Page 6 of Forbidden Earl

‘Wait till he gets home. He wants to convince you to marry me.’

‘Oh. Lovely. Thanks for the heads up.’

In text Cassidy was the sweeter girl he once in a while remembered.

His grandmother coughed, a racking sound that broke his heart, so he tucked his phone in his back pocket and rushed into the room.

Grannie patted Lord Paston’s arm. “We’ll get the queen’s permission first thing in the morning.”

So, they were talking about the upcoming wedding. “Cassidy agreed to move in with me tonight, so she’ll be here for dinner, Grannie. You can tell her whatever tradition you want included.”

Lord Paston stood. “I should go talk to my daughter.”

Yes, he should. And Cassidy needed to get away from all of her grasping, greedy family, but he held his tongue and instead said, “I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Lord Sky, I think you’ll be a fine son-in-law and a good husband for Cassidy,” Lord Paston admitted as they left Grannie’s room.

He winked at his grandmother, for they both knew that Cassidy would fare better, here, with him as a Burke despite her father’s words. “Thanks. We’re happy to have her in the family.”

“All that fighting you two did, hopefully now that turns into something else.” Lord Paston put his cap back on. “She’s a lovely girl underneath it all.”

Her hair covered her like a shield. As his wife, all he truly wanted from Cassidy was that she stop hiding her face, but he’d not press that for now. He opened the front door. “Good evening, Lord Paston.”

“You, too.” The man left and Remington searched the road for signs of Cassidy. She had always been a sister to him, someone to tease, so he’d never considered her for marriage. He walked upstairs and told the staff to get her room ready for her arrival.

Marrying Cassidy meant he’d keep everything he’d ever earned. While he was curious about what the royal report he ordered for the name of his true love might say, it wouldn’t change anything now.

Grannie wanted Cassidy and that was that. True love probably didn’t exist, and Cassidy, with a haircut and possibly contacts, knew how to dress the part. She’d been raised with the same education, the same knowledge of their ancestry. He’d spend the rest of his life with someone who wouldn’t try to change anything about him. There was peace in that thought.

Chapter 3

Cassidy finished packing her suitcase and gathered her twelve pairs of glasses in various colors that sat on the top of her dresser. She slipped them into the color coordinated cases and tucked them carefully into her backpack that she used for work.

Chelsea threw open her bedroom door and stormed into the bedroom, reminiscent of a fire-breathing dragon. “You’ll be the worst Countess! I can’t believe you said yes.”

Was she supposed to have said no, so that Chelsea could have Remy? Her stomach knotted at the idea of the two of them together. Her sister needed to see this as positive for all of them. She zipped her backpack. “Well, now I can afford to send you to Paris for the year, like you wanted.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. “You want me gone so I don’t make trouble.”

Well true, but Chelsea would have to be at the wedding, at least if Cassidy wanted her parents to stay calm about this whole thing. After the wedding, perhaps her sister would be more reasonable, though unlikely. Chelsea had just lost her chance to marry a duke, and now an earl. She kept her head down, her hair falling forward. “You can’t do anything to me, sis. I know Remy almost better than I know you so there is no surprise in what I’m getting.”

Her sister wrinkled her nose and glared at her. “Don’t you want to attract a man on your own?”

Why bother? She’d have to pretend to care what she looked like all the time and do that stupid fake laugh her mother and sister were clearly exceptional at, but it grated on her nerves. Cassidy shook her head and tugged the bag on her back. “Not your way, Chelsea.”

Her sister put her hand on her hip. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

An argument wouldn’t help Chelsea land another duke. Cassidy’s computer program said Chelsea’s true love was a man named Alexandre who grew wine in the South of France. Somehow, she needed to get her sister near that man’s farm, as he never left, and then Chelsea wouldn’t bother her anymore.

She pushed her hair out of her face at the sound of the front door creaking open. Cassidy wheeled her suitcase out of her room. “Dad is home and I need to talk to him. Gotta go.”

Chelsea didn’t bother to reach out and help. Instead she crossed her arms. “We’ll all be more peaceful when you’re not here.”

Cassidy turned around and stared at her sister. They had nothing in common except their parents. She saluted her and said, “Right. Well, good luck with everything Chelsea.”

Without waiting for another word, Cassidy made her way toward the elevator and lugged her suitcase inside behind her. Chelsea hadn’t followed, so the doors closed. Unfortunately, no one had fixed the light in the elevator so she rode down in the dark. Once she reached the first floor and exited the elevator, dusky light filled the room. Cassidy wheeled her bag out and found her father in the living room, with her mother.

They must have already talked about her. Her mother wiped another tear from her face.

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