“Open the door,Reeves!” Cooper ground out. “Or by the devil, I will break it down!”
“Whatever happens,” Seth said to Cassandra, “stay out of the way.”
“Why?” Amber eyes filled with realization. “Seth!”
Taking one last, lingering look at her, Seth gave Cassandra a now or never nod, squared his shoulders, and opened the door.
“Cooper, let’s talk—”
Cooper careened into the room, landing a punch to Seth’s jaw, knocking him against the dressing table with acrash. Grasping for balance at the edge, Seth’s fingers slipped and Cooper’s fist connected again, knocking him to the ground. Pain exploded in rapid strikes,falling around him with the clattering of hair brushes and pins.
“Matthew, stop!”
Toppling to the floor with him, Cooper punched Seth’s gut. A strangled noise escaped him as he strained for air. Murderous rage replaced Cooper’s face. Another blow split Seth’s eyebrow, ears ringing, vision dancing, blood ran down his face and into his eye. He blinked hard, tasting molten iron on his tongue. A ragged breath, a break in time, and Seth struggled to his feet, spitting blood onto the floor.
“Iknew it! Thiswhole timeI knew it!”
With an enraged growl, Cooper rushed at him, fist poised to strike.
“Stop!” Cassandra grappled for Cooper’s arm. Roughly shouldering her off of him, he put her off her footing. Falling to the floor, the back of her head connected to the wooden poster of the bed with an audiblethwack,and she groaned. Cooper cursed, turning to her. Seth got to her first. Holding her head in his hands, he asked, “Are you all right?”
“Get your hands off of my sister!” Yanking Seth’s shirt, Cooper hurled him backward.
Cassandra gathered her dressing gown around her, tears swimming in her eyes. “Matthew!”
Cooper paused above him, shaking. Blood dripped from his cracked knuckles. A murmur of activity sounded outside as guests came rushing to the clamor. Echoing voices rose in the hallway in a frenzy, but all Seth could hear was the ringing in his ears, Cassandra’s pitched breathing, and the deafeningplopof Matthew Cooper’s blood hitting the hardwood floor.
Seth groaned. “Cooper—”
“Viscount Lincolnshire!” Cooper roared. Manic words rushed out of him. “Get out! I want you out of my house! The next time I see you, it better be at a church! Or Iswear to you,I will put you in the fucking ground!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
London
“Right this way, my lady.” Davis’s voice rose over the sound of bruising wind. Using his coat to shield her from the torrential downpour, the older man helped Cassandra from the carriage. They sloshed through ankle-deep water from the street to the entrance of the Cooper family townhouse. Once she was under the awning, he rushed back to assist Matthew. Through the dark, she heard more than saw her brother yelling orders to Davis and the driver.
It was the first time she heard Matthew’s voice in days. She had tried to start conversations with him, to apologize, but he remained stoic and refused to meet her eyes. Midway through the first day he went up top to sit with the driver. He remained there for the duration of the trip, even after it started to rain, preferring the storm to being anywhere near her.
Entering the house, Cassandra dripped rainwater onto the threadbare carpet. To her left, a warm glow emanated from the sitting room from a lit fireplace. The hot air amplified the stale-musk smell of an old home and years of improper maintenance. A steadyplip-plipsounded as water dripped from the ceiling into strategically placed cooking pots and tea kettles. Whistling and banging reverberated throughout the house as aged shutters slammed against glass windows.
Cassandra shed her coat and brushed water from her skirts. She moved down the hall, making a beeline to the stairs, prioritizing dry clothes over heat.
“Cassandra!” Caroline bounded out of the sitting room with a bright smile, went to wrap her arms around her, but scrunched her nose as she took in Cassandra’s sodden state. Then, as if she couldn’t help herself, her expression morphed into a familiar teasing and all-knowing smile. She clasped her hands together and rocked back and forth on her toes. “Did you have asuccessfulstay?”
“Not particularly,” Cassandra grumbled.
“Is that so?” Caroline raised an eyebrow. “Nosuitors, no proposals? No gentleman so swept away by you that he would spend a small fortune on your happiness?Nothing?”
“Caroline, I’m exhausted, I’m drenched, and I’m cold. I’ve traveled for days and all I want to do is sleep. Whatever this is, can it wait until tomorrow?”
“Itcould, but you should see it now.” Caroline grabbed her hand and tugged Cassandra into the sitting room. “You have gifts!”
Cassandra stumbled after Caroline and froze, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Potted plants of all shapes, sizes, and species covered the floor, lined walls, littered tables and windowsills. Bouquets of white tulips, pink camellias, and red carnations illuminated the corners of the room. Inspecting a grouping of plants on the tea-table, Cassandra noted basil, mint, parsley,rosemary. After removing her gloves, she ran her finger over its bristly needles and inhaled the cool, soothing fragrance.
Seth.
Days of heartache eased. He still wanted to be with her, still loved her. He wasn’t going anywhere.Your heart is safe with me. Her breath caught and her vision blurred. She blinked hard, and shifted her gaze to the wall next to the window, where over a dozen juvenile trees stood.