Chapter 25

It had been three weeks since Damian had left Abbotgate, and Cassie was still continually watching for his return. On the day she had expected him back, she had kept a vigil at the door, and had been bitterly disappointed when he had not returned. She comforted herself by assuming that his business in town was taking longer than he had expected. But, after a week had passed, she was becoming increasingly concerned at his prolonged absence, and she decided to consult Appleby on what should be done to find him.

'I wouldn't worry about the Captain if I were you,' he had told her dismissively. 'He's just spending a few more days in town. I reckon he's met up with some of his old cronies from his fighting days, and they're having a marvellous time.'

'I do not know,' Cassie had said, not at all convinced by his answer, 'he told us that he would only be three days and now it has been nearly a week.'

'Don't you worry, Miss,' Appleby said, 'he'll be back in a few days, mark my words.'

However, much to Cassie's dismay, another week passed, and there was still no sign of him. As the days wore on, she became increasingly concerned for his safety. But, whenever she broached Appleby on the subject, he always made light of her concerns, telling her that Damian was no doubt enjoying himself and would be back when he was good and ready. She had wanted Appleby to retrace Damien's route to London to find out if anything disastrous had happened to him. But Appleby, seemingly unperturbed by his master's disappearance, dismissed her suggestion and told her firmly not to worry about him.

It was now late in the afternoon, and she was sitting at the desk that Damien had used to do his estate business. Since Damien had left Abbotgate, three weeks ago, Cassie had not slept well. She was anxious and tired, and she felt that she had no one to turn to for help. She looked blankly at a few bills that had arrived that morning, when suddenly, and without any warning, Appleby entered the room. He came in and stood by the desk, looking disgruntled. 'There's a fancy looking gent here to see you,' he said acrimoniously. 'He gave me his card. A lot of use it is to me; I can't even read,' he added tossing the card unceremoniously at her. 'He told me to inform you that he knows where the Captain's holding out,' he said, as he sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

Ever since Damien had left Abbotgate, Appleby had begun to harbour a deep resentment towards her. She guessed that he did not like the fact that his master had left Cassie holding the purse strings; not him. She held out her hand and took the card, ignoring the arrogant tone he used when he spoke to her.

When Cassie read the name printed in bold across the card, she felt a cold shiver run up her spine. She clearly remembered meeting him on that fateful day. The day when Damian had asked for her hand in marriage. The well-dressed gentleman may have smiled at her and spoken to her politely, but there was no mistaking the cold, hard look in his eyes. But, the overwhelming curiosity, she still felt regarding Damien's whereabouts, overcame any reservations she had regarding the gentleman's character.

As soon as the well-dressed gentleman had been shown into the library, he walked confidently over to Cassie, who was now standing by the desk. 'Good afternoon, Miss Stanford,' the gentleman said, putting the emphasis on the miss as he spoke. As he stood in front of her, he took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and slowly kissed each of her fingers. 'I am so pleased that you have found it in your heart to receive me,' he said, as he looked intently into her eyes with that cold look that was familiar to Cassie.

As his lips grazed her fingers, she felt a revulsion at his touch that she had not felt for a long time. "He knows my name," she thought to herself as she stood in front of him, trying to make sense of the incoherent jumble of memories she had in her mind. Cassie knew that this was not the time to look timid and frightened. She had to show him that she was not daunted by him. 'I do not know how you discovered my name, Mr Delaney, but I am not going to be intimidated by you,' she said haughtily, as she held her head up high in the act of defiance.

'Intimidate?' he said with a flourish, 'my dear, it is not my intention to intimidate you. In fact, it is rather the opposite.' He walked across the room, and, without an invitation from Cassie, sat down in one of the leather chairs by the fire. 'Please sit down, Miss Stanford, we have business to discuss,' he said, as he motioned for her to sit in a chair opposite him. The authority in his voice and his assertive body language had made Cassie feel small and insignificant in his presence. Another shiver went involuntarily through her, as she thought that his commanding voice had sounded as though he was claiming ownership of everything within the house, including her.

