Page 12 of The Pureblood Daughter
“I would.” He eases her to a stop beside a well-tended flower garden, where bees buzz peacefully about the colorful blooms. “Very much.”
Adelina gazes up at him and becomes momentarily lost in his eyes before her mother and the other ladies join them.
“It’s growing a touch warm, dear,” Lady Gray says. “Perhaps we should retire for the afternoon.”
“Of course,” Lord Rosetti says, taking a step back from Adelina. He reaches out a hand, and his younger sister, Francesca, is quick to snatch it up. She hugs his arm to her chest and looks up at Adelina with wide eyes and an unwavering stare. When Adelina offers a smile, the young Rosetti moves to hide behind her elder brother’s legs.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Gray, Miss Gray,” says Lady Rosetti. She looks from Lady Gray to Adelina, and now it’s Adelina’s turn to feel shy. She, however, cannot hide from the countess and instead bows her head politely.
“The pleasure was ours, Lady Rosetti,” says Lady Gray.
They say their farewells, and as soon as the Rosettis walk away, Adelina receives a barrage of questions. Still running the viscount’s request through her mind, she brushes the questions off with a twirl of her parasol, to the disgruntlement of Eliza and the mothers.
“How about brunch, Mama?” Adelina asks. “I’m feeling edacious. Lady Fletcher, Eliza, you must join us. Yes?”
Despite their obvious disappointment in Adelina’s reluctance to answer their questions, the ladies agree to a light meal.
As they turn to leave, Adelina glances over her shoulder one last time, and at the far end of the park, Lord Rosetti does the same.
Chapter Six
Over tea and light sandwichesat the Gray residence, Lady Gray and Lady Fletcher talk almost exclusively of the Rosettis—namely the countess.
“How many children does she have now?” Lady Fletcher asks.
“Six,” Lady Gray says before lifting a teacup to her lips.
“Didn’t the eldest marry a few seasons ago?”
“Indeed she did. A private affair, if you recall.” Lady Gray’s tone is one of distaste. In their circles, anything private is subject to even more scrutiny.
“I do. And Lady Rosetti has nary a wrinkle,” Lady Fletcher whispers. She clicks her tongue before nibbling on a sandwich. “She must know something we do not.”
The women laugh, but Adelina notes the strain in her mother’s face, the way her lips don’t curl as naturally as they typically do. Though Lady Gray has not said as much, Adelina knows her mother’s inability to carry children haunts her.
As the only child, and not a blood child at that, Adelina has always strived to please her parents, particularly her mother, in an effort to fill the empty space that siblings most certainly would have occupied. But with her compromised health, she’s not been able to do even a fraction of what she wishes she could. She’d hoped by now to be married and with a child on the way, to eventually have a large brood of children who would run through their grandmother’s home and fill her days with laughter and love.
The thought sends hope and sadness swirling through Adelina, and she looks quickly away, averting her gaze before her mother’s tight-lipped smile can bring mist to her eyes.
“Adelina,” Eliza says before dabbing her coral lips with a linen cloth. “Walk with me? I’d like to see more of your mother’s gorgeous garden.” She smiles at Lady Gray, who waves the compliment away bashfully.
“Of course.”
Adelina and Eliza stand and leave their mothers gossiping at the bistro table.
“Itoldyou all my mother wants to speak of is children,” Eliza says as she kicks off her shoes and pushes her toes into the green grass.
Adelina does the same, letting the soft blades tickle her toes. “Can you blame her? You’re the only Fletcher left close to home. How often do your sisters visit?”
“Not often enough, though Emily will be here by summer’s end. She has another on the way, you know. After two girls, I think she’s hoping for a boy.” Eliza stops to smell a honeysuckle. “I imagine I’ll getsomerespite while she’s here. My mother will have someone to mother again.”
“Don’t be so hard on her.” Adelina glances back at her mother and feels a pang of guilt for her shortcomings.
Eliza sweeps by, twirling a flower between her fingers. “Enough about children and mothers. Tell me about Lord Rosetti.” She lifts the flower to her nose and bats her eyelashes. “He seems to have taken quite a liking to you, Miss Gray.”
“Oh, stop.” Adelina glances down, trying not to smile.
“Don’t be modest, Adelina. There’s no one else here.” Eliza takes Adelina’s arm and tucks the flower behind her ear. “You’ve never even mentioned him to me, and now you’re promenading in the park. What did I miss?”
