Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
It was after they dropped Marianne off at home that Christopher told Rose of the surprise he had for her. It came as a shock, mostly because Rose was still thinking about her sister and what the future might hold.
“I can’t help but think that we should have invited Marianne to stay with us,” Rose mused as the carriage pulled out of the driveway. She was sitting by the window; her gaze fixed on the manor where she could see her father leading Marianne back inside.
“I thought you said it was best not to do that?” Christopher asked her.
“I did…” Rose sighed and forced herself to turn away from the window. “But only because I did not want Father to become worried, and then irate because of it. Leaving her alone like this…” Her stomach twisted.
“You did all that you could do.” Christopher was sitting beside her, and he rested a hand on her leg.
It was not done stiffly or awkwardly, and it brought with it a sense of comfort that Rose desperately needed.
“Your father has promised not to make any decisions until the two of you have had time to talk. Lady Marianne has promised not to do anything rash. It is as good a scenario as could be hoped for, all things considered.”
“You’re right,” Rose sighed, knowing it to be true. “I just wish that Father would not be so stubborn.”
“Now I know where you get it from.”
Rose narrowed her eyes at Christopher, but she did not try to stop herself from smiling. It was more common now, her husband making jokes, even laughing when the moment suited him. Further signs of what was happening between them.
“Speaking of being stubborn…” Christopher cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. “There is something I wanted to speak to you about.”
“Oh?”
“Last night, when I told you about…” He swallowed. “About my childhood. It made me realize something.”
“And that something is?”
He smiled, and it didn’t look forced. “That I have been running away from my past for too long. Or perhaps just ignoring it. You are my wife, and it feels wrong that you have yet to meet the only family member of mine who is still alive. And it feels worse that until right now, I have not seen this as an issue.”
Rose frowned at Christopher, surprised by this admission. Their conversation last night, while brief, had been a huge step forward for the two of them, and she was taken aback by the fact that Christopher clearly felt the same way.
Once again, it told her that he was trying. That he was starting to admit to himself what this relationship was turning into. That he wanted it to be more.
She beamed. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“I would like for you to meet my aunt,” he said with a firm nod, no doubt confirming the statement within himself. “When we arrive home, I will write to her and see about organizing a day for us to meet.”
“Christopher…” Rose took his hand. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to,” he assured her. It did not sound like he meant it; he was still unsure if this was the right thing. But that he was willing to try meant everything. “And I know that she would want to meet you, too.”
“Thank you,” Rose said to him. “I know how hard this is for you.”
He shrugged. “It is not nearly as hard as I am making it out to be.”
Which only makes all this all the stranger. Why did it take so long for us to meet? What is he hiding? Or is it just a case of the two of them no longer being close?
Rose could not say the reason, just that she knew it was significant. She decided not to press Christopher on the details, just happy that he was taking the initiative all on his own. That he was… it meant more to Rose than she could put into words.
The following couple of days were a noticeable improvement on those that preceded it.
They started spending more time together during the day and even in the evening.
They no longer avoided one another or only spent time together when working.
One time, Christopher invited Rose to spend time with him while he busied himself in his private garden sanctuary.
They spoke more openly and honestly than ever before, and Christopher’s walls started to come down. and now
Seeing him smile and even laugh was no longer such a huge thing as it had once been, and Rose was no longer hesitant in laughing and smiling around him either.
It was a slow process. It was a step-by-step journey. But the path they walked was the right one, and that was what mattered most.
As for Rose? She found it strange how excited she was to see where this path was taking them.
Once, she had been adamantly against marriage, thinking it a waste of time and not something she would ever want.
But now… I am starting to see what all the fuss is about.
Dammit, I am starting to enjoy married life, and who I am married to.
And yes, all of this was thanks to her husband, a changed man from when they had first met, and a better man because of it.
For that reason, when the time came for them to attend Christopher’s aunt’s home for supper, Rose was looking forward to it. And not just because it was a chance to spend more time with her husband, but because it was a chance to learn more about him.
