A Heart in the Balance by L G Rollins

Author:L G Rollins [Rollins, L G]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798627839738
Published: 2020-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Cassandra carefully drew the needle through the fabric, and a thin stripe of yellowish-green stitches transformed into light atop tree leaves along a shore. Though her hands worked steadily, her mind churned with unease.

Only three nights hence, when Southcott had told her that Le Renard could very well have returned and been among the wedding guests, she’d nearly fallen into a frenzy. Even now, the remembrance of that night, brought with it the panic she’d experienced.

But then together, she and Lord Southcott had spied on the house full of their peers. They had analyzed the movements of others and eventually laughed at the constant posturing taking place. How had he done that? Taken her fear for her family and turned it into one of the most enjoyable evenings she’d ever had?

And, oh, his touch. His fingers brushing against her shoulder, her hair. It was as though fire had trailed along with his fingertips. It heated her skin and sent her heart racing. She’d never felt such intensity.

“You are hiding something,” Venetia said from across the room.

Cassandra let her cross-stitch slowly lower onto her lap. Had her errant thoughts caused a blush? She glanced quickly around. It was only the two of them in the small, yellow parlor; thank goodness for that.

“I cannot imagine what you mean,” she said. She hoped her voice sounded innocent. Then again, hadn’t Venetia once said that Cassandra always sounded a bit guilty? Perhaps if she sounded too innocent, that would be just as bad. Gracious, lying to one’s family was frightfully hard.

“I mean all your little trips to the outbuilding. Even now that Quintin has left, returned for the wedding, and left once more, you are still acting as strange as ever.

“We’ve just had a second wedding in not even twelve months. Even I get tired of all the company eventually.”

Venetia, her dark hair loose about her shoulders, watched Cassandra with pursed lips. “No. I don’t think that’s it. And I don’t believe you were tutoring Quintin on how to pitch woo to his sweetheart.”

Cassandra shrugged with one shoulder and lifted her cross-stitch once more. “Believe what you wish.” Playing it off was her best bet. Venetia liked to argue with Cassandra, liked it even more when she could find blame in her, so engaging would only egg her sister on.

Venetia stood. “I’m going to visit the outbuilding.”

“What?” Cassandra couldn’t stop the word from bursting out of her, but the moment it did she knew it was a mistake.

Venetia’s brow rose in triumph. “After all the time you’ve spent out there, you must have some truly wonderful dried herbs to show for it. I would like to see them.”

Cassandra kept her mouth shut tight this time. If she tried to talk Venetia out of it, she’d only take it as a sign that Cassandra was hiding something. Which of course she truly was. But not the horrible, naughty kind of something Venetia always assumed she was in the middle of. This was a man’s life on the line.

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