Page 17 of Enchanted by the Lyon (The Lyon’s Den Connected World #93)
L ucius stood in Saxton’s study feeling like an imbecile as he waited for a meeting that he wished he didn’t have to attend.
He had insulted Cassandra by his offer to make the woman his mistress.
That they would continue to be put in close proximity of each other in order for him to fulfill his debt to Mrs. Dove-Lyon only made matters worse…
at least in Lucius’s mind. How would he be able to stand being close to Cassandra without wanting to pull her into his arms was anyone’s guess.
God, how he wanted her and yet once again he questioned his motives as to why.
He barely knew her but there was something about the lady that pulled her to him with invisible ties.
She had placed some sort of a spell on him that went far beyond just wanting her to become his mistress.
Or had she? Maybe she would be like every other woman he had taken to his bed in the past, satisfying momentarily because he’d obtained the unattainable until he was ready to move on to the next lady to whom he took a fancy.
He knew his heart was incapable of love, or so he told himself over the years.
His lady love had forsaken him and he had sworn to himself to never feel trapped into letting such an emotion get the better of him.
Only the good Lord above knew how much Marsha’s betrayal had affected the rest of his life.
He had never forgiven her even after he learned of her death from the man she ran away with.
And then there she stood in the doorway with her chin held high and that regal grace even a duchess couldn’t mimic. He gave her a bow but after she performed the customary curtsey she continued to stand where she was. Haughty. Beautiful. Unattainable.
“Mrs. Vaughn. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” Lucius finally managed to mutter as he motioned to one of the chairs by the fireplace. “Will you join me?”
Silently she made her way across the room and took her seat. A servant came behind her pushing a trolley with tea and cakes. “Thank you, Mary. That will be all. Please close the door behind you,” Cassandra said as she began pouring tea and offering Lucius a cup.
He would have preferred something stronger but he took the tea and placed it on a small table near at hand.
He waited, thinking Saxton’s wife would enter shortly, but when she didn’t, he realized he’d be alone with Cassandra.
“No chaperone today?” he asked feeling slightly uncomfortable.
He wasn’t certain he could trust himself being alone with her.
She raised her cup to her those perfect lips he remembered kissing and took a sip of her tea before answering. “Since you made an arrangement with Mrs. Dove-Lyon to right the wrongs of my past with my brother-in-law, I assumed I was safe with you. Has that changed?”
He frowned. “Of course not.”
“Then I see no reason to have another person here listening to me while I bring up the uncomfortable memories of my past,” she explained softly.
Oh. Now he was more than slightly uncomfortable. “Cassandra… I—”
“You asked for this meeting, Lord Blackthorn, and I am here. However, as you yourself but recently declared as to what is between us, this is a business meeting. Nothing more. I believe we should keep the formalities between us.” She took another sip of her tea and waited for him to continue.
Lucius observed her for several moments wondering if he had completely snuffed out the light in her eyes that he observed at their past meetings.
There was nothing in her features that told him that she cared for him now…
that is, if she had truly cared for him in the first place.
But somehow, he couldn’t reconcile himself to the idea she was one of those women who claimed love when only interested in his title.
Cassandra was different, somehow. Still, perhaps it was for the best that she no longer appeared to love him.
And yet, he still regretted that he was the cause of the change in this now somehow cold and distant woman before him.
He leaned forward and took one of her hands. “I’m sorry.”
Her brow rose in question to his apology while she quickly pulled her hand away.
“For what, my lord? You made your intentions known as to what you desired from me. I refused your offer. There is nothing further to discuss on that matter. If this is the only reason why you are here, then you have delivered your apology and we can let the matter rest.”
He frowned at her words. “You know that isn’t the only reason why I’m here, Cassandra…” She seemed about to protest his use of her given name so he corrected himself. “I mean, Mrs. Vaughn.”
“Then let us get on with this meeting, shall we? There is no sense in delaying the process of you moving on with your life after you learn what you need from mine. That is why you are here, isn’t it? To discover what you can of my marriage so you can fulfill your debt to Mrs. Dove-Lyon?”
Lucius nodded. What more could he do at this point but to adhere to the consequences of his actions and let Cassandra move on with her life?
She had refused his offer to become his mistress.
He should never have made the suggestion in the first place.
A huge mistake on his part but maybe it was indeed for the best. He didn’t wish to marry anyone at the moment but as he stared into her green eyes as she waited for his answer, regret once again consumed him.
He had been a fool and he had no business meddling in the fact she wished to marry someone of standing.
Ideas of what it would be like to be married to a woman like Cassandra suddenly flooded his mind. They weren’t unpleasant. In fact, they were…compelling.
He came out of the images of what could be if he only wished his life to go in a different direction.
He gave her a brief nod as he came to the realization that he had no place in her life.
“Tell me what you know of your brother-in-law, Mrs. Vaughn, and hopefully I can learn the truth of what that man did to you,” he said sitting back into his chair.
And as Cassandra began to retell her life of her first marriage, Lucius began to see the young woman who had fallen in love and lost everything because of it. She may have gone through hell but in the end, she was a better woman because of it.