Lady Whittaker Wages War

Chapter 2: Daphne & Cassius

"The Earl doesn't like you," Honoria finally spoke twenty minutes after she had shown up at Daphne's doorstep, looking so sullen and angry that Daphne could practically see the thundering storm cloud above her head.

"No," Daphne conceded, "he does not."

"Why?"

Now that was a loaded question. Daphne herself never could understand just why was it that Cassius Pembroke had started keeping her at arm's length. When she had just been a young woman thoroughly infatuated with him, she knew that he had been attracted to her. She knew that he had wanted her.

And yet he had spurned her in favor of a woman who not only was Daphne's opposite in every way, she was also someone who Daphne had always had a tumultuous relationship with.

Afterwards though.....She knew what he thought of her and Alexei, and she let him think so to protect William's reputation. After all, what did it matter now what he thought of her? She had cared, once upon a time. But then, she had been a girl whose sun had set and risen on Cassius Godwin.

And then he had broken her heart beyond all recognition.

And yet the blasted organ beat for him and him alone.

"So you've gotten yourself expelled?" Daphne asked instead, deftly moving the conversation away from the touchy subject. The moody young lady sitting across from her gave her a petulant look over her cup of tea.

"Suspended," the child snapped back, huffing in irritation. "Though I wish they'd expelled me. I wouldn't care one bit! I hate that school! It could burn down for all I care!"

That gave Daphne a start. She did not know Honoria to be a mean-spirited child; after spending nearly a month as her sole guardian, Daphne was certain her estimation of Honoria's personality was not inaccurate.

"Oh? And here I thought you were rather fond of your English teacher?"

"Well...." She replied contemplatively. "I suppose Miss Heartwood is nice. She is younger than the rest of them and much nicer than Mrs. Pinehurst."

"And you wouldn't want you to put her out of a job, now would you?"

"No," Honoria conceded with a sullen look. "She supports herself and her niece with her income."

"Care to tell me what actually has you upset, Honey Bee?"

"No."

"Suit yourself," Daphne gave a nonchalant shrug as if she weren't burning with curiosity. The absolute surefire way to ensure that a child would not speak with you was to pry too deeply. Honoria would tell her what was bothering her in due time. "We can just enjoy the nice, sunny day, in my lovely garden. I've hired a new gardener, can you tell?"

A disinterested shrug. Honoria took her fork and began to dissect her slice of cake with a fork. Well! That was rude. Her hedges had been shaped to perfection and the roses and gardenias were in full bloom! She'd had a new statue of a water maiden installed on her fountain, a jet of water pouring from her pail into the pool below.

"Have I told you about the ship I took here from Italy? The rooms were so lovely. I tell you, my suite on board was bigger than my own bedroom here! And their mattress had to be the softest thing I had ever laid upon."

"That sounds wonderful," came the unfeeling response and so Daphne let the two of them lapse into silence. Honoria wanted to tell her, she could feel it in the way she kept twitching in her seat. Daphne need only stay patient.

With her blonde hair and adorable brown eyes, the girl was practically the spitting image of her father. Daphne was helpless to do anything but adore her with her whole heart, in spite of the fact that she and Jemma had never gotten along.