The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(44)

Unfortunately, Julian remained standing. He cleared his throat and stared off into the distance. “It’s not too cold out here for you?”

“No. Not at all.” Actually, it was freezing, especially since her chest was exposed, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Though no doubt he could tell by the fact that her breasts were decidedly standing at, ahem, attention.

“You … you look qu-quite beautiful tonight.” He tugged at his cravat.

My word. Had she made Julian Swift blush? She couldn’t quite tell in the scant light from the candles but she had a suspicion.

Cass steeled her resolve. Whoever this other lady was, she wasn’t going to win Julian without a fight. A big fight, a fight that involved décolletage. A lot of it.

“Won’t you sit, Captain Swift? It might be a bit warmer if we … sat close to each other.”

Oh, that was scandalous. The first of many scandalous things she intended to say tonight.

He sat, though his body was rigid and he didn’t look at her.

“I do hope Penelope will arrive tomorrow,” he said, his voice a bit unsteady.

“Let’s not talk about Penelope.” Cass pressed her chest against his arm and leaned up, her mouth scant inches from his. He turned slowly. She looked into his eyes. He had to know she wanted him to kiss her. Didn’t he? Didn’t he?

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up, up, up … She closed her eyes and let her head fall back a little. She sighed.

Julian pulled her arms from his neck and slid away from her, ensuring a good arm’s length remained between them. “Miss Bunbury?”

Cass opened her eyes and blinked at him. Just like on her sixteenth birthday. She wanted to cry but she refused to. There would be no more crying. Instead she pressed her lips together and tried to look composed. “Yes.”

“I … Frankly, you don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now.”

“Then why don’t you?” Oh, there went Patience Bunbury’s reputation. The harlot.

Julian stood and paced toward the hedgerow, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “Because at the moment, I still have an understanding with Penelope Monroe.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


Why, oh, why did Captain Julian Swift have to be so blasted honorable? That thought was topmost in Cass’s mind as she wandered into the private family breakfast room the next morning, a frown on her face.

“Dear, you must look at this,” Lucy said the moment Cass walked through the door. Lucy was holding a letter in her hand, her bright eyes busily scanning the words.

Jane was already there, eating a muffin. Garrett was nowhere to be seen. Cass slowly made her way over to where Lucy sat with the letter.

“Where’s Garrett?” Cass asked.

“He and Berkeley were up with the sun and went for a ride. And I’m so glad because otherwise, I’d have to explain this to him.” Lucy waved the letter again.

“What is it?” Cass couldn’t muster much interest. Her thoughts remained on Julian and her failure to seduce him last night. He’d given the excuse about Penelope but Cass wondered if it didn’t have more to do with the woman he was in love with. Either way, he’d been decidedly uninterested.

Jane wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Why do you look so glum, Cass?”

Cass sighed. “Things did not go according to plan with Julian in the gardens, that’s all.”

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad for that. When I saw you leave with him wearing that gown, I was quite certain you intended to take advantage of him. I was a bit worried for the captain, to be honest.”

Cass propped an elbow on the table and rested her chin on it. “I didn’t take advantage of him. I merely gave him the chance to take advantage of me.”

Jane was doing an awful job at attempting to hide her smile. “And he refused?” She reached into the basket that rested in the center of the table and pulled out another muffin.

“I did my best, truly,” Cass said. “But he reminded me that he’s engaged to Pen. Or supposed to be.”

“The scoundrel. How dare he?” Jane smiled.

“He doesn’t even love her. She doesn’t love him. Why must they continue this farce of an understanding?” Cass sighed.

“Yes, well, as to that, you need to look at this.” Lucy waved the letter again.

Cass halfheartedly pulled the letter from Lucy’s fingers and began to read it. It was from … Pen. Cass sat up straight.

“Oh, no!” She gasped, her hand falling like a leaden weight to the tabletop with a thud.

“Exactly,” Lucy replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jane sat up straight. “What does it say?”

Cass scanned the contents, her heart beating out of her chest. She read aloud.

Darlings,

I decided I was being ridiculous hiding from Captain Swift. I need to face him and get it over with. I paid a call to his mother and Daphne. There, I was informed that Captain Swift had recently left for a house party in the country. Why, imagine my surprise when I inquired as to the location of the house party and realized that he was at Lucy’s house, of all places!

All three friends exchanged worried glances.

“Keep reading,” Lucy said in a singsong voice.