Her Assassin's Heart - Book 2

Chapter 2

Cassandra apologized absentmindedly as she pushed her way past the bustling servants in the hall. Clutching the letter in one hand, she pushed a wayward curl behind her ear. She had hardly been able to stop herself from rushing to her father until Lord Baldwin had ridden out the drive. After receiving the letter in the afternoon post, she had almost been giddy with excitement, but the training of her youth had served her well, and she had forced herself to sit in the drawing room with her needlepoint where she could watch the drive without moving, waiting impatiently for Lord Baldwin to get his abdominous self out of the house. She'd hardly touched the slender embroidery needle.
Reaching the study door, she tapped quickly and entered without waiting for an answer.
"Cassie!" Lord Antrucha rose as she entered, smiling widely. "Have you come to see what Lord Baldwin wanted? I'll put your mind at rest, it was not your hand in marriage." He teased, raising a brow.
"Lord, have mercy." Cassandra drew a sharp breath at the thought, her disgust written plainly on her features. Moving around the large desk, she kissed her father's cheek; her features suddenly lightening in a smile. "But never mind that now, look! A letter!" She proffered the envelope, Lavinia's swirling hand easily recognizable on the front. "From Ethan and Lavinia." She added as her father took it from her hand.
"Come on, then." Ezra settled back into his chair, making room for her on the arm. When they had both found a comfortable position, he opened the envelope. The scent of lilacs filled the air around them with its delicate perfume.

Dearest Cassie and Papa,

How are you both? Ethan and I have been doing splendidly! The village folk are so good and kind to us, we don't know how to thank them properly. How is Mamma doing? Is she having the same fits of illness as she was when I left?
Scotland is lovely. Oh, Cassie, you would love it here! The moors stretch endlessly into the horizon, purple heather spreading over them like a thick blanket. It's been a bit chilly of late, and Ethan says it will be a particularly cold winter. I don't mind. I'm usually too busy to worry about the weather or anything in the future anyway.
I've met Charlie and Irene Fergus, and they are the kindest people you could ever know. Charlie has been lord of Fergus Manor since the untimely death of his parents, and he takes great pride in his ancestral lands. They have such a lovely garden, and Irene invited me to come walk in it whenever I had the inclination, but I've been so caught up with day-to-day life that I can't seem to find the time to take her up on the offer.

I suppose I should get to the real point of this letter before I get too taken up with life in Scotland and don't stop writing until I've run out of ink. Ethan has business with a client in London in a little less than a month, and we both wanted to know if it would be convenient for us to stay with you? Please, don't think me ridiculous for asking, and don't shake your head at me—I'm talking to you, Cassandra—I simply don't want to get in your way. Besides, what do you expect me to do? Show up on your doorstep without any notice?
I have to go soon. Mrs. McCline has promised to show me how to churn today, and I want to get this letter out before the post leaves. Tell Mamma I asked after her, and be sure to give her some warm Chamomile tea before bed; it helps with her chills. I miss you both so much! Sometimes, I forget that I'm thousands of miles away and living in my own house, and I expect to see either of you walking through the door at any minute, asking me some question or tempting me to leave my work for a frolic in the fresh air. Now I really must go!

All my love,
Lavinia

Cassandra stared at the flourishes beneath her sister's name and grimaced. She had mixed feelings about Ethan and Lavinia. On the one hand, she was glad her sister was happy, but she hated the fact that there so much distance had been put between them just when they were mending their relationship, and then, she was still unsure Ethan was good enough for her sister.
"Should we warn them they're walking into chaos?" She raised a brow at a particularly loud thump in the hall which was followed by several snappish voices attempting to speak over the top of each other.
Her father chuckled. "I supposed it's a good thing your mother is tearing the house apart for this party she has in mind! We'll have a room just cleaned for them." He leaned forward, beginning to write a quick reply.
"And what do you expect she'll think about them inhabiting it?" Cassandra asked wryly.
"She'll live." Was the only reply she got.
The room fell silent but for the swift scratching of Ezra's pen. In the silence, Cassandra's thoughts drifted far away. What must it be like for her sister in Scotland? Reading between the lines, she could tell her sister was happy, but there was something else, too, that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Do you think they're happy with the choice they made?" She asked suddenly, rising and moving to the window.
"I suppose. She sounded very enthusiastic about their new life." Lord Antrucha replied a little absently as he continued his note.
"Yes, but she also sounded exhausted. It can't be easy for her to get used to her new life. Without money or servants, she'll have to do everything on her own." Cassandra frowned. Could it be possible that Lavinia were really, truly unhappy? Worse than that, could Ethan be the cause? Straightening her shoulders, she gritted her teeth. If Ethan weren't treating her sister correctly, well, she would beat some sense over his head with her riding crop.
Behind her, Lord Antrucha paused in his writing. "You think she's unhappy?" He sighed softly, and Cassandra cursed her wayward tongue profusely. Father was worried enough without her adding to it.
"No," she turned back to the desk, a smile spreading across her lips. "I simply think she wants to sit down with us and have a nice, long chat, and she'll be able to do it soon, too." Lord Antrucha's frown remained in place as he finished the letter and rang for a footman to post the letter.
"You're right." He said after a moment. "She's happy, but I think there's more in to this new life than she was expecting. Not everything will be easier simply because she's in love with Ethan. Love can't change the fact that they're poor as church mice. If it could, they would be richer than me by now." He smiled a little absently. "I've considered giving them money several times, but I always remember their pride and Ethan's desire to make it his own way, and that stays my had from crushing what dignity they have left." He raised a brow, rubbing the knuckles of his left hand and staring into space.
"Why didn't Ethan work a year before they got married? It would have been so much easier for them now if he had." Cassandra dropped into the chair across from her father.
"I think it had something to do with the way they felt about one another. Lavinia knew it was going to be hard. She understood it, and she accepted it. She wanted to bear that hardship with him, rightfully standing beside him when issues arose. I always knew that when she fell for someone, she would fall headlong. There was always that desire in her to be loved and to love." He sighed softly.
"I know." Cassandra frowned slightly. "She would be willing to die for him at any given moment." She paused, drawing a breath and releasing it slowly.
"Indeed." Lord Antrucha smiled softly, awoken suddenly from his thoughts. "What do you say to a ride after tea?" He rose suddenly, shaking off his melancholy mood and replacing it with a smile.
"Why? So I can trounce you again?" Cassandra, too, rose, her lips twitching in an irrepressible grin.
"Hah!" Ezra snorted. "A guinea says I win this time."
"You know, I'll be the richest maiden in all of London if you continually insist on racing me on horseback." She shook her head.
"Well, do we have a bet, or are you too frightened?" Ezra raised a brow.
"Frightened?" Cassandra scoffed. "Ten guineas says I beat you, again." She reached out her hand.
"Done." Her father clasped her hand firmly in his own, and with a laugh, the two of them moved, arm in arm, toward the drawing room.

I struggled a bit with this chapter, because I wanted to add more to it, but I didn't want to rush it. . .so, yeah, it may or may not change. I also figured I should warn you Maric won't get his own chapter every other Cassandra chapter. He'll be back, don't worry, but for the present, my next two chapters look like they'll be Cassandra chapters, and I really don't want to force Maric in where he neither belongs no wishes to belong—hey, you never know what he'd do if I did. You can't blame me for being cautious. (; Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Please, tell me what you think of it!