An Agreeable Arrangement (10 page)

By his manner, it must have been grave, very grave
indeed.

Horace sunk into the chair very slowly and spoke
in a low, serious voice. “You’d best have a seat as
well.”

“Why Horace, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in
such a state. Good Gad, Horace, what is it?”

“Very bad news I fear.” He sighed. Horace obviously didn’t know where to begin. “News of the King’s
Quest has just arrived. It departed the continent two
days ago for Dover. She’s been reported missing.”

“Missing? The King’s Quest?” Julian’s voice
sounded hollow. He stared into the center of the room,
focusing on nothing in particular, just staring, feeling
numb. “It isn’t possible. There must be some sort of
mistake.” Julian looked back at Horace. “Edward is
scheduled to return on that ship.”

“I know. That’s why I’ve come. I didn’t want you
to read it in the Gazette.”

Could it be that Edward was … Julian rubbed his
throbbing forehead. His mind tried to put all the pieces
together. He tried to fathom the thought of never seeing his brother again.

“They’ve already sent several rescue ships. They reported finding only debris. No survivors, no bodies
recovered. Not yet.” Horace watched Julian for a reaction. “Shall I get you a brandy?”

“No.” Julian turned toward his guest. “I must tell
Lorna, she’ll be quite upset. She and Edward have always been very close.”

“And Lady Cassandra,” Horace added. “He is, after all … they were to be wed”

“Yes, and Lady Cassandra” How would she take
this news? It would certainly be better if she heard
this from him rather than a stranger or through the
rumor mill.

Horace followed the squire out of the house. They
found the ladies in the back garden. Lorna and Cassie
were busy playing with Romeo on the grassy area.
The ladies tossed the ball between them and laughed
with delight.

When Romeo abandoned his game to greet the
squire properly, the ladies noticed the gentlemen approaching and headed toward them. Cassie glanced at
Lorna who apparently also sensed the grim climate.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Lorna spoke first.
The men exchanged staid glances. “Julian?”

“I think we should all go inside and sit down,” the
squire suggested. Lorna nodded and began to walk
slowly to the house with Sir Horace.

“No, I want to know now.” Cassie stood her ground
and refused to move until she got her answer.

Lorna and Sir Horace continued, increasing their
lead.

“What has happened?” Cassie demanded to know.

After nearly a minute of silence, he blurted out,
“I’m afraid Edward is dead.”

“What?” Cassandra gasped. The color drained
from her face. Julian thought she might faint dead
away.

He felt like a gudgeon for blurting out the news.
Subtlety had never been one of his strengths. This
would have been a perfect opportunity to have exercised any that he might have possessed.

“Well, perhaps not dead, but certainly presumed
dead. Horace can give us further details once we are
inside.”

Without a word, she nodded. The squire offered
his arm and she took it. Silence surrounded them and
in no time they were entering through the back door.
Romeo dashed ahead into the house.

“Lorna is waiting with Mrs. Upton in the parlor,” Horace told Julian in the hallway. Julian acknowledged with a curt nod before the three of them entered.

Lorna took one look at Cassie and gasped, clearly
frightened. “Cassie! Cassie? What’s happened? Julian?” She clasped Mrs. Upton’s hands and held tight
as if she were still a small child.

Cassandra said nothing and made no action to indicate she had heard what anyone had said.

“Lorna,” Julian began and took hold of her free
hand. “I want to assure you that we will do everything
we can, utilize every resource possible to ensure we
are successful”

“With what?” She stared at her brother wide-eyed
and confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The ship … your brother Edward-” Horace
sounded equally as tactful as Julian. “I’m afraid it is
lost at sea”

“What?” Lorna cried, her eyes filled with tears.

“This cannot be” Mrs. Upton pressed her handkerchief to her nose.

“His ship has gone missing,” Horace stated directly.

“Does this mean he’s … is he … d-dead?” Lorna
forced the words out.

“No!” Julian nearly shouted. “As I said, we will
employ every means available to find him. He is …
missing. We will find him.”

“Yes, yes, we’ll find him.” Lorna nodded and
swiped away her tears.

“He’s just missing. He’ll be fine when we find him,”
Mrs. Upton repeated, seemingly to calm herself and
Lorna.

“Perhaps you should go to your room and lie down
for a bit,” Horace suggested.

“That is an excellent idea for both the ladies,” Julian replied. “Maxwell, send for Lady Cassandra’s
maid, would you?”

Maxwell, who seemed to have appeared out of the
woodwork, acknowledged and stepped away.

“Mrs. Upton, please see Lorna to her room,” the
squire ordered. He helped Lorna to her feet and her
governess took her by the arm.

Julian and Horace flanked Cassandra, helped her
stand and walked her to the door. Moving into the
great hall, Layette met the advancing trio.

“Ma pauvre petite.” Layette sighed at the first look
of her mistress. She led Cassandra up the stairs and
away to her room.

Horace followed the squire into the library. Moving to his desk, Julian began searching through his
drawers. He retrieved a document which had an unmistakable legal appearance to it.

“Gad! That’s not Edward’s will is it?”

“Do you think me totally heartless? This is the
will of the late Earl of Thadburry, Lady Cassandra’s
father. The earl has set up certain terms for her inheritance. I’m looking for the new clause since it appears that the circumstances have altered” He sat behind his desk and put on his spectacles to review
the document. “Besides, I doubt Edward ever bothered to have a will drawn up.”

“But you just said you were going to find him.”
Horace pointed toward the parlor where they sat and
broke the news just moments ago.

“I know what I said and we will try to find him. But
Lady Cassandra does not have the luxury of waiting.
If it turns out Edward is … we will all deal with that
when the time comes. For now, we don’t know his
fate, do we?”

