Page 77 of The Damsel
He’d led the baroness to this room and paused on the threshold. “Mother, this marriage is happening. You must accept it.”
She had frowned, but nodded in agreement. “You are not like yourself Robert ... you are different now. I suppose I would have her to blame.”
“I'm more myself than ever, so you would have her tothank,” he’d corrected. “Now, go in there and get to know your new daughter-in-law. She will be part of our family now and I want the two of you get along.”
She’d issued an impatient huff. “And if we do not?”
He’d given her a teasing grin. “There’s always the Outer Hebrides for you.”
“That isn’t funny,” she’d grumbled.
But, she had taken herself into the drawing room and pasted a smile on her face for his benefit. As he’d stood outside the room, he had watched her discover that Cassandra had been studying the embroidery work she’d left lying on the couch.
Cassandra’s voice had flitted out to him, soft and tentative. “This is lovely. I wish I knew how to do such fine work.”
His mother had been shocked to learn his future wife did not possess a skill for embroidery. “Goodness, child! Did your mother not instruct you?”
Cassandra’s face had fallen at that, the pain of the dowager’s rejection still as acute as ever. The baroness seemed to register it, and from that moment on she found herself a new person to coddle. Now, when Cassandra visited, his mother was ready with tea and biscuits, and embroidery hoops for practice. The two talked and laughed together, and his mother fell seamlessly into the role of mother to a woman who had been lacking one all her life.
As he watched them now, with his wedding day looming ahead in a few, short weeks, he felt a contentment he’d never known. His father’s health hadn’t improved, but the man spent as much time with them as he could, reveling in seeing his son happy at last.
Turning away from the drawing room, he decided to let them have their time together. He’d have Cassandra all to himself tonight, when he stole away to visit her at Easton Park. He could hardly wait until they were wed and she came to live at Briarwell. That way, he would not have to sneak around to be with her. After being whipped with her crop and fucked within an inch of his life, he would prefer to curl up in his own bed with her and sleep, not traipse about the woods with a sore arse.
He entered his study. On the desk lay a letter from Daphne, sent from her new home in Scotland. He and Cassandra had agreed to invite her and Hartmoor to the wedding—after all, the two of them were responsible for their ending up together. He’d enclosed a personal letter along with the invitation, asking after her welfare and wishing her well. She had written back, thanking him for helping her reunite with Hartmoor. She’d also reported the impending birth of their first child, news that might have hurt him months ago but now only made him happy.
She might have broken his heart, but she was one of his dearest friends in the world. In the end, he was grateful for her, because she was the reason he now knew what true love was.
Sinking into his chair, he winced and shifted, taking pressure off a particularly tender spot. Cassandra had left a welt with her crop, and the flashes of pain when he sat only brought back memories that made his cock harden to unbearable limits. If he wasn’t careful, he’d have to go rushing into that drawing room, drag her to his bedchamber, and seek relief between her thighs.
Instead, he focused upon penning his letter.
Dearest Daphne,
Cassandra and I are elated to hear that you and Hartmoor will be in attendance at our wedding. We often speak of how, in a way, you and the earl are responsible for us finding one another and falling in love. I could not be more grateful for that, or to have you as my friend.
Congratulations on the coming birth of your child. That is wonderful news! I could not be happier for you, and I mean that with all of my heart. When we were children, we often spoke of what we thought would be the perfect life. Do you remember that? We spoke of marriage and children and happy days spent with the people we loved. It brings me joy to know that you’ve begun the journey toward your perfect future. Rest assured, Cassandra and I are well on our way.
You will be surprised to know that she and Mother have been getting along famously. I know it hardly seems possible, but I swear to you, it is true. Once I made it clear that the two of them must get along, she made every effort to befriend Cassandra. So, I thought you’d like to know that, for now, I have not had to send her off to the Outer Hebrides. Time will tell whether that decision will stand.
I look forward to seeing you and Hartmoor at the wedding. Until then, rest well and take good care of your growing babe. Have you considered any names yet? If not, do consider Robert for a boy. It is quite a good name, I think. I am certain Hart will love it.
All my love,
The Hon. Mr. Robert Stanley
