Daphne told her. The whole awful thing. When she was finished Cass gave her a sympathetic smile. “That doesn’t sound good, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t. It wasn’t and I—” Daphne slapped her palm to her forehead and groaned in pain. “Oh, fiddle! Fiddle! Fiddle!”
“What?” Cass touched a hand to her throat.
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut and scowled. “I just remembered. I tried to kiss him again last night in the garden. He stepped away from me. That’s why I fell on top of him.”
“You fell on top of him?”
“Yes.”
“Because he moved away when you tried to kiss him?”
“Yes. Oh, Cass, Lord Fitzwell was right to leave me. I am a shameless hussy. A harlot. A wanton.”
Cass was obviously fighting a smile.
“Don’t laugh at me, Cass,” Daphne said miserably.
“I’m sorry, dear. Truly I am, but I think you’re far from a wanton for trying to kiss Captain Cavendish in the garden. You must remember, you are married, dear. You keep forgetting. And he may have stepped away from you last night but he kissed you in the library, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. He may have had other reasons for stepping away last night.”
“I know Julian threatened to murder him, but—”
“What?”
“Julian told me. He had two conditions for allowing me to go with Rafe tonight. The first is that I remain safe. The second is to not touch me.”
“Well, no wonder. Captain Cavendish is trying to do the honorable thing. He wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if he kissed an intoxicated lady, would he? Not to mention he’d promised her brother to keep his hands to himself.”
“But I don’t want him to keep his hands to himself,” Daphne groaned.
A gasp sounded from the other side of the closed door and Cass turned wide eyes to Daphne.
Daphne simply shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I suspect it’s just Delilah. She has her ear pressed to the door.”
“I do not!” came Delilah’s disgruntled voice.
“You might as well come in, Dee,” Daphne called. “And please mind the door slamming. I have the devil of a head.”
The door opened and Delilah, a huge white satin bow in her hair and a fresh white day dress on, came prancing in. She closed the door with extreme care. “Very well, I might have been listening, a little.”
“I never doubted it,” Daphne replied.
Delilah came to stand at the foot of the bed. “What does it feel like to have a devil of a head?”
Daphne groaned again. “It’s dreadful and I hope you never find out.”
“I’d have the devil of a head in an instant if it meant I would end up rolling about in the grass with Captain Cavendish.”
Daphne’s jaw dropped. “Delilah, I swear, if you tell anyone—”
“I know. I know. Don’t worry. I intend to remain entirely silent on the matter.”
Daphne laid her head back against the pillows and rubbed her temples. A memory pushed itself through her hazy mind. “Did you tell Lord Fitzwell where to find me last night, Delilah?”