Cassie could do nothing else but perch nervously on a chair opposite him. She sat with her back straight and tried, rather unconvincingly, to portray more confidence than she felt. 'I do not see what business we have to discuss with each other,' she said, a little too forcefully for her liking, 'if it is regarding the estate, you will have to wait until Captain Laws returns.'

Delaney leant back in his chair, and slowly crossed his legs. His eyes that reminded Cassie of granite continued to look steadily at her. 'My dear,' he drawled, 'this little visit has nothing to do with Laws.'

Cassie said nothing, she looked down at her hands that were tightly clasped in her lap.

'Have you heard from Laws recently?' Delaney asked smoothly.

Cassie looked up at him sharply and shook her head. 'No,' she said, a little too vehemently, 'I have not.'

'Then you have not heard the good news,' he said sounding triumphant.

Cassie looked at him blankly. 'What good news?'

'Captain Laws is a rich man; a very rich man indeed. My dear,' he said with a flourish, 'did you not know, he has recently inherited his paternal grandfather's estate, and he is now the 5th Earl of Silverton.'

'I do not believe you,' Cassie said staring at him, unable to hide the look of shock on her face.

'I thought you might not believe me,' he said, as he reached into his satchel that he had placed by the chair and carefully removed a newspaper. 'Read this,' he ordered, as he brought the paper over to Cassie. 'You will find the announcement half-way down the third column on the first page particularly interesting,' he said as he handed her the paper.

Cassie took the paper from him cautiously. As she read and then reread the printed words that had been placed before her, she felt her mouth go dry, and the blood drain away from her face. The article did indeed confirm everything that Delaney had just told her. Damien, the man she loved, had indeed inherited his grandfather's title and was now the Earl of Silverton. She handed the paper back to Delaney, schooling her emotions so that she gave him no clue to how she now felt. 'I do not see what that has to do with me,' she said stiffly.

'As you have not heard from Laws, I mean Lord Silverton,' he said, as he went back to the chair opposite her. Once he had sat back down and stretched his legs out in front of him, he looked at her. 'I take it that, even though you maybe still residing under his roof, you are now surplus to requirements,' he said dispassionately.

'I do not know what you are implying?' Cassie said primly.

'Let me spell it out for you, my dear. Now, that he is an Earl, he will not want someone with your reputation, hanging around and embarrassing him,' he said smoothly.

Cassie looked at him in horror. There was no way she could mistake his meaning. 'I find your conversation offensive,' she said forcefully, 'I came here as Captain Laws' guest.'

Delaney laughed. 'No, my dear,' he said, still laughing and shaking his head, 'you cannot fool me. You came here as his whore.'

Cassie blushed in response to his insult. She began to nervously twist the betrothal ring that she still wore on her left hand, and she desperately wanted to cry. But, Cassie knew that crying in front of him would not solve her problems, she had to be strong and not show him her true feelings. She knew, from bitter experience, that men like Delaney thrived on the misfortunes of others. They always looked for emotional weaknesses they could exploit for their own advantage. Cassie donned the mask, she had used so many times when she had been under Ellington's control and looked at him with hauteur. 'It is really none of your business,' she said, with a haughty air.

'My dear,' he said, with a laboured sigh, 'I do believe it is.' He then sat forward and turned his cold, granite-like eyes upon her and looked at her coldly. 'After I saw you the other day, I knew that I had met you before. Your facial expression was so familiar, but for the life of me, I could not remember where or when we had met.' He continued to stare at her with a sardonic smile on his lips. 'Then by coincidence, a few days ago, when I was in London, I ran into a mutual acquaintance of ours. Then I remembered exactly where and when we had first met, and more importantly, who you really were.'

Cassie looked up at him with horror, as a memory that she had tried to suppress, flickered at the back of her mind. She now remembered that Delaney, with his familiar cold, dark eyes, had been present at the initial house-party at Highfields when her fate had been sealed. 'Major Ellington,' she said, in a whisper, unable to hide the fear that name evoked, 'you saw Major Ellington.' Then after a brief silence, she spoke again. 'You were there at Highfields,' she said, in an almost inaudible whisper.

