“Will you tell me…” Collin breathed slower, trying to calm his ire. “Will you tell me what happened?”
The sound of footsteps rushing toward the room had Cassandra standing and continuing to remove the dressing. The housekeeper’s arms were full of bandages. “Here you are, my lady.”
“Dora, please stay and assist. I can’t do this by myself.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Closing his eyes, Collin gritted his teeth against the pain. Frustration built inside him, and he wanted to scream. She was purposely holding off on telling him what happened that terrible day. But why? After all this time had passed, why couldn’t she at least tell the one man who needed to know the truth? Hadn’t he waited long enough?
Apparently not, because she took her time applying ointment and then slowly placing new bandages around his head. The housekeeper stood by her mistress’s side, even though he mentally willed the older lady to leave.
Weariness filled him the longer he waited, and he feared that by the time she was finished, he wouldn’t be ready to hear her confession. All he could do was pray that she hadn’t been the woman Kentwood warned him about. But what else could Collin think? After all, she had willingly gone to a secluded cottage to meet with his cousin, instead of waiting for Collin to meet her.
Silence filled the room, yet he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He moaned from the pain throbbing in his skull. Then he finally heard a noise. It sounded like a teacup clicking against a saucer. Seconds later, he smelled the fragrance of the tea and the steam from the cup as it touched his mouth.
“Drink this, my lord,” Cassandra said calmly.
When the cup touched his lips, he opened up and sipped the warm liquid. The tea was what he needed, because it gradually made the shivers inside him vanish. It also made his mind close until the pain was gone.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassandra forced herselfto climb out of bed. She rang for her maid to help her dress and get ready for the day. Although she didn’t want to check on Collin, she knew that was required of her, since he was a guest in her home.
She should have held her tongue when she spoke with him last. Shereallyshouldn’t have left the room after telling him something that he would most certainly question later. This morning, however, she had more courage. Last night, her body had shaken with the mere thought of what had happened a little over one year ago, and bringing up the past would be devastating.
Nor would it change the way she felt or what had happened to ruin her life. He’d confessed that he remembered something, but apparently not everything. He didn’t know how all of this was his fault.
When she was satisfied with her toilette, she slowly walked to Collin’s room. Her heart hammered fast, but she tried to keep the rest of her body as calm as she possibly could.
Reaching his door, she hesitated. Did she really want to go inside, knowing she had to answer questions? Unfortunately, it was better to get it over with than prolong the inevitable.
She exhaled slowly and knocked on the door. She listened for his voice on the other side but was greeted with silence. Cautiously, she opened the door and peeked inside. His bedwas made and the room had been straightened. In haste, she searched for any of his items, but she couldn’t see anything without stepping further inside.
Had he left? As much as she had anticipated the day he would leave, she doubted he had returned home this soon. Or had he regained all of his memory last night after she went to bed? That would explain why he’d suddenly left without saying goodbye. If he remembered what had happened, he would surely know that because of him, her life had been ruined, which was why she loathed his very presence.
“My lady.” A man’s voice disturbed the silence.
Gasping, she swung around. When she recognized who had sneaked upon her, she sighed and placed her hand on her throat, where her pulse was still throbbing out of control. “Stuart, I did not hear you coming.”
“Forgive me for startling you, but I came to let you know that I have finished the task you sent me to do. I tried doing it yesterday, but the storm stopped me. However, earlier, there was a break, and so I took the chance to ride to your family’s cottage.”
She grasped his hands. The man whom she had loved as an older brother for several years smiled wide. His brown eyes twinkled. He was the only one out of all the staff who had kept her sane during these days when Lloyd’s servants treated her terribly. Every day she thanked the Lord that Stuart worked for her now.
“Were my father and brothers home?”
Stuart nodded. “Your brothers were, but they were sleeping off a night of being intoxicated. Your father wasn’t at home.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. Would her brothers ever learn? “So, you gave my mother the money?”
“Yes, my lady. Your mother is taken care of now, as well as your sister.”
Cassandra sighed heavily as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
He squeezed her hands gently. “Actually, I do. Your family is my family.”
“That is how my mother thinks of you as well.”
Three months after Lloyd’s death, her father had tried to swindle money from her, and although she tried to be strong, she feared he would wear down her resistance. Then Stuart had shown up on her doorstep, inquiring about employment. She snatched him up immediately. Stuart was a dedicated servant, and she didn’t want anyone else to hire him.
