“I do not want new friends. I want to stay here with you and Leonardo and everyone else.”
“Unfortunately, that does not seem like an option,” Isabelle replied sadly. “I wish there was something I could do. I hate to see you this upset.”
Rosanna broke down sobbing uncontrollably. She was struggling to cope and all these negative changes seemed to push her right over the edge. Isabelle looked concerned at how much worse she was getting.
“I hate my life! I cannot go through with this awful marriage and I am not moving away!” she exclaimed, choking back sobs. “I am sick of doing what everyone tells me to do while feeling absolutely miserable. I would rather be dead!”
“Please do not say that,” Isabelle said worriedly.
“What will it matter? I have already lost Nicholas and soon I will lose everyone else I care about too.”
Isabelle hugged her tightly as she cried. She tried her best to comfort Rosanna and calm her down, but nothing she could say could make her stop crying.
“We could ask Leonardo for help,” Isabelle suggested. “Maybe he can think of some way out of this?”
“I do not think there is anything we can do,” she replied despairingly.
Isabelle didn’t know what else to do and knew she couldn’t give up. She went to the door and opened it to ask for Leonardo’s assistance. He hesitated to go in at first, wanting to help but knowing it was inappropriate for him to go into Rosanna’s bedchamber. This time she wasn’t in any danger so he had no excuse to go against the rules.
Rosanna came to the door and tearfully spoke to him, “It is fine, I give you my permission. If my father finds out then I will have to make up an excuse.”
He reluctantly entered and was concerned by how distressed she was. She was now crying so hard she struggled to breathe.
“Do you want to go for a walk in the garden?” he suggested. “Maybe that will help calm you down.”
“My father will not let me leave the castle,” she reminded him.
“I am sure he will let you go if I am supervising you. We will still be within the castle grounds,” he assured her. “Come on, you will feel better to get some fresh air, I promise.”
She decided to go with him but had to compose herself before she went out into public. She tried to stop herself from crying which took a while, and finally wiped the last tears away from her cheeks.
She followed Leonardo and neither of them spoke until they were finally outside in the garden, so they could talk properly without risking people overhearing.
“I am sorry that Nicholas was sent away,” Leonardo said to her sympathetically. “I know it must be difficult for you.”
“I am struggling with so much more than that now,” she admitted wretchedly. “I need help before all of this gets out of hand. I cannot marry Prince Ethan.”
“I know,” he agreed sadly.
“Is there any way we can stop the marriage?” she asked him. “I know it seems impossible but I am desperate. We have to at least do something.”
“We cannot go against the king’s decision,” he reminded her, “but there has to be some way you can get around it…” he thought about it.
She waited until his eyes lit up with an idea.
“There cannot be a wedding if the bride is not present.”
She looked hopeful, “You think we should delay the ceremony?”
“No, they would only rearrange it for another day if we tried that,” he replied and looked at her expectantly. “But what if you ran away?”
Her eyes widened in surprise at the idea. She wondered why she had never thought of it herself. She had been feeling so trapped and hopeless that the thought of escaping had never crossed her mind. She rarely ever disobeyed her father and this would be the most rebellious action she had ever taken. Just the thought of it made her heart race with anxiety.
“I suppose I could,” she considered, thinking it all through. “If I were free from here then I could see Nicholas again.”
He smiled with her, “You could go live with him, if that is what you want?”
She nodded in answer looking dazed. Just the thought of being with Nicholas made her extremely happy.
“But how could I leave?” she asked uncertainly. “I am being watched closely and the knights are guarding the castle. It would have been a lot easier to run away when I could leave the castle whenever I wanted.”
“I will try and think of a way,” he reassured her, “but do not get your hopes up just yet. It is a huge risk and our plan could go wrong, but I will try my best to help you.”
“Thank you so much,” she gave him a tight hug which surprised him. “You are a wonderful friend and I am very grateful.”
Her heart filled with warmth and love thinking she might be able to see Nicholas again, and she felt as if she had something to live for now.
“I will talk with you tomorrow,” Leonardo promised her. “We will need to plan this out carefully and it will take some time.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Maybe now you could try to eat more?” he asked hopefully. “I know Isabelle is worrying about you, and you will need to keep your strength up if you are leaving.”
She remembered that she had only eaten a few bites of fruit so far and decided she had to try harder to eat normally again.
“I suppose now there is hope I will get my appetite back,” she agreed.
Chapter 18
The next morning, Rosanna considered what she had to pack if she was going to run away, knowing she would have to keep it to a minimum.
“Which dresses should I take?” she asked for Isabelle’s opinion, holding up her two favourites.
“I think you should stick to more practical clothes,” Isabelle reminded her.
“I suppose you are right,” she reluctantly put them back inside her wardrobe, stroking the material and feeling sad that she would have to part with them.
