The rays of the sun beamed brightly through the stain glass windows of the little chapel casting their colors across the older gentleman and his young bride. To the guest’s, it was the perfect wedding, with two people who were truly in love. But to the bride it was a different scene.

  A cold breeze passed over Cassandra’s skin, but she shook it off, glanced back at her father, William Burnham, and smiled. The happiness she seen on his face was worth the doubts she had. She looked back to the man at her side. Alistair Torington was handsome and dashing in his gray pants and black top coat. His lean features looked desirable in anything he wore, but today he was even more handsome. His blond hair was cut short and styled to elegance only adding to the beauty of his chiseled features. He was a great man in every way, but she still had a feeling that he was hiding something. Every so often she would find him looking at her oddly or letting his thoughts wander when he thought she wasn’t looking. He looked down at her and smiled, his blue eyes shining in the candlelight that surrounded them.

  She smiled back but it was mostly false. While she was grateful for Alistair’s proposal, he was not her first choice. As a matter of fact, she had no first choice. If it had been up to her, she would not be getting married. The trappings of a marriage meant she had to give up her freedom to a man. She didn’t want that kind of marriage. She wanted a marriage like her mother and father had had, with love and respect. But that was not reality. Her father was sick and he wanted to make sure his only daughter was settled and safe before he left this world. So here she stood, at the altar, not exactly listening to the words being spoken to her, waiting for the end to come.

  “I do,” she said in a light whisper when it was her turn to acknowledge the vows. 

  Within minutes it was over.  Alistair bent down to touch his lips to hers and she grimaced at the cold, hardness of his mouth. It was only a split second, than he pulled back. She was no longer Cassandra Burnham. She was now Cassandra Torington.  The name only added to the sickening feeling that was building inside her, but she pushed it away and smiled to the guests as her and her new husband walked past them to the carriage that was waiting out front to take them to the Torington country manor. The ride would take no more than a moment since they had been married in the small town’s chapel. The Torington estates bordered the town while her father’s lands bordered Torington.

  Cassandra watched her husband from the corner of the carriage. He looked out at the scenery the entire time, his face taking on a whole different look than she had ever seen. She looked away as her stomach did a flip, and she had to bite down on her lip to stop from being sick. She fingered the silver ribbon that had been threaded into her blue silk and tulle wedding gown. She had had no want in the planning of her wedding, but Alistairs mother insisted that Cassandra find a dress. This was the first one she had seen, and the only one she had tried on. With much annoyance at her soon to be daughter-in-law, Mrs. Torington finally purchased it. From that point on, Mrs. Torington didn’t ask her for any more of her opinions.

  It was a very nice ceremony with the large room filled to the brim with purple tulips accentuated by white baby’s breath. Purple ribbon had been made into enormous bows that had been hung at the end of each pew, and a long white runner had been placed down the middle of the aisle.  Candles were placed throughout the room giving it a romantic glow. It was not what the ton would pride themselves on, but Cassandra was not one to care what the ton thought. Her father had made his money in shipping , trade, and buying land to sell at a higher price to the genteel he was so determined to impress. But they looked on him as an outsider. He was not born to their class and could never be part of their class. But his hopes for her had been high.

  Cassandra looked back to her husband. Even in his well groomed state, he wore items fit more for a dandy. His starched collar and shiny hessian boots with their gold tassels could attest to that. He was scooted to the far side of the carriage, leaving a wide gap between them, worrying his lip between his teeth. Something was bothering him, she knew, for the last couple of weeks he had acted strange and distant. At first she shrugged it off as wedding jitters, but the last three days she had noticed a dramatic change in him. He was more concerned over her father’s finances and had started to demand that they stop spending money and cut down on expenses around their home. Although she had questioned this to her father, he merely shrugged it off.

  She looked away from Alistair and out at the scenery passing by. They were now at the entrance to the Torington estates and she felt Alistair re-adjust his position on the bench. She looked back to him and he was watching her. He had moved closer, almost closing the gap, and she backed up against the wall of the carriage trying to keep her distance.

