Page 21 of The Lord I Once Loved

Iwasat Rosehill Manor, the house I had grown up at. But I was no longer a child, and instead of being with Will, I was with Cassandra and Lady Radcliffe.

The carriage had broken in last night’s storm, leaving us abandoned right outside of the house itself. It was such an unbelievable coincidence. After running into the Lord twice over the past month in London, I had now ended up at this estate by accident.

I could only believe that it was somehow… fate.

But, as I had surmised over breakfast that morning, Lord Marsden was not here. And from the state of things, it appeared that he rarely was.

The staff was sparse and the house unused; before we could sleep, they’d had to pull great white sheets off the furniture in the bedrooms. Everything in my room was covered in a thin layer of dust, and in the morning light, I could ascertain that the grounds really were wild and unkept, just as I had thought last night.

Wild roses were growing up the walls like weeds.

And there was no Will.

No, it was not the Rosehill Manor I remembered… I feared that wouldforeverbe a dream.

After discovering who owned the house, Lady Radcliffe had wanted to leave at once. But the carriage required mending, the horses had escaped, and the staff were low on morale after the night’s traumas. It was decided, to the ladyship’s chagrin, that we would leave tomorrow.

And with nothing otherwise to occupy myself, I spent the day consumed in my thoughts, barely hearing Cassandra or her grandmother. Being at Rosehill was like stepping into a dream, and I wasn’t sure that I liked it.

All I could think about were the memories I had made here with Will. It had been the happiest time of my life… when my parents were still alive, and when I still had a future.

But now I was back, and I was at the mercy of Lady Radcliffe. I was a poor orphan, alone in the world.

Indeed, being at Rosehill under such different circumstances was almost unbearable.

By the afternoon, I excused myself to my room. I paced the floor, pondering how strange the situation was… looking out the window at the foggy grounds, wild and unkept.

And then, as if things couldn’t get any stranger, a rap on the door jostled me from my musings. A servant entered; her expression marked by annoyance.

“The Lord will see his guests in half an hour for dinner, Miss.”

I stared at her.

“The… the Lord? He is here?”

She sighed.

“Yes, he hasjustarrived, and requests that dinner be served shortly.”

I froze.

There was only one Lord at Rosehill Manor.

Lord Marsden was here… and we would all be eating dinner together.

“Thankyouforprovidingus shelter at your… fine house.” Lady Radcliffe said slowly.

It was the most halfhearted expression of gratitude I had ever heard, and I could tell it caused the Lady great pain to say it. Cassandra caught my eye from the other side of the table and silently giggled.

I had come downstairs to find Lady Radcliffe, Cassandra, and Lord Marsden already sitting at the dining table. When I entered the room, self-consciously tucking my hair behind my ears, I had immediately found myself staring right into Lord Marsden’s bright blue eyes.

For a moment, a strange look had crossed the Lord’s face. But as soon as it had come, it was gone… and it just as easily could have been a figment of my imagination.

The dinner was awkward, to put it lightly. Lady Radcliffe’s hatred for Lord Marsden was obvious, Cassandra’s delight in the situation even more so. I just tried to stay as quiet as possible… lest something I say land me in the Lady’s ill graces.

“It’s really no trouble, my Lady. Though I do hate when people lie.”

Lord Marsden responded smoothly to Lady Radcliffe’s thank you, a slight sarcasm to his voice.

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