The Mistress Diaries (Love at Pembroke Palace Book 2) by Julianne MacLean

Author:Julianne MacLean [MacLean, Julianne]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Julianne MacLean Publishing Inc.
Published: 2020-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

I sometimes wonder what is more powerful—the burning intensity of lust, or a quieter affection that blooms slowly over time. I certainly know which of the two is more meaningful but meaning is not always what guides us through life. Sometimes we are victims of our impulses.

—from the journal of

Cassandra Montrose,

Lady Colchester,

June 23,1874

Three days later, Vincent made good on his commitment to Cassandra and June with the purchase of Langley Hall and all the surrounding acreage. The deal would be closed the day after his wedding, when he would receive five thousand pounds from his father simply for saying “I do.” Over the next two weeks, Vincent traveled to and from London to take care of various details regarding the purchase of the house—such as the acquisition of furniture and the hiring of servants. His mother, his fiancée, and the Duchess of Swinburne also traveled to London to make purchases for the wedding, which gave him the freedom to visit his daughter as often as he pleased.

More often than not he found June in the pram in the gardens, sleeping soundly beneath an organza cover, while Cassandra pulled weeds from the earth or planted new seeds. Sometimes he found his daughter lying on her belly on a quilt under the oak tree, while Cassandra sat beside her with an open book in her hands.

Through it all, he was perhaps most pleased to discover that she chose not to disappear when his coach pulled up in front of the house at the prearranged time. Rather, she would take June into her arms and greet him on the steps—always eager to place the infant into his outstretched arms.

Over those busy few weeks, Vincent also discovered that he could be an affectionate, doting father, and even a gentleman, too—and that it was not quite as difficult as he’d imagined it would be. He was surprisingly capable of resisting his attraction to Cassandra, and when he contemplated the reasons why, he understood that it was more than a mere matter of being in breach of their contract. The truth of the matter was—he did not want to lose what was becoming a comfortable friendship.

And so, they spent many hours together in a congenial, companionable manner, strolling down to the river or through the Pembroke forests with the puppy, the core focus of their conversations always one safe thing—little June.

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