Page 85 of The Lady's Last Mistake
“Does it have to do with Lord Thornton?” she asked with a playful waggle of her brow.
She nodded, then sighed. “Yes. A little bit.”
Elyse squinted, her lips pursing into a discerning grin. “He seems to be a good man. What with his bravery tonight and his help with Isabel. And he has kept your secret.”
This seemed to impress Elyse, though Cassie was certain she would change her tune should she learn about the courtship scheme. But she said nothing. She didn’t want Elyse to despise Grant, not when Cassie could no longer despise him.
So much had changed over the last few weeks. Her secret life had been running with such smooth, oiled precision until Grant had walked into the middle of it all. The wall separating her two lives was rapidly dissolving now. And with Madame Archambeau’s support assured, more changes would be coming. It should have frightened her more than it currently did.
“Elyse,” she began. “I’m not sure I can be Jane Banks anymore.”
Her friend shifted on the sofa cushion to fully face her. “You were never going to be able to be her forever.”
“I love it here. I feel purposeful, and I’m proud of what we’ve started. But…you don’t need me. Not anymore. Not now that you’ll have Madame Archambeau’s money behind you.” Quick as a cricket, Elyse smacked Cassie on the arm, startling her. “Ow! What was that for?”
“For being stupid. It isn’t just your money that makes you useful. Your place is here, whether you’re managing the costs of operations or not. And whether you’re Miss Jane Banks or Lady Cassandra.”
She dropped her hand from rubbing her shoulder and blinked back tears. She blamed them on exhaustion and the tumultuous events of the day.
“That’s good to know, since my brother will cut off my income when he learns the truth.”
Elyse’s lips parted on a gust of air. “You will tell him?”
She felt a surge of trepidation—and determination. “I may wait until after the holidays so as not to ruin them for everyone, but yes. Yes, I think I must.”
Elyse had been right; she was never going to be able to be Jane Banks forever. All her secrets, her little lies, and vague excuses that had at first been diverting and insubstantial, had finally started to weigh heavily. Telling herself that it was all worth it because of the good she was doing had reached its limit. Shewasdoing good. But at what expense? Her lies to her family and to those who cared for her and trusted her no longer felt light and merry. They were just plain deceitful.
“So,” Cassie went on, “before he can evict me from Grosvenor Square and lock me in a room a Violet House for the rest of my life, what do you say to coming to tea tomorrow? We can discuss improvements to Hope House.”
Elyse was difficult to stun, but right then she looked utterly bowled over. “You’re inviting me to your home? As Lady Cassandra Sinclair?”
Nerves fizzled out along her extremities, and she got to her feet, suddenly restless. But also resolved. “Yes. I should have done so long before now. I am finished with being a coward.”
Elyse shook her head, surely about to tell her she wasn’t that. But Cassie raised a hand to stop her. “I want to beme, whatever the consequences. And I would like my friend to come to tea to discuss business matters. Will you?”
Male voices coming from the kitchen accompanied the bright grin stretching over Elyse’s lips. “Say one o’clock?”
Cassie nodded. “Perfect.”
Elyse left to go to her room and change from her dinner gown, and Cassie made her way to the kitchen. As she suspected, Grant had arrived, and Tris, who’d been on watch at the back door, had let him in.
She pulled up short when she saw him. A purpling bruise discolored his bottom lip and there was a small bloody cut near his eye.
“It’s nothing,” he said in response to her flaring eyes and halting steps toward him. “I’m fine. As is Isabel. I took her to Thornton House. It’s safe there, and her fever isn’t the same as Dorie’s. A simple head cold, I’m sure of it.”
Thornton House? He’d exposed his true identity to Isabel by taking her there.
“And that devil bastard?” Tris asked, scowling. He then bobbed his head toward Cassie. “Forgive me, my lady.”
“No need.” She looked to Grant. “Has he been arrested?”
Hesitation dimmed his expression, and her heart sank. “Yes, but I’m not sure what will come of it. Assault charges usually result in minor punishment, and with his connections, he is sure to be released. At least a constable will keep guard over him at London Hospital where he was taken for his knee, which I think is indeed shattered,” he said with a wry grin.
Injuring him wasn’t enough, but it would be a fantasy to believe someone like Mr. Youngdale would meet with proper consequences for what he’d done. At least Isabel was somewhere secure for now.
“He should be locked up,” Tris said. “He all but admitted to Isabel that he pushed his first wife down the stairs.”
But as there had been no investigation at the time, that would not matter.