  “What is the problem, Cassandra? I am your husband now. It is okay if we kiss and touch,” he said, as he reached out for her.

  She tried to back away but she was already back as far as she could go. “I think we should wait until tonight.”

  “I have certain rights to you now, and I want a kiss,” he hissed. He grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. She tried to push at his chest but his grip was a vice around her waist.

  “You’re hurting me, Alistair.” She tried to push at him again but to no avail, so she did the only thing she could think of. Raising her hand, she let loose with all of her strength, and slapped him across the cheek.

  His movements ceased and he looked her in the face. She watched as anger took over him. His face turned dark, almost matching the red welt she left across his cheek. He grabbed her by the wrists and pushed her to the floor, sliding on top of her. He held her wrists above her head with one hand and used the other to claw at the top of her gown. She heard before she felt, the fabric give way and rip, exposing the tops of her white breasts.

  “Please, don’t do this.”

  “Shut up!”

  The carriage came to a halt and the people that were gathered for the reception could be heard outside talking excitedly. Alistair stopped his assault and sat back on the bench, dragging her with him. Minutes later the door was opened and they were ushered out. But instead of flocking to the people for congratulations, he hurried her inside and up the stairs to his room.

  “Fetch one of the dresses from her trunks,” he demanded to the chambermaid as they entered the room.  Her eyes widened but she said nothing as she bolted out of the room.

  Cassandra was harshly thrown onto the bed. She hurried to push her skirts back over her legs and sit up but it was difficult with all the frill of the dress. She finally got to a position she was comfortable with and she silently watched Alistair as he stood by the open window looking out. He was chewing on his bottom lip again with a deep crease across his forehead.

  When Alistair had first started to come around and show Cassandra interest, he was all about pleasing her. He would show up at her doorstep when her father was arriving home for the night. Of course the old man knew he was interested in Cassandra, so he would invite Alistair to stay for dinner. Almost everyday Alistair would ask to take her for a carriage ride, or a horse ride through the forest that surrounded the lands. He was such the gentleman, even when he came to ask her hand in marriage.

  She had been sitting in the garden trying to escape her charge and have some freedom. She should have known something was up when after ten minutes she was still alone. She looked around, and that’s when she seen Alistair leaning on the tree a few feet from her, arms crossed, that devilishly handsome smile playing across his lips.

  “You look beautiful sitting out here in the sun. I always loved your black silk hair, but out here it shines with a tint of blue to it.” He moved closer to her, stopping when he reached the bench.

  “Thank you. What brings you here today? I don’t recall having made plans to ride. Perhaps you’re here to see my father?” Cassandra closed her eyes and tilted her head back toward the sun.

  “I have already seen your father. I was actually coming to see you.”

  Cassandra opened her eyes and almost lost her breath. Alistair was now kneeling down on one knee facing her, his hands held out, a small box sitting in one of them.

  “Cassandra, I know we have not had the longest time to get to know each other, but in the time I have known you I have grown to care for you deeply. I hope you feel the same and will accept my offer of marriage.”

  Cassandra only stared, stunned, at the realization of what was happening. She liked Alistair a lot, but was it love? No. Of course, he didn’t mention love either. He did say he cared deeply for her, and she could live with that. She knew plenty of couples that had married without love. Could she fall in love with this man? Only time would tell. But she knew her father had wanted this, and so she said yes.

  “My lady?”

  The voice brought her back to the present. Cassandra lifted her gaze up to the woman looking down at her. She was thin and frail looking with strands of red hair escaping the bun on the top of her head, but she had a smile that could light up the room. She held a dress of dark blue with lighter blue ribbons intertwined throughout it.

  “May I help you change?”

  “Of course you will help her change!” The angry voice boomed across the room. Alistair stared at the woman with open aggravation. “Do it fast, Millie. We have many guests waiting downstairs for us.”

