Don't Let Me Go

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

~1856~

Eight long years had passed since Cassandra had been informed that her appointed husband had left. She was now twenty and she had been of a marrying age for two years now. She would go to balls but she would never be courted by electable bachelors. No man flirted with her because she was engaged and that already had her fate set, she belonged to someone. It didn’t matter that nothing had been heard of Richard for so long.

William had never, ever changed his mind and they all knew that he never would, they had all lost hope years ago. The stubborn old fool wouldn’t let Cassandra free, his greed hadn’t diminished in the least over the years, in fact it seemed to have fortified.

“Richard will come back, I swear to it or my name isn’t Lord William Salvatore, Duke of Atherstone,” Lord William had said one day when she had pleaded with him to break the contract.

“Lord William he won’t come back, he has been gone far too long to just appear out of thin air again. He could even be dead by now,” Cassandra said trying to reason with the old man. William had aged quickly, all the problems and stress was obvious in his tried eyes and wrinkles on his face; he looked like over the last eight years, it appeared as though he had aged fifteen years. 

“He will,” Lord William persisted.

“Very well,” Cassandra sighed defeated, she knew that this conversation with him would lead to nowhere but only to encourage him to be more set on his words.

Cassandra was already thinking that she would end up being a lonely old spinster or a governess to some rich child since she wouldn’t be able to marry. She couldn’t believe that even gone, Richard still had a hold of her; that he could still ruin her life even after so long, he was able to make her life miserable while he was around and he was still able to make her miserable even when he wasn’t.

She was not looked for even though she was beautiful and came from a very privileged family of Dukes. She was rarely asked to dance and most of the time only went to balls to talk with friends and mingle with society because those were the only things she could do.

Cassandra decided that she was sick and tired of the situation she was in, today she had been invited to a ball and she would make sure that she enjoyed herself to the fullest. Too much time had passed and she had not been entirely happy. Cassandra didn’t even bother to look her best because it would not lead to anything.