A Time for Honour

Chapter 2

'Do not say that,' she had said softly as she turned towards him and laid her head on his chest, 'it is I who does not deserve you.' To his satisfaction, she began to trace the scars on his chest with her fingers. 'You are so strong and brave,' she whispered.

Earlier that evening, when they had been alone in the drawing room, he had told her that he had received those scars in battle. Of course, that had not been true. It had been a carefully constructed lie to gain her sympathy. He had, in fact, sustained those injuries many years ago, when he was still young and very naive.

It had happened when he was still a green nineteen-year-old and studying at Oxford. During one of the long summer vacations, he had begun an affair with a married woman, who was twice his age. She was very beautiful and had many admirers that followed her everywhere. He had been flattered that he had been the one that she had singled out for special attention.

However, her jealous husband became suspicious and had caught them together. He was angry at being cuckolded, under his own roof, and had challenged Ellington to a duel. In Hyde Park, the following morning at dawn, the enraged husband and more experienced swordsman, quickly overcame his opponent. Ellington was carried away, not long after the start, with deep gashes across his chest.

In his naivety, he had thought that the woman he loved, would leave her husband and run away with him. However, he soon discovered that she had been using him. She had instigated the affair with one goal in mind; to punish her husband and make him notice her. To her, Ellington had been nothing more than a mere pawn in her game with her husband. He had felt so ashamed of the incident, that he had persuaded his family to buy him a commission in a regiment that was just about to set sail for India.

He vowed that he would never let another woman use and manipulate him in the same way. Instead, he used the same tricks, she had used on him, to exploit the emotions of the women he met. Over the years, without feeling any guilt, he had instigated the downfall of many. To him, they were nothing more than a way of satisfying his own desires.

'Do you know a private place where we could meet?' he had asked Cassie.

'No, I do not. I have not lived here for many years,' she said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

'I am staying at Highfields, as Lord Melrose's guest. He has a large estate, with extensive grounds. He will know of a place where we can meet.' Ellington said as he swung out of bed and put on his dressing-gown.

'Would you tell Lord Melrose about us? Cassie asked looking at him with alarm.

'Why ever not? I keep no secrets from my cousin,' he said firmly, looking down at her with no compassion in his voice. He could see that she was uncomfortable with her discretion being made public. 'Do not worry yourself about it, my dear,' he added as he walked across the room to the dresser, 'he will not tell anyone. He is the very height of discretion. You do trust me?'

Cassie looked at him and nodded slowly.

'Good,' he said firmly, 'you mustn't be shy, my dear. You have done nothing wrong, and certainly, nothing to be ashamed of.'

'Verity would not agree with that,' she said almost in a whisper, 'she would be very disappointed in me.'

'Well, if you prefer that we do not meet again, I will understand,' he said nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders. He displayed a casual attitude because he wanted to know how desperate she was to see him again. Was she desperate enough to lie and deceive her family and friends about what she was doing?

'Oh no!' she exclaimed vehemently, 'I could not bear that.'

'Then you have no choice but to trust me,' he said as he crossed the room to sit on the side of the bed next to Cassie. He then took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. 'Tonight,' he said, after he had kissed her hand, 'we undertook a very solemn act. In the sight of God, and the rest of the world, you are now bound to me.' He looked into her clear blue eyes that looked seriously back at him. 'Your body has been cleaved to mine, and we are one flesh. You cannot go back to the person you were before.'

'I know,' she said in a whisper, 'my soul is now one with yours.'

'Then trust me?' he said, as he gently stroked her cheek, 'and do everything I say. I know what is best for you. Do you know of a place where I can leave you a message?' he then asked her.

Cassie nodded. 'Yes, by the gate to the graveyard. There is a loose brick on the right-hand side. If you gently pull out the brick, you can leave a note behind it.'

'Tomorrow, I will leave you a note that will give you details regarding our next rendezvous. Now, my dear, you had better leave. I would not want you to get in trouble with your sister.'