Isabelle helped her choose a few outfits and they packed essential things that she needed. She also added the squirrel ornament that Nicholas had made for her, since it was too special and sentimental to leave behind, and the letter he had sent with his address on.
“Are you sure you will be fine living with Nicholas?” Isabelle asked her carefully. “You will not have me there to help you.”
Rosanna had grown up having maids and cooks to serve her and that made Isabelle nervous at how unprepared she was for a normal life.
“I am sure I will manage,” she said determinedly.
“How will you get there? Surely you cannot ride Pearl while carrying these.”
She knew that Isabelle was right; she couldn’t stick to her original plan of escaping on her own horse. The thought of leaving Pearl behind upset her but she had to make sacrifices. She had to leave everyone and everything behind to start her new life.
“I will have to use a horse and cart from the village,” she decided. “I cannot take one of our carriages. I do not trust anyone to take me there and they could tell my father where I am.”
Isabelle nodded in agreement.
“Would you mind finding those for me if you have time?” she asked. “I would do it myself if I was allowed to leave the castle.”
“Of course, I will take your belongings to Bernadette’s cottage so you can collect them when you leave.”
She gave Isabelle a small coin purse filled with money to pay for the horse and cart, “thank you, Isabelle. I could not do this plan without you.”
Isabelle returned later and informed her that a horse and cart would be waiting outside Bernadette’s cottage for her. Rosanna hugged her gratefully and felt relieved that their preparations were going well.
She felt anxious as she waited until night. She went downstairs that evening to dine with her family as usual, pretending that everything was normal and made sure to eat enough for her journey.
She could barely rest that night with worrying in case their plan failed. However, she did manage to
get three hours’ sleep before she awoke very early before sunset. She felt uneasy again and hoped that their plan would go well. She convinced herself that even if it didn’t, at least she had tried and that would be better than nothing.
She started to change into the clothes that Isabelle had left out for her. She would have to disguise herself as a maid to get passed the knights at the entrance, so Isabelle had given her some of her clothing. She put on an old dress and cardigan, a pair of battered shoes and a head scarf, to keep her hair and part of her face hidden.
She heard faint footsteps and went over to her bedchamber door knowing it must be Leonardo. He had the task of sneaking into Jonathon’s bedchamber and stealing the key while he slept. She listened to him quietly unlocking the door and her heart started pounding with nerves. Leonardo carefully opened it and was relieved to see that she was awake and ready to go.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked her seriously.
“Yes. I would do anything to see Nicholas again.”
He filled her in on the situation, “There are a few knights around the castle and some of the staff will be getting up soon, so we have to be very careful.”
She quietly followed him out along the corridor and down the stairway. The castle was silent and deserted since most people were still asleep in bed.
They managed to get into the kitchen without being seen and Isabelle was there waiting for them.
“Do you think this disguise will work?” Rosanna asked her nervously.
Isabelle looked at her transformation, “It is hard to recognise you like that. If you leave with other maids no one will suspect anything.”
“I wish you luck,” said Leonardo. “Although I do not like that you will be travelling alone.”
This would be the first time she had left the castle without him or another knight protecting her and that made him feel very uneasy. He wished he could go with her to keep her safe and make sure she didn’t get lost. However, if he did go then people would obviously suspect he had something to do with her leaving and he could be dismissed or charged. Rosanna wanted to make sure her friends didn’t get into trouble for helping her, so they had to be careful and stick to their plan.
“Do not worry, I will be fine,” she reassured him. “I will soon have Nicholas to keep me safe.”
She did feel very anxious having to travel a long journey alone to somewhere unfamiliar. Yet, the thought of seeing Nicholas at the end of it helped spur her on and she tried to reassure herself that she could do it for him.
“Take this with you,” Leonardo produced a small blade. “Keep it with you at all times and do not hesitate to use it if you are in danger.”
She felt nervous taking a weapon with her but agreed just to reassure Leonardo that she at least had some way to protect herself. She hid the dagger inside her cardigan pocket out of sight.
“Thank you for your help, Leonardo. I will always be grateful for everything you have done for me, and I will miss you,” she hugged him. “Could you do one last favour for me?”
“Of course.”
“Take care of Isabelle and make her happy,” she smiled fondly at her best friend.
Leonardo smiled, “I will,” he promised.
Isabelle was already in tears before they had even said goodbye.
“Please do not cry,” Rosanna pleaded and felt her own tears start to fall as they hugged each other. “I will miss you most of all and I do not know what I will do without my best friend there with me.”
“I will miss you too,” replied Isabelle. “We can still keep in touch and write to each other, just like Nicholas wrote to you.”
“I will send a letter every week,” she promised them.
She would have to address it to Bernadette’s cottage and that way she could keep in touch with all of them and send their letters together. Hopefully her father or brother would never find out about it so her location would be kept safe.
She felt upset having to leave her friends and knowing she would probably never see them again; but the thought of writing to them reassured her. They would still be her friends no matter where she lived.