  The loud slam of the door followed him as he left the room.

  “Quickly, my lady, he has a temper and will not be happy if he has to come back to get you.”

  The smile was gone from Millie’s face and was replaced by a deep frown. She helped Cassandra up off the bed and began to strip her of her ripped wedding gown. She shook her head and clucked at the small finger bruises that were visible on the soft flesh of the young girl’s breasts.

  “Is he always like this?” Cassandra asked, as she slipped the torn dress from her body.

  “Lately he has been getting worse, but it all started about four months back. No one is quiet sure what happened.”

  “That was around the time he began to court me. He was such the gentleman at first, but his mind has been elsewhere these last few weeks.”

  “Do not fret anymore, child. Today is your wedding day, and that is much to celebrate. Let’s get you dressed so you can greet your guests.”

  Cassandra let the woman dress her but couldn’t let go of the feeling that she had made a terrible mistake. As this fear grew in her, so did another, the wedding night. If he was so violent with her in the carriage, she knew she was in for worse tonight.

  Millie ushered her to a large floor mirror. Cassandra stood, staring at her reflection. She looked beautiful in the dark blue but the lighter blue is what set off the color of her eyes. Her oval face and full lips were accentuated by her large blue eyes with their fringe of dark lashes.

  Millie came back to the mirror and reached up to fix Cassandra’s hair. The long tresses had once been piled high on her head with a few curls cascading down past her shoulders. But after the altercation in the carriage, her hair was now leaning to one side threatening to come down.

  “A few pins here and there and it will be right,” Millie said, pushing some of the pins into the dark mass. 

  “There we go,” she said, stepping back to see her handy work.

  “Thank you, Millie.”

  “No time to thank me. You must hurry down now.” Millie pushed her toward the door, but not before Cassandra glimpsed the smile returning to her face.

  As she descended the stairs she took in the many people that were coming and going from what she assumed was the ballroom. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she froze as Alistair came walking toward her. He had a smile across his face but she could tell it was false by the frustration she could see in his eyes.

  “Much better. Come now, everyone is waiting to see you.” He grasped her arm none too gently and steered her toward the crowded room.

  Cassandra entered the room with much anxiety, but that was gone when her father stepped from the crowd to greet her.

  “My darling daughter, you look so beautiful. Your mother would have been proud.” He hugged her tightly and stepped back.

  “If you will excuse us, William, we have many guest to attend to.” Alistair didn’t even wait for a response before pulling her toward a crowd of onlookers.

  Cassandra made her way quietly around the room with her husband by her side. He made the introductions to those who had never met her face to face and she smiled politely to them, though she wasn’t feeling like smiling at all. While some of the guests were known to her as business partners of her fathers, the majority were Alistair’s friends who had come from London. The night went on in a worried daze of dancing, drinking, and eating, until finally people began to depart.

  Millie came to retrieve her and lead her back to the room where she undressed and slid into a warm bath. Fresh scents floated around her easing some of the tension in her body. The bruises on her chest were now black and numbered around two dozen. She was also sporting a large purple bruise on the side of her hip where she had landed on the floor of the carriage.

  “They will disappear in time,” Millie said, biting her lip and turning to the side table for towels.

  After being dried and dressed in a flimsy white chemise, Cassandra sat before the fire while Millie brushed her hair.

  “I’m scared.” Cassandra said the words before she could stop them from coming. The movement on her head stopped and she turned her head to look back at Millie.

  “Have you never learned what was to be expected? Did your mother never explain?”

  “My mother died when I was four. She was thrown from her horse one day while she and my father where out riding.” Cassandra remembered only a small amount of what her mother was like. But it was her mother that had given her the name Cassie. Short for Cassandra it was a pet name her mother had grown accustomed to calling her. But after her death, Cassandra’s father demanded to never hear it again. She remembered well what Eva Burnham looked like. She had looked upon the painting of her mother everyday she ate her meal at their home. A large painting of her sat at the head of the table just behind her father.

