A Time for Honour

Chapter 30

They had travelled in silence for a few more miles when Damien broke the silence. 'Cass,' Damien said, as he leant his head against hers, 'when we return to London, I am going to procure a special license. We can be married in a few days.'

'Oh, Damien,' Cassie said, as she lifted her head to look at him, with a serious expression. Even though she loved him, and she knew that he loved her, she had to ask him the question one more time. 'Are you absolutely certain that you want to marry me? I will not hold it against you if you decide to cry off. Nothing is yet official.'

'Cass,' Damien said firmly, 'unless you have changed your mind, we will marry in the next few days.'

Cassie nodded and smiled. 'Where are we going, when we arrive in London?'

'We will go straight to our new home, Limington Place. It is the official London residence of the Earl of Silverton, and it will be our new home when we visit London.'

'Where is Limington Place?' Cassie asked curiously.

'In Mayfair,' Damien said, 'I must warn you, it is very grand. I find the house and staff intimidating, and I've faced the French in battle.'

They, once more, fell into a companionable silence, and the gentle rocking of the carriage, as well as the warmth of Damien's body, almost lulled Cassie back to sleep. 'Cass,' Damien said, breaking the silence, 'do you remember that I mentioned a Miss Cavendish to you.'

'Yes,' Cassie said sleepily, as she raised her head to look at him, 'if I remember correctly, she is the daughter of the odious Sir Henry Cavendish?'

'Yes,' he said. 'Do you remember, that I told you she came to me early yesterday morning, without her father's knowledge, and told me everything? It was not until she described your miniature that I remembered you.'

Cassie nodded. 'I will always be in her debt,' Cassie said earnestly, 'she did not have to betray her father and tell you anything.'

'Her father, like yours, owes Melrose a substantial sum of money. That was why Sir Henry wanted me to marry his daughter. He thought he could pay his debt, using the money he could raise from his daughter's marriage settlements.'

'Oh no,' Cassie said, with concern, 'if her father still owes Melrose money, then Miss Cavendish could be in grave danger. Lord Melrose will stop at nothing to recover her father's debts. I would not want Miss Cavendish, after all, she has done for us, to have to experience what I went through.'

Damien squeezed her hand and smiled at her. 'Do not worry,' he said reassuringly, 'she is not in any immediate danger. I left her at Limington Place, with strict instructions not to leave under any circumstance. She will be quite safe until we return.'

Cassie smiled at him. 'I should have known you would have made provision for her safety,' she said. 'What will become of her? I do hope that she has somewhere else to go. Sir Henry sounds like he does not deserve to have a daughter.'

'She told me that she has an aunt in Hertfordshire, who, by the sounds of it, does not like Sir Henry,' he said.