She white-knuckled the seat of the cart until her fingers were numb. It was cold, and had her teeth not been tightly clenched, they would have been violently chattering. The rain had stopped, leaving her drenched clothing to cling to her body.

Tense silence had settled over them in an uncomfortable cloud. Even the stranger, who drove them, seemed to be brooding, and he kept his thoughts, whatever they may have been, to himself. Cassandra, however, was almost unaware of the man's presence beside her.

Lavinia was lying ill in some dirty, Scottish hovel when she should have been well cared for by the best physicians money could buy in a fine house in London. If only there had been some better man than Ethan, a man who could care for her the way she deserved, a man for whom money would never be an issue. Lavinia should have waited to marry Ethan until he had better means to provide for her, or maybe it would have been better if she had turned him down and forgotten about him.

Almost as soon as the thoughts entered her head, she felt a pang of shame. Ethan, surely, was doing all he could, and Lavinia would never have been happy with anyone else. Truly, she wouldn't have had it any other way, for where love was plentiful, the scarcity of money mattered not at all.

"Lass?" Cassandra was startled by the sound of the voice.

The cart had come to a stop before a quaint, stone cottage surrounded by brightly colored flowers, and the stranger was standing beside her, his hand extended. The heavy atmosphere that had hung about Cassandra's shoulders since she'd come to Scotland withdrew, and the sudden urge to have a good, hearty cry pressed on her chest.

"Lass?" Their driver's thick brogue met her ears again, and she realized he must have said something else that she had failed to hear.

Without a word, she took his offered hand and clamored to the ground with less grace than a wooden figurine, keeping her eyes on the cozy, little house. Somehow, her mind had conjured up an image of a decrepit shack with more holes than thatch for a roof and walls that were days from crumbling. This, however, was entirely the opposite of her imaginings.

"I'll be needin' that arm back now." She looked up at the smirking stranger and then down at the hand she was still clutching in her own. With some effort—before the cold had numbed her hands—one finger at a time, she released him.

As he began unloading the luggage, she continued her scrutiny of the cottage. A trail of smoke danced out of the single chimney, spiraling into the sky until it was dispersed by the wind. A thick blanket of ivy had covered the wall to the left of the door in a sheet of dark green foliage. The door itself looked as though it had recently been painted. Everything was nearly arranged with obvious care, and Lavinia's handiwork was evident in the gently nurtured flower garden.

Cassandra bit down on her lip, unable to move. Beyond the door, what awaited her? At least while she stood out here, there was the possibility that Lavinia yet lived. After all, once she knew for certain that her sister was dead, she could never unknow it again.

"Lady?" Eliza said quietly. "We can't stand out here forever."

The gentle words struck Cassandra to the core, and she swallowed heavily. She was an Antrucha, and Antruchas never ran from hardship. Arching a brow at Eliza, Cassandra looked the girl from the corner of her eyes. In so doing, she caught a glimpse of the stranger watching her intently. Turning, she regarded him with an air of regality.

"I suppose we ow you our thanks, Mr.—" She looked at him pointedly, waiting for him to spout of his name. A name she intended to forget as soon as he was out of sight if not before.

Flashing a smirk, he vaulted back into his seat. "I'll be seein' you." He spoke with a surety that set her teeth on edge.

"I'm not in the habit," she said frostily. "Of meeting with people I don't know."

"Maybe not," he shrugged carelessly. "But you'll see me." And with a flash of a smile, he clicked to the horse, and they cantered away before she had a chance to respond.

Cassandra struggled not to exclaim aloud in frustration. The unapologetic nerve of him, a simply commoner, in the presence of a lady of her status exasperated her. He had certainly known she outranked him, but the knowledge had apparently been of little consequence in his mind—evident by his treatment of her.

Turning back toward the cottage, she felt her disgruntled feelings drain to the background. Lavinia. Dear, sweet, Lavinia. She couldn't stand out here any longer, the uncertainty, though comforting in some respects, would drive her mad.

Hardly knowing what she was doing, she moved to the front door, pausing at the threshold with quacking uncertainty. Raising her hand, she bit down on her lip and knocked.

The next moments of her life were the longest in her memory. There was a great pause, and then the latch slid. The door opened to reveal a rather disheveled version of her brother-in-law.

Ethan's eyes were bloodshot and swollen. His hair had grown since the last time she'd seen him and now hung limply about his face. It was clear he hadn't bathed—or likely even changed his clothes—in several days.