'Ah!' he said triumphantly, as he recognised the look of terror in her eyes, 'you see, you do remember me.' He looked down at his jacket and carefully brushed a piece of lint from its lapel, 'I certainly remember who you are; you are the infamous La Rosa d'Oro. You were the whore that vanished without a trace, from right under Ellington's nose. I have heard that he has put a rather large price on your head.'

Cassie sat still and looked at her hands that were still clasped in her lap. Her knuckles had gone white, as she clenched them tightly together. 'Did you tell him where I was?' she said quietly.

'Now, my dear Rosa,' he said calmly, as he used that name she hoped she would never hear again. 'Why would I betray you?' he stopped and leant forward towards her, resting his arms on his lap. 'My dear, I have not come here to threaten you, I have come as your... friend. You must be aware that it is only a matter of time before Ellington finds out where you are hiding.' He paused and then said soberly, 'you must know that he will eventually find you.'

'What do you want from me?' she said, trying to hide the fear that she had felt at the mention of Ellington's name.

'I want to come to some arrangement with you,' he said casually, after a lengthy pause in the conversation, 'you will find me a generous man, and will want for nothing.'

'What if I do not want to come to "an arrangement" with you,' she said, looking at him coldly.

'Now, my dear,' he said, 'do not be dismissive of my proposal. I think that you will find that it is the perfect solution to your little problem. I will keep you safe from Ellington if you agree to become my mistress.'

Cassie continued to stare at him incredulously. 'I will do no such thing,' she said indignantly. 'How dare you come here and threaten me. I think you had better leave.'

Delaney threw back his head and laughed. 'Rosa,' he said, his voice still full of mirth, 'you are magnificent. I think we will deal very well together.'

'You, Mr Delaney, will never find out, I find your proposal repugnant,' she said fiercely.

'There is something else I need to tell you, that may change your mind,' Delaney said.

'There is nothing you can say that will change my mind,' she replied vehemently.

'Yesterday, when I was in London at my club, I met a gentleman, who was proudly showing off an enamel miniature of a young woman. It may have been poorly executed, but there was no mistaking the identity of the subject portrayed. The artist had not been successful painting the shape of the nose or face, but there was one feature of the young lady he painted beautifully; her distinctive blue eyes.'

'Was it Captain Laws?' Cassie said, in a whisper, 'was he the gentleman with the miniature?' Cassie found it difficult asking the question, and she dreaded the answer. She had loved Damien, with her whole heart. Not only had she willingly given herself to him, but she had also laid her soul bare, and had told him her deepest and darkest secrets. If it had been Damien, it would have been the ultimate betrayal, far worse than any deception Ellington had instigated against her.

'No,' Delaney replied, 'it was Sir Henry Cavendish.'

Cassie looked at him blankly. 'I do not know who he is,' she replied, looking down at her hands.

'Silverton must have given it to him,' he replied glibly, 'I overheard Cavendish tell anyone, who was willing to listen to the old fool, that Silverton was betrothed to his daughter.'

'I do not believe you,' Cassie said firmly, 'he would never do that to me.'

Delaney laughed. 'My dear,' he said, using a patronising voice, 'you are nothing more than his whore after all; what did you expect?'

Cassie looked at him blankly, trying to fight back the hot tears that were threatening to flow down her cheeks. All the defences that she had built up were crumbling away.

'And that brings me back to why I am here today,' he said, as he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. 'As I told you earlier, I have come to offer you my protection.'

Cassie shook off his hand that he had placed on her shoulder and then looked up at him superciliously. The fight that she had felt drain from her, only moments before, was beginning to return. 'I can see a flaw in your plan,' she said confidently, standing up and moving towards the fireplace to put some distance between them. 'You just told me that Ellington is certain to find me. I know how dangerous Ellington can be. Believe me, when I tell you, I have seen what he can do to anyone who crosses him. He will not only punish me for leaving him, but he will also punish you for sheltering me?'

