Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Iwant to assure you that your secret is safe with me, my lady,” Jenny leaned toward Rose and spoke in a low voice. Rose, who had been occupied with thoughts about the stray dog, turned to Jenny and looked confused.
“My secret?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jenny sidled closer to Rose. There was a conspiratorial tone to her voice, not that there was any danger of them being overheard. Any conversation would have been overshadowed by the creaking of wheels and the sound of hooves against the cobbled streets.
Rose again stared at Jenny without the slightest idea about what she referred to.
“You are going to have to elaborate, Jenny. I feel as though I might have missed something.”
“You and His Grace. In the copse,” Jenny said, arching her eyebrows suggestively.
Rose’s cheeks flushed, more with embarrassment now than anger.
“Nothing of the sort happened! I cannot believe you would even think such a thing.” she said. “I went after a stray dog, and he followed. That is all.”
Jenny gave her a knowing look, and Rose let out a small breath.
“Please do not make it into something it was not,” she added more gently. “It would only invite unnecessary talk.”
“I am sorry, my lady. I just wanted you to know that you could trust me and that I… I apologize for speaking out of turn,” Jenny’s demeanor changed immediately. She bowed her head and wrung her hands together in her lap. She gazed at them, and her shoulders slumped forward.
“Please do not dismiss me,” she added.
Rose’s expression softened.
“I have no intention of dismissing you,” she said. “But you must be careful with such thoughts. They can do more harm than you realize.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The journey home continued in silence. Rose took a deep breath and was thankful that the park had been deserted, for she might be faced with more accusations like that if there had been more witnesses.
It was exactly the kind of thing she had wished to avoid, and was why she had insisted on all of their meetings taking place in public.
Of course, she couldn’t very well blame Edmund for it, as it was she who had wandered off chasing the dog.
I have to be more careful in the future.
She would need to keep her wits about her; otherwise, she might end up bringing about the very fate she sought to avoid.
When the carriage pulled up outside Rose’s home, she alighted from the vehicle and strode inside. Jenny rushed off, disappearing toward the kitchen. Her parents were waiting for Rose, their anxious faces reflecting their concern. They rose so quickly that Margaret almost spilled some tea.
“How was your day?” Thomas asked.
“You are quite late. It must have gone well,” Margaret said.
Their faces were animated with hope, and they stood closer together than Rose ever remembered them being. In this matter, they were completely united, which had not always been the case with their efforts.
Again, Rose felt a flush of guilt as she knew their hopes would be dashed.
Would it have been prudent to tell them the truth now?
To tell them that these five meetings were not going to lead to a longer arrangement?
But then there would undoubtedly be another plan, perhaps something more certain than a mere auction.
And it brought her joy to see her parents so happy.
This mood had been rare in the house, her parents preferring a more modest life free of extreme emotions.
It seemed cruel to take this moment of happiness away from them. Why not allow them to believe for a little while longer?
Rose inclined her head and took a breath.
“It was a pleasant afternoon. His Grace prepared a lovely picnic filled with all manner of food. I have eaten enough to last me until breakfast and perhaps beyond, I am sure,” she said, patting her stomach. Then, her parents realized that something had happened to her thumb.
“What is that?” Thomas asked.
“Just a flesh wound. We were in a copse. Well, it’s quite a funny story, actually.
You see, there was a dog that approached us and, well, I suppose you don’t need to know the details.
But as I was about to return, I caught my foot and tried to steady myself, but as I reached out, I caught my thumb on a thorn.
Edmund used his handkerchief to treat the wound. ”
“How marvelous,” Thomas said, clearly impressed.
“A lot of men wouldn’t have known what to do,” Margaret said.
“No, but then again, his parents were botanists, so I believe that he has had a lot of experience treating wounds like this. It is nothing serious, so I don’t want you to worry,” Rose said.
“Perhaps I should have words with him about taking better care of my daughter,” Thomas chuckled.
It was a nice sound, and one that Rose had heard all too infrequently over the years.
“I am sure there is no need for that, Father. He was the perfect gentleman today,” Rose said.
Indeed, there was no deceit in her words.
While he had been disagreeable, he hadn’t been improper with her.
Even when they had been alone, he had tried to stop her from wandering off.
The physical closeness had played havoc with her mind, but was that truly intentional on his part, or was it more a product of the setting?
So far, at least, Edmund had remained true to his word.
