46.

"Hold your head up and smile woman," Henry growled when Cassy hung back at the top of the steps leading to Theresa's imposing home. His hand gripped her wrist so tightly she almost gasped, and she felt like jerking away and fleeing back down the steps to the waiting carriage. There was a long line of carriages in the street outside her home; it was obvious the ton had gathered to see how Henry's duchess would juggle both her lover and her furious husband.

Gaslights burned brightly, adding to the sooty air that hung over the city, casting hazy shadows in the gloom. The lights on the elegant coaches and carriages shimmered like earthbound fireflies, and the streets were alive with the glitter of jewels and the shimmer of fine garments.

If not for the cold dread in the pit of her stomach, Cassy might have enjoyed the sight of London finery. As it was, she felt only a shivering apprehension at Henry's cold rage and implacable face. They'd ridden from the townhouse on Park lane to Theresa's