Page 29 of Enchanted By the Lyon
“Why?” Cassandra asked, holding her breath.
Lucius took her face into his hands. “Because from the first moment I saw you outside your townhouse that evening, I have thought of nothing and no one else but you. You have slowly crept your way into my life, Cassandra. I would like nothing more than to spend further time together to see if we might suit. I think it’s time I admit that I’m falling for you.”
“Sometimes falling is the best part…” Her heart began to soar after she whispered these words. He appeared sincere on the surface and she could only pray that he spoke the truth.
But there was still one lingering thought inside her head that could derail everything and she had to voice her concerns aloud so there was nothing hiding between them. “What about Virtue?”
“I have already settled my accounts with her and before you say anything, I have no plans to take another mistress. Not if I have you in my life.”
“You seem to have thought of everything,” Cassandra murmured.
“And I am just as certain that I will spend further time groveling and begging your forgiveness,” Lucius declared, reaching out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I am most sorry that I hurt you that night at the Lyon’s Den.”
“I never said you hurt me,” she stated although in fact, she had been crushed.
“You didn’t have to. You face said it all. I don’t know what made it worse… knowing that I was the reason behind the tears threatening to cascade down your lovely face or the utter disappointment you felt for me. I promise to make it up to you.”
“I’m sure we can think of something for you to make amends, my lord,” she whispered watching as his features took on a new light. Relief, for certain, but maybe even a hint of love that he may one day come to feel for her. Could it be?
“Then you’ll consider what I now offer?”
Cassandra thought that there would need to be a delicate balance to ensure he wouldn’t break her heart again. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“I promise I will never disappoint you again. Maybe that can be the start of a new beginning between us,” Lucius murmured.
She gave him a nod, praying with every fiber of her being that he spoke the truth. “I will hold you to such a vow, Lucius.”
He gave her a very formal bow. “I would expect nothing less, Cassandra.”
“Then perhaps we can begin with that dance.”
Lucius held out his arm for her to take. “I would be honored,” he replied before he led her back inside to the ballroom.
If this was a new beginning between them, then Cassandra would make every attempt to allow Lucius to redeem himself in her eyes. He would need to prove to her that he could become the man she always knew he could be. Somewhere deep inside her, a piece of her shattered heart seemed to heal.
Chapter Seventeen
Lucius read thesummary report from the private investigator he had hired to discover whatever further details the man could learn into the death of Cassandra’s parents and her first husband. There wasn’t much to go on other than Lucius’s instinct that something was amiss with the unnatural and untimely ways they’d all died. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration knowing they might never learn the identity of the true culprit or culprits who had done them all in. It all seemed too coincidental to have happened as an accident or at the hands of a highwayman in such a short space of time. With Barlow seemingly poised to strike, toss Cassandra out of her home, and leave her penniless.
“I know this isn’t the news you wished for, Lord Blackthorn, but if you read on further you will see that I believe we might have a case against the elder Mr. Vaughn. It’s slim, at best, however, and could easily be overturned by the courts,” Mr. Thomas Smythe replied, leaning forward in his chair. “I did attempt to go to the higher court to search for Mr. Vaughn’s will but was unsuccessful. You are certain Mrs. Vaughn was never able to find her husband’s will? That would certainly substantiate her claim to her husband’s inheritance.”
Lucius shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll ask her again when I see her next. I had really hoped you might turn something up as to her parent’s accident.”
“It was a long time ago, my lord. A murder framed as a robbery gone wrong on a quiet country road would be hard to prove and any clues at the time of the incident would be impossible to find at this point. I’m sorry I couldn’t discover anything more about their unfortunate demise.”
Lucius sighed. It was as he’d feared. “Very well, but see what else you might learn about Rupert Vaughn’s death. Maybe you can find out who else was riding with him that morning. Perhaps there’s an off chance that they may have witnessed Barlow tampering with his brother’s saddle.”
Mr. Smythe frowned. “Another slim chance, my lord, especially if no one came forward at the time of the incident.”
Lucius leaned his arms on his desk. “I highly doubt anyone at the time would have thought twice about investigating such details. They would have been more concerned with the ungodly way the poor gent perished. And too, a groom or stableboy might have been afraid to step forward. Or they’d been paid for their silence.”
Smythe nodded his agreement, then said, “Even if I did find anything, it could only be considered circumstantial.”
“I know, but still see if there’s anything more you can dig up.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Lucius was about to dismiss the man when there was a knock on his study door. At the call to enter, his butler stood in the doorway. “There is a constable here who is demanding to see you, Lord Blackthorn. He is most persistent.”
