Fortune's Lady Read Free

she’d immersed herself in a circle of acquaintance whose credo was that the purpose of life is to experience sensual pleasure; and although there were moments when her existence among them had seemed hollow, when the shallowness of their pastimes had made her want to scream with frustration, she’d never once tried to extricate herself. They were, after all, the only friends she had. And it had amused and secretly pleased her that among them she’d been considered almost a bluestocking.
    She dragged her attention back to her aunt, who was explaining with brittle, insincere sympathy why it would be impossible for Cass to become a lady-in-waiting in a respectable household. “I’m afraid genteel people won’t want to employ the daughter of a man who’s just been executed for trying to assassinate the king. The scandal is too fresh now, at any rate; and for all we know, it may never wear off. Society is more rigid here than in Paris, Cassandra. And speaking of that, I was chatting last week with Mrs. Rutherford, whose mother-in-law is Lady Helen Spencer, and whose great-nephew by marriage is a viscount, and she mentioned to me—in confidence, and in a spirit of genuine caring, I assure you—that there were certain— rumors that seem to have followed you from Paris.”
    â€œFollowed me ?” Cass winced, hoping her aunt had missed the inference of her emphasis. Lady Sinclair’s love affairs, which were numerous and always conducted with discretion, were not a subject that had ever been broached between them.
    â€œI’m afraid so,” she confirmed, unheeding. “Oh, you needn’t tell me your behavior was always perfectly innocent! As your guardian, I’ve tried to make certain that not the slightest hint of impropriety ever attached to your name.”
    At this Cassandra had to look away, it was so absurd. For twelve years Lady Sinclair had made a staunch practice of ignoring her niece as thoroughly as she possibly could.
    â€œBut as you’ll learn as you get older, once a scandal like this starts there’s almost nothing that can stop it, no matter how false or unfair it may be.”
    â€œWhat scandal?”
    â€œWell, my dear, there’s talk of an improper liaison between you and the Comte de Beauvois, for one thing.”
    Cass put her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes.
    â€œAnd then there was that unfortunate episode of the fountain in the Tuileries.”
    Her eyes opened and she stared incredulously. “Can you possibly be serious?”
    â€œI am in deadly earnest. What may have been youthful high spirits or a tiny, indiscreet moment in Paris will not be viewed in such a liberal light over here. Especially when you’re already laboring under the handicap of your father’s notoriety. The unpalatable truth is that, apart from marriage, there really are no respectable alternatives for you.”
    You mean for you, Cass thought with helpless, ice-cold anger, carefully unclenching her hands. That’s what this “little talk” was about, after all. Cass’s continued presence in her household was a social embarrassment Lady Sinclair couldn’t endure, especially now that there was no longer any financial incentive to mitigate the shame. The blatant hypocrisy galled her, made her want to shout denunciations into Aunt Beth’s haughty face. Instead she closed her eyes and said nothing.
    She heard the watchman pass in the street below. “Past eleven o’clock, a fine night, and all’s well!”
    Her head had started to ache; she massaged her temples tiredly, watching the quick, nervous tapping of her aunt’s toe beneath the hem of her skirt. So more was coming.
    â€œOf course, if you truly despise Mr. Frane and are determined not to have him…” Aunt Beth cleared her throat. “We’re women, we can discuss these things freely, I hope. It would be silly to pretend