"I think you need to keep an eye on Robert Crenshaw," Cassius told Mr. Willoughby, Daphne's father, in hushed tones as they returned from their ride. As the families had been close for so long, and neighbors in Devonshire, it was not unusual for them to spend a few weeks visiting each other or traveling together to different parts of the country. And since they moved in much the same circles, they often ended up at some event or the other together.  "He has been paying a lot of attention to Daphne this time around. And I do not think his intentions are platonic."

Mr. Willoughby, Richmond, nodded grimly, his mouth pressed into a firm line.

"He has been hinting that he would like to make an offer for her hand," the man replied, contemplatively tapping his crop against his thigh.

"You can't mean to tell me you're considering it! She's not yet seventeen, and hasn't even made her come out."

"It is my duty as her father to consider it," the other man replied.

"She is barely one step out of the schoolroom," Cassius said, feeling protective of her as he always had. She was an intelligent, spirited girl, who had always been a true friend to him. Granted, she was still immature in many ways; she did not enjoy sharing the spotlight with anyone, particularly her cousin Jemma with whom she fought often, she was a little spoiled and far too used to getting her own way, she had a temper that she had not learned to master.....but her heart was good. She deserved better than the likes of Robert Crenshaw.

"The Crenshaws are a good family, Daphne is of marrying age. Of course, I have discouraged any formal discussion on the account that she has not even made her debut, and that she would very much like a season."

"Daphne is too young," he insisted. "And definitely lacks the maturity to marry."

"I know you do not see her in that way, Cassius," Richmond cleared his throat awkwardly, "but Daphne is no longer the child you think her to be. I would like to see her well settled, it is a father's dearest wish to see his offspring well taken care of. The Crenshaws have excellent breeding, they are a well-respected family, and they do not struggle financially. They are a model of good behavior, in fact, Daphne could stand to learn from Jemma at times. That child is so composed and serene."

On that note, Cassius could agree. Jemma was the cool breeze to Daphne's whirlwind. The Crenshaw's were an exemplary family, so different from his own. They were all calm and reserved, always behaving appropriately, never fraternizing with undesirable company, never overindulging in alcohol. Unlike Cassius' parents, they were never the subject of ridicule and gossip.

Cassius would be lucky if his marriage and family held even a semblance to that of the Crenshaws.

"Robert Crenshaw wouldn't be able to handle her," Cassius snorted. She'd run rod-shod over Robert's mild-mannered self in a week. "I think that he would not appreciate her spirit, or ever be able to keep up with her. Is that the kind of marriage you want for Daphne?"

"Of course not. Whether she wishes to marry anyone is entirely her choice, and it seems that she has not been minding the attention Robert has been paying her."

"That is because she is young. She doesn't understand that men often do not need much encouragement to assume a lady's affection. She doesn't feel anything for him. What's more, she can do better than Robert Crenshaw, I am sure of it."

Mr. Willoughby paused and raised an eyebrow at him, a speculative look across his face.

"You know, Robert is a year older than you."

"Yes, we were at Oxford at the same time," he replied, unsure why the other man was suddenly bringing this up.

"And Daphne admires you greatly."

"I am not sure....God, no!" Cassius burst out in shock as he finally understood what the other man was trying to say. He felt his entire body shudder in revulsion. "She...I don't....she is like a child to me."

"I am not telling you to marry her tomorrow!" The other man chuckled. "Let her have a season or two, I can't disagree that she needs a bit of maturing. I just want to say that you ought not to shut the door on that avenue forever. The best foundation a marriage can have is friendship."

"I think that you should not hold out hope where that is concerned," Cassius hedged gently. He could not very well tell a man that his daughter was not at all the type of woman he envisioned for himself. His wife was going to be someone cool and restrained, someone who carried themselves with the utmost poise, someone introverted to match his own nature.

Daphne could not live without being the center of attention, she was just the sort of personality that reveled in the spotlight, basking in the admiration of others. Even though she was a year from her come out, Cassius was not unaware of the complimentary praises the younger boys of their circle reserved for her, both innocent and borderline vulgar, and though many had attempted to get Cassius to put in a good word for them. Though now that he thought about it, that was yet another reason he would not like a wife like Daphne. He had no interest in being married to a woman constantly admired by and sought out by other men. He had resolutely denied them of course, again feeling disgruntled by their inappropriate attention toward someone he thought was far too young. Her own brother was a piece of shite, if the stories from town and Harrow held any truth, so Cassius felt that it fell to him to step into the role of her chaperone and protector.

Not that he would be for long, what with his impending voyage fast approaching. As he murmured a polite farewell to Daphne's father, he could not help but wince in guilt. He had been holding on to that bit of information close to his chest for a while now, but had let it slip to the older gentlemen at dinner the other night. He had wanted to tell Daphne himself but had been putting it off because he knew that her reaction would be less than pleasant.

Daphne liked to have a certain.....monopoly on his time. When she had been younger she had insisted that he write to her at least once a month, and if he did not she would send passive-aggressive missives to him in order to remind him that he had yet to pen her a response and demand extra gifts from him on her birthday. As she had gotten older, her parents had dissuaded her from the less-than-appropriate intimacy between a young lady and a bachelor. Still, if they were in the same vicinity as each other, he had to carve out time for her or else she would get irritable and sulky. It was not as though he minded it, she had been a good friend to him all these years, always the first to show concern, always looking out for him in her own little ways. He cherished her very much.

It was just that now that she was getting older......

He was not sure that their intimacy was appropriate. Spending mornings alone with the dubious chaperonage of a drowsy maid was not going to cut it for long and the very last thing Cassius wanted was to be the subject of gossip and conjecture.