  Evalia Burnham was beauty and grace, sitting on a dark wood chair adorned with red cushions, her golden dress spread out before her. Her long, blond hair had been twisted back and pulled to the side, then tied with pearls to cascade down her left shoulder. Her face was round and her nose petite, her blue eyes looking down with laughter. Cassandra only inherited two things from her mother, her beauty and her eyes. The blue eyes had been passed down through centuries of women and it had been hundreds of years since a girl had been born without them. It was her personality that she inherited from her father.

  William Burnham was never one to do what others told him. He did what he wanted and never cared what others said. Her mother was a total opposite, letting her father arrange a marriage for her. Even though they had fallen in love after their marriage, William and Eva were not in love when they did marry. William only married her for the advancement of his social standing, and Eva was only promised to him when her father, a baron in his own right, had lost all his money gambling and William said he would pay the debt.

  “I can only tell you that you should do everything he say’s,” Millie told her, snapping her from her thoughts. “It will be much easier for you.”

  Millie finished with her hair than led her to the bed and waited until she was situated. Than she poured a glass of water into a crystal glass and set it on the side table before leaving.

  Cassandra sat there listening for the approach of her new husband. So many thoughts were running through her head, but they all ceased as her eyes fluttered shut and she slipped into sleep.

  “Sir, a Mr. Devon Grey is here to see you.”

  “Send him in and make sure his room is prepared and his trunks sent up,” William said to the waiting butler, Oliver.

  “As you wish, sir.”

William waited until he heard the foot steps coming down the hall, than he stood, which took up a lot of his energy. Devon walked in, his tall well muscled figure a presence in the room. A small girl holding his hand walked with him. Her golden eyes looked upon everything in the room before coming to rest on him.

  “You look sick,” she said.

  “Quiet, Deidre. That was not nice at all.” Devon looked to the old man standing at the head of the table. It was William, but not the robust, energetic William that he had once knew. His face was sunken in, his eyes dark and void of the brilliant grey he had once had.

  “Hello, Devon.”

  “William,” he said, walking to him and shaking his hand.

  “And who is this?” William looked down to the beautiful young girl and smiled.

  “My name is Deidre Louise Grey, but you can just call me Deidre,” she said, extending her hand for a shake.

  “This is my daughter.”

  “Your daughter? I had no idea you were married.”

  “I’m not. Her mother died shortly after she was born.”

William could see how uncomfortable talking of his dead wife made Devon, so he changed the subject. “Are you hungry?”

  “Very much so,” Deidre said, inspecting the food on the table.

  “Oliver.”

  The butler materialized at the call from his master.

“Sir?”

  “Have a place set for these two.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “So, I hear you have been doing pretty well for yourself,” William said, sitting back down in his chair.

  “I have, thanks to you.” Devon seated his daughter then took the chair next to her. “My shipping company is now one of the largest, and I have enough trustworthy men to help me run it so I can stay at home with Deidre.”

  “Excellent.” William waited and watched as the servants brought two more place sittings and filled the plates with food. Deidre began eating and Devon watched her for a moment before picking up his tea and drinking.

  “I am so glad you came, Devon. As I have told you in my letter, I don’t have much time left.”

  “Left before what?” Deidre asked, her eyes looking at the two men curiously.

  “Much time left before he needs a nap, which is what you are going to need soon.” Devon looked to William for understanding.

William nodded and they finished eating before talking again.

  “William, I can not find-“ Millie entered the room stopping when she saw the handsome young man sitting at the table. “I’m sorry sir, I had no idea you had company.”

  “Not a problem, Millie. And do not call me sir.”

  “I will come back later,” she said, backing out the door.

  “Please, stay for a moment. I would like you to meet Devon Grey and his daughter, Deidre.”

