Chapter 3 3

III. The League of Founders

"You will not back off your word, will you?"

It was not her question that intrigued Calan so, but the way she said it. It sounded as though she was that desperate and determined to have her way that for a moment he doubted his decision. Now that he had given his word to help her, he couldn't very well take it back. But looking at Lady Cressida Belverst standing there in her blue satin gown, a strand of her hair dangling beside her face, her light blue eyes almost dark in the darkness, Calan couldn't help but wonder how she would survive the world outside The Town.

She may be unconventional here, with her outspoken mind and uncaring attitude toward her reckless actions, but she could very well be a danger to herself if she set out to a completely different world. What was the assurance that she would not be found unconventional out there as well? Though he didn't want to get married to anyone, he was still a man of honor and it was in his nature to make sure that if he helped her get out of The Town that she would do well out there alone.

Alone. My God. How would she fare alone out there with no maids to do her bidding, no guards for protection?

Make up your mind, you idiot.

"Calan." Hearing his name from her lips snapped him back to his senses. "How do you plan to help me escape?"

Escape. Was that how she would call it? Was The Town a prison for her?

"Do you know of a way? I am sure there is a way somehow. How else would the founders gotten here in the first place? How else would they have built those walls outside the holes? There must be a way out. Given time, we can do our research and I will be out of here before the wedding."

He wasn't quite hearing her then because he was too transfixed on her moist lips as they moved. Why hadn't he noticed those before?

She had now walked back to stand before him, her eyes curious and excited. "Calan. Easton," she called out again, her voice tinged with impatience now.

Finally, Calan tore his eyes from her lips and blinked to gaze directly into her eyes. That must be been a mistake as well because he almost-almost-made a grab for her shoulders and it was not very difficult to imagine pulling her toward him and kiss her senseless until she was writhing...

He shook his head once, removing the vision from his mind. He could have other women that would be willing to take only what he could offer. He didn't have to ruin this one and get himself shackled in a marriage he didn't want. But her very presence, standing too close before him, opened him to surprising realizations. He'd seen her in her best ball gowns, seen her in rare occasions with better lighting, and yet it was the first he acknowledged she was a woman, one who had the potential to make his blood boil with desire if that was not happening now.

She was a danger to him, he realized. Lady Cressida was no longer the girl he pushed into a pond-he could not deny that fact any more than he wanted to maintain the image of a spoiled, careless girl in his mind. And so he had to help her with her plans, both to save himself and his duty to his country.

Maybe The Town would be better not to have Lady Cressida Belverst in it after all. The Town Herald could very well do with more pages of something more interesting than her recent scandals.

She was narrowing her eyes at him now, her face full of doubt. "You are not considering marrying me, are you, My Lord? You know of my reputation, and though it is a wonder why your father would even approve of me, you know I will taint your good name-your title. I will not be a very good wife for you. I am a walking scandal and you know that. I've been on the Herald too many times. I've been caught in the most undesirable situations before and it would continue to be so if I stay here and be your wife."

With great effort, Calan took a step back, hoping the action did not make her think her nearness caused it. "There is no need to make a list of your scandalous traits. You are by far the last woman I would think for a wife, Cressida." He was proud of the coldness in his tone. And it was good that she didn't take offense at all by the contented smile on her lips.

"And that is why you are going to help me," she said with a secret, knowing smile. "So you can keep as many women as you want without having to bother with a wife."

It was his turn to smile. "I can have as many women as I like even with a wife."

He got a response from that last sentence. She arched her brow and eyed him with distaste. "Spoken like a Haverston."

He frowned. "Would you like to elaborate that statement?"

She brushed it off with a wave of her hand. "Oh, you know what your reputation is around The Town, My Lord. I don't find the need to elaborate."

"You mean my brothers' reputation."

She gave him a mocking look of surprise. "Don't tell me you are not the rake Lord of Easton everyone is talking about. I'm sorry, I must have been betrothed to someone else with the same title."

"I may like women in a more private setting, Lady Cressida, but I am not a rake."

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Well, that may be true." She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him with curiosity. "Now that I think of it, your reputation only precedes you because of your brother's."

"Exactly," he answered, thinking about his rake of a brother, Adrien. Not that he hated being called a rake, the name actually benefited him in a lot of ways in the past, but he had to admit it bothered him from time to time.

"But that doesn't really dismiss the fact that you keep mistresses. And still plan to even when you are married."

He looked at Cressida for a long time. His eyes went to trail down the slender curve of her neck and the soft-looking skin her dress allowed to spare, down to the curve of her bosoms that gave a lot of promise. He was almost sure he would not desire for a mistress if she was his wife. But he couldn't want a wife. Not in this lifetime. "I don't intend to have a wife when I can have my way with women who are willing to be content with my generosity."

He thought he saw disappointment flash in her face but she quickly wiped it away with a sardonic smile. "And that is why we are in agreement that I should leave The Town."

"Or you can find someone else to marry...one who is more agreeable."

Anger flashed in her eyes. "You said you are going to help me get out of here. And I am getting out, Calan."

He couldn't help but tease her some more. "Because you want to find true love."

Though it was dark, he could see the color flush her face. "You're mocking me."

"No, I'm not. I am merely curious why you can't find it here."

"The answer is actually simple if you are not as stupid as I am thinking you are now," she snapped at him, tearing her eyes from his to look around the quiet garden.

"No, I believe I don't know the answer to that."

When her eyes returned to match his gaze, Calan saw...pain. But that couldn't be. And before he could make another assessment, it was gone and she was saying, "Because I am already thoroughly judged here."

