Page 36 of When He Was a Duke
Rose bit her tongue to keep from making a rude comment. Violet thanked her again before following a footman inside.
Here came Honoria, looking down her long, thin nose at Rose.
“Lady Rose.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Blackwell.”
“You’re looking awfully wrung out, dear. Have you been ill?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m quite suddenly feeling distinctly unwell. Something foul seems to have taken hold of me. Has the wind brought it to me, do you think?”
Honoria’s thin mouth pursed, though Rose noticed her hands tremble slightly as she adjusted her gloves. “How dreadful. Sadly for you, whatever it is that’s come for you has no plan on leaving without getting exactly what she wants.”
“As you did with your late husband?” Rose felt reckless and angry. There had been many rumors about Honoria’s late husband having suffered a heart attack in his mistress’s bed.
For just a moment, what appeared to be genuine hurt flashed across Honoria’s face before the mask slipped back into place. “I’ve no idea what you mean.”
“What’s one to do when one’s husband dies and leaves one penniless? I feel nothing but sympathy, I assure you.”
“You’ll be sorry if you cross me. I will get what I want.” But there was something almost pleading beneath the threat.
“People like you always get just what they deserve,” Rose said sweetly.
Honoria scowled but said nothing further, sweeping past Rose into the house.
No sooner had she rid herself of one foe than the next one arrived.
Baron Richard White was soon out of his carriage and standing in front of Rose. Stocky, with a barrel chest and ruddy complexion, he took her hand and pressed his lips to it with what he clearly believedwas gallant courtesy.
“Lady Rose, your beauty has not faded since last we met. How fortunate you are that I’m willing to overlook your… spirited nature. Most men would not be so patient with such willfulness in a wife. I have not forgotten our last encounter. Your rudeness is forgiven. However, I’ll expect more respect from you going forward. After all, I have a lot to offer you.”
Rose’s jaw tightened. “Your advances were unwanted. A true gentleman would not have pushed.”
He smiled indulgently, as if she were a child expressing a silly fear. “My dear girl, I’m offering you security, protection, a respectable position in Society. In time, you’ll come to appreciate the wisdom of this arrangement. Your father and I both want what’s best for you, even if you cannot see it yet.”
His tone was so patronizingly gentle, so convinced of his own benevolence, that it made Rose’s skin crawl more than if he’d simply been crude.
She watched as he lumbered up the steps, feeling tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She would not cry. Not here. It was bad enough that she would be forced to marry this man who thought he was rescuing her. She could not bear anyone’s pity.
Chapter Nine
Sebastian, despite hisexhaustion from the day’s manual labor, had not slept well. Regardless, he was up at dawn with the others to eat breakfast before starting work. He’d been assigned to the orchard this morning, tasked with picking ripe apples for Mrs. Carter’s party menus. The sun was just coming up when he set to work, carrying several buckets with him to gather the bounties.
As he moved a ladder under the first Codling tree, he thought about what he’d witnessed the day before. He’d been tending to the roses in the late afternoon when he saw finely dressed women and men lounging in the shade of the oak trees on the back lawn. The weather had been warm and a few of them had played a lackluster game of lawn croquet but mostly they lounged about, talking in small groups. Sebastian attempted to keep his head down, but also had strained to hear bits of conversation. Sadly, he’d not been able to hear much at all. He’d caught only a few glimpses of Rose, although he’d heard her laughter several times. And it had nearly stopped his heart.
With his bucket in hand, he climbed the ladder to look for the ripest of the apples for Mrs. Carter’s desserts. He plucked them, one by one, and laid each of them into the bucket, careful not to bruise them. It was a quiet morning with only birdsong to keep him company as the sun rose in the eastern sky. No one from the house, other than the servants, would be up and about at this hour. Thus, he nearly fell off his ladder when he heard Rose calling to him from below. He lookeddown to see her watching him. She lifted her hand to wave.
He hastily climbed down the ladder. “My lady? Is something wrong?”
She shook her head and took a book from the small basket she carried. “I shan’t be able to see you later. I’m busy all day with the guests. But I thought you might need a new book.”
He glanced down at the book in her hand. Sonnets.
“I worried the novel I gave you might be too hard to read at night when you’re tired and thought perhaps poetry might soothe you better after a long day of hard work.”
“How thoughtful of you, thank you.” Sebastian peered at her closely. Purple smudges under her eyes. She had not slept well either. “Are you well, Lady Rose?”
She tucked a stray tuft of hair behind her ear. “Not really.”
