“You see!” Griffin’s eyes gleamed while his smile looked annoyingly smug.
Caleb pressed his lips together and scowled. “Miss Clemens would never have given me a second glance if she’d known who I really was,” he argued.
Griffin shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right. But maybe you’re not. In any event, she’s not giving you a second glance now, that much is certain. If you’d been honest from the start, however, she might have grown to like you eventually, regardless of whatever prejudice she has toward your title. And then it would have been because she’d gotten to know the man you truly are instead of whatever fabrication you’ve been offering her since you arrived here.”
Caleb blinked. Perhaps he’d misjudged Griffin’s wisdom.
“He does have a point,” Lady Cassandra interjected.
“I didn’t offer any fabrication,” Caleb protested. “I’m still the same man she’s been getting to know these past two months.”
“With one important distinction being that you’re now a duke worth more than fifty thousand pounds as opposed to the penniless laborer who fixes roofs for a living,” Griffin said. “Ironically, most women I’ve known would so much rather have the former instead of the latter. Most would be overjoyed to discover your newly elevated position.”
Not Mary though. “Miss Clemens is different.”
Lady Cassandra grinned. “That she is, Your Grace, but you mustn’t lose heart just yet. Not if you truly want her, though I would like to ask about your intentions before we go any further.”
Caleb smiled because here at last was a question he could answer without hesitation. “I mean to marry her, my lady.”
Lady Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “Indeed? And has Miss Clemens given any indication that she would be willing to consider such a possibility?”
“Well, she…I mean…that is…” He cleared his throat, ignored Lady Cassandra’s deepening frown and Griffin’s low chuckle, and decided to try again. “Not in exact terms, but—”
“You see,” Lady Cassandra said, “Miss Clemens was put off marriage five years ago when your brother decided she was good enough to flirt with and kiss but not to wed.”
“He was an ass,” Caleb grumbled. “At least where Miss Clemens was concerned.”
“Unfortunately, he has also made your quest for Miss Clemens’s hand so much harder. And then on top of it all, you turned out to be everything she has spent five years running away from: a man who cannot be trusted.”
“I wanted to tell her,” Caleb said. “I was prepared to do so, but she stopped me and…” He pushed his fingers through his hair and stared down at the carpet. “She thinks I played her for a fool now, doesn’t she?”
“Wouldn’t you, if you were in her position?”
As much as he hated it, he had to nod in agreement. “I believe I would.”
“So then the question remains,” Lady Cassandra said after a pause. She waited for him to meet her gaze before continuing. “What are you going to do about it?”
The immediate answer that came to mind was, “I’ve no idea.” Instinct told him to chase her as fast and as furiously as he could muster, but common sense warned against doing so. “She needs time to come to terms with what she has learned,” he said, unsure if what he was going to do was the right way forward. “Perhaps it would be easier for her if I went back to London.”
Lady Cassandra’s eyes widened. “You mean to leave?”
“Absence does make the heart grow fonder,” Griffin said as if reciting Shelley or Byron.
Caleb cast him a frown to which Griffin responded with a mischievous smirk. “Why did you come to find me?” he asked. “I can only assume Mama requested you do so because you would not have left London for any other reason. Not after years of being away. There would be too much catching up to do, too many friends to see.” For while Caleb had always enjoyed time away in the country, Griffin had yearned for the city, while Devlin had felt himself drawn to the sea.
Predictably, Griffin dipped his head in acquiescence. “You are correct, dear brother. Mama was concerned about you and rightfully so, considering she hasn’t heard a word from you since you left with no indication of when you’d return. And Aldridge refused to give you up until I got back. Had to threaten him with a duel before he agreed to tell me the truth.” Griffin fidgeted with his sleeve. “I assured him you’d forgive him.”
Caleb snorted. “Not very likely, considering the result of his divulgence.”
“You cannot blame my brother for your own idiocy,” Lady Cassandra told him bluntly. “This entire mess is of your own creation, Camberly, so I ask you again, what will you do to fix it?”
“As we discussed, leaving might be for the best,” Caleb said.
Lady Cassandra’s mouth dropped open. “As we discussed?” She gave an incredulous laugh. “It’s no wonder you’re rubbish at this when you make assumptions so easily.Wediscussed nothing.Youhad an idea, andIhave yet to decide if it is any good or not.”
Caleb sighed. “If I stay, I will be the problem that refuses to go away. Mary will be forced to face me whether she wants to or not, which is part of the reason why she ran from London in the first place. But if I go, I give her control. She will have the power to decide whether she wishes to see me again and when.”
“That…” Lady Cassandra stared back at him for a lengthy moment. “I think that’s very thoughtful and honorable of you, Camberly. I also believe it could work in your favor and win back her trust, if done correctly.”