Horace busied himself by pouring two glasses of
sherry and setting one for the squire on the desk.

“Drink up, Julian, you need it.” Horace motioned
with his own glass. “You’ve had quite a shock. Trust
me, it’ll do you good”

The squire took the glass and peered over the top
of his glasses at his friend.

Horace finished his sherry in a single swallow.

Julian took a sip and set the remainder aside. Horace refilled his glass and took a seat next to the
squire.

After several minutes of paging through the document and rereading potentially pertinent clauses, he
laid the paper down and pulled off his spectacles.
Reaching for his sherry, Julian took another sip. What
he had to do, what he had to inform Lady Cassandra
she must do …

No, he was not looking forward to such a callous, unfeeling maneuver, but it had to be done. With a final swallow, Julian drained his glass.

Life continued at Stewart Hall, accompanied by a
gloomy veneer. Julian had hired his own men to investigate his brother’s possible whereabouts but there
was still no further news of Edward by the end of the
week.

The squire feared that although his brother was
not dead, only missing at this point, it would be impossible for Lady Cassandra to fulfill the terms of
her father’s will. It was far too soon to consider a memorial service and proclaim Edward dead, but would it
be too late for her to comply with the clause enacted
by his absence?

To give her every chance of retaining her inheritance, Julian had to be the bearer of additional bad
news. He realized she would have no time for mourning, no time for acceptance, no time at all.

Here he stood, his arm stretched over the mantle.
He turned his gaze from the flames on the log that
held no answers.

Lady Cassandra’s hands were neatly folded on her
lap. Her perfectly oval face tilted in his direction. Her
eyes focused on him, waiting for him to speak.

Julian did not know how he was going to tell her.
Again, he felt his inadequacy to relay her father’s request with the tact he thought necessary. However,
with no alternative, he had to continue best he could.

“You must marry before your upcoming birthday,”
he said.

Cassandra burst into tears and covered her face.

Julian knew she would be upset. She must have
been more in love with Edward than he thought.

He wanted to comfort her. Inappropriate perhaps,
but he could not sit by and watch the effect of his
brother’s absence-the man she must have cared for
a great deal-and how she must marry another, take
its toll on her.

Julian reached out, his hand hovering barely an inch
from her quivering shoulder. He turned her shoulder
toward him. She let her head fall against his chest. A
heartbeat later, his arms enveloped her into a comforting embrace. His platonic feeling soon gave way to
something entirely new.

Cassandra’s tear-stained face turned up at him.
With her eyes open wide, she looked deeply into his.
Julian leaned back, releasing his hold while he still
had control.

“Please, sir, I am well.” Her stare was momentarily interrupted by her dark lashes as she blinked.

The squire pulled a silk kerchief from his breast
pocket and offered it from the palm of his hand. “I
am sorry for you,” he whispered in an unfamiliar,
tender tone. “But it is stated in your father’s will.”

“I don’t see how you can ask such a thing of me”
Cassandra lifted the silk kerchief from his hand and
allowed it to tumble open, cascading to its full length. She sniffed and blotted the moisture from
her eyes.

Julian could not pull his gaze from her, no matter
how hard he tried. “Your father’s will states that since
marriage to Edward is impossible that you must marry
before you reach the age of twenty.”

“That is only three weeks away! I can’t possibly … how am I to find a husband … it is impossible!”

“I’m certain you can easily find another suitor.”
He felt odd and immediately regretted the words as
they escaped from his lips.

“That is scandalous !” she gasped. “I should be in
mourning.”

“But he is not, has not been proclaimed dead” The
squire regarded her. “This is the first I’ve seen you shed
a tear over Edward. Even as you received the news you
never cried.”

“These are not tears for Edward,” she whispered.
“I’m very truly sorry to hear of your brother’s fate. I
do not wish him ill but I do not regard his absence as
a personal loss on my part”

“I thought you were in love with him.” Julian
hesitated for the briefest moment. He’d never even
considered that. “Is there someone else you care
for?”

“I admit, I was never in love with Edward. He iswas-a fine man; thoughtful, kind, perhaps I thought
him too immature and compulsive for my taste. However, if I admit my affection for another, you
may think me forward.”

“No, please. I believe this is the time to be honest. If
there is … someone you wish to … well, you must
marry and if you can find true happiness..

“Very well.” Cassandra glanced away and took a
deep breath, gathering courage. “It’s true. I do have
feelings for another. He is a widower, a little older
than I”

Again, her beautiful eyes lifted to meet his.

A spark of hope sprang into Julian’s heart. Was it
not morbid to be glad of his brother’s absence, perhaps his demise, and wish his bride for himself? Did
he have a chance with this lovely angel? For her to
reveal feelings for him was more than he could hope
for. Pure fantasy.

And yet … Julian felt his insides melt at her
gaze-the deep liquid pools of her dark blue eyes.
He was lost. He gasped for air, only to realize that his
mouth was upon hers in a tender kiss.

“No!” The squire moved away from her and
shook his head. “I cannot allow this to happen. This
is not acceptable!”

“By that kiss, I gather that you harbor the same
feelings for me, or am I mistaken?”

“Well … I … no! It is inappropriate!” Bewildered by his action, he wondered how his control had
managed to slip. It was not like him.

Gaining some distance, his head began to clear and his priorities returned. His blood began to cool,
he regained his composure and he felt ready to recite
his arguments. “I am the executor of your father’s
will. I am legally and morally bound to make sure his
wishes are carried out. I cannot-”

“Did that kiss mean nothing?” Her eyes still burned
with the intensity he had felt in her lips.

“It was something that should not have happened.
It was a mistake, clear and simple.” He straightened,
smoothed his hair and adjusted his waistcoat.