Chapter 76
Puffing up his chest, Adrian chose to ignore the warning staring him in the face. "I was merely making certain—"
He barely finished before Cassandra interrupted.
"His Grace has come all this way to speak with me, and I would prefer that we do so without an audience. I doubt the duke would appreciate you hovering nearby."
Adrian’s ears reddened slightly and Cassandra had to stop herself from smiling, else he wouldn’t take her seriously.
He grumbled something under his breath, as petulant as ever, and began walking toward the door with the reluctance of a condemned man approaching the gallows.
When he reached the door, he turned back, lips pursed.
His eyes settled upon Draven, the reason he was being chased away.
I am watching you, the look seemed to say.
Draven seemed unperturbed, if anything he looked a bit amused.
Adrian finally left and the door closed behind him.
"My apologies." She said now that it was just the two of them. "I wish I could promise you this will be the last time he behaves like this, but I fear I would be lying if I did."
Cassandra gestured toward one of the upholstered chairs, and Draven took the offered seat. She settled opposite him, arranging her skirts before resting her hands primly on her lap.
Unable to help himself, Draven found himself noticing every one of those minute movements before forcing his attention back to her face. From experience, he knew how delicate and soft her hands were. Soon she would wear his ring in one of those long, slender fingers.
"Have you read through the contract?"
He had.
The document had arrived at his residence two days after the ball, and he had gone through every clause himself before sending it to his solicitor for a second examination, just like she instructed. Not because he suspected Cassandra of trying to deceive him.
He wanted to reassure her that he was taking their arrangement every bit as seriously as she was.
She had invested considerable time and thought into it, and he saw no reason to approach something as consequential as marriage without giving it the same careful consideration.
The contract alone made it clear that she had gone to great lengths to safeguard herself against every conceivable eventuality, and he could hardly fault her for it.
Arrangements of this nature had a way of becoming complicated quickly.
His solicitor had found nothing objectionable, and neither had he.
"I have no objections. I will sign it and return a copy to you."
Cassandra’s shoulders relaxed imperceptibly.
That matter settled, Draven turned his attention to the more immediate problem.
His visit that day was merely the first move in their plan, intended to let the royal family know that he had taken an interest in their beloved Cassandra. Once they secured the queen’s approval, their courtship would have the legitimacy they needed, making the rest of their charade considerably easier to maintain.
By tomorrow, the knowledge would have travelled considerably farther than the palace walls. Precisely what they needed.
He meant to make the most of it. He could already see the plan taking shape before him, and he only hoped Cassandra could envision the countless possibilities stretching ahead as clearly as he did.
Tomorrow morning, he would call upon Cassandra again. This time, they would take a turn through Kingswood Park, where half the capital’s fashionable society would have ample opportunity to see them together, while those who did not happen to witness it would surely hear about it soon enough.
"We should look enamored," Draven was saying, a faint glint entering his eyes. "Entirely enthralled with one another."
Cassandra gave him a blank stare.
"How much more convincing do you intend for us to be?" she asked. That simple kiss on the cheek was surely all it would take to convince Adrian, and Delphine would doubtless be bursting with glee at the news.
His mouth curved slightly, and she knew at once that she would not like whatever came next.
"Sickeningly so."
And there he went, proving her right.
Draven, meanwhile, was far more pleased with the arrangement than he allowed to show. The performance would certainly serve its purpose, but the prospect of having Cassandra beside him again, with her attention occupied by him and him alone, held an appeal that had very little to do with convincing the gossips. He found himself looking forward to it more than he ought, although he had no intention of letting her discover that.
"That should send the gossips aflutter," he remarked.
The thought of being paraded about as though she were some lovestruck woman was embarrassing enough. If he meant to take liberties for the sake of appearances, however, she would have something to say about it.
She huffed indignantly. "If you are suggesting taking liberties and putting me on display, then I—"
"Nothing of the sort. I would never." This time, it was his turn to look offended, his brows drawing together as though she had wounded his honor. "You ought to know me better than that."
It was an odd thing indeed, feeling both chastened and placated at the same time. She had been too quick to assume the worst of him, yet somehow his mild rebuke left her feeling as though she had been the one in the wrong.
"Then pardon my impertinence. I shouldn’t have assumed." She felt her cheeks grow warm, which was all the more mortifying because he would surely notice. There was very little those keen eyes of his ever missed.
When she finally gathered enough courage to glance back at him, however, what she saw was not at all what she had expected. He looked deep in thought, his expression sterner than usual, and she suspected his scowl had everything to do with her.
"Do you truly have such a low opinion of me?"
She thought she might have imagined it, but he sounded almost hurt.
"No. No, of course not." She sat a little straighter, her face twisting with dismay. Had she truly offended him? "I have a great deal of respect for you. And I trust you, enough to involve you in this harebrained scheme."
That should mean something, shouldn’t it?
After everything she had been through, trusting another person was perhaps the hardest thing of all. Yet here she was, placing her confidence in him and allowing him into a scheme that could easily go awry.