Finally, he said, "I would like to bid farewell to your parents before I go."
"Go ahead. I’m sure they’re expecting you." She kept her tone neutral, though every fibre of her being wanted nothing more than for him to leave.
His head tilted ever so slightly. "Walk me there. It’s only polite, don’t you think?"
Cassandra shook her head. The last thing she cared about was manners and being polite to someone like him. "I’ve said all I need to. I don’t think—"
He began speaking before she could finish.
"Cassandra, come now. Let’s not leave this hanging in the air. Your father will appreciate it."
She refused. Firm and steady, she stood her ground.
"No, John."
His gaze did not harden, but something within it shifted. Still, the mask of easy charm never slipped.
"Come, I insist." He coaxed, like the way a man would speak to his lover. "Let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be."
She wished she could scream at him to leave, but she knew exactly how that would appear. He was counting on precisely that. If she raised her voice or caused a scene, she would be the unreasonable one.
After drawing a long, controlled breath, she relented, forcing herself to follow him but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how trapped and cornered she felt.
When they entered the drawing room, her parents were waiting as though they had been expecting them.
Her mother’s brow lifted in silent inquiry, while her father’s expression remained as rigid and unreadable as ever. Yet the moment they stepped inside, both of their gazes settled on Cassandra. Suspicion lingered plainly in their accusing eyes.
John had already spoken to them, she realized. And by doing so, he had already turned them against her.
"Is it settled, Cassandra?" Her father asked, his voice edged with unmistakable disapproval.
John answered before she had the chance.
"We had a long, honest conversation. I’m pleased to say we’re back on track. The wedding will proceed as planned."
Cassandra’s hands slowly curled into fists beneath the folds of her dress.
He had lied with such ease, so seamlessly, that for a fleeting moment it almost felt as though she were the one struggling to remember what had truly happened.
Her father gave a nod of approval.
"Good. I expect nothing less. Sit, John. We didn’t get the chance to speak properly."
Ever graceful, John accepted the invitation.
Cassandra, in turn, remained standing even as he reached for her wrist in what seemed to be a gentle, guiding gesture, intending to usher her into the seat beside him.
She recoiled instinctively, pulling her arm free before his fingers could touch her.
Her mother’s eyes narrowed at once, a sharp warning flashing across her face. Her father’s expression darkened as well, his stern gaze fixing itself upon her.
"Cassandra, sit down." It was a command, not a request.
Swallowing her frustration, she lowered herself onto the chair, deliberately leaving a respectable distance between herself and John. It lasted only a moment before he shifted closer, effectively closing the gap she had created.
"It was all a misunderstanding," he began. "Cassandra has been overwhelmed by her duties at court. We’ve all seen how tirelessly she works. It’s hardly surprising that she had a moment of doubt. But I won’t be deterred, my feelings for her are strong enough that I am willing to look past her shortcomings."
A scoundrel was what he was, lying through his teeth and her parents were none the wiser. Cassandra could feel her pulse pounding against her temples, the sound of it roaring in her ears.
He was painting her as irrational. Emotional. Unstable.
He was making it seem as though her objections were nothing more than the fleeting doubts of an overworked woman.
Her mother nodded in agreement, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Of course, John. We understand. Cassandra can get carried away sometimes."
Cassandra’s nails dug deeper into her palms, the sharp sting grounding her as she fought to keep every trace of emotion from showing on her face. Despite all her efforts, it became harder and harder to remain silent.
"I understand your family has already invested a considerable amount of time and money into the engagement banquet and the wedding preparations." She said, still attempting to be reasonable and diplomatic. "If cancelling the engagement results in financial losses, I shall reimburse House Ravenshire myself. Every coin. It is only fair. I just want to end this amicably and go our separate ways."
The room fell silent. Vivienne stared at her daughter in disbelief.
John said nothing and for a single heartbeat, his pleasant smile vanished and there, buried beneath the polished gentleman facade everyone else admired was something dark and sinister.
Something she had witnessed countless times throughout their marriage. It was the very same look he wore before every cruel word he spoke and every act of violence that followed.
It disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.
John leaned slightly closer. To everyone else, it looked perfectly innocent.
His voice was low enough that only she could hear.
"Do you truly believe," he murmured, "that ending our engagement would ever be... amicable?"
The timbre sent a chill down her spine. He only ever sounded like that when the mask had begun to slip. When fury simmered just beneath the surface.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
Every muscle stiffened and her heart lurched.
For the briefest moment, she was no longer sitting in her parents’ drawing room. She was standing in Ravenshire Manor, three years into a marriage she had once believed was built on love.
She forced herself to breathe, forced her trembling fingers to remain still upon her lap. She made sure no one noticed the fear he sparked within her.
John held her gaze for another second longer before cracking a smile. The polite persona was back in full force.
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," he said aloud, polite enough for everyone to hear. "But there’ll be no need for such sacrifices."
Vivienne’s expression softened immediately.
"See?" she said. "He’s far too kind."
Cassandra looked away.
Kind. If only they knew.
John rose a short while later to take his leave and her father walked him to the door while Vivienne thanked him for his understanding.
Cassandra remained where she was.
She watched him leave with that same easy smile upon his face. Only after the door closed did she finally exhale.
She understood now that letters would not work. Being gentle and reasoning with them would not work, John was far too self-absorbed for that.
Neither John nor her family intended to accept her decision. They would simply continue as they wished.
Very well.
If they refused to end the engagement quietly... Then she would end it in a way none of them could ignore.
The beginnings of a new plan took shape in her mind.
It was bold.
Scandalous.
And once she set it into motion, there would be no turning back.