Page 21 of Dare to be Wicked

“Spoilsport,” she said, but she was smiling at him, such a look in her eyes Cassius felt certain she would not deny him a kiss if he chose to steal one.

Behave, he instructed himself, struggling to hold still and not reach for her as she came closer. Lottie bent down, placing his clothes on the ground before him.

“There you are, then. I’ll wait for you in the summerhouse,” she said, before turning and hurrying away.

“So you have three suitors?” Vivien said once breakfast was over.

She had followed Eliza, who had escaped with a book, intending to sit on the terrace in the sun until her sister was located. They were supposed to be riding out to Bodiam village for a picnic, but Lottie had disappeared.

“Three?” Eliza set her book down to regard Vivien, who sat beside her. She looked exquisite in a simple white muslin gown embroidered all over with rosebuds. “Whatever do you mean?”

Vivien tsked at her and shook her head, glossy black ringlets bouncing around her face. “Now, now, don’t be coy, Eliza. Everyone can see the Comte de Villen is paying you special attention, not to mention everyone telling me you are practically engaged to Cassius.”

Eliza frowned down at her book. The comte had been very attentive, that much was true. Cassius, however, had barely spoken to her. Before he’d left France, he’d written often, telling her how much he was looking forward to seeing her again, how much he had to tell her, and he was now playing least in sight. It was strange and out of character and… and she did not know what to make of it. Had she done something, said something, to make him wish to avoid her? Could she have offended him? Perhaps just as she had offended Mr Demarteau, for she could not understand why the man glared at her so and avoided her. She must have said or done something to make him cut her so obviously.

“Eliza, are you listening to me?”

“What? Oh, I do beg your pardon, Viv. No, I was wool gathering, and please don’t tell me that Ashton is my third suitor for I shall laugh in your face. I do not know what he was playing at last night, but it was very clearly a game of some description.”

A game that had made Cassius very angry. Indeed, he’d given every appearance of being jealous that Ashton was showing her such attention, but if that was so, why—? Oh, good Lord, she was going around in circles.

“Of course not. My brother’s motives are his own and generally as clear as mud, though I shall discover them, naturally. He cannot keep a secret from me. I did not count him your suitor, though.”

Eliza looked up, frowning at her friend. “Then I don’t have the slightest notion who you are speaking of.”

She stared blankly into Viv’s blue eyes, and gaped as one elegantly arched black eyebrow lifted.

Eliza gaped at her. “You cannot possibly be suggesting that Mr Demarteau is interested in pursuing me?”

“Whyever not?”

“Good heavens, the man cannot bear to be in the same room as me. Since we were introduced, he has hardly spoken to me once above a grunt in reply to a direct question and, on the one occasion I tried to engage him in conversation, he practically cut me dead.”

“Exactly!” Vivien said, clapping her hands together in delight.

“Your brain does not work the same way mine does, my darling Viv,” Eliza said, shaking her head.

“Her brain is a twisty thing designed to outwit us lesser mortals, Eliza. It is best you accept that now.”

Eliza looked up to see Ashton had come to join them.

“I believe you may be right,” she said, laughing.

“Of course I am. I am always right. It is a curse I must bear. I do it manfully, as you can see,” he added, smirking at her.

“Indeed you do,” Eliza replied, deadpan. “We are all deeply impressed.”

“Speak for yourself,” his sister retorted.

Ashton flashed a dazzling grin and sat down beside them. “Are we all ready, then? I thought we were riding out somewhere?”

“Yes, but Lottie has disappeared, and no one can find her,” Eliza said with a huff. “Perhaps I should look for her too. I thought she must have gone for a walk and would be back by now. I suppose she might have gone down to the summerhouse to find Cassius. He wasn’t at breakfast either, and—”

“No need,” Ash said, pushing to his feet at once. “I’ll go.”

“Oh,” Eliza said, a little startled by the force of his declaration. “Well, that’s very kind of you, Ash, but—”

“No trouble at all,” Ash said briskly, giving her no further chance to protest as he strode off towards the gardens.