“You and Violet have both put yourself in danger for the protection of this family!” Rosalie objected. “Is it really so wrong if I am also willing to put my safety on the line to keep us safe from this monster. I’m not a little girl anymore, Iris. I’m a grown woman, and I want to take Lord Cain down.”
“But our husbands are looking for him as we speak! They have Scotland Yardandthe Bow Street Runners out searching for him! They will find him and bring him to justice. All we have to do is wait and keep you safe.”
But Rosalie was having none of that. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to leave it to the men. I’m sick of letting men determine my fate! I’m the one Lord Cain has tried to harm again and again, and I want to be the one to finally bring him down.”
She glared so determinedly at Iris that her sister relented far more quickly than she had thought she would.
“I understand why you would want to be the one to confront him.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just worried. This man is dangerous.”
“I know, but I’m determined.”
“What exactly do you have in mind?”
Rosalie thought this over. “I’m not sure yet, but I was thinking that I should write to him and tell him that I’ve decided to leave my husband for him and ask him to meet me somewhere.”
Iris frowned. “Won’t he be suspicious, though? So far, you have rebuffed him every time he’s tried to convince you to run away with him. And if you were to reach out, having changed your mind, exactly when the law is looking for him…”
“But you said that he is completely delusional about my affection for him,” Rosalie pointed out.
“That is what Phineas said,” Iris admitted, “but I’m not sure Lord Cain is really that stupid. He hasn’t evaded the law so far by not having his wits about him. Maybe helikesthat you don’t love him. He could find a sick pleasure in pursuing a woman who hates him so much.”
Rosalie shuddered. “He is a twisted man.”
“Indeed.”
But it did make Rosalie think: was it possible that Lord Cain would be suspicious if she reached out to him? She surely would be in his position. And while he did seem delusional about her regard, Iris was right—he wasn’t stupid. Their father never would have employed a stupid man. Which meant she had to be careful.
“What if—” she began, but at that moment, the sitting room door opened again, and Violet burst in.
“It’s not just about Lord Cain!” she announced breathlessly, staring around at Rosalie and Iris with bright, eager eyes.
Rosalie blanched. “What?”
“I just talked to James,” Violet said, “and apparently, Nathan doesn’tjustwant to keep you safe.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Don’t you?” Violet pressed a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath then came over to sit down on the sofa. “Your husband isn’t merely pushing you away because he fears for your safety. James wouldn’t tell me everything, of course, but after much convincing he hinted that Nathan might be pushing you away because of a feeling that he isn’t worthy of you.”
Iris rolled her eyes. “Well, we already knew that.”
Violet gave her an irritated look. “Stop insulting Rosalie’s husband!”
Iris folded her arms over her chest. “I said what I said.”
“We need to encourage reconciliation, Iris! I know Nathan loves Rosalie, and I know they can be happy together!”
“Then Nathan needs to prove that he’s worthy of her!”
Rosalie, however, had stopped listening to her sisters’ bickering. She was thinking about what Violet had said.Does that mean there is truth to the story he told me about killing his father and brother? Does he feel unworthy of me because he really is responsible for their deaths?
For a moment, she thought about asking Violet to convince James to tell her the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Nathan’s father and brother.He would know. They are first cousins. Those were his cousin and uncle.
But then Iris’ words came back to her:What do you want?
She set her jaw. What Rosalie wanted was to focus on capturing Lord Cain and making sure he never darkened her doorstep ever again. What she wanted was for her husband to talk to her and tell her the truth—not to have to covertly ask his cousin for the truth. She wanted her husband to be brave and honest enough to tell her.
But until he was ready to do that, she was going to take charge of her own fate.
