The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(69)

He hadn’t been thinking. That much was obvious. The hurt and pain in her eyes when she’d reached for him and he’d raised his voice to her had been enough to keep him hating himself for months to come. But at least he’d done the right thing, let her go. Cassandra thought he was perfect, or at least she had thought so. He was so damned far from perfect, he couldn’t even see perfect anymore. Kissing Cassie last night, hurting her afterward with his words. That proved it. He’d made his mistake, now he had to live with it. He wasn’t in the mood for Upton’s recriminations. He had enough of his own.

Upton blew a smoke ring into the air. “I’ll cut to the chase.”

“Please do.”

“Don’t hurt her, Swift.”

Julian ground his teeth. He wanted to punch Upton. What would happen if he did? He’d get tossed out of Brooks’s on his ear. It would probably be worth it, but he didn’t want word getting back to Wellington. Instead, he took a deep breath. “Don’t hurt her? That’s rich. Especially coming from you.”

Upton watched him carefully. “You don’t know the power you have to hurt her.”

She doesn’t know the power she has to hurt me. Julian lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “I should have known there was something between the two of you when I saw you coming out of the library that night at the house party.” He had nearly made love to Cassie on the sofa at the Hillsboroughs’ party last night yet she was all but engaged to this man. What the hell was that about?

Upton narrowed his eyes on him. “What exactly are you implying?”

“Now you’re escorting her around town? I expect you’ll announce your engagement any day now.”

Upton settled back into his chair and blew another smoke ring into the air. “If I didn’t know better, Swift, I’d think you were jealous.”

Julian slapped his palm against the tabletop. “You needn’t have come over here to warn me, Upton. I don’t intend to speak with her ever again.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE


The letter arrived at precisely ten o’clock that morning. The butler delivered it to Cass in the breakfast room where she was doing a positively halfhearted job of attempting to paint a chrysanthemum in a vase. Her painting looked more like a fuzzy yellow blob than the lovely fall flower, so she was happy to turn her attention elsewhere. Painting had hardly kept her from replaying her time with Julian the other night over and over again in her head. She plucked the missive from the silver tray and contemplated it for a moment before ripping it open. Daphne Swift’s pretty, loopy handwriting stared back at her.

Lady Cassandra,

I must explain my behavior from last evening. Please meet me in the park at five o’clock at the head of the path near the rosebushes. I desperately need to speak with you.

L. Daphne Swift

Cass furrowed her brow. Then she reread the letter two more times. What could Daphne possibly want with her in the park? It had been quite odd that the young woman had been trying to sneak out the window at the Hillsboroughs’ party, but she’d never imagined that it was due to something serious. Was Daphne in some sort of trouble? Regardless, Cass couldn’t ignore such a letter. She’d always been fond of Daphne. They’d been friends. Cass would go to meet her.

*

Cass arrived at the park at five o’clock. Wearing her butter-yellow riding habit, she rode her own horse sidesaddle and brought only a groom with her. Just in case Daphne wished to keep the details of their meeting a secret, she thought it better not to bring her mother or a maid along as a chaperone. In fact, her mother thought she was taking a nap.

Cass stopped at the head of the path with the rosebushes. She and Daphne had ridden here together before. They’d both remarked upon how lovely the bushes were. It led off down a secluded path that ended at a small lake. It was a beautiful spot. The autumn leaves floated from the trees and crunched beneath her horse’s hooves. The rain from the night before made the ground soft and smell of leaves and the upcoming winter.

Cass didn’t have long to wait. Only a few minutes passed before a horse’s gallop sounded on the path coming toward her.

When the rider came into view, Cass sucked in her breath. It wasn’t Daphne. No. It was Julian. Her stomach leaped, did a somersault, then righted itself with a sickening lurch. She pressed her hand to her middle. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about their—ahem—kiss. She’d been plagued with the memories of it all day, in fact. Had been scarcely able to think of anything else. But what was Julian doing here? He’d made it quite clear that he didn’t want anything to do with her.

As soon as he saw Cass, Julian drew back the reins and brought his mount to a stop. He was wearing buckskin breeches and black riding boots, a dark blue waistcoat and gray wool overcoat along with his white shirt and cravat and black hat. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She blushed. The memory of his mouth on hers, his hands touching her body, scalded her mind.

They both stared at each other, unblinking.

“Where is Daphne?” Julian asked, glancing around, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“That’s a good question,” Cass replied, clutching her reins as if they were her only lifeline, her fingers cramped from the effort. “Are you meeting her here, too?”

He turned his face slightly to the side as if to look down the path for his sister. “She sent me a note not fifteen minutes ago. She told me it was urgent that we meet in the park. Now.”