The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(54)

Owen glowered at Cass the entire time. She could feel her brother’s judgment. Luckily, he was on his third glass of wine. Lucy was doing an excellent job of keeping him in liquor and the company of beautiful women—she and Jane—both of whom Owen could not resist.

After dinner was finished, there was the interminable wait while the men drank their port and the women gossiped in the drawing room. Finally, finally, the gentlemen joined them. Cass didn’t hesitate. She strolled up to Julian and whispered on the way out the door facing the opposite direction. “Meet me in the library.”

Garrett stopped her just before she made it to the door. “There’s something I must tell you. Get Lucy and meet me in the—”

“Sorry. I can’t talk now.”

Garrett’s eyes were wide. “It’s important, Cass.”

“I’ll find you first thing in the morning.” She slipped out of his grip and into the hallway before he had a chance to say another word.

Cass hurried down the corridor and gently pushed open the door to the library, only to find Jane. Jane had obviously sneaked out of the drawing room again to read.

“Oh, Janie, you’re going to have to leave,” Cass said. “Julian will be here any moment.”

“Sorry?” Jane glanced up from her book. “I was here first. Besides, I’m hiding from Upton. The less I see of him, the better. I’m not allowed to be rude to him, and it’s sure to be the death of me.”

Cass laughed. “Be that as it may, I’ve chosen this location as the rendezvous point for my assignation. You must leave. Please, for my sake?”

Jane rolled her eyes but quickly gathered her things and smiled at her friend as she passed by her on her way out the door. “You owe me a favor.”

“Fine. Fine. Just walk faster, please. But not too fast, Garrett was in the corridor.”

“Be careful, Cass.” Jane’s words had an ominous ring.

Cass swallowed and turned around. She pinched her cheeks to bring color to them and twirled her pink skirts and smoothed out the fabric. She touched her hand to her coiffure. Oh, where was a looking glass when one needed it?

It was funny how she felt no more guilt. Knowing that Pen had ended her engagement to Julian, being certain they both were happily done with their arrangement, it made Cass feel deliciously free. They’d both agreed and neither of them was unhappy with the outcome. Cass couldn’t have asked for a better turn of events. Well, perhaps if Julian didn’t fancy another lady, that would be the most ideal situation, but now that she no longer felt any guilt over damaging her cousin’s engagement, she was free. Free to do exactly as she pleased. And even more free tonight because she was able to do it as Patience Bunbury. The last two times Cass had asked Julian to kiss her, he’d refused. Tonight, there would be no reason to refuse. She would have her first kiss. There would be time for recriminations and confessions in the morning. Tonight. Tonight there would be only pleasure.

*

Julian waited a respectable twenty minutes before slipping out of the drawing room and making his way to the library. He opened the door and took in Patience Bunbury’s beauty. It felt like a bayonet to the chest. She was pretty, so pretty and sweet.

“Captain Swift,” she said, turning to face him, her cheeks bright pink.

“Miss Bunbury.” He inclined his head toward her.

“Would you … would you like to sit?” She gestured to the leather sofa.

Julian made his way over to the sofa and sat next to her. “Dinner was … interesting,” he began.

She pushed a blond curl behind her ear. Fetching, that. Quite.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice the way Owen Monroe was staring at you all evening?”

Miss Bunbury’s eyes widened. “What? Owen? I mean, his lordship?”

“Yes. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. I confess I considered calling him out.”

“Oh, no, no, no. You are mistaken. He didn’t—”

Julian slid closer. “I know what I saw. And I must admit, it made me jealous as hell.”

A little smile popped to her lips. “It did?”

“Yes, and you know what else?”

“What else?”

“I talked to Penelope again earlier. We ended our agreement. Apparently, she left before dinner.”

“Was she … upset?”

“You didn’t see her?”

Miss Bunbury didn’t look at him. “No,” she murmured.

“Once we got that nonsense out of the way about her pretending to be you, she wasn’t a bit upset. She told me she’d been planning to end things with me herself.” Julian laughed.

Miss Bunbury smiled again. “That’s surprising.” She seemed shy tonight, reticent. Why wouldn’t she look at him?

He slid closer to her on the sofa. Their thighs touched, only the fabric of their clothing separated them. “Miss Bunbury?”

“Y … es?”

“I no longer have an arrangement of any sort with Miss Monroe.”

“You do not?”

“No, I do not.”

“Did she … give you an explanation for why she’d pretended to be … me?” Her voice cracked on the last word.