The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(66)

“Thank you,” she said as Garrett spun her around on the floor.

“Thank you? For what?” Garrett asked, his brow furrowed.

“For being there,” she replied with a smile. “Whenever I need you.”

“What else are friends for?” His grin was wide.

“Garrett, I—” She bit her lip. This was awkward. “Mother obviously expects you to propose and I just want to say that—”

He shook his head. “No need. I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“You need me right now, and I would never leave you. I consider it part of my duty to help mitigate the unholy mess for which my cousin is responsible.”

At the mention of Lucy, Cass went rigid.

“But don’t mistake my help for anything other than how it is intended,” Garrett continued. “Like your mother, I, too, expect you to be announcing your engagement soon.”

Cass met his gaze. “But I—”

“Your engagement to Swift,” Garrett finished with a sly smile.

Cass felt as if the breath had been knocked from her body. “My engagement to— Oh, I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

“I’m well aware that my cousin is under the mistaken impression that I’m in love with you, and at the risk of insulting you, I’m afraid Lucy is quite wrong. Though she would never admit such a possibility exists. Not that you’re not lovely and accomplished, of course.” He winked at her.

Cass had to laugh at that. “Would it be wrong of me to tell you that I am relieved?”

“Not any more wrong than my telling you in the first place. Now, as for your engagement to Swift, it’s not impossible,” Garrett said. “Improbable at the moment, perhaps, but not impossible.”

Cass smiled at her friend. “Oh, Garrett. I should have taken your advice that night in the library. I should have told Julian the truth right then.”

“We all make mistakes, Cassandra. Some of us are merely forced to pay more for them than others.”

The dance ended then with that cryptic statement from Garrett. Cass wished she could hug her friend. If it wouldn’t be unseemly, she would. He was escorting her about to help her, not because he had any intention of proposing to her, which made her feel that much more secure. She needn’t worry about hurting his feelings. Disappointing Mother, however …

“Now, we’d best not spend more time together,” Garrett said, escorting her off the dance floor. “We needn’t get your mother’s hopes up overly much.”

“Agreed,” Cass replied with another smile.

“I’ll go fetch you a lemonade, and you can pretend you’re enjoying yourself.” Another wink from Garrett.

He left in search of the refreshment and Cass glanced around. After the dance, the ballroom had become a bit stuffy. She pulled her fan from her reticule and fluttered it in front of her face. A flash of green caught her eye. She turned her head to see Daphne Swift glance about before making a hasty exit out one of the doors that led to a corridor. Where was Daphne going? Something in Cass told her to follow the younger woman.

Cass traced Daphne’s steps out of the room and around the corridor, down another long corridor, and into a drawing room at the front of the house. She watched as Daphne slipped inside, closing the door softly behind her. Cass hesitated outside. Perhaps Daphne was doing something truly private. Something Cass had no business interrupting. Did Daphne have a rendezvous with a gentleman here or—?

Cass scooted toward the door and quietly opened it a crack. She nearly rubbed her eyes. If she didn’t mistake her guess, Daphne Swift was about to … climb out of the window. The girl had opened the pane that faced the street, and had dragged a footstool over in front of it to boost herself up. She’d just hiked up her skirts and thrown a leg over the sill.

“Daphne Swift!” Cass shoved open the door and strode into the room.

Daphne froze. Her little green backside slowly shimmied its way back inside, and she popped out onto the floor. She turned to face Cass.

“Lady Cassandra, I thought that was your voice.” Daphne seemed completely unruffled after having been caught.

“What are you doing?” Cass hadn’t meant to sound so forceful, or so domineering, but the sight of a young lady like Daphne wiggling out of the window had quite shocked her.

“Please don’t tell on me, Lady Cassandra. I was just trying to leave.”

Cass couldn’t help but smile. “I can see that. Why were you trying to leave?”

“It’s quite a long story that I do not wish to bore you with, but suffice it to say, I have a very good reason.”

Cass shook her head. “Why didn’t you just go out the front door?”

“The butler is there greeting guests. I didn’t want to be seen.”

Cass watched her carefully. She didn’t want to pry but she also didn’t want Daphne putting her reputation at risk, something the girl most certainly would have done had anyone else found her trying to escape through a window in the drawing room. “You should get back. I think your brother is searching for you. I saw him looking around just before I slipped out of the ballroom.”

A small smile popped to Daphne’s lips. “I thank you for the information, Lady Cassandra, but I think that if we’re both being quite honest with each other, it is probably far more likely that my brother was looking for you.”