Aware of the responsibility that she was being handed. Cassandra took a deep breath, set her shoulders, and lifted her chin.
“I shall go to him now.”
Without so much as another word, she turned away from both Lord Sherbourne and her cousin and set out in search of Lord Alderton.
* * *
“Lord Alderton, there you are.”
The gentleman in question had not taken her too long to find. He was ensconced in a corner of the room, speaking to two young ladies, who then took their leave of him as Cassandra approached.
“Lady Cassandra.”
His hand went to her, and she took it, grasping it tightly, hoping that the fear she put into her voice would evidence itself in her eyes.
“Lord Alderton, I must beg of you – do not read ‘The London Ledger’!”
Lord Alderton frowned immediately.
“‘The London Ledger’?” he repeated, clearly confused. “Whatever are you speaking of, Lady Cassandra? We are at a ball, there cannot be such a thing here.”
Closing her eyes, Cassandra, let out a long breath, clenching her jaw tightly so that she shuddered lightly.
“And yet, someone has brought a few copies of it here and I have seen some young ladies reading it!” Opening her eyes, she moved a few steps backward, as though in painful distress while intentionally making certain that a few more guests nearby in the ballroom might hear them. Lady Yardley, Lord Sherbourne, and her friends would be close by, also, ready to take in Lord Alderton’s words, ready to step forward if it was required. “I do not know how it has been discovered.” Taking in Lord Alderton’s now widened eyes, she let out a choked exclamation. “You must not- I pray that you will not –”
Lord Alderton drew closer.
“Lady Cassandra, whatever is troubling you, I beg of you to share it with me. You appear most distressed.”
“That is because Iamdistressed,” she wailed, garnering the attention of a few more within the room. “To be written about in such a manner when our connection has only just been solidified, when you have been speaking of courtship and betrothal… I am beyond horrified. I assure you, evenIdid not know of this.”
It was with satisfaction that she watched Lord Alderton’s gaze now rove around the room. In one swift movement, he released her hand, stepped to the side, and snatched ‘The London Ledger’ from someone nearby – which, Cassandra noted, was none other than Lady Almira. She, of course, made no word of protest but rather offered Cassandra a brief nod.
Lord Alderton stood precisely where he was, scanning through the paper, his eyes going to every line. Cassandra knew the moment that he saw it, for his face froze in a startled expression, his eyes wide, color draining from his face. Cassandra herself clasped her hands to her heart in what she hoped was both a sorrowful and yet shocked expression.
“I swear to you that I did not know.”
She moved forward quickly, glad to see now that Lord Alderton was standing a little more within the room. There were a good many more people to hear him, and such was his shock, his voice was unguarded, his words loud enough for many of the nearby guests to hear.
“You have no dowry.”
The darkness of his eyes and his expression sent a genuine shudder through Cassandra’s frame.
“That is not precisely what it says,” she implored, reaching out for him again as Lord Alderton shook his head and took a small step back. “It says I have a little but it will be a good deal less than that of my sister.”
“But the generosity of your father with your sister’s dowry was well known.” Lord Alderton shook his head, then smacked at the paper with his free hand. “This is not what I expected, particularly when youyourselftold Lord Darlington that you expected to have much the same dowry as your sister.”
“But I did not know for certain,” Cassandra explained, now overwhelmingly relieved that, in one sentence Lord Alderton had proven himself to be just as Lord Sherbourne had expected. He had no genuine feeling for her, no real interest. Instead, all he cared for was the dowry that she would bring with her, and thus he would do anything to satisfy her.
“This is beyond comprehension.” Lord Alderton shook his head furiously. “A gentleman cannot be expected to commit himself to a lady whose father offers such a small reward for taking her off his hands.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Cassandra took a small step towards him, ready to throw back something just as sharp, just as cutting, only to recall that she was meant to be greatly distressed by Lord Alderton’s manner. Quickly, she lowered her head.
“But surely such a thing does not matter, Lord Alderton? Not when you have, only a few days ago, declared yourself to have a gentle affection for me.” Keeping her voice as soft as she dared, she lifted her head and looked directly at him, but Lord Alderton was doing his best to look anywhere but her eyes. “Lord Alderton,pleasedo not step back from me! You told me that you cared for me, you spoke of betrothal. You know very well that I wanted to marry a gentleman to whom I could offer my heart. Surely you will not step away from me now! You will not put away our happy connection, will not ignore the love which has begun to blossom, all for the sake of my dowry… or lack thereof.”
“I care nothing for your heart.” Lord Alderton’s face was now a scarlet red, his lips curling into a sneer as he dismissed her with one sharp wave of his hand. “A dowry as significant as your sister’s is all that I required from you. You asked about my estate and what I didnottell you is that there are a great many repairs being undertaken. Where do you think the money for such repairs has come from? Despite my attempts at crop rotation, the results have been poor, but all must continue if my house is to stay standing. I require a wife with a substantial dowry and a yearly income from a generous father - and I thought that you would bring both of those into our marriage.”
Before Cassandra could say anything in response, Lady Yardley moved forward, striding towards Cassandra so that she stood beside her. It was only then that Cassandra realized just how many onlookers there were, how many were listening to this particular conversation. Her own face flashed hot, praying that her cousin would say something to make those who watched aware that this was nothing but a pretense on Cassandra’s part.
