Page 21 of Enchanted By the Lyon
The veiled head of the Black Widow of Whitehall nodded. “But still can be rectified after all these years if we can prove the matter.”
“Barlow said that Rupert had substantial debts,” she answered, gazing back and forth between the pair.
“Did you see the receipts?” Lucius asked.
“No. He didn’t give me time to look them over before he was tossing me out of my own home. If we were debt ridden, you would think I would have been aware that times were hard, but we never lacked for money that I can recall,” she answered thoughtfully.
Lucius nodded. “There may not be any money left for you to inherit then. Barlow could have also squandered it all. You had no one to turn to for advice?”
“I was very young and had no one to look into the matter, nor the funds to hire an attorney,” Cassandra said reaching again for her glass.
“Well, you have someone now and with the Earl of Blackthorn’s connections, he will be able to find out whatever may be buried in your past,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon proclaimed.
Cassandra shook her head. “Sometimes the past is better to remain buried.”
Lucius frowned. “If Barton Vaughn was executor of her husband’s will—”
Her head snapped up. “Oh, no,” Cassandra interjected with a worried frown. “Rupert never trusted Barton and would have never made him executor of his will.”
Mrs. Dove-Lyon stood. “That gives us enough suspicion for you to begin your inquiry, my lord. I will leave the two of you to continue to figure out the details, together.”
They watched the widow leave as quickly as she’d arrived before Lucius moved to stand before Cassandra.
“Since we were just toasting to our new beginnings, perhaps you would permit me to accompany you to the dance floor… unless you would like me to return you to Lord Carrington.” He held out his hand for her to take and when her gloved fingers slipped gently into his palm, he made every attempt not to bring her completely against his body. The urge to do so was almost unbearable.
“I believe, Lord Blackthorn, I would like very much to dance with you,” she murmured softly as he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.
“And perhaps I may call upon you at the Saxton’s when I learn more details of your husband’s past,” he said as they moved out of their secluded grotto and toward the rear entrance.
“I should be there for some time still until I find a new residence. I will look forward to hearing what you may find out,” she replied as they entered the interior of the Lyon’s Den.
As luck would have it, another waltz began to play. As Lucius swept Cassandra into the patterns of the dance, he began to rethink what he wanted in life and all because of a woman with sparkling green eyes who looked at him with such trust. He couldn’t stop himself from imagining the possibilities ofwhat if…
Chapter Twelve
Cassandra took herplace in the line of ladies during the country dance as each woman curtsied to the man across from them. The music began and Cassandra no longer had time to think about what had transpired this evening in the garden. Not only was her private conversation with Lucius at the forefront of her mind, but also the one with Mrs. Dove-Lyon as well. When Cassandra had begun this endeavor to find herself married by the end of the Season, she had no notion that the Black Widow of Whitehall might suggest that Cassandra’s past might be… well…rectified.
As past memories flooded her mind, she could envision that last scene with her brother-in-law as if the fiasco happened yesterday. She should have known Barlow would swindle her out of whatever inheritance was due her. Rupert never trusted the man, and apparently that was for a good reason. She had been just so devasted from Rupert’s untimely death and then being thrown out of her house, that she never stopped to consider that Barlow had lied about her husband’s debts. How could she have been so naïve? Yes, she had been young, but she should have questioned everything that transpired once she was out on the streets. But at the time, she had had no one. Who would have come to her aid?
As she bumped into the woman next to her and mumbled a quick apology, she caught a view of Lucius leaning against a pillar, watching her. She relived the moment earlier when she had danced with him and had to admit, she wanted to stay in his arms for the rest of her life if he would but come to the realization that they might suit. But whatever their relationship might be going forward, Cassandra knew she had a long way to go before she would ever be able to claim this man’s heart.
As much as she desired Lucius, she had a brief flash of the unknown that might prevent her from ever loving him completely. She considered herself a strong woman who could handle any situation that might come her way. But Lucius Ford might end up being a weakness to her heart she couldn’t afford. Could she ever trust him completely? She was unsure and now began to rethink everything she’d thought she wanted in her life. How confident was she that she could change his mind regarding marriage? As much as she desired him, did she truly know him? Looks faded and—she knew from experience gained from her previous marriage—in time a couple stopped seeing their spouse’s outsides and focused on who they really were, how they acted, what they needed.
She knew none of these things about Lucius.
Sometimes, our biggest strengths can often become our greatest weakness, she reminded herself.And sometimes what seems like a weakness is just something we need to develop and make strong. A broken bone was always stronger once mended, after all. And a broken heart would still keep beating, no matter how much it felt like it never would mend. Now her heart urged her to continue this pursuit of one of the biggest rakes in the ton. She had no choice but to listen and hope that her once-broken heart would be all the stronger if it suffered anything else that might otherwise break it.
As the dance picked up its pace, Cassandra returned her attention to the patterns of the dance before she bumped into anyone else. When the music faded away, she bowed to the gentleman she had been partnered with and turned to leave the dance floor. She suddenly tripped on the edge of her gown and all but fell into another man’s arms. A gasp left her when she realized it was Lucius who had his hands around her waist. He tightened them to steady her and keep her from falling.
“Lucius! Good heavens. I seem to bump into you a lot these days,” Cassandra murmured not even realizing she had used his given name until too late. “I mean… Lord Blackthorn.”
“I still prefer when you call me Lucius, my lady. Or perhaps I can call you ‘Cassie’ as your lady friends do.”
She watched as his mouth turned up at one corner giving her a truly sinful smile. No man should be this good-looking or overly-confident, she thought. But why shouldn’t he be confident? Lucius Ford was completely certain he had already won her over.
Perhaps he had. She certainly couldn’t stop herself from desiring him. Indeed, her heart had begun to race at his touch and her breath caught in her chest. She swallowed and attempted to control her reactions to him. “Since you yourself said that what was between us was a business arrangement and nothing more, I believe we should keep to the formality of our names,” she said, still holding on to his forearms. If only because to become informal would risk becoming somehow intimate, which would not suit her plans.
Still, she knew she should let go of him but for the life of her, she only wished to remain here for as long as he would stay nearby. The intensity of his green eyes behind his black domino mask was her undoing even as she took in his black formal attire. She stared at the ruby jewel in the center of the clasp that held his black cape in place on his broad shoulders. She wasn’tsure if his costume reminded her of a villain or the hero in some romantic story she had read. But whatever he was, he was handsome as sin. She knew she had to look elsewhere if she were to keep her wits about her. The crowd at the Lyon’s Den would hardly be a distraction when Cassandra could feel the heat of him.
