“You told me to find a coach that was clearly from a well-to-do family with a single occupant. I did that. How was I to know that a family might have a beautiful coach but no funds to speak of?”
His mother snorted. “This is the problem with being a woman,” she said. “You cannot do certain things yourself. If I could, I should now be dressed in much finer clothing with jewels in my ears.”
Alfred scoffed. “Do not be greedy, Mother,” he said. “Your clothing is fine enough. Besides, William would never say no to you if you asked him for more.”
“While that may be true,” she said with a sniff, “I can hardly tell him that I invested my allowance in your little scheme that went to nothing. You know William. He would tell me that I was being greedy and irresponsible, and would never provide me with the additional requested funds as he would know it was not for any necessities. Your brother will never understand that just because I am a mature woman does not mean that I cannot like pretty things.”
“Whatever you say, Mother,” said Alfred, wanting to be done with this conversation and return to the rest of their party where another glass of brandy awaited him. “May I go now?”
“Not yet,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “We must be rid of Lady Templeton. She knows what we have done, and she could still tell someone and ruin all of our standing in society.”
“Be rid of her?” Alfred felt his eyebrows rocket upwards. “Do you mean…”
“No, you idiot,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “We are not that evil. I merely mean we must have her out of our lives, and ensure that she will not tell anyone what has happened to her. Can you imagine what it would be like for us to live here, were she married to William? She would become the lady of the house, Alfred, and you know William, he would allow her to do what she pleased and the next thing you know we would both be out and living in even more poverty than we are now. No, Alfred. You have spoken with her, and I have spoken with her, but we must now dispense with words and take action.”
Alfred stared at her, understanding what she was saying but unsure what exactly she wanted him to do about it.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I am suggesting that you, perhaps, take up Lord Templeton on his initial counter to your ransom demand,” she said. “Tell him where Lady Templeton is. He can come collect the bride that he seeks, and she will be gone from us, can marry him, and William can move on with his life and marry someone like Lady Diana, who will bring with her a fine dowry. Perhaps you can try to do better this time in your attempt to coax a bit of money out of Lord Templeton in order for him to tell you where she is, hmm?”
“Fine,” he said with a sigh, reluctantly agreeing with her. “I’ll do it. In the meantime, try to distance William from her, will you? You know what he’s like. Once he has determined he wants something, it is hard to convince him otherwise.”
“Very well,” she said. “That, I shall do. In fact, I have a splendid idea in terms of how to do so. We may need a bit of help, but I believe Lady Hester would gladly aid us without requiring much information.” She explained what she was thinking and Alfred had to grin. His mother certainly was a sly one.
“Now come,” she said, as if he had been holding her back. “Our guests are waiting.”
As she picked up her skirts and flounced to the door, Alfred shook his head and followed her. His mother certainly was demanding, but, he had to admit, she always seemed to get what she wanted.
20
As the party began to filter out the door to retire for the evening, William gave Rosalind a meaningful look from across the room as he exited. She responded with a bit of a nod saying that yes, she would meet him as requested, and rose to leave herself. She was nearly out the door when Alfred stopped her.
“Lady Templeton,” he said with a grin that sent a chill down her spine. “You look lovely this evening.”
“Thank you, Lord Alfred,” she murmured, then moved to try to step around him, but he blocked her path.
“Do you have somewhere you must rush off to?” he asked, the leer remaining intact upon his face.
“Of course not,” she said, trying to stamp down the heat she felt rising in her cheeks. She had never been very adept at lying. “I am simply tired and would prefer to return to my room.”
“I see,” he said. “Tell me, have you given any more thought to that of which we spoke?”
“And that would be?” she raised an eyebrow at him, exasperated by William’s family and the way they continued to try to push her from their lives.
“The fact that we do not want you here any longer,” he said. “You have overstayed your welcome, Lady Templeton, and perhaps it is time you left us.”
“We are in the middle of a house party!” she said, shocked by his forwardness. “And you were the one who brought me here, do you not recall?”
“Ah, yes,” he said, a bit ruefully. “That was clearly a mistake.”
He looked over his shoulder, at what she wasn’t sure, before turning back to her.
“Well, then. Goodnight, Lady Templeton. Think on what I said.”
“Good night, Alfred,” she said, hearing the bite in her tone and not caring in the least. She pushed past the man, wondering how on earth he could ever be related to William, and continued on down the corridor. She reached the stairwell, but instead of going up she continued past it, then looked around the corner and slipped down the other hallway into the interior courtyard. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and she tried to determine what exactly she wanted to say to William.
She had never been much good at coming to a decision, especially on matters of importance. Part of her wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and beg for him to love her, with both his soul and his body. The other part of her warned her away, told her it would be easier were she to reject him and his family, who seemed to want nothing to do with her anyway, and build a life for herself. Would it all not be much simpler without him and his ever-seemingly changing moods? She sighed. What to do?
She squared her shoulders and determined she would hear him out, see what he had to say, and then decide from there. If she needed time to think, she would tell him that. She had to do what was best for her, and whether that included William or not, she would determine that and follow through.