She reminded herself to be careful, however. No doubt there would be questions asked, and mysteries solved. But she had to be sure not to push too hard, and to keep an eye on Christopher for when he grew uncomfortable and irate.
Mostly, this was about peeling back those layers that he hid behind, learning who he was by where he had come from, and strengthening this relationship beyond what it already was.
Tonight may very well make or break our marriage. And is it so wrong that the idea of it breaking our marriage terrifies me? No, I don’t think that it is.
They arrived at Lady Honora Kingswell’s estate shortly after dusk.
It was a short carriage ride, far closer than Rose had realized, and she and Christopher held hands for the entire journey.
When they stepped from the carriage, he was first out, and he helped her down, then kept a hold of her hand as he led her toward the door.
“I feel I must warn you about my aunt,” he explained as they approached the front door. “Before we meet her.”
“Oh, now you decide to warn me?” Rose scoffed.
He laughed. “It is nothing to concern yourself with. But my aunt, she is…” He clicked his tongue. “Unique.”
“Unique?” Rose cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Her personality,” he confirmed. “She is her own person, and she does not hide it about herself. So, if she seems peculiar or odd, just know that it is for a good reason.”
“And what reason is that?”
“It’s who she is,” he said simply.
Rose eyed Christopher curiously, finding the warning strange.
From the little she knew of Christopher, Lady Honora had a considerable hand in raising him and was likely a significant influence on his life.
That she was so vibrant and unique, and that he was so stiff and formal, suggested there to be more here than what Christoper was telling her.
Then again, when it comes to Christopher, what else is new?
As promised, Lady Honora Kingswell was indeed a unique specimen if there ever was one. And Rose noticed this the very second that she laid eyes on her.
“Christopher!” Lady Honora exclaimed merrily as he and Rose walked into the foyer.
“Look who it is! I thought you dead!” She was dressed colorfully, vibrant pinks and purples and oranges adorning her gown.
Her make-up was loud, her eyes were big and bright green, while her teeth were the sort that looked too big for her mouth; teeth that she showed off in a constant smile of sheer delight.
“Aunt Honora.” Christopher released Rose’s hand as he stepped forward to greet her. He reached for her hand, likely thinking to kiss it. “It is good to see you again.”
She slapped the hand away. “Is that how you treat your favorite aunt? Come here!” She pulled Christopher into a tight hug, and Rose saw immediately how stiff it made him. “And who is this?” She released Christopher, pushing him aside before descending on Rose.
“It is lovely to meet you, Lady Honora…” Rose offered a slight curtsey. “My name is –”
“I know who you are.” She pulled Rose into a hug and kissed her wetly on the cheek. “And if you do not mind, I am going to dispense with all this Your Grace nonsense. We are family, are we not? You may call me Honora, and I will call you Rosalind.”
“Rose,” Christopher said from behind her.
“What was that?”
“She prefers Rose…” He was shaking his head at his aunt’s antics.
“And I prefer not to be treated as a corpse.” She swung on Christopher. “Save for when you need something, at which point you cannot help but reach out to me.”
Christopher looked at her flatly. “It has not been that long, Honora.”
“Try living alone and then tell me how long it has been.” She scoffed and then waved him down.
“But enough of that. Enough of that. Where I would love to make you feel guilty for how you have ignored me…” She touched her chest as if in pain.
“Life is too short! And we have so much to catch up on. Come!” She took Rose by the hand.
“Let us feast, drink, and then enjoy the pleasure of one another’s company.
” She laughed loudly. “Although if this one –” An indication with her head toward Christopher.
“—is the same grump I remember from his childhood, then enjoy is not the word I would use.”
Rose did her best to withhold her laughter. “Oh, he is not nearly as bad as he was, I promise.”
“Truly?”
“I’m training him, that's why,” Rose said with a wink.
“Wonderful,” Honora crooned. “You must tell me how. I spent his entire life trying to do the same, and this is the result.” She scoffed and shook her head. “Too much of his father in him, sadly. And nowhere near enough of his aunt!”