Chapter 28 Escapee
Escapee
Rose
“You need to get out of bed and go to breakfast,” Frankie urged. “Mum and Dad are coming back this morning and they’re going to freak out if the bride isn’t there for Sunday brunch.”
I took a deep breath and groaned. “I look like hell and I cannot face Lars and his family knowing how much I resent this all.”
Frankie sighed long. “I think this is… it’s sort of ridiculous, Rose. Because you always should have known—”
“We talked about this. We made plans. I had an idea of what my life would be like. This wasn’t in the plan. I cannot explain it, but it feels like the world is ending.”
Frankie’s mobile buzzed. She read a text.
“Well, Mum is here. Ingrid says she’s wondering where you are.”
“Maybe she will go away?”
“The Queen arrived. There is zero chance.”
Knowing that Natalie was here made it worse. Frankie read it well. Mum would never leave the person my father joked she might love more than him.
“Tell her I am not feeling well.”
Frankie texted back. Her phone dinged immediately.
“She asked if you were pregnant.”
I winced. “Great.”
“Well, I can tell her no to that. She’s so fucking paranoid.”
“Francine, we… we stopped using protection.”
Frankie raised her eyebrows.
“It’s why I haven’t been drinking. It has nothing to do with feeling bloated or my skin. It’s because… I could be pregnant. And within the week, I will probably know.”
“Well, that was… fast.”
“We wanted a baby. Well, I wanted a baby. Lars just wanted me to be happy and was on board.”
She smiled. “That’s sweet.”
“And terribly misguided, right? It was stupid. How could I just assume I would be happy.”
“Hey. Come here.” Frankie wrapped her arm around me. “You have a right to be happy. The only thing dumb you did was fall in love. Lord knows we’ve all been stupid enough to be there.”
Her comment was in reference to falling in love with an older businessman. He was taken from her while helping someone replace a tire on the roadside. They were newly engaged. It broke her.
I squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about how hard it was for you.”
“Stop. I am not going to judge you. This isn’t like that. I am so happy for both of you. Planning the wedding has been surprisingly freeing because I can just dig in. I can be happy that someone found love. But because of that, Rose, I will say you shouldn’t run.”
“Frankie—”
“No, listen to me. If you loved Lars enough to potentially make a baby with him, you have to love every bit of him. And if you do—as I know you do—you must accept this, too.”
“This… is more than a joy. You bloody well—”
A knock stopped me. We stared at it, then one another.
“Let me handle it,” Frankie said.
She left my side and cracked her room door. “Where is the bride?” Mum demanded.
Somehow, I loathed that statement. The bride. I was reduced to this role. The more I felt us going through the motions, the worse this grew.
“I don’t know.”
“Bullshit.” Mum brushed past, finding me in bed. “And you’re not even dressed? What is going on?”
“She and Lars are taking some… time,” Frankie said. “This is not the time, Mummy.”
“What? What happened? I knew something was wrong! What did he do?”
“Nothing,” I answered, so tired. “It was beyond my control. It’s beyond his. I just… I need time.”
“Rosalind, what is going on?”
I gripped the covers tight and pulled my knees to my chest. “Cici cannot have children. He just found out. King Olav told him.”
I didn’t have to explain more to Mum. Years of being Lady Chamberlain made it abundantly clear what this meant. Her face softened and she approached, sitting on the bed and patting my foot under the covers.
“I… I don’t know what to do. Everything I saw for us—our entire life—changed in an instant. I need more time. I have like five days and some change. How do you know?”
“I don’t know,” Mum said. “But I do know someone who does. You should speak to them.”
I cocked my head. “Mum, you really expect—”
“Get dressed. You don’t have to be posh, just, put on anything but your pyjamas.”
I relented. “Fine. But if this is—”
“It’s for your benefit, trust me.”