Chapter One
“It would not be remiss of you to keep your eyes and mind open, Rose. You never know who you might meet,” her father said in a rather stern voice. Rose maintained a placid expression on her face, quelling the urge to roll her eyes at this request that had been stated frequently over the past couple of years.
It seemed as though wherever she went, she was faced with the possibility of marriage. At a ball, she could understand, for that was the purpose of those events. But she did not wish to be troubled by such things when she was walking through the park, having picnics in the countryside, or here, at an auction.
“Of course, Father. I shall remain observant as always,” Rose said, which seemed to satisfy her father. She then gave a side-eyed glance toward Lydia.
“I don’t know how you can lie to him so freely,” Lydia said, her face etched with concern. Rose’s father, Thomas, leaned towardhis wife and began a conversation with her. The auctioneer’s voice boomed out loud, and people started raising their hands.
“I am not lying. I shall remain observant. I simply do not feel the need to ruin my evening with thoughts of marriage. My life would be far more straightforward if people accepted that I was not interested in such things.”
It was a discussion she and Lydia had had many times before. Lydia had stopped trying to persuade Rose that marriage was something to strive for, for the most part. Their friendship was stronger than this trifling difference in opinion, though.
“Have you come up with some scheme to avoid anyone who might approach you tonight?” Lydia asked.
“I have a few ideas,” Rose replied. Her little scheme of filling her own dance cards had to be abandoned a while ago, not that it would have been applicable at this auction anyway. But people began to get suspicious when they realized that although Rose’s dance card was full, she never seemed to dance with anyone. However, Rose still managed to avoid dancing for the most part. She learned to be quite nimble on her feet, darting away whenever she sensed any suitor coming to approach her. She was also adept at feigning illness as well.
In fact, it became quite a challenge to find new ways to avoid dancing. Of course, as Lydia often pointed out, it would have taken far less effort to simply dance with these suitors, but such a thing sounded like defeat to Rose.
“Father, might I bid on the next lot?” Rose said. She had already heard whispers that an opportunity to ride ponies was about to arise. She wore a beseeching smile and fluttered her eyelashes. Thomas turned toward her. For a moment, his stern demeanor cracked, and his face softened, as it had done so many times in the past.
But, unlike then, he found the resolve to harden his heart.
“I am not sure such a frivolous thing would be worth the money. Wait until something more substantial appears,” Thomas said.
“I don’t know why we even bothered to come if we are not going to bid on anything,” Rose muttered, although her father had already turned away and did not offer a reply.
“It is still a pleasant evening out,” Lydia said.
“I understand that, but it seems strange to come to an auction and not indulge in the intended purpose.”
“Almost like attending a ball without dancing with anyone,” Lydia countered. Rose narrowed her eyes.
“Sometimes, Lydia, you are too intelligent for your own good. It might cause trouble for you to be both pretty and intelligent. Most men only desire one of these qualities.”
“For someone who avoids them as much as she can, you claim to know an awful lot about the inner workings of men’s minds.”
Rose lifted her chin airily.
“They are hardly complicated creatures. And I have read enough books to know their minds. It is why it is so easy for me to avoid them, and to not wish that plague upon my mind.”
“You would describe love as a plague?” Lydia asked, her eyes widening in astonishment at the savage description of such a noble and lofty pursuit.
“Is it not? It renders people quite mad. It possesses them. Sometimes they become distraught and lose themselves in this emotion. They cannot live properly unless they bow to its whims. If all the books are to be believed, of course,” Rose said, directing her gaze toward Lydia, who often cited romance books as examples of happiness and a good life.
Lydia sighed and decided to change the topic.
“Well, that does not have anything to do with the auction. We can still enjoy the evening. I like seeing people getting excited as they bid,” Lydia said as another lot was won.
A ripple of polite applause filled the room, although the losing party looked quite despondent.
“Besides,” Lydia added, “it doesn’t seem as though bidding on these lots has done Edmund any good. He hasn’t won a thing all night, and I believe he’s bid on everything.”
“Oh, is your brother here?” Rose said, almost as an afterthought. However, she had noticed him almost as soon as she arrived. How could she not? He stood taller than the other men who clustered around him, and he was by far the loudest. He had a booming laugh that echoed through the room, and he was always driving the conversation forward.
He had been surrounded by people all night, and they were all in good spirits. Edmund had a devilish smile, projected confidence with his body language, and nothing seemed to escape his hazel eyes.
Although, as yet, Rose had not caught them.