“This bodes well for the rest of your promenades, then. I am looking forward to seeing what he has planned for the rest of them. I am sure he will spare no expense in making them special. And remember, Rose, this could be a sign of what the rest of your life will be like. How he treats you now is how he will treat you in the future,” Margaret said.
“Yes, Mother,” Rose replied.
“I knew this was going to be a good idea. I hope you can forgive us for offering you promenades at the auction. It was a means to an end, and the end is worth it,” Thomas said.
Rose quelled the feelings of frustration that rose within. They were so thick it tasted like bile at the back of her throat.
“Of course, Father. I know you were only trying to take care of me, and I am trying to approach this with the right attitude. We shall see what happens over the next four meetings,” Rose said, punctuating her words with a small smile.
Thomas and Margaret squeezed each other, a rare display of physical affection.
“All we have ever asked is that you give this a chance, Rose,” Margaret said.
Rose inclined her head and excused herself, telling her parents she needed to get her thumb treated and that she wished to rest. They were all too eager to grant her request, and as she moved away from their presence, her eyes flashed with a satisfied gleam.
The plan was working perfectly. Her parents were convinced that she was giving this an honest try, so when it did not work out, she would be allowed a reprieve.
There was no way they could scold her or accuse her of not giving it her all when Edmund eventually revealed that he did not wish to marry her.
Why, she could even declare that she wished to marry him and act as a scorned, shunned woman.
This plan developed in her mind as one of the other maids tended to her wound. She cleaned it and dressed it properly, and was about to throw the handkerchief away when Rose stopped her. Edmund might have only been joking about taking care of his handkerchief, but she still felt responsible for it.
After all, he had brought her ribbon back to her.
She settled into her room and relaxed in bed. She had a book open, resting against her raised legs, but she found it harder to concentrate than usual, and it was already tough to focus on this particular book.
Her thoughts turned back to this new scheme.
Yes, when it was all over, she could pretend that she was utterly besotted with Edmund and that his refusal to continue their courtship devastated her to the point where she swore off men entirely.
She could claim that her heart was wretched and completely incapable of love, and be so distraught that she would beg her parents to never put her through such an ordeal again.
It would be a melodramatic performance indeed, but it might just be the solution to her ultimate problem.
Then, even if her parents insisted on a marriage, what man would want a wife who was in love with someone else?
She could make a whole song and dance about it, always comparing everyone and everything to Edmund to the point where it became intolerable.
And of course, she would never get the one thing she ‘desired’, because Edmund did not want marriage at all. He would keep his distance, and rightly so, leaving Rose to live her life as she wished—independent, free from the burden of love, with no demands placed upon her.
And so, she would never have to have her heart broken.
A smile played on her lips at the thought of a bright future. It occupied her mind so much that she set her book aside. Her thoughts drifted back to the picnic, and she had to admit to herself that Edmund had been thoughtful with his choice of food, and he had not broken any of her rules.
But there was just that one moment when they had stood together in the trees, isolated from the rest of the world.
Then, she had lost herself because of his proximity.
She looked at her hand and remembered the way he had tenderly cared for her, without a second thought.
He hadn’t been shocked by the sight of blood, nor had he been rough with his fingers.
It surprised her that a man like him could be so tender, but she supposed he had to display those qualities since he cared for his two younger sisters.
And it was this side of the man that intrigued her most because it was the part he seemed to hide.
There was the boisterous rake, the man with a quick wit for any situation, eager to make friends with strangers.
He was loud and bombastic, with a charming ease that made it hard for anyone to stay angry at him for long.
But there was this other side of him, a side that she had only glimpsed so far, and it was a side she wanted to know better.
But how well could she get to know him over the next four meetings?
She took a deep breath and picked up the handkerchief. She would have to get it washed. It was still stained with her blood, the abstract shapes covering the surface. She ran it through her fingers and then traced the embroidered initials.
E.H.
They were strong letters, and stood alone. She couldn’t help but think of him as a boy, climbing trees and shirking all of his duties. But that boy turned into a man and suffered a great tragedy, as well as having responsibility thrust upon his shoulders.
What had he been like at the time? How had he coped with such emotional weight?
Now, that was the Edmund she would have liked to know better, but she supposed such a thing was impossible because that Edmund no longer existed. He had shaped himself into the man he was today and seemed quite content with his life.
“Well, Edmund, let us see what you have planned for our next meeting.”
She set the handkerchief aside and then sank into the pillow, closing her eyes and thinking of the events of the day, and all that was to come.