"Cassandra!" He breathed, and then she found herself pulled into a bone-cracking hug that lasted for only a second. "I'm so glad you've come!" He led her into the cottage without giving her a chance to respond. "Forgive me for not meeting you. There were other matters that. . .were a little more pressing." His eyes met hers, and she thought she caught a glimpse of tears shimmering in their depths. "She'll be thrilled that you're here."

Cassandra swallowed. So Lavinia was still alive. She pressed a hand to her stomach drawing deep, shaky breaths. For a moment, she closed her eyes in silent thanks, swallowing the tears of relief that threatened to spill out of her eyelids.

"I apologize that things aren't exactly neat around here." Ethan cleared his throat, rubbing his neck with a large hand. "I've been a little distracted."

He was right. The inside of the house wasn't quite what she had expected from the neat, well-kept exterior. There were dirty dishes needing to be washed and laundry that needed tending. Despite the untidiness, however, she could tell that the interior was every bit as cozy as the exterior, and through the natural accumulation of grime, she could clearly see Lavinia's handiwork.

She quickly appraised her surroundings, absorbing the sight of the place her sister now called home. A sudden peace flooded her heart, and she felt stronger and more prepared to face whatever lay ahead. Straightening, she attempted to give Ethan an encouraging smile.

"It's no matter." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "There are other more important things."

He nodded. "The physician is with her now. He's been here all night." Breathing out heavily, his eyes darted to a closed door on the other side of the room. "She was ill day before yesterday, but it didn't seem too pressing, and then, all of a sudden, she took a turn for the worse yesterday afternoon."

Cassandra sighed, staring at the door. Behind it was the man who knew the fate of her sister, and there was nothing she could do to change what would happen. She had never felt so helpless in all her life.

Since her earliest memories, she had given and order, and it had been carried out without question. Her mother had seen to it that she was never uncomfortable, but that was no more. She couldn't do anything about what was happening, and in some ways, that knowledge infuriated her, because it made her feel small.

"Please, sit down and make yourself at home!" Ethan smiled. "We don't have much to offer in the way of hospitality at the moment, but there's no reason you should be so stiff and uncomfortable." He motioned to a chair.

"If you'll direct me to the kitchens, sir, I'll just make some tea." She had forgotten that Eliza was there until the young woman spoke.

"Of course," Ethan led Eliza out of the room, and for a moment, Cassandra was alone.

The silence of the cottage was stifling. She covered her face with a hand and closed her eyes against the world. Why?

"Excuse me?" A soft, lisping voice brought her upright immediately, and she found herself looking at a rather small, old man with gold-white hair and dully appraising brown eyes. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't be frightened. You must be Lady Cassandra Antrucha. Ethan has spoken of you." He motioned for her to sit back down.

"Doctor Rathborne!" Ethan reentered the room as she took her seat, and he closed the distance between them in two quick strides. "How is she?"

"Please, Ethan, sit down." Doctor Rathborne possessed a voice that soothed and encouraged all at once, and Ethan sank into a chair. "Her condition is much improved, and I've stabilized her. She'll need plenty of looking after over the next several months."

"Months?" Cassandra interjected. "I don't understand. Isn't there something more you can do? Surely, you can put an end to her illness. There must be some medicine you can give her!"

"No, Lady Antrucha, there isn't. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do." Doctor Rathborne said gently, smiling softly.

"That's preposterous!" Cassandra bolted upright. "Is there no one else who can look at her and give an opinion?"

Doctor Rathborne chuckled softly. "My wife will be out in a few days, but other than that, no. You see—"

"I can't believe this! Ethan, you have to take her to London or somewhere where they can cure her!" She turned to her brother-in-law who still remained unexplicably silent.

"That wouldn't help matters, Lady Antrucha. As I was about to say, Lavinia. . ." He paused with a sigh. "Your sister is going to have a child."

Cassandra mouth snapped shut with a click, and she sank back into her chair. A baby? Lavinia was pregnant. She swallowed and frowned. She was going to be an aunt.





Hello, everybody! I know, I know! It took me forever to get this up, but I've been in one of those crazy funks where I really don't want to write. This chapter was, in fact, started over a month ago, but I didn't sit down and finish it until today. Preposterous, yes. How will you ever forgive me? Maybe if I tell you I have more coming soon? Hmm?

Did you expect Baby Brodi? To tell you the absolute truth, I didn't fully anticipate the little. . .one. I keep wanting to refer to it in a gender specific manner :P. What do you think Cassandra will do next? Oh, and what about this stranger? He's got a lot of cheek!

Also, happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are feeling loved and enjoyed today even if it's not by a significant someone ;). Have a good day, y'all! See you soon!