Three. Three days until Ethan and Lavinia would go back home, taking her with them. Ethan and Charlie had announced that they didn't have much work left at breakfast this morning. The words had put Cassandra in a fowl mood.

Four. Four days had passed since the ball, and she'd been outside not once. She'd hardly stirred from her own room in that time—except to attend to Lavinia. There was no reason, she told herself. Obviously, it had nothing to do with Graham.

Well, maybe that was a lie. She was—in some way—glad that she hadn't seen him since then. It wasn't at all—she told herself—because he didn't want to see her. No, she was just good at staying hidden.

But she wasn't hiding! No, not at all. . .well, maybe a little. It was just. . .he had a way of. . .getting to her. She didn't understand him, and it was driving her a little crazy. At the ball, for instance, she had imagined there was something more to him than the arrogant, conceited twit she had known heretofore, and then, he had swiftly proved her wrong.

Not seeing him, though, had proved just as destructive. No matter if she didn't leave her room, she couldn't help feeling like he was going to pop up behind a piece of furniture, lounging with perfect ease and spouting a clever quip about her avoiding him. Worse than that, she had been dreaming about him. Terrible, horrible dreams that she preferred to forget.

Pacing back and forth across her bedroom floor, she kicked at an unoffending chair leg. Growling in annoyance at the sharp pain that shot through her foot, she slumped onto her bed, glaring at the ceiling.

A light tap on the door only elicited a sullen response from her, and Eliza entered with some reluctance. Cassandra only glared at the maid's rosy cheeks, knowing full well that they had been subject to the cool outdoor breezes. It simply wasn't fair! As a lady of rank, she should be able to go anywhere she wanted without fear of hindrance, and yet, this maid was freer than she!

"Your sister and brother-in-law have gone into town with Lady Irene and Lord Charles, did Miss want to stay cooped up in her room for another day?" Eliza chatted brightly, seemingly unaware of her mistress's volatile mood.

Cassandra didn't respond. She had been made aware of the plan for the day, but it had been of little interest to her. At the moment, all she wanted was to gallop freely across the moors, not roll around in a stuffy, uncomfortable coach. Well, that wasn't exactly what she wanted. She had consistently found herself unsure what she wanted since the ball. It was illogical and ridiculous, and she wanted nothing more than to revert into more of her old self when things had no affect on her.

But oh, just thinking of riding made her giddy with yearning. If only she could—

"Eliza!" Cassandra leapt off the bed suddenly, almost tripping herself in the process. And why shouldn't she be as free as a maid? Eliza peered at her in wide-eyed shock, uncertainty in her expression, but in Cassandra's mind there was only one thought and the idea of how she could execute it.

.................................

The back stairwell was emptier than Cassandra had expected, but this only proved to increase her good mood. He thought he was so smart, but here she was, outwitting him without raising a sweat. She smiled smugly to herself.

Delicately skirting the bustle of the kitchen, she slipped out into the back courtyard. Eliza's clothes were scratcher than she'd anticipated, but to feel the cool breeze and warm sunshine on her skin, she would have gone out in a potato sack. Besides, dressed as a maid, she could move about almost unseen and definitely unnoticed.

She kept the sophisticated walk of a maid only until she rounded the courtyard wall. Then, lifting her skirts until her knees were almost showing, she bolted across the yard toward the stable. As she reached the stable, she laughed aloud in triumphant ecstasy. Now, to find the horse she'd sent for the stable hands to saddle.

At first glance, the stable yard appeared empty. It was neatly kept, a testament to the hard work of the stable hands, but there was no saddled horse waiting for her. She stepped into the yard, frowning.

She was just about to march off in search of someone when a door swung open. Casually, a man stepped out into the yard, leading a saddled horse and whistling. He turned the animal, and she got a look at his face.

Her teeth grated against each other. This wasn't what she wanted at the moment. She glared at him and stepped further into the yard.

He stopped whistling when he noticed her. With a blank stare, he looked her up and down, and then he had the impudence to grin at her. It wasn't a leering smile like she'd seen on the faces of so many men of late, just a cheeky grin that infuriated her.

"I've come for my horse." She said icily.

He frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. I was sent a message that Lady Cassandra wanted a horse saddled, so she could go riding. No one told me I was needed to ready a horse for a simple housemaid."

"I am Lady Cassandra." She said dryly. "And how am I to know that? You could be fakin'." He replied glibly.

Cassandra was stumped. She'd never thought she'd have to prove who she was to the stablehand. In her excitement to get out of the house undetected by Graham, she'd entirely forgotten about the smaller details.