She said goodbye to them, struggling to stay composed and not cry. She had to remember that she was a maid for now and needed to concentrate on acting like one.
Isabelle and Leonardo had to return to their own rooms before anyone noticed they were missing. They had to act as if they had been asleep the whole night so that no one would suspect they had anything to do with Rosanna’s disappearance.
Rosanna had to wait for a while until two maids appeared carrying baskets. They had awoken early to head to the village to buy food supplies for preparing breakfast soon. She followed behind them keeping her head down and making sure the head scarf kept her face mostly hidden.
They headed towards the entrance and she stayed close behind them, almost hidden from view. Her heart was beating fast as they approached the knights stood on guard at the entrance. She kept her head down, hoping they wouldn’t somehow recognise her beneath the head scarf. The knights didn’t pay them much attention and let them through without hassle. She sighed, feeling very relieved as she walked out into the cold air. She had successfully escaped the castle and would soon be with Nicholas again.
She followed the maids into the village and eventually drifted away from them to walk towards Bernadette’s cottage. A horse and cart were waiting for her outside just as they had planned.
She hesitantly knocked on the door, hoping that Bernadette was awake since it was still very early in the morning. She waited nearly a minute until the door was finally answered and hugged her friend.
“I wish we could talk about everything that has happened, but I really must go before they find out that I am missing,” she told her quickly.
“I know,” Bernadette replied sadly, wishing she could have more time to say goodbye to her.
She brought over the sack of belongings that Isabelle had left for Rosanna to pick up, and Rosanna quickly stored it inside the cart ready to leave.
“Have a safe journey,” Bernadette told her. “I will be worrying about you travelling so far on your own.”
“I will manage,” she reassured her. “I promise to write to you soon. I suppose Gretel will still be in bed?”
“Yes, she is sleeping. I will hate to tell her that you have left, she will be very upset and miss you terribly.”
Rosanna felt saddened and guilty, hating to upset a little girl but knowing she couldn’t change her mind now.
“Please give her a hug for me and tell her that I will miss her too,” she asked, feeling her eyes well up.
“I will,” Bernadette had a few tears as she hugged her again.
“Thank you for always being there for me. You and Gretel have been wonderful friends and have made me so happy.”
“You are welcome,” Bernadette wiped her eyes and smiled. “Take care and make sure Nicholas looks after you.”
She smiled and said goodbye before mounting the horse. She waved to Bernadette and pulled the reins, directing the horse out of the village as it pulled the cart along behind them.
Luckily the sky was now beginning to lighten as the sun set, and she could see more clearly as she rode on following the directions she had memorised. She had to study her father’s map yesterday to check where the village was that Nicholas lived close to. She was grateful that his address had been on the letter or she would never have been able to find him.
She hoped she wouldn’t get lost on the way to find his cottage. She wasn’t sure whether to risk asking anyone nearby to direct her if she struggled to find it, in case they recognised her. Even though she was nervous, her heart filled with love at the thought of seeing Nicholas again soon.
After two hours of riding, she arrived at Ruddington and passed by the village. She found a nearby forest and entered it, hoping this was the place she was looking for. She rode deeper into the forest looking around until she finally noticed a small, thatche
d cottage in the distance.
She went over to it, halted the horse and hesitantly got off and walked over to the door. She hoped that Nicholas was here. It was still early morning and she didn’t want to wake up strangers if this was the wrong house. She took off her headscarf, knocked loudly on the cottage door and waited for an answer.
She braced herself to politely explain if someone unknown answered the door; but when it finally opened, she smiled as Nicholas stood there. He rubbed his eyes looking tired and sleepy, so she had obviously woke him up.
“Rosanna?” he stared at her in confusion and shock.
He couldn’t believe she was stood on his doorstep and wasn’t sure if this was a dream or if he was hallucinating. Her eyes watered as she went forward and hugged him tight. It felt wonderful to be close to him again and she couldn’t bear to ever let him go.
“I have missed you so much,” she buried her head into his chest and cried happy tears.
He was still very stunned and trying to get his head around the fact that she was here.
“I missed you too,” he replied, holding her close.
He loved being able to hold her in his arms again and stroked her long auburn hair, treasuring how soft it felt. He breathed in the smell of her perfume and kissed her forehead affectionately. She looked up at him and they shared a long kiss. She felt light-headed with happiness and they stayed in each other’s arms for a long time, enjoying every second of it.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, amused that she had magically appeared for a surprise visit.
“I decided to run away,” she explained. “I had to be with you again and I could not go through with the wedding. I know this is very sudden but would you mind if I lived here with you?”
She really hoped he would say yes because she didn’t know where else she could go if he refused.
“Of course! I would be happy for you to stay,” he smiled. “I love you so much and I cannot believe you are here. This is the best surprise I have ever had.”
She smiled up at him, “I love you too, and coming here is the best decision I have ever made.”
Love Letters Page 12