'I would not worry about that,' he said dismissively, 'by the time he has worked out where you have been hiding, we could be far away from here. I have always wanted to travel to the continent, and that has been an impossibility until very recently.'

Delaney went and stood next to Cassie and touched her cheek. 'You will be safe with me, my dear,' he said quietly. 'And, if you do as you are told, I will make sure that you will come to no harm.'

Cassie shrugged off Delaney's hand. 'Sir, I find you repugnant,' she said fiercely, 'and, as I have already told you, I find your proposal distasteful. I think you should leave.'

Delaney just laughed softly. 'My love,' he said smoothly, 'you will change your mind when you have had a little time to think it over. It is a shame for such a lovely woman to be shut away from the world, with no one to appreciate her exquisite beauty. Think carefully about my proposal, I will come back tomorrow morning for my answer.'

Delaney went back to the chair, where he had been seated, and picked up his satchel. 'Until tomorrow, my dear,' he said, as he bowed to her. He then strode out of the room, not once looking back at Cassie, who was still standing by the fireplace.

After Delaney had left, Cassie kept staring at the empty chair he had been sitting in. It saddened her to think that the life, she had lived for the past year, would soon be over. The happiness that she had thought she had shared with Damien had ended abruptly, and she was left with nothing more than a few precious memories of their life together.

Had she been foolish to think that Damien was different from the other men she had known? Since she had met him, he had always behaved towards her with honour. He never looked at her lasciviously, and there had been nothing in his conduct towards her that had suggested that he was toying with her affections. He had not used the same tricks to manipulate her, and he had always been warm and kind to her, treating her body and mind with the utmost respect. It was for that reason, she had believed him when he had said that he loved her and wanted her to be his wife. She looked down once more at the betrothal ring on the fourth finger of her left hand and twisted it between the fingers of her right hand. 'Stupid, stupid girl,' she said harshly to herself, as the tears that she had managed to suppress during Delaney's visit began to flow down her cheeks. 'He had been just like the others after all,' she said to herself, as she lowered her head to her chest.

She took the ring off her finger and carefully caressed the setting. It now seemed that happiness and contentment were always going to be beyond her reach. It saddened her greatly to think that she was condemned to a life of heartache and misery. A life where she would always be at the beck and call of men like Delaney and Ellington. But, as Delaney had correctly said, she was just a whore after all. What man, in Damien's position, wanted a woman like her?

Cassie stood up and walked over to Damian's desk and placed the ring carefully on top of the pile of papers she had been looking at earlier. Her hand hovered over it for a few seconds, and she was tempted to keep it as a reminder of what had been the happiest day of her life. But, she snatched her hand away before she had the chance to change her mind and pick it up again. Keeping it would only make it more difficult for her to come to terms with the fact that he no longer wanted her.

Cassie brushed the tears that were still flowing down her cheeks, with the sleeve of her dress. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. 'No more tears,' she said firmly, as she took a deep breath. 'I will not allow you to cry over a man,' she scolded herself. 'And, I will not let self-pity cloud my judgement,' she said to herself once more. Cassie knew that now was the time to have a clear head. She had to think carefully about her future.

One thing that Cassie knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that she would never let herself be under the control of a man like Ellington or trust a man like Damien. It would have been so easy for her to accept Delaney's proposal and become his mistress, but that would have only been a temporary solution to her problem.

Cassie looked down at Damian's desk and opened a couple of drawers. She found a leather pouch that contained a handful of gold sovereigns. As she held the pouch in her hands, she pushed aside the guilt that was welling up in her. 'No,' she said to herself, the tears now long gone, 'he never loved me. I am just taking what he owes me.' She looked at the money and sighed. It would be enough to get her to France and allow her to disappear somewhere on the continent.

'I hate you all,' she shouted out angrily to the empty room, as though there was a theatre full of spectators watching her. 'I hate every single one of you. You have brought me nothing but misery and ruin. And I will never allow myself to be used by a man again.'

Cassie then left the library, without looking back, and went upstairs to pack a small valise.