*****

Cressida hated that she had to admit that and much more so to the man standing before her. He was looking at her as if he couldn't understand. Of course, he wouldn't. He had never been judged by anyone, at least not so blatantly.

"Don't look at me like that," she snapped, taking a step back.

"Like what?"

"Like you are looking at a child having problems with how to tie a ribbon on her hair."

"I'm sorry, Cressida, but that is exactly how I see your problem." Of course, as a know-it-all, he would think her problems were too miniscule compared to any political or national issues. Her problem was not even worth his time to ponder upon because there were other real problems out there.

"You don't know anything about my problem except the one in which you are involved in and that is marrying you."

He continued to look at her and it was making her uncomfortable. His eyes felt like they were stripping her of her fa莽ade. The Lord of Easton didn't have to suffer the same scrutiny she had to go through from the moment she came out into society. He didn't have to hear the harsh judgment of the people of The Town, the people who thought they knew her better than she knew herself, the people who expected her to make a scandal of herself everywhere she went. And she had proven herself to be just that no matter how she tried to change their minds, no matter how she followed the rules and etiquette to be a lady. Because she could never tame the passion at moments she felt them and every time she would open her mouth or do something spontaneous, she'd be judged. The women shook their heads whenever she'd go out without a corset, whenever she'd use her hands when food would prove to be difficult with a knife and fork. The men would find her intriguing at first, then they would start to step back whenever she offered her opinion. Her parents...her parents were willing to give her away without asking if she wanted it.

There was no place for her here. She wanted to do more and though she could do so here, she'd only ruin herself further. And she wanted to experience much more than The Town could offer. Out there-up there-was a promise of endless sun not confined in a small, circular park, a promise of real plants, of wind so fresh, of real bright light, of oceans and mountains...of magic. And of love not bound by societal standards, of people who would accept her passion for the simplest things. Out there...out there was her place.

Looking back at Calan, her determination was made certain. She could never marry him. He was arrogant, a know-it-all and he would never love her the way she wanted to be loved. He had no other passion other than his title and his own desire to please himself the way he saw fit. She'd never have a place in his life and it was not a life she'd want to live to her dying day.

"Let us not talk about my problems. Let us talk about our problem," she said, breaking the silence. "I know you are eager to get yourself out of this mess our parents have agreed upon. Let's get to work as soon as possible, Easton."

She saw him take a deep breath and said, "What do you have in mind?"

"I was hoping, actually, that you could suggest something. Surely, you have encountered stories during your travels that could help us with our cause?" When he did not open his mouth to answer, she continued, "Fine. I'll have to do a bit of research on my own then. I'll just have to call for you if I need you and let us hope that by that time I would have found a passage out of here."

He surprised when he started pacing before her, his head bent in consideration. Finally, he looked up and asked, his eyes looking over her shoulder, "Have you heard of The League of Founders?"

"Of course. Who hadn't? They are The Town's secret-not so secret anymore-organization tasked to ensure everyone's-" she stopped short when realization hit her and her eyes widened at him. "You're a...but that's impossible!"

His eyes returned to her, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'm not saying anything. But don't speak of this again or I'd be forced to consider making sure you are gone for good."

She took an involuntary step back, her hand to her lips in shock. "You're a Leaguer. But...you...how is that even possible?"

"I suggest, Cressida, that you keep your voice down," he snapped at her. "And I have not affirmed that fact so you better think twice before repeating such information to anyone else." The warning and threat in his voice made Cressida gulp. And then her eyes lit up with more hope than ever.

"So you know of a way out. You must, right, Easton? You are a Leagu-" The glint of warning in his eyes stopped her short and when she spoke again, it was lower than a whisper. "You know of a way out."

She had always known that the League of Founders kept valuable secrets. And she had always wondered if one of them was a way out of The Town. Though no one would willingly talk about them, she heard from whispers and gossips that they were more powerful than the Leaders themselves. They held The Town's secrets. They had been protecting the country for centuries since it had been founded. But the identity of their members had always been kept. One could only guess and no one would admit it. And now she had to find out that the Lord of Easton was among the League of Founders. Suddenly her mind was full of questions. She wanted to find out more about the mysteries of The Town. She wanted to know if Mr. Jones was real.

"Calan, you know of a way out. Tell me. Please, you must know. But is it really possible? Is there really a way out?"

Calan gave a small scoff. "Where do you think the waters in the ponds come from? The stories of the outside come from?"

Right. Of course. They must have come from outside. Did that mean that someone in The Town could easily come out and back in without notice? How many people knew of it? Did the Leaders know? Was she the last person to know of this or was she the only one outside the League of Founders to stumble upon such fact? Had no one been that curious to find out the truth? Or was it just because no one really cared? And if they did, if they did become curious and acted upon it, did that mean they became members of the League?

So many questions, yet she couldn't voice them. She could barely wrap her mind around the fact that all of those things were possible. A way out of The Town.

Calan broke the silence. "If I show you a way out, Cressida, you must know that there is no turning back. You cannot return." The finality in his voice was clear that she almost had second thoughts. Never return? To The Town? When she couldn't utter a reply, Calan continued, "Do you hear me? You cannot go back."

She met his dark blue eyes. "Why?" she asked.

He did not answer her question. Instead, he held her eyes and said, "Think about it for a day or two but never repeat any word of what we have discussed here to anyone. And once you've made your decision, you call for me." He let his words sink in and added, "It is here or up there, My Lady."

And with that, the Lord of Easton left her standing alone in the middle of the garden, giving her a chance to make up her mind.

It was here or up there.