Chapter 60
Her position at court gave her access to people whose opinions mattered. She knew how the queen’s council functioned, which nobles could be persuaded and which would require something more substantial.
She knew how easily a proposal could be weakened by the right opposition and how useful the right alliances could become.
If the bill passed, the consequences for Simon would be considerable.
Cassandra began writing again.
A legally binding arrangement could give her everything she needed.
Draven’s name.
His title.
His wealth.
His influence.
His protection.
And in return, she could help him secure something he wanted.
If her family was so determined to see her married, then she would oblige them but only on her own terms, and in a manner that would benefit her greatly.
The arrangement began to take shape in her mind with surprising ease.
They would marry and stay married for the agreed period. Two years. That should be enough time for her to ruin her enemies and uncover the conspiracy that wanted the queen dead.
And Cassandra would have achieved something equally important: she would have secured herself a powerful husband and an independent position from which her enemies would find it much harder to touch her.
As duchess, she would have access to the position and resources she needed to protect herself and dismantle those who had wronged her.
He would have a wife capable of helping him advance the legislation that could secure his succession.
It was a beneficial transaction for both parties involved.
At least, that was what Cassandra told herself, even as her mind moved to the next possibility.
What if the bill still failed to pass after her efforts?
It was a very real probability to consider.
Luckily, there was another way to solve Draven’s problem. Though it wouldn’t be her first choice, nor one she was particularly looking forward to.
Even considering it left her stomach in knots.
She could give him an heir.
A legitimate son would accomplish what the legislation was intended to accomplish by pushing his cousin back in the line of succession.
But that possibility was different from everything else she had written.
A bill could be negotiated, so could an alliance. But a child was a different matter entirely.
Cassandra’s fingers tapped lightly on the desk as she considered the predicament in front of her and the uncomfortable wave of vulnerability that came with it.
He would gain not only her support and loyalty, but also access to her person for as long as their marriage lasted.
It was a deeply daunting prospect. She had already endured one marriage in the past and she knew all too well what it meant to place herself in another person’s hands and give them control over her life.
What if she was wrong about Draven?
What if his honorable reputation concealed something darker?
What if she married him believing she had found a means of securing her freedom, only to discover that she had merely exchanged one cage for another?
She could not dismiss her concerns no matter how hard she tried.
Yet she would not allow herself to be ruled by fear.
She could not remain on dry land and expect to catch the largest fish in the river. If she wanted the power she craved, she would eventually have to step into the water.
The question was whether Draven was worth the risk.
Beside his name she drew a small question mark.
She needed more information before she approached him.
Cassandra began to consider what more she would need to know about him.
Her inquiries would have to be discreet. She did not want Draven learning that she was inquiring about him before she had decided whether to approach him at all.
She needed to understand his relationship with Simon fully. Not merely whether they disliked one another, but how deeply the conflict between them ran.
She needed to know whether Simon depended upon Draven financially, whether Draven had made any attempts to distance himself from him, and whether there had been any disputes between them that might reveal the true nature of their relationship.
She needed to know Draven’s stands on marriage and his commitment to the inheritance bill.
Cassandra set the quill aside and gathered the pages, studying them once more before folding them carefully. She slipped them into the drawer of her desk and locked it.
She had no intention of approaching Draven until she understood him better.
When she finally did, she would go to him with an offer that would place the two of them on the same level. Equals. That was what they had to be if any of these was going to work.
Only then would she know whether the Duke of Norham could become an ally, or whether he would become another danger she had failed to anticipate.
***
The morning after her sleepless night, Cassandra sought out Adrian.
She had spent the better part of the night putting her thoughts in order, and by dawn, one conclusion had settled firmly in her mind.
She could not control every circumstance that she might find herself in, nor could she predict every person who might decide to take advantage of her. What she could do was make certain that she was not entirely helpless when danger came.
Influence would take time to acquire. Alliances would take time to build. Whatever arrangement she eventually made with Draven would not happen overnight, and even if everything went according to plan, there would always be situations in which neither a title nor a political connection could help her.
In such situations, she needed to know how to protect herself.
Adrian was therefore the obvious person to ask.
She found him in his rooms where he had been attempting to occupy himself with a stack of correspondence.
The effort was not going particularly well. His attention wandered too often, and Cassandra suspected that his mother’s illness had made it difficult for him to concentrate on anything that did not involve her.
When he looked up and saw her standing there, his expression brightened slightly.
Cassandra did not waste
time with pleasantries, going straight to the matter that brought her there.
"I want you to teach me how to shoot."