The very idea of being at the center of everyone's mocking and snide comments like his parents made an unpleasant shiver run up his back.

It was just as well that he was leaving for the continent soon, and for two years at the very least. By the time he returned, Daphne would have had two seasons- if she didn't catch a husband on her first, that was. She likely would have forgotten all about him.

"How could you not tell me?!" Her furious voice found him traveling up the hallway into his own quarters. He stuttered to a halt and braced himself for the scolding he knew was coming.

"I was going to," he said in a soothing tone. "I just was trying to find the right words."

"Jemma had no trouble finding the right words! Nay, she took much pleasure in letting me know that I took pride in our friendship for naught!" Daphne was scowling like she used to when she was young and losing at chess. Cassius did not comment on how she ought to stop seeing her cousin as some sort of competition, and that it made her appear immature and silly.

"I am sorry, Daphne," he said with an apologetic smile. And he meant it, he should have told her first, she was his friend after all. "I just knew that you would be upset and I...well I didn't wish to see you upset."

"You can't seriously mean to leave, my lord!" She cried out. "The next season will be my debut!"

When he stared at her uncomprehendingly, a hot flush rose upon her cheeks that had not lost all their adolescent roundness.

"You were supposed to be there for it! All of it! You were meant to be my first waltz, and you were supposed to be my escort to dinners, and we were going to be the talk of the season. You were....you were supposed to...."

At no point, naturally, had he been consulted about whether he wanted to be included in her grand plans or not. It had not been considered that he thought the relentless socialization during the season to be an acute form of torture. Because that was how Daphne saw the world, it was her way and no other alternatives were allowed.

"I was supposed to..?" He prompted once she fell into mortified silence.

"You were supposed to marry me!" She exclaimed finally, looking so young and vulnerable all Cassius wanted to do was to swoop her into his arms like one would a lost puppy and promise her that everything would be alright. "I...My Lord, surely you know that I esteem you greatly. That you are the brightest spot in my day, that I wait all day for those few hours we spend together in the library. I know no man more handsome than you, or more honorable, or kind."

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Cassius had an awful feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Surely, you must know that I love you," she finished, her eyes wide as saucers and swimming with her barely restrained tears.

"Daphne," he sighed in regret, carefully considering his words. "My dear, you are confused. You are young and I am the only male in your life that is not a relative. It is only natural that you develop an infatuation with me."

"I am not infatuated! I have loved you since the day you saved me from David, my feelings have only grown stronger over these last eight years!" She violently shook her head. "I love you."

"See? Daphne you just admire me as your savior, and you are confusing your admiration with love."

"I know what I feel, my lord," she insisted mulishly.

Alright, he had to change tactics.

"Daphne, just think of it, we would never suit. This is why I am sure your feelings will go away with time. For example, I am more content to stay indoors and read while you would rather be out riding and playing games-"

"We could learn to compromise," she said defiantly.

"I don't enjoy balls or parties, you love them," he said through grit teeth.

"Well, no one says you have to come with me every time."

"I don't like hosting people, whereas you've been practicing planning dinners ever since you had enough dolls to seat at your table. You love being around people and having an adventure."

"Well, I am sure we can find some sort of happy medium between ourselves, what matters most is that we are together," she insisted. "And that we love each other."

"Daphne," he said softly, hoping the gentleness in his tone would soften the blow he was about to land. "Pet, I am sorry, but I do not love you...... not in the way that you mean, at the very least. Not in the way a man loves a woman."

She stared at him for an agonizingly long bunch of seconds before an impenetrable, mulish look crossed her face. The next thing he knew her arms were wrapped behind his neck and her had come perilously close to his mouth.

"I am a woman," she pressed her body boldly into his before Cassius even had a chance to respond. "And I can make you love me."

And then she pressed her mouth to his in the most awkward, unpracticed, uncomfortable kiss to have ever been exchanged. Cassius reared back in shock and revulsion, pushing her off of himself with a hard thrust of his arms.

"Daphne!" He threw his hands up in exasperation at her absolute refusal to move. "That was very inappropriate of you! How would you like it if a man you were not interested in kissed you against your will?!"

To her credit she lowered her head in shame, unable to meet his eyes.

"I-I would not like it. Forgive me, Cassius, I just wanted to show you..."

"You are forgiven, Pet," he said on a rough exhale, fighting his own frustration. Why the chit had stolen his first kiss, and she didn't even know! It had been an intimacy, a pleasure he had been saving for his wife, just like he did his body. He forced himself to recall that she was just young and misguided, confused by new feelings of attraction. Who hadn't had an inappropriate admiration for an older person when they were sixteen?

"So, will you give me a chance?" Her eyes bored into his with such depth that just the idea of hurting her made something in his heart twist. "I promise you, you won't regret it, I will be the best wife-"

"Daphne, you are a lovely young girl. You are brave, and kind, and caring, and I am sure you will only become lovelier when you grow older. You will make your husband a very happy man."

She beamed at him in pleasure. And then her face fell into a look of pure anguish as he continued.

"But I do not see you or admire you the way a man does a woman. I do not think you would suit me as a wife. You are like a little sister to me. I am not, nor ever will be, interested in you like that."

Tears spilled over her cheeks and he could not help but reach out and then wipe them away. She turned her face away from his touch.

"I would be so good to you, I would always take care of you, I would always love you," she sniffled, not looking at him.

"One day, Daphne, you are going to meet a man who would do all those things for you as well. Who would love you as you deserve. That man may not be me, but when you find him, and I am certain that you will, you will forget you were ever infatuated with me. I will hardly be a thought in your mind."

She gave him one last, black look.

"You just don't get it," she choked out and then picked up her skirts and fled from his view.