"You remember me!" She spoke in an almost accusatory manner. "You saddled a horse for me last time, and you gave me a ride to my brother's home when my sister was ill. You know full well who I am!"

"Aye, that's true." He said, turning his back on her. He didn't turn fast enough to hide the grin on his face, however. He was toying with her. "You should wear those more often," he indicated Eliza's clothes with a carless wave of his hand. "They suit ya." And he turned to wink brazenly at her.

Cassandra breathed in sharply through her nose, inhaling the pungent scent of horse manure. "I'll thank you to—"

"If you've come back for a ridin' lesson, you'll be called upon to wait a bit. I'm busy at the moment." And he flashed another grin before turning back to the horse as if she weren't there at all.

"I don't know what you think gives you the right to behave to me thus, but I believe we should get one thing straight." She stalked toward him, her fury building within her. "I don't need anything from you, and I will never, ever ask for anything."

She stopped moving when she was beside him. He didn't turn to look at her, simply continued working over the buckles and straps as if she weren't standing there. In such close quarters, she could make out a low rumble of speech coming out of his mouth as he gentle-talked the horse.

"I believe I'm capable of taking over from here." She gritted her teeth, knowing full well what she said wasn't true. She just wanted to be out of this odious man's company.

As if he knew how little truth was in her statement, he simply moved to the horse's other side and continued his work as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"Look here, as a guest in the Fergus's household I am in equal standing with them. Just leave it. I can take care of it on my own!" She followed him, exasperation lining her words.

Instead of reacting or even acknowledging her, he began to sing softly. For a moment, she was breathless with fury. What gave him the right to ignore her in such a way? She far exceeded him in station, and at a word from her, he might be fired. What would possess a man to risk everything for the sake of annoying her?

Jerking out of her stupor, she reached up and threw his hands away from the horse. "I said: I don't need your help." She enunciated each word clearly, so that he could have no excuse for ignoring her.

He turned and looked down at her, one hand still resting on the horse's back, and she was suddenly aware how close together they were.

"I heard you well, lass. Perhaps, you would do well to remember what happened last time you ran off before I was done." He raised a brow.

"That was a simple mistake, and I can hardly blame you for your incompetence, but I believe I am capable of looking after it myself." She lifted her chin regally.

He snorted. "'Twas your own mistake I was speakin' of. Between the two of us, we know how 'capable' you are, so let me finish my work." Without another word, he turned back to face the horse, his fingers deftly working straps that were nameless and inconsequential in her mind.

She could think of no retort that would change the truth of what he said. What was it with these men who knew exactly how to say things that silenced her? If anyone back in London society had thought such things, they hadn't spoken them.

Still, she couldn't allow him to think he had the upper hand. What sort of respect would that warrant her? If she allowed him to continue in this manner toward her, he would begin to think they were equals of some kind, and then what? The man was far taller and stronger than she, and there was no telling what he could accomplish in a match against her.

Frowning, she reached up and grasped both his hands in her own, pulling them away from the horse. "Your concern, sir, is misplaced. If I wish for you to stop, then you have only to comply."

Her fingers raked over something hard on his left hand. Pausing, she frowned and looked down at his hands. There was a large ring on the middle finger of his left hand, and it was untarnished gold. She looked up at him quickly just as he released a sigh.

"It just so happens that I've finished, ma'lady. Ya can take your ride now." He pulled quickly away from her.

"That ring—" She started.

"Enjoy your ride." He cut her off, moving swiftly toward the stable door. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he was gone before the words had time to form themselves in her mind. She stared in confusion at the place where he'd been standing, uncertainty muddling her brain. Where had the ring come from? A blazing ruby had been set in its center. How could he afford such a ring on a stable hand's salary?

A whinny from the horse reminded her why she'd come out here in the first place. If she stayed here too long, certain people might find out what she was up to. Frowning in confusion, she mounted the horse. She was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on here even if it took her the rest of her life.

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There you have it! Another chapter (finally). I was hoping to be able to update this Wednesday, but unfortunately, I'll be onto of town and unable to work on this :(. . .I'll try to make it up to you somehow! I've been having really bad writers' block recently, but I think things have cleared up pretty well for the time being, and my writing is proceeding splendidly. I think my problem is that I know where I want to go, I just don't always know how to get there. You get me? Ugh. It's the worst!

Ah, yes, the plot thickens! That stablehand is seriously going to get himself into trouble, I think. What do you think of Cassandra's idea? Will she be able to escape Graham's notice? What are you most excited for in the upcoming chapters? What do you want to see happen next? I love hearing from you guys, so don't be shy about telling me what you think!!

Well, I guess that's it from me. Until next time, happy reading (and writing)!