Rosalind stepped into the conservatory, stopping when she heard voices.
“And this, you see, is the casa blanca lily. It blooms but once a year, and we are ever so lucky that it has graced us with its presence during this house party.”
“Oh William — do you mind if I call you William? — it is simply lovely.”
Rosalind peered around the corner of the pillar near the outside entrance of the conservatory. William and Lady Diana were arm in arm as she bent low over the lily, inhaling its scent. Diana looked up at William, seeming to catch his eye, and the two shared a smile that seemed to stop Rosalind’s heart. She stepped back, confused as to what this meant. Had William asked her here in order for her to see the two of them together? But why would he want to wound her so? She stepped backward, trying to escape the conservatory before they spotted her, but she tripped over a rock near the entrance of the door and stumbled, landing on her rump, half in the room and half within the courtyard. She tried to scramble to her feet, but not before she found two concerned faces peering over her.
“Rosalind!” William said with worry, bringing a hand to her back and helping her up. “Are you all right? Whatever happened?”
“Nothing…” she stammered, jumping from his touch. “Forgive me, I was just … you see, I forgot…” she felt the pink in her cheeks. William knew very well what she was doing here, but she didn’t want Lady Diana to take her for some lovesick fool, which clearly she looked to be at the moment, stalking the pair of them.
“What are you looking for?” The woman asked, and Rosalind wanted to curse her apparent helpfulness. “Perhaps I can find it for you.”
�
�No, no, it’s fine,” Rosalind said quickly. “I — I actually left it in the drawing room, and so I was making my way there. Forgive me, I will use the other entrance and leave you be.”
“Please stay,” said William in a low tone, and Rosalind could see that he was trying to tell her something with his stare, but she didn’t want to hear it any longer. She was done. Done with the games, done with his family, done with him.
“No,” she said, with a slow, sad shake of her head. “I am … tired. I believe I will quit you now. Goodnight.”
She started the slow walk back to her room, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. This wasn’t meant to be, her and William. She was a fool for ever thinking that there could be something between them. She would go in the morning, she decided, house party or not. She would make her way to Olivia’s house, and force herself in if necessary. Olivia would return soon enough, and hopefully by then Rosalind would have decided what to do with herself.
She made her way back to her rooms, dismissing Patty after she had loosened her dress for her. Rosalind had no wish for anyone to see her in her current state, and she preferred to be entirely alone. She had taken off her gloves and her slippers when she heard a soft knock at the door. She opened it to reveal William, who looked at her with regret on his face.
“Rosalind,” he said. “I am so sorry. I was waiting for you, and my mother brought Lady Diana and said she wanted to learn more about some of our plants in the conservatory. So I—”
“Stop,” Rosalind said, holding a hand out. “It matters naught, William,” she said. softly. “Your mother is right. Your brother is right. What your mind is telling you is right. We are not meant to be. I am tired of this charade, of this back and forth. I will be leaving tomorrow, William. Whatever you and I had was simply some fun in the moment when there was no one else about. Clearly we do not work in your world.”
“But Rosalind, I—”
“Goodnight,” she said, shutting the door in his face before he could see her dissolve into tears. She leaned back against it, hearing nothing, as if he were hesitating, unsure of what to do. Finally, she heard footsteps retreating down the hallway, and she crumpled in a ball, letting the tears fall down her face. She could feel her heart breaking in her chest, and she finally had the answer to the question he had wanted to know — she loved him.
When Patty entered her room the next morning, Rosalind asked for a tray to be sent up. She could not go down to breakfast and face them all, but decided she would instead have a cup of tea in her room before making her escape. She was sure William would allow her to borrow a carriage. Olivia’s home wasn’t far, and the driver could be back on the same day. She hated having to ask, but, well, so be it. It was the last thing she would ask of anyone, she vowed.
As Patty helped her fold her dresses to pack into her valise, Rosalind reminded herself to retrieve her books and her journal from where she had left them in the library. She heard a knock at the door and waved Patty away, answering it herself. Strange, she thought, as she opened it to reveal Lady Southam.
“Lady Southam, good morning,” she said, taken aback at the woman coming to her bedroom. Whatever she was here for, somehow Rosalind knew it would not be good news.
“That will be all Patty, run along now. Lady Templeton, are you quite well?” The woman asked with a wide smile fixed on her face.
“Yes…” Rosalind replied, confused.
“We were surprised you did come down for breakfast this morning,” she said, “seeing as though your betrothed has arrived!”
“My betrothed?” Rosalind said, with some shock as well as trepidation. “I am sorry, Lady Southam, but there must be a mistake, for I am betrothed to no one.”
“Well, Lord Templeton has rather something of a different opinion on the matter,” Lady Southam replied with a gleam in her eye. “Now, come, you must greet him.”
Rosalind remained rooted to the spot, her heart racing. “I am sorry, Lady Southam, but I will not be coming down. Whatever Bart has said to you is a complete and utter lie.”
“Oh, come now, my dear,” Lady Southam said, all pretense fading. “How can we be sure it is the man that is lying? Or perhaps you have been playing with my son’s heart when you know you are not available for anything further than a quick fling?”
