Her Assassin's Heart - Book 2

Chapter 24

Three. Three days until Ethan and Lavinia would go back home, taking her with them. Ethan and Charlie had announced that they didn't have much work left at breakfast this morning. The words had put Cassandra in a fowl mood.

Four. Four days had passed since the ball, and she'd been outside not once. She'd hardly stirred from her own room in that time—except to attend to Lavinia. There was no reason, she told herself. Obviously, it had nothing to do with Graham.

Well, maybe that was a lie. She was—in some way—glad that she hadn't seen him since then. It wasn't at all—she told herself—because he didn't want to see her. No, she was just good at staying hidden.

But she wasn't hiding! No, not at all. . .well, maybe a little. It was just. . .he had a way of. . .getting to her. She didn't understand him, and it was driving her a little crazy. At the ball, for instance, she had imagined there was something more to him than the arrogant, conceited twit she had known heretofore, and then, he had swiftly proved her wrong.

Not seeing him, though, had proved just as destructive. No matter if she didn't leave her room, she couldn't help feeling like he was going to pop up behind a piece of furniture, lounging with perfect ease and spouting a clever quip about her avoiding him. Worse than that, she had been dreaming about him. Terrible, horrible dreams that she preferred to forget.

Pacing back and forth across her bedroom floor, she kicked at an unoffending chair leg. Growling in annoyance at the sharp pain that shot through her foot, she slumped onto her bed, glaring at the ceiling.

A light tap on the door only elicited a sullen response from her, and Eliza entered with some reluctance. Cassandra only glared at the maid's rosy cheeks, knowing full well that they had been subject to the cool outdoor breezes. It simply wasn't fair! As a lady of rank, she should be able to go anywhere she wanted without fear of hindrance, and yet, this maid was freer than she!

"Your sister and brother-in-law have gone into town with Lady Irene and Lord Charles, did Miss want to stay cooped up in her room for another day?" Eliza chatted brightly, seemingly unaware of her mistress's volatile mood.

Cassandra didn't respond. She had been made aware of the plan for the day, but it had been of little interest to her. At the moment, all she wanted was to gallop freely across the moors, not roll around in a stuffy, uncomfortable coach. Well, that wasn't exactly what she wanted. She had consistently found herself unsure what she wanted since the ball. It was illogical and ridiculous, and she wanted nothing more than to revert into more of her old self when things had no affect on her.

But oh, just thinking of riding made her giddy with yearning. If only she could—

"Eliza!" Cassandra leapt off the bed suddenly, almost tripping herself in the process. And why shouldn't she be as free as a maid? Eliza peered at her in wide-eyed shock, uncertainty in her expression, but in Cassandra's mind there was only one thought and the idea of how she could execute it.

.................................

The back stairwell was emptier than Cassandra had expected, but this only proved to increase her good mood. He thought he was so smart, but here she was, outwitting him without raising a sweat. She smiled smugly to herself.

Delicately skirting the bustle of the kitchen, she slipped out into the back courtyard. Eliza's clothes were scratcher than she'd anticipated, but to feel the cool breeze and warm sunshine on her skin, she would have gone out in a potato sack. Besides, dressed as a maid, she could move about almost unseen and definitely unnoticed.

She kept the sophisticated walk of a maid only until she rounded the courtyard wall. Then, lifting her skirts until her knees were almost showing, she bolted across the yard toward the stable. As she reached the stable, she laughed aloud in triumphant ecstasy. Now, to find the horse she'd sent for the stable hands to saddle.