She was quiet for a moment, seeming to concentrate on the food, and then she looked back up at him, a strange, almost determined look in her eyes.
“I’ve had a thought,” she began slowly. “All this discussion of strength has me thinking that there are still ways I could be stronger in my character.”
“What do you mean?” Nathan asked. In his opinion, Rosalie had an extremely strong character.
“Well, I never confronted my father for everything he did to me,” she started, dragging her fork through her food as she gazed into space. “And for everything he did to my sisters. I know that bothViolet and Iris were able to confront him and tell him what they really thought, but I never had that moment with him.”
“Why do you think you never confronted him?”
She thought about this for a moment. “He always made me feel so small that I hid in my books. I’m still hiding, I think, even though he’s safely locked away. But I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore.” She gave him a small smile. “Feeling strong on the horse today and overcoming my fear of heights made me realize I could overcome my fear of my father as well. I don’t have to hide from him anymore.”
Nathan nodded. He understood that better than she realized. “So what would you like to do?” he prompted.
“I think I need to see him.” She swallowed, as if the thought made her nervous, but then she nodded. “Yes, I need to see him and prove to him that he can’t hurt me anymore.”
Nathan didn’t love the idea of Rosalie being in the same room as Jebediah Crampton. The man was more cunning and vicious than either of them could fully comprehend. There were certainly ways Jebediah could manipulate and harm Rosalie. But he also knew that if she needed this, it was the least he could do to grant her this wish. And she was stronger than he gave her credit for; she could stand up to her father.
“We could stop by the prison on the way back to London,” he said, and her eyes grew wide. “It is on the way, and I know they allow visitors. I can make the arrangements if you like.”
“Oh my goodness, really?” She put down her fork. “Do you really mean it?”
“Yes of course,” he said, and he smiled at her as best he could. “You deserve to feel safe, and if this will help you, then I am happy to help facilitate it.”
And if Jebediah tries anything, he added to himself,then I will make sure he regrets it for all his days.
Chapter Eighteen
“Clara, look, I have curves!”
Rosalie was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom while her lady’s maid did up her stays, staring in surprise and awe at the figure she saw reflected in it.
“Do you see, Clara? I’m no longer as flat as a washboard!”
Clara chuckled as she pulled the strings of the stays tighter which enhanced the curves even more.
“Yes, I’ve noticed, Your Grace,” she said. “I’ve been noticing for a week now! You are looking very healthy and curvaceous indeed.”
“You really think so?” Rosalie beamed, her cheeks blushing slightly at the thought of how womanly her body now looked. She had never thought of herself as womanly before; because she ate so little, her body had always seemed childlike to her, bonyand awkward, gangly, even. But now, as she turned this way and that in the mirror, she felt beautiful.
“It’s all the food His Grace is feeding you,” Clara noted. She finished lacing up the stays and retrieved the petticoat from the bed. “He has been very thoughtful to have his cook make the most delicious, decadent meals possible.”
“The food is very well done,” Rosalie conceded. “And he is always eager to have me eat.” She bit her lip as she examined herself again in the mirror. “Yesterday he told me a story about his mother and how she didn’t eat much because of her husband’s criticisms.”
Clara paused, and her eyes met Rosalie’s in the mirror. The two of them had never spoken about Rosalie’s ‘lack of appetite’ as she called it, but Rosalie knew that her lady’s maid had always been concerned by how little she ate.
“That must be why he is so thoughtful to make sure you eat enough,” Clara said at last. “He knows how dangerous it is for women to not eat enough. They waste away. And it isn’t good for carrying babies, either.”
Rosalie nodded but said nothing. This was not an easy subject for her to discuss, and she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to say anything else on the subject.
Instead, she went back to admiring her new curves in the mirror. Rosalie had never seen herself like this before. Her arms were not sticks anymore but actually rounded and soft; her stomachswelled outward, making her look round and healthy; her chest… well, she blushed again thinking about that. It had never looked better with the stays fastened tight around her.
“I think I should do something for the Duke,” she decided as she surveyed herself. “It’s thanks to him that I’m feeling strong and healthy for the first time in my life. I’d like to show him my gratitude.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Clara beamed. “Do you have any ideas?”
“Well… I suppose it might be helpful to get the castle fixed up more.” She glanced around at the room. By now, she was used to it, but it certainly wouldn’t do for them to keep staying in a small guest room forever. “He certainly liked the new breakfast room. I think he would really enjoy it if the place felt more like home, and it would show him that I see this place as a home as well.”
Clara looked uncertain. “Aren’t there parts of the house that he has asked you not to enter?”
