“Indeed. I do love tomatoes,” Cassandra replied.
Within seconds, Bentley and Riddle carried in Collin and placed him on the bed. Thankfully, the men were not wet, which meant they had made it inside the manor before the sky opened with moisture.
Cassandra and Dora assisted in removing the injured man’s clothes, but before Collin’s trousers or shirt could be taken off, the housekeeper raised a hand, stopping everyone.
“Lady Kentwood,” Dora began. “I realize you are widowed, but it isn’t proper to be in the room as we undress another man.”
Inwardly, Cassandra groaned. Her housekeeper was correct, and being in here would only injure her reputation that much more. “Fine, I shall leave, but once you are finished, I need to return and bandage his head.”
“Yes, my lady.” Dora nodded and escorted Cassandra to the door.
Once Cassandra walked into the hall, the housekeeper closed the door. The pounding in Cassandra’s head grew worse, and she rubbed her temples. This really couldn’t be happening. Her luck had turned from bad to worse. What in the blazes was Collin Worthington doing at her estate? What had made him want tofollow when she returned home after trying to humiliate him in front of his brother’s wedding guests?
She hoped to get answers soon. The wait would surely drive her insane.
Chapter Three
Growling, Cassandra pacedthe hall in front of the bedroom. Had Collin followed her back to the manor to apologize? Or had he just wanted to air his grievances about their past, since she hadn’t really given him a chance to speak his mind? Either way, it might have gotten him killed.
She stopped and leaned against the railing, peering down the stairs to the manor’s main level. Who could have possibly wanted to hurt him? Bentley said he saw a servant running away, yet she doubted her servants would have been so bold to strike a titled lord. In the year she had known them, she saw they were not even brave enough to face her irate husband, and they rarely spoke to her, since they knew she was from a lower class of people.
The ache in her head from these unknown questions moved her feet again as she resumed her pacing. If not for the storm, she would have sent riders out to fetch the doctor and the constable. Purposely causing harm to a noble was against the law and might get the person hanged. But they first needed to find the responsible party.
The grandfather clock from the corridor downstairs chimed the hour, and she stopped. Had she been waiting out here for nearly an hour already? And where was Marybeth with the bandages, and Tabitha with the water? These servants werebecoming lazy now that Lloyd had died, but she would make sure they still did their duties.
She couldn’t stand the waiting, but entering the room would be highly improper. Especially after what Dora had said. And once the servants heard the gossip about what happened this morning at Hanover Hall, she knew they would judge her, even though it wasn’t their place to do so.
Since her husband’s death, Cassandra had done all she could to repair the reputation that had fallen on the Kentwood name, especiallyhername—but to no avail. Of course, the village believed that she had killed her own husband only two days after they were wed. Almost everyone knew neither bride nor groom were happy about the marriage. But her husband’s death had only made people gossip more. Rumors had spread that Cassandra was the one who drove him to drink, and that she encouraged him to go out on the boat with his friends, knowing that other unwed women had been invited to join them. Cassandra found this particular story odd, especially knowing that the servants actually believed it. How she could have allowed her husband to be with his friends that night when she hadn’t seen him since their wedding?
When she learned of the marquess’s death, she had cried, although they were tears of relief. A few days later, when her husband’s solicitor informed her that Collin Worthington would be inheriting the title, she cried again, but out of frustration and anger.
She glared at the closed door. Why had Collin followed her from his brother’s wedding today? She prayed he wouldn’t die, because she needed to know why he had done all those things to her. Perhaps hearing his story would finally make her put him out of her mind.
Her heart twisted in confusion from everything that had happened, and the emotion angered her. She moved down thestairs to find herlostmaids. It disturbed her greatly to think that Collin would want to see her. Recalling the way he had gazed at her earlier today also upset her. He actually appeared happy to see her.Impossible!
Perhaps he had followed her back to the manor because he wanted to smile at her in that charming way of his that in the past had weakened her body. Did he think he could swoop back into her life now that she was a widow? Well, he had another thing coming if that was his plan.
She would not allow him to hold her against his strong chest, and she would definitely not let him kiss her passionately—or kiss her at all. Collin Worthington was sadly mistaken if that was his purpose in coming to the manor today. She would not give him a moment of her time. He didn’t deserve it.
As she neared the kitchen, she heard the maids’ high-pitched twittering. Apparently, it was more important to gossip than do their job. When Cassandra reached the door, she heard one of them say her name. Although she shouldn’t care what they were saying, she stopped and listened closer.
“I don’t know what Lady Kentwood expected from her outburst at Lord Adrian’s wedding, but I’m tired of hearing her speak as if she was the one ruined.”
Cassandra gritted her teeth. That was Tabitha’s voice. This would be that maid’s last day working for her, and she wouldnotgive her a good recommendation.
“After all,” Tabitha continued, “any woman should have known about Lord Kentwood’s sullied reputation, and because Cassandra didn’t turn away the man’s attentions, that confirmed to me what I already knew. The woman was nothing but a—”
Cassandra quickly stepped into the room and glared at Tabitha. The maid’s mouth hung open and her face paled.
“Lady Kentwood,” Marybeth gasped as she curtsied.
Folding her arms, Cassandra narrowed her eyes on the maids. “When the bandages and warm water I requested nearly an hour ago had not been delivered, I decided to see if something terrible had happened to the two of you.” She arched an eyebrow. “And now that I know you are still alive, I expect you to bring me what I need, posthaste.” She paused and lifted a chin. “And once you have done that, I expect the two of you to pack your things and leave this place. I don’t need your kind of help any further.”
She kept her shoulders back and walked out of the kitchen, holding in her dignity. Although some of the servants wanted to take the self-worth from her, she was determined to keep it.
Once she reached the stairs, she hurried up them, faster than when she had descended to find the maids. On the second level, she noticed the guest room door open and Dora exiting. The strain of the afternoon was on the older woman’s face, and Cassandra wasn’t certain if she was just exhausted, or if something dreadful had happened to Collin.
She hurried to the housekeeper. “Is he still…alive?”
