“Well… yes. But I can try to avoid those and just focus on the other wings.”
“Well then!” Clara clapped her hands together. “It sounds like an exciting project!”
So after breakfast, the two of them set off through the castle to try and identify what spots needed to be fixed. Rosalie knewshe would have to consult with the steward and the butler eventually, too, but once she told them what she was up to, word was bound to get back to her husband, and she wanted this project to be a surprise for the Duke.
The castle was bigger than she realized, and as she and Clara explored the upper hallways, she was surprised to realize how little of it she actually knew.
“I’ve been living in just a tiny fraction of this place,” she said as she opened the door to a room which, she was shocked to see, was full of old, dented, rusting suits of armor. “There’s so much more to it than I ever imagined! Some of this stuff must have been in his family since the middle ages!”
“It really is quite a maze,” Clara agreed. “And so dusty! It will take ages to have all of this cleaned.”
“I think we should focus on repairs rather than cleaning.”
Rosalie closed the door behind her and had just turned to the next one when a footman rounded the corner holding a silver tray. There was a letter on it, and he held it out to her.
“A letter came for you, Your Grace,” he said.
“Thank you, Thomas.” She took the letter and broke open the seal. A quick scan of it and her heart sank: it was from Lord Cain:
Dear Rosalie,
Our last meeting left me shattered. I am horrified when I remember how I spoke to you. The things that I said do not reflect the real me or the sincere depth of my feelings for you. My dearest Rosalie, you must allow me to apologize and to beg for you to reconsider me as a prospective friend and consort.
As you know, I have come into my Barony now, and I am in a position to provide for you. As a Duchess, you require a certain lifestyle from any consort that you might take, and I promise you that I can provide that lifestyle. If you wish to have a great library built, I shall build it for you. If you want to travel to the continent, I can take you; wherever and whatever your heart desires, I am here to fulfill it.
I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me and give me another chance. Everything I do is for you, and I know that someday, my efforts will be rewarded, and you will see that I have always been the only man to always love you.
Yours forever,
Lord Cain
Rosalie’s fingers were numb as she lowered the letter. A strange buzzing sound was filling her ears. She wasn’t sure if it was rage or fear, maybe both. Lord Cain was still pursuing her, even after he had accused her of being a loose woman and said he was glad to have avoided marriage with her.
“What is it, Your Grace?” Clara asked at once, registering the look on her face.
“It is from Lord Cain,” Rosalie said, and she handed the letter to Clara, who took it at once and began to read.
Her face went redder and redder as she read. “How despicable!” Clara seethed, once she’d finished. “How dare he write to you and say such forward things! You are a married woman and a duchess!”
“He has always had too much nerve,” Rosalie said. She had begun to shake, and she tried to take several deep, calming breaths in order to restore her equilibrium. “Even when we first met, he was far more bold and confident than he was actually handsome or charming. I think that confidence blinded me to his many flaws!”
“Well, you are aware of them now.” Clara handed her back the letter. “I say you tear that up and tell the butler never to allow another letter from that scoundrel.”
“Yes, you’re right. I need a fire, actually. I’d like to burn it.”
“There is one lit in the parlor; shall we make our way down there?”
Rosalie allowed Clara to steer her down to the parlor. She was still somewhat in shock from receiving the letter, but once she threw it into the dancing flames of the fire, she felt a little better. Watching the edges of it curl, catch fire, and then turn to ash was surprisingly satisfying.
“He is a terrible man,” she observed, and Clara nodded.
“I hope this is the end of him. For your sake and his.”
“His?” Rosalie asked, surprised.
Clara pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t like to see what the Beast of Carramere would do to him if he read that letter.”
Rosalie had to laugh. It was amusing to think of her husband putting Lord Cain in his place. However, she didn’t want him to know about the letter. Not when things were going so well between them. It would only sour the tentative friendship they seemed to have developed since she had won over Lord Redfield.