  “It is a pleasure.” She said, nodding to the two. But her eyes focused on the young girl and she smiled. “You are a very pretty little thing.”

  “Thank you, but I’m not little anymore. I’m five years,” Deidre said, a small amount of fruit from the toast stuck to the corner of her mouth. “Papa, I’m done. Can I go look around?”

  “I think it’s best for you to wait until we are more acquainted with-“

  “Nonsense. She is welcome to go anywhere she pleases on the estates, with the exception of the music room and the second floor of the west wing.” William winked at the young girl and she smiled broadly at him.

  “I will show her around. We have an excellent garden with the flowers in full bloom. Would you like to see them?” Millie asked, a smile crossing her lips to match Deidre’s.

  “Oh, yes! I love flowers,” she answered, looking to her papa for permission.

  “Go ahead, but be good and don’t get into anything.”

  “Thank you!” Deidre left the room with Millie, chatting the entire time.

  “I’m sorry, William. I don’t like talking about death around her. She still doesn’t understand when I tell her about her mother.”

  “It’s perfectly understandable. I remember when Eva passed. It was the worst thing trying to explain it to Cassandra,” he said, lifting his cup to sip the hot tea.

  “So, what exactly happened to Cassandra that she needs looking after? How old is she?”

  “She will be twenty next week.”

  “Twenty! I don’t think I understand what it is you want me to do.”

  “I know it is hard for you to grasp right now, but perhaps if I told you what had transpired three years back, you would understand more.”

  “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

  William set his cup back on the table and sat back, his eyes glazing over with memories past. “I feel partly responsible for what she endures to this day. I had just found out that I was sick and the first thought to come to me was, who would take care of Cassandra once I was gone? I believe every father would worry about their daughter in that sort of circumstance. Of Course I thought marriage would solve everything. With this thought, I began to look for a match for her. It wasn’t long before I found one. His name was Alistair Torington. He was wealthy, well defined, liked among his peers, a true gentleman, so I thought. I let him court her to the fullest. I knew she wasn’t in love with him, but I thought that she would eventually come to care for him once they were wed.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

  “After the wedding, there was a great reception for them. All of our friends were there, watching as he led her around the room on his arm. I could tell then that something was wrong, but I ignored it thinking it was nerves for their first night together. As the hour grew late, Cassandra was taken up to her room and Alistair, along with me and a few other men, made our way to the game room for a few more drinks before calling it a night. We were so caught up in our spirits that we didn’t notice that he had left. It wasn’t until he came in soaking wet from the rain outside, that we realized he had been absent. Moments later we heard screaming from above. I was the first out the door. I ran as fast as my dazed mind would let me, straight to the room upstairs. What I found will haunt me for the rest of my life.” He closed his eyes and a tremble started in his body.

  “What was it? Who was screaming?” Devon sat forward, waiting to hear the rest of the story.

  “It was Millie screaming. She was standing over Cassandra’s blood soaked body. Her throat had been slit.”

  Devon stared at William, the shock of the story still reeling in his mind. “Are you telling me that her husband slit her throat?”

  “Yes. We were all as shocked as you. Apparently he thought she would be dead. What he didn’t expect was for Millie to see him running from the scene with the knife. When he entered the room Millie was already conveying the story to us.”

  “But why would he do such a thing? If he didn’t want her why marry her?”

  “He knew I was dying and that whoever was married to Cassandra would become very rich. What none of us knew was that he was in debt to many solicitors. He never wanted Cassandra, just the money. His plan was to marry her, kill her, and get the money to pay off his debts.”

  “But she lived.”

  “And to his great disappointment we had the marriage annulled. Now he spends his days in a dark damp cell.”

  Devon sat back in his chair and thought about the story that he had just heard. Only an evil man could court a woman and marry her, only to kill her before she had a chance to even get a taste of the marriage.

