The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(70)

Cass closed her eyes. She’d been duped, duped by little Daphne Swift of all people. “She wrote me a letter this morning asking me to meet her here at five o’clock.”

Julian snapped his head back to face her. His features were a mask of stone. “Did you plan this with Daphne?”

Cass’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? You honestly think I would try to trick you into—”

His face softened a bit. He held up a hand. “My mistake. Apparently, my sister thinks playing pranks is a lark. My apologies on her behalf.” He swung his mount around and turned to go.

“Wait!” The word escaped Cass’s lips before she had even meant to think it. She cursed herself. Why had she said that? What did she want him to wait for? What more could they say to each other after what had happened last night?

He stopped and turned back to face her. “Yes?”

“I…” Her voice shook. She cursed herself for that. “Would you … care to … go for a ride?”

Confusion clouded his face. He narrowed his eyes again. “With you?”

“Yes.” She glanced down at her gloves where they gripped the leather reins. Oh, the devil may care if he believed she was responsible for this. Daphne had tricked them both, but now that he was here … she didn’t want to let him go.

He maneuvered his mount back toward her and cocked his head to the side. “Where to?”

Cass smiled at him.

Minutes later, they were trotting down the secluded path past the rosebushes. They left Cass’s groom behind to wait for them.

“Mother would disown me if she knew I sneaked away from the groom,” Cass said softly.

“Not to mention you’re with me.” Julian led the way and Cass followed closely behind. “She wouldn’t like that, either.”

“Yes, but that’s only because you are—” She stopped and glanced down at her lap.

“What?” He turned his head to look over his shoulder at her.

“Never mind.” She shook her head.

He turned back to face the path but his voice drifted to her. “You were going to say untitled, weren’t you?”

Cass tugged on her gloves and readjusted her position in the sidesaddle. “Mother has always insisted I marry a man with a title.”

His voice remained clear, strong. “Like Derek?”

“Yes. She was beside herself when I refused him.”

“Like Upton?”

She nodded even though he couldn’t see her.

He stopped and waited for her mount to come alongside his. “You’ve had scores of offers, Cassie. I know from your letters. Why did you refuse them all?”

Cassie. There it was again, his nickname for her. It made her heart ache. “I refused them because I didn’t love them.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“What?” she asked. “Does that surprise you?”

“Yes, actually.”

“I never told you that before?” she asked, trying to concentrate on maneuvering her horse around a fallen tree.

“Not in those words.” He shook out his reins.

Her horse cleared the tree and Cass expelled her breath. “Why did you think I refused all my suitors?”

He gave her a sidewise smile. “I assumed none of them were good enough for you.”

She laughed. “Even Derek? The duke?”

“You weren’t even tempted?” Julian asked with a chuckle.

Cass sobered. “If you could see him and Lucy together, you’d know in an instant they were destined for each other. Jane and I knew right away.”

Julian nodded. “I don’t doubt it. How is Her Grace doing these days?”

Cass lifted her chin. “I don’t know. I’m not speaking to Lucy.”

Another raised brow. “You’re not speaking to your closest friend?”

She glanced away. “She … she gave me some very bad advice.”

“Lucy was the one who said you were Patience.” His voice was solemn.

“Yes.”

“But you could have easily corrected her that day.”

“I know.”

“But still, you blame her?”

They came upon the small lake then. Julian stopped, dismounted, and tied his horse to a nearby tree. He made his way over to Cass’s horse and put his hands on Cass’s waist to help her down. The feel of his hands on her made her insides tingle.

He lifted her easily. Once she had a sure footing on the leaf-strewn ground, he let go of her waist. She glanced away. He cleared his throat. They walked together slowly down to the water’s edge.

Cass shook herself. What had they been speaking about before he touched her? Oh, yes. Lucy. “You have to know Lucy. This isn’t the first time she’s got me into trouble. Be bold, she always says. Look where being bold has got me.”

He cracked a smile. “On an outing with a useless second son.”

Cass stopped and looked up into his eyes. “Julian, please tell me you don’t really believe that, that you’re useless.”

He bent down and scooped up a stone. He drew back his arm and skipped the pebble over the water. “But I do.”

Cass pressed a hand to her throat. It ached. “You never told me that.”