Page 4 of A Highland Duke to Claim Her Heart

Cassandra said nothing. She had not insisted on traveling up to Calder Castle early toingratiateherself to Lord Christopher. She had wanted to come early in order to get to know him better.

It was, perhaps, silly. They would have the rest of their lives to get to know one another. And it wasn’t as if she had any plans to call off the wedding, no matter what she found in Scotland. She had agreed to the match, and she would do her duty.

But still, she had felt uneasy about the idea of marrying someone she had really only met half a dozen times. And while Lord Christopher had been charming and kind during their whirlwind courtship in London, she had also heard whispers of other types of behavior—behavior that made her very uneasy.

Lady Charlotte Huxtable had let slip at the Darrington Ball that Lord Christopher was often to be seen at gaming halls.

At Almack’s, Lady Marmalouse had drunkenly whispered to her that she was lucky to be marrying a man with so muchexperience.

And Miss Rowena Flynn, who was very sweet and had been on the shelf for many seasons, had even taken Cassandra aside at Vauxhall Gardens a week previously to ask her, in hushed tones, if she was certain she wanted to marry a man with a reputation for changing his mind.

When Cassandra had pressed her for details, Miss Flynn had said that while she didn’t know any details, she had heard stories, over the years, of Lord Christopher courting ladies only to jilt them after making them fall madly in love with him.

It had left Cassandra rattled, to say the least—although she was somewhat encouraged by the fact that Miss Flynn could not name any names.

These women might just be jealous that I am marrying the brother of a duke,she had told herself at the time, although Miss Flynn did not strike her as the vengeful kind.Or perhaps he is the victim of unkind rumors simply because he is charming, and many a young lady has fancied herself in love with him.

Still, she needed to know more.

Hence, the trip up to Scotland. She was not going to call off the wedding, she would not betray her duty like that, but she also would not be blindsided.

“You are right, Mama,” she said, fixing a smile on her face. “I will use this opportunity to charm the duke. Having him as an ally will certainly improve our family’s standing in society.”

Lady Pembury smiled back at her, but there was a slight quiver in her eyes that told Cassandra her mother was thinking about Lord Pembury. He had stayed behind in London, ostensibly for business reasons, but Cassandra couldn’t help but suspect there were other reasons he had not come with them.

There had been whispers, the last year, of financial difficulties in her father’s business. And her hasty engagement to the brother of the Duke of Calder made her think that there was a reason, other than the advantageous connection, that she was being rushed down the aisle.

An hour later, they arrived at Calder Castle, just as the sun was beginning to lower in the sky, casting an orange and red glow over the building. As the carriage pulled up the drive, Cassandra could not help but ignore her mother’s advice and lean out of the carriage window to get a good look, her mouth half-open in awe.

Calder Castle was enormous. It was four stories high, with even higher round towers in every cardinal direction, built of a rosy sandstone that was crawling with ivy. The ramparts of the castle ran along the edges between each of the towers, which looked down on a moat with a drawbridge over it, which had been left down for them to enter.

The Castle grounds were wild and untamed. Where all the great houses in the South sported grounds with manicured hedgerows and stately gardens, the grounds around Calder Castle were lined with tall aspens that blazed yellow, while gorse and heather grew in the underbrush seemingly without plan or design. The sight made something like hope bloom inside of her.

This place invites wildness and free-spiritedness.

At least, that was what she hoped, as the carriage came to a halt in front of the large oak doors.

When they reached the front doors, however, they opened to reveal not Lord Christopher, or even the duke, but an elderly woman in a dark blue dress, a mop cap on her head.

“Good evening,” she said, curtsying to Cassandra and Pembury. “And welcome to Calder Castle. My name is Mrs. Drummond, and I am the housekeeper here.”

“The housekeeper!” Lady Pembury did not bother to hide her surprise or displeasure. “But where is His Grace, the Duke of Calder? My daughter and I have traveled all the way from London, and we were expecting to be greeted by my future son-in-law and his brother.”

“Indeed, of course you were, my lady,” Mrs. Drummond said, curtsying again, but Cassandra couldn’t help but notice that her hands were wringing, as if she were nervous, and that her voice quavered slightly. “The duke sends his apologies. His Grace was called away on urgent business with the neighboring laird.”

Lady Pembury’s frown deepened. “And where is Lord Christopher?”

“I am sure that Lord Christopher will return soon,” Mrs. Drummond said, not quite meeting Lady Pembury’s eyes. “The duke was exceedingly apologetic, and told me to give you both his deepest regrets. In the meantime, the staff will be working hard to ensure your comfort and happiness at Calder Castle.”

Lady Pembury’s mouth twisted. Cassandra could tell that she was about to launch into a tirade about propriety and rudeness, so she quickly put out a hand to touch her mother’s sleeve.

“It is no bother for us,” she said softly, giving her mother a meaningful look. “We understand that such things happen to two men as busy and illustrious as the duke and Lord Christopher. We look forward to their speedy return, and in the meantime, we would be very much grateful if you would show us to our rooms. As my mother said, we have been traveling for quite some time and are weary from the journey.”

Mrs. Dashwood looked relieved as she beckoned for them to follow her.

Inside, the castle was even more stunning than Cassandra could have imagined. It seemed almost medieval, with the flagstone floors, the suits of armor, and the tall, domed ceiling decorated with a mural of the heavens.

But it was also light and airy, with large windows that allowed the evening sun to spill over the stone staircase, which curved as it made its way upstairs to the second floor.