Oh, Lord, please help me!
Chapter Five
Thirteen months earlier
“Two men arecoming this way!”
The squeal from the sixteen-year-old Olivia and the quick footsteps on the wooden floor had Cassandra pausing in the middle of playing one of Mozart’s pieces on the pianoforte. She spun on the stool and glanced at her sister standing by the window, wringing her hands. Cassandra looked past her sibling to see what the commotion was about. Even from a distance, it was obvious the two men were nicely dressed, and walked straight and tall. She would bet they were noblemen.
Shaking her head, she pushed the silly notion from her head.Noblemen?Although her grandfather had been a baron, his firstborn son and family had been shunned from Society because of the Featherstones’ gambling habits. Cassandra’s family was impoverished, and it was quite embarrassing to have anyone wealthy drop by to visit them. It surprised her, since it had never happened. Until now.
Olivia gawked at the men who slowly walked toward their home. She sucked in a breath and ran her hands over her ringlets of blonde hair before frantically pulling on the ties of the apron around her waist.
“Cassandra, I believe they are lords.”
Olivia struggled with the apron, so Cassandra moved away from the musical instrument and stepped behind her younger sister to finish removing the garment.
“Liv, you need to calm down and stop making a spectacle of yourself.” She pulled her sister’s elbow, moving her away from their visitors’ view. “And for heaven’s sake, you don’t need to let them know you have been watching out the window this whole time.”
“What do you think they are doing? Why would they come to see us?” Olivia’s brown eyes twinkled with excitement.
“I honestly believe they are lost.” Cassandra gave a sharp nod. “Why else would two gentlemen be coming toward our home without a proper invitation?”
“I wonder why they aren’t in a carriage,” Olivia muttered, and peered out the window again.
Cassandra pulled on her sister’s arm, getting her attention. “They are nearly here. Father needs to be informed. Make haste, before the men reach our porch.”
Olivia rushed out of the parlor and clambered up the stairs, calling for their pa in a high-pitched voice. Cassandra grimaced. Only the deaf and deceased would not be able to hear such a ruckus. Then again, as loud as her sister was, maybe that class of people could hear anyway.
Releasing a nervous breath, Cassandra smoothed her palms over the outdated material of her blue day dress. Funds had been extremely hard to come by, and her mother tried her best to adjust the girls’ dresses each year. Unfortunately, Cassandra had almost outgrown her clothes. Her bosom was nearly too large for the bodice.
A loud knock rattled the front door, making Cassandra jump. Her heartbeat quickened. She, too, would like to know what these two men were doing out in the middle of nowhere and without a carriage.
Slowly, she stepped toward the door, keeping her shoulders straight and trying to at least appear as though she had been raised by a proper father, despite her shabby attire. She stopped, inhaled a refreshing breath to calm her fiercely beating heart, and opened the door.
When she got her first look at the two gentlemen, she nearly sighed aloud. Both were tall, but the man with wavy sandy-blond hair had wider shoulders. Both were handsome, but the more slender man with brown hair wasn’t scowling like his friend, which, in her opinion, made him the better looking of the two.
“Pardon our unannounced visit,” the man with brown hair said, bowing slightly. “I’m Lord Kentwood, and this is Lord Hanover.”
She curtsied. It surprised her that the man with broader shoulders hadn’t shown her respect by bowing. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My father is Baron Featherstone. I’m his daughter, Miss Featherstone.”
Lord Kentwood smiled. “The pleasure is all ours, I assure you.”
She tried not to let his compliment get to her. After all, she was certain this smooth-talking lord was a rogue, as was his friend. But it didn’t matter—their very presence caused her mind to go blank. Not often did she get the opportunity to converse with handsome, titled men.
“Miss Featherstone,” Lord Kentwood continued, “Lord Hanover and I are stranded. Our carriage wheel is broken, and we are in hopes that your father will be able to help us out of our predicament.”
A gust of wind came out of nowhere, pushing the men from behind. Lord Hanover stumbled forward, practically falling against her. His large hands grasped her shoulders, and his head bumped against hers. A sharp pain rushed through her temples, and she groaned.
“Pardon me, Miss Featherstone,” the lord muttered, and quickly withdrew, moving back on the porch. “Forgive me for knocking into you. It was very ill-mannered of me.”
Feeling uncomfortable from the brief contact, she forced a laugh. “It was not your fault, my lord. We must put the blame on the wind.”
He nodded, but the scowl remained on his face. Cassandra could tell this man was not happy about their situation. Either that, or touching a penniless waif disgusted him more than he had realized. However, Lord Kentwood’s eyes gleamed with mirth, and he chuckled over his friend’s clumsiness. Indeed, this lord was much flirtier. She enjoyed his cheerful attitude.
“Please,” Cassandra said, moving back and opening the door wider, “why don’t you come inside, out of the wind?” She glanced at the sky. Gray clouds billowed in the distance. “It appears a storm is brewing.”
Just as the two men entered, the stairs creaked as her pa and two brothers scampered down the stairs, heading toward them. Her older brother, Charles, tripped and almost fell into their father. Thankfully, Charles righted himself before causing them to all roll down the steps.
