Her Assassin's Heart - Book 2

Chapter 6

         

Drops of rain slid down the window pain in thin rivulets, sending the oppressively gray sky out of focus. The air was thick and stuffy as if every breath would deplete its last supply of oxygen and end the lives of those within the great house. The cold at her fingertips reflected the chill of sudden loneliness in her heart.

    The carriage had long since disappeared up the lane, and strain them though she might, her ears could catch no lingering clatter of wheel against road. In fact, the only sound was the thunderous ticking of the clock on the opposite side of the room, and it was a desolate, lonely sound. Staring would not bring back the people she cared about, or it hadn't yet, but she couldn't find it within herself to do anything else.

    Clicking her teeth together, Cassandra pushed herself away from the glass and sank into an armchair. The maids had been instructed to leave Lord Ezra's out of the purging clean ordered by Lady Antrucha, and so she had taken solace in its seclusion. She stared at the papers sprawled across her father's large desk and drummed her fingers.

    "You can always come visit." She heard Lavinia's voice say with a light laugh, but in the depths of her sister's eyes, she had seen mirrored the same, sudden loneliness she was now feeling.

    It wasn't as though she thought she'd never see her sister again. No, there would be holidays and the occasional business trip, but she had gotten used to seeing Lavinia everyday again. To having someone she could talk to without holding back. Lavinia always seemed to understand, and she never judged. She was always trying to help someone else, and Cassandra was going to miss her presence.

    It hadn't really set in that Ethan and Lavinia had left until today. Her father had been forced to make a day-trip into town to deal with something business related, and she was left to her own devices, which meant lounge around waiting for something to come her way. . .or face her mother. She had chosen to be bored senseless.

    She couldn't believe that today marked the fourth day since Lavinia's departure. It all seemed like some dream that was bound to melt before long. She bit her lip and gave an unladylike snort to the opposite wall. She had wasted so much time being ridiculous and shallow!

    Scoffing, she fairly flung herself out of the comfort of the armchair to face the window again. Why was life so dull? She heaved a sigh.

    How could this have held so much appeal to her before? It was so. . .empty. The thing she could enjoy now was the company of her father. He was the only thing that kept her sane, and, though she hadn't found a way to speak of it, he was the only person of real meaning in her day to day life.

    Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and rested her head against the window pain, allowing it to chill her heated forehead. How could she ever leave him? With her mother hounding his every move. . .it was unthinkable. She would have to stay, and that was that. There would be no galavanting off to Scotland, no prolonged visiting of Lavinia, no sneaking off to Brighton.

    Since the wedding, she had thought of so many things she wanted to do, places she wanted to go, things she wanted to see. The thought of adventure had set her sense awhirl, but in her heart, she had known that nothing would ever come of it. She might not be Lord Antrucha's daughter, but if there was one thing he had taught her it was to never go back on one's obligations.

    She shook her head and opened her eyes. That wasn't the right way to put it. She didn't feel as though her father were chaining her down. She was glad to stand by him, to assist him in whatever ways she possibly could, but sometimes a stirring would rise in her chest until she found it difficult to contain, and then she would feel that fate had dealt her a cruel hand. But those were fleeting bursts of passion, and she had learned to control them and temper them.

    A gentle tap on the door broke the still silence of the room. Cassandra half turned before she decided to ignore it. She had expressly told the servants that she wanted to be left alone, and she didn't care if she was missing lunch or tea. Another knock, this time more persistent. The third knock did it.

    "Go away, Eliza. I don't give a horse's rump that it's not healthy to skip meals, and that's putting it politely!" She fairly shouted. Now was really not the time to bother her with ridiculous—if well-meant—concerns about her person.

    A moment of silence passed, and she felt herself drifting back into her thoughts when a firm, loud knock interrupted her.

    "If you knock one more time, I swear—" She growled in exasperation turning to face the door. Abruptly, the threat died on her lips.

    Standing just within the doorway, Robert Smithers flexed his fingers and a predator's grin broke out on his devilish face.

So what do you think is going to happen? Should Cassandra leave London behind and start fresh?