“Lady Southam!” Rosalind gasped. “That is not the case at all!”
“Well, then, dear,” the woman said, “You must come and explain all, for William is quite beside himself.”
“Fine,” Rosalind said, squaring her shoulders. She would go and make this right. Even if she and William had no future ahead of them, he had to know that she had never lied or kept any truth from him. She stepped out into the hallway and strode down the stairs, Lady Southam following her. Rosalind could practically feel the woman’s triumphant stare at her back. When she reached the bottom of the staircase and turned to the breakfast room, however, suddenly strong hands came around her and pulled her back the other way.
“Ah, Lady Templeton,” said Lady Southam, turning to face her. “It seems that your unwillingness to go with Lord Templeton has put us in a bit of a precarious situation. You see, you cannot marry my son, and therefore you will be returning with Lord Templeton, no matter your feeling on the subject.”
Rosalind tried to protest, but a hand from the unknown man behind her came round her mouth, and while she kicked and punched with all her might, she was no match for the man’s strength. She sent daggers at Lady Southam with her eyes as she was dragged around the corner, out of the house, and deposited in a carriage, still held tightly around her arms. No! she cried out silently. Not again.
21
“You mean to tell me that you are betrothed to Lady Templeton?” William realized he had raised his voice but he was absolutely incredulous. There was no way that Rosalind would have promised herself to this boor of a man. This current Lord Templeton, was, in William’s opinion, even worse than the first, his cousin Harold. He knew Rosalind’s feeling toward Bart as she had made it quite clear that she had done all she could to distance herself from him.
“I am,” said the man, as he leaned back in the chair in front of William’s desk and crossed one leg over the other with an air of nonchalance. He studied his fingernails as if bored with the conversation. “You see, before the death of my cousin, Rosalind and I had … well, a penchant for one another, if you will. No one knew of it, and I really shouldn’t even be speaking of it now, but I’m sure all will come to light. You know how the gossips are. Anyway, now that her year of mourning is finished, it is time we were married. I thank you for allowing her to stay here during your party, but I am sure you will be relieved to know that I will now take her off your hands.”
William was certainly not relieved — not by any stretch. Instead, the tension within him grew, his head pounding as his hand formed a fist, and he wanted nothing more than to knock the smug grin off Templeton’s face.
Templeton’s words had no truth to them, William was well aware. However, there was something else at play here that he did not want to admit to himself. Rosalind had always held back from him, had never quite given all of herself. She had issues with her husband, to be sure. And why had she run, in a carriage by herself, to see Olivia?
He put those questions to Templeton, who laughed them off with a wave of his hand.
“Come, Southam, you know how fickle women can be. She wanted time with a friend before re-entering the married life, I suppose.”
“Actually, Lord Templeton,” he said, “I do not find Rosalind to be a fickle woman at all, but rather one who knows her mind, her values, and beliefs and acts upon them. I have difficulty believing she would say nothing of this marriage over her entire time here.”
He rose, ready to challenge the man, when his mother knocked on the door and entered before he could answer.
“Oh, William, do forgive me, I didn’t realize you had company,” she said with a smile on her face, inclining her head. “Lord Templeton
, it is lovely to see you and we are very happy to have you here. Unfortunately, I have some news to share with you both of you.”
“Yes?” William asked, impatiently, though he wondered what she could have to say that would affect Templeton.
“Well, it seems that before Rosalind knew you were here, my lord, she actually packed and left to return to you. What a silly state of affairs! If only she had better communicated with you.”
“She left?” William rose out of his chair, his heart racing. Was it because of their conversation the previous night? Despite all they had said to one another and decided going forward, he could hardly believe that she would have taken her leave without a word to him. That was not like her at all. Something was afoot here, between Templeton’s arrival and Rosalind’s departure.
“I am sure she wanted to thank you for your hospitality but simply did not have time. You should hurry, Lord Templeton, if you would like to catch up to Lady Templeton.”
“Rosalind had no horse, nor carriage,” said William, feeling further perplexed as his head pounded. “How did she leave?”
“One of the grooms told me a family from town was passing through on their way to London and she decided to join them,” his mother said. “It seems like an untoward way to travel, but Lady Templeton has always seemed somewhat … unconventional.”
Templeton let out a loud, hearty guffaw that made William cringe. “Thank you, Lady Southam. I must be my way. Good day, Lord Southam.”
As Templeton made his way out the door, William felt his stomach turn over. The thought of her with another man — any man, but particularly this one — made his skin crawl, and he didn’t think he could live in a world where she was in it with someone else. No. He had had enough. He would find her before Templeton did, get to the truth of the matter, and tell her how he felt.
He rose to leave when another knock sounded on the door.
“Lord Southam?” Lady Hester entered, the typical coy smile on her face as she approached him, swinging her hips from side to side. “Lady Templeton had to leave suddenly, but she asked me to give you this,” she said, passing William a sealed envelope with his name written across the front.
Loved by the Viscount Page 14
