Cassy sat huddled in one corner of the black lacquered carriage that sped towards London. Eastland sat opposite her, his long legs thrust out in front of him and crossed at the ankles, looking every inch the splendid lord he was.Yet for the first time, she found it hard to admire him. He'd not spoken a civil word to her in a week and until he'd had Sheldon inform her that she was to accompany him to London, had not deigned to take notice of her at all. It was as if Lord Levington, his ward, has ceased to exist for him.Now they were going to London and she had no idea why. It did not seem like a good idea to inquire, with him gazing out the window and ignoring her. She shifted on the plush velvet squabs and wished she'd never agreed to decided to England. Anything else would have been better than that.Only now she was here, and mired in the masquerade, and did not know how to extricate herself. She was afraid of Eastland. Yes, it was true. Oddly enough, she wasn't as afraid of the th

Life at Eastland hall had never been better. Cassy found it a shocking turnaround that she could actually smile now, and she was actually beginning to grow fond of the place. Even more shocking, perhaps, was the sudden improvement in everything the Duke laid out for her. The activities which she’d failed at earlier, now seemed like mere chores That’s she could expertly breeze through. It was almost as if the Levington that had gone to London with the duke was replaced by another one, more apt and skilled than the other one. Cassy slowly began to understand the intricacies of fending which her tutor desperately wanted her to understand. "Yes, yes, my lord," monsieur Fournier would exclaim excitedly whenever she successfully parried his thrusts or when her blade would skim right under his arm and straight at his rib. "Zat is exactly what I was saying."Tutoring went well enough, and she soon began to catch up on the many subjects which she was supposed to learn. Her tutors noticed this

For a long moment, Eastland didn’t speak. Cassy stood frozen before him, desperately trying to cover all that he’d already seen. There was no hiding no; no secrets that hadn’t been exposed already. His formidable gaze swept over her once. Twice. "Get dressed," he said in a clipped tone. "I shall wait for you in the carriage."He turned around and left, leaving her shaking in the wake of his inaction. What on earth just happened? Why, oh why did she have to leave Colin’s letters lying around in her bedchamber? It was over now. Eastland would surely finish her off for good. Cassy dressed slowly, methodically. Her heart was pulsing as she wondered what he had in mind. But even when she met him afterwards, sitting in the carriage with a vacant expression, he didn’t let anything slip. The carriage lurched forward with a jerk. Eastland said nothing, and when the carriage stopped a while later, she flashed him a worried look. From they lamplights standing on each side of a doorway, she kne

"I knew it will get to this!" The duchess said as soon as she arrived at the house. "And I knew there was something about you I liked at that party. You're indeed the feisty little thing I thought you were!"Cassy’s smile was indulgent as she curtsied before the duchess. The townhouse suddenly came alive with the arrival of several visitors. Two days after Cassy’s arrival at the house, the duchess’s personal dressmaker arrived. She was a pompous old woman, who regarded Cassy over the edge of her nose, as though sizing her up on sight. The woman was accompanied by two young, bright eyed girls who smiled openly and warmly at her. They kept her busy, talking about fabrics, the latest styles, what would look good and what wouldn’t, their ramblings seeming to be endless until Cassy’s head began to spin. Their madame stopped them then, asking them to take Cassy’s measurement and be done with it. That was the purpose of their visit after all. Barely an hour after they left, Cassy was force

When the Duke had left them alone in the drawing room, Jonathan slid his sister a wrathful glance. "It's amazing that I can still turn my head without having it fall into my lap, isn't it?"Cassy couldn't help a small, nervous giggle. "He terrifies me, too."Jonathan lifted a dark brow. "I saw a lot more than just terror in your eyes when you looked at him," he said bluntly. "Is that what you were trying to tell me earlier?"A hot flush stained her cheeks, but she couldn't deny it. "I suppose. Oh Jonathan! What shall I do?""For God's sake, don't let him know it! Don't you know his reputation, Cass?" He asked irritably. When she shook her head, he shrugged with exasperation. "I always thought the female of the species had access to juicy gossip. Look, my innocent sister, your precious Duke is known as 'Devil' Eastland in most circles.""Because he's so hateful?""Partly. No one dares to cross him, he's deadly with a sword and a pistol, and has been known to duel three men in one week a