  “So now you know why I have asked you to come. Cassandra never goes out into public. She is very weary of all men and ashamed of the scar that mar’s her throat. I need someone who I can trust to take care of her. She will eventually come around and be the outgoing girl I once knew. But I will not pressure her. She must accept what has happened on her own. I am only afraid that I will not be around to see it.” William picked up his cup and began to drink from it, trying hard to hide the tears welling in his eyes.

  “I would be honored to do this for you. As a matter of fact, I have an office about an hour away from here on the coast. I could make that my permanent work station. I will only need to visit once a month to be sure things are running smoothly.”

  “That would be excellent.” William Burnham smiled broadly and continued to slowly eat his food. “I knew I could count on you. Nobody could be trusted more with such a task.”

  “So, when do I meet her?”

  William looked up from his plate. “That will be somewhat of a problem. Like I said before, she trusts no man. She barely trusts a woman. When I told her of your arrival she took it rather hard. I don’t doubt that she will come around to meeting you, but I can’t say when.”

  “I will just have to be patient then.”

  “Thank you, Devon. Also, she would prefer you call her Cassie. Cassandra is her given name and her husband used it. She can not stand to hear it now.”

  “I owe you a lot, William. This is a task I will take to heart. I only hope that we can catch up on the past and get to know each other again.”

  The two men smiled at each other with that same knowing look of trust. Even after twenty years, they could still feel the close friendship they had once had.

  The lawyer, Mr. Ballion, arrived early the next morning, and Devon was called to William’s bedside to discuss the terms of his guardianship. But the terms were more than he had bargained for.

  “You want me to what?”

  “Just think about it, Devon. I don’t have much time left and it was the only solution I could think of to keep her safe.” William was looking at Devon with the most heart wrenching look.

  “I never want to marry again. I can not do that to Deidre.” He stood and paced the length of the room.

  “But you said yourself that they talk. Cassie has not spoken one word to anyone other than Millie or myself in over two years.  She will not even speak to Oliver, the cook, the two gardeners, or the other two girls that help Millie keep the house. The worst part is that Oliver helped raise her after her mother passed and she often helped the cook in the kitchen. Now she will go nowhere near them.”

  “I don’t know her. I have never meant her,” Devon argued, but he knew by the determination on William’s face that that his argument was going unheard.

  “She is a beautiful girl. She takes after her mother. She is smart and kind. She loves the outdoors. What more can I tell you?”

  “Even if I did agree to this, Cassie will not. She won’t even come near me.”

  “She doesn’t have to know. It could be a marriage in name only. When you see the time is right, then you could tell her.”

  Devon stopped pacing and looked at William and the lawyer. They were insane to think this would work. “And how do you plan to go about marrying us without her consent?”

  A smile spread across Williams face as he explained.

  “Millie will be here in the room to witness. She has already agreed. Mr. Ballion has already had the papers drawn up as a legal marriage between the two of you. Cassie will be told they are papers legalizing the guardianship and that she needs to sign them. The real trick will be that you both have to be in the room when they are signed.”

  “I don’t know. This is all just so insane.”

  “I would not ask you, Devon, if I didn’t totally trust you. If you choose that you do not want to do this, I will understand. The share in Grey Shipping will go to you regardless.” William started to cough and his breathing became shallow.

  Millie came running into the room and leaned over William. It was a few minutes before the coughing subsided and his breathing was back to normal.

  “That’s enough for today. He needs some rest. Out of the room you two. Mr. Ballion, you may return tomorrow to finish conducting your business.” Millie pushed them out of the room and closed the door.

  Devon couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Mr. Ballion, go ahead and get the papers in order. I will sign them when they are ready.”

  “You will make him a very happy man during his last days. I will see you tomorrow then,” he said.

  Devon watched his retreating back. Was he mad to agree to such terms? What would Cassandra say when she found out the truth? And what about Deidre? He couldn’t tell her. She would definitely tell Cassandra.

  Devon shook his head and made his way to the study. He needed a drink and some time to think about his decision.