She ran her finger over the fabric. It was soft to the touch, like she imagined a cloud would feel. This showed that he remembered what she had lost and had spent time thinking about her and the moments they shared.
And now she was thinking about them too.
“What is your game now, Edmund? Why are you doing this?” she whispered to herself.
No answer came to her mind. As far as she was concerned, they had already said everything that needed to be shared, but there was the part of his letter that chilled her.
‘There shall be nothing left unsaid’.
“What do you have to say to me, Edmund? Why can you not just leave this alone? Do you not understand the extent to which you are making this difficult?”
“My lady, are you well?” Jenny emerged from a nearby room, wearing a concerned expression. Rose swallowed the tension and nodded.
“Yes, yes, I am fine,” Rose said breezily. She gazed at the pendant, turning it over in her palm. On the back of the charm was a pattern that reminded her of a maze. It did not bring to mind anything that she and Edmund had shared together, and so she wondered if there was a deeper meaning he was trying to convey.
“Does this remind you of anything?” Rose asked, turning to Jenny.
Jenny peered over Rose’s shoulder but then shook her head.
“Can’t say that it does, my lady, although it is a beautiful pendant. Doubt I could afford something like that if I worked all my life,” she chuckled.
Rose did not laugh. She was not in the mood for laughing.
“I shall require you on Friday night, both to dress me and then to accompany me to meet His Grace.”
“Of course, my lady. I shall be there, and I will be proud to do so. If you don’t mind me saying, I did miss you when you left for the party. The house felt empty without you and, well, I know that His Grace has his own staff, but if you do get married, perhaps you would consider bringing me with you,” Jenny said.
“If such a thing should occur, then of course I will.”
“Thank you, my lady, that brings me so much relief,” Jenny said, clasping her hands together. “And I do not see why it should not occur. I can’t think of any reason why he would not want to marry you.”
“I appreciate your words, but then again, who knows what goes on in a man’s mind?” Rose said.
Jenny laughed heartily at this and then gathered up the parcel and the letter, carrying them to Rose’s room for her. Jenny then shut the door behind her, leaving Rose alone.
Rose placed the gloves and pendant on her dresser. The letter was beside it. Was this some final game that Edmund was playing? Was there some twist of the knife that he needed to perform? Was he still trying to make her lose, to declare herfeelings so that he might have the smug satisfaction of knowing he had bested her?
She could no longer deny that these feelings existed. They had grown beyond her control and had continued to intensify over the past week. She had hoped that being apart from Edmund would provide a cure, but it was not to be.
She stared at the letter and read its words again.
“I could refuse you, Edmund. I could deny you the chance to provoke me and humiliate me, but I will not. I shall join you for our final promenade, and itwillbe our final meeting. I can endure this. I will wear this pendant and these gloves, and then I shall survive the ending. It will be the end of our time together, but it will not be the end of me.”
Chapter Thirty
Edmund had thought long and hard about whether to see Rose again. Their parting had the air of sorrow about it, and he was not sure that anything more could be said between them, but the way she acted on that final morning stung him. She was composed and cold, and that was not how he had come to think of her at all.
“Has everything been settled, George?” he asked.
“To your exact specifications, Your Grace. Please be cautious when you are walking. I would hate to see this maze go up in flames.”
“It would certainly get people to solve it more quickly,” Edmund said. George’s smile was wan. He looked behind him at the maze, illuminated by oil lanterns placed periodically along the winding, twisting paths. Edmund thought it was fitting for him and Rose to meet each other here for one final time, knowing that her presence was akin to walking through a maze.
For the entire week, he was tormented by thoughts of Rose, and he could not let the matter lie. One more promenade, a chance for a perfect, final goodbye. It seemed only fitting that they should adhere to the terms of the agreement, and tonight, he was not going to allow anything to get the better of him.
The carriage approached through the gates, the wheels coming to a squeaking stop. George hurried across to open the door. He would soon disappear into the shadows. Edmund clasped his hands behind his back. There was a sharp intake of breath as Rose appeared.
She wore a cream-colored dress that matched the ivory shade of her gloves. A shawl had been placed upon her shoulders, but the pendant he had given her was visible. It rested against the hollow of her throat and looked absolutely perfect. The light was low, but she shone like a star, and he realized now that he had been starved of her this past week.
