the truth from him. Then he would take her into his arms, say that he loved her, and graciously accept her money. And all would be well.
But he hadn’t reckoned on Cass’s pride. She rose from the bed and said, as if she weren’t standing there without a stitch on, “I understand. Thank you for setting me straight about what you feel for me.” Then she drew on her nightdress and wrapper and left.
He stood there, not sure what had just happened. Cass had walked away from him, even though he’d taken her innocence.
Cass had refused him.
Very well. If she wanted things that way, it was fine by him. Let her put some other hapless fellow through her test or whatever it was she was up to. He would not have his strings pulled. No, indeed. Nothim.
He left the room, intending to find his own room and sleep. But by some strange alignment in the stars, he ran into his mother. Damn.
“You’re up very early,” Mother said.
“I find it hard to sleep when my life is in turmoil.”
“You mean, when the woman you love is bereft and confused.”
He tensed. “What are you talking about?”
His mother stared at him. “You know perfectly well. I happened to glimpse Cass, that lovely young lady who adores you, going up the stairs to her room and looking quite upset. Can you truthfully say she was not with you?”
A pox on it. How was it that his mother always knew everything going on in their house? “It’s none of your concern.”
“Oh. So you mean to cut me out of the matter the same way you cutherout of it.”
“I didn’t . . . I wasn’t . . .” Damn his mother for knowing how his mind worked. Feeling a need to defend himself, he said, “She has a fortune. Did you know that? All this time . . .”
