Would Edmund kill a man for her?
Would he die for her?
Those questions would not be answered today. Lord Whitcombe pressed his lips together and glared at Edmund, but he did not meet Edmund’s challenge. He released his grip on Rose, and immediately she pushed her way through the crowd and escaped outside, shuddering with relief.
A few moments later, she jumped when Edmund came to her. There were other guests in the gardens, but they were too far away. Once again, as happened every time she spoke with Edmund, it felt as though they were isolated.
“Are you well, Rose? I do not know what you were thinking, dancing with that scoundrel.”
“With whom I dance is none of your concern,” she replied harshly.
Edmund furrowed his brow. “I was only trying to help you. I warned you about him before. Thankfully, like most bullies, he does not like being challenged. He preys on the weak.”
“So you think I am weak. You insult me twice, Edmund. You are very efficient today.”
Edmund’s demeanor shifted. He looked puzzled.
“I do not seek to insult you, Rose. I only wanted to help. I saw the way he looked at you.”
“It is not your place to intervene. You made that clear. I am not even sure what you are doing here. Aren’t you supposed to be away from London by now?”
“There are some obligations even I cannot avoid, although now I am beginning to regret attending. I did not believe you would be in such a disagreeable mood.”
A sharp sound burst out of Rose’s throat. “Disagreeable? Well, if that is what you have made me, then so be it, Edmund. You claim to have saved me twice, as though Lord Whitcombe was the worst of my concerns, but it is you that have turned out to be my enemy.”
“Me?” he asked, placing his hand upon his chest, looking entirely bemused.
“Yes, you,” Rose thundered, not caring about who could see or hear her. She had her piece to say, and by goodness, she was going to say it. The words came thick and fast. “I was perfectly happy with my life, and then you had to come and upend everything I believed in. I never asked for these feelings, and I do not want them now. I wish that we had never met Edmund. Goodbye, and let this time be truly forever.”
She was already moving before she started speaking. She marched through the house without looking back and told her mother and father that she needed to leave. Rose had nottruly meant what she said to Edmund, but she needed to say something that would make him stay away so nothing like this would happen again.
The cheek of the man!To think it is his duty to defend me when he has already shrugged aside that duty.
Except it had been gallant, and if things had been different… Oh… What was the use of thinking such a thing?
Things were not different, and they never would be. She and Edmund were too alike for anything to work, and she would simply have to harbor this turmoil in her heart for the rest of her life.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Edmund was pacing frantically in his study. The house had never seemed emptier. Lydia was avoiding him. He was avoiding everyone else. Rose lingered in his mind. He cursed himself for going to that event. Seeing her again had brought everything rushing back.
When she had walked away from him, he had been reduced to a wreck. Anger and frustration boiled inside him, leaving him quite unable to think clearly. All he wanted was to rush after her, to take her in his arms and hold her until he could hold her no longer. He even followed her through the house, but her carriage had already disappeared by the time he reached the vehicles.
George appeared in the doorway. Edmund stopped pacing.
“How long until I can be away? Have you booked passage on a ship yet? There must be one leaving soon,” he said hoarsely. Edmund looked like a sick man. His skin was sallow, his eyes bloodshot and shadowed. He had not been eating well since hehad said farewell to Rose at the maze, so his appearance had become gaunt.
“There is a ship leaving tomorrow morning. You can leave tonight and ride to Southampton. I have already made arrangements for accommodations there. Tomorrow morning, you can simply step onto the ship and never look back, Your Grace,” George said.
Edmund breathed deeply, and it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“Very good, George, very good indeed. Are you sure you do not wish to come with me?”
“My place is here, Your Grace. I do not believe that I would be able to best serve you in the wilderness,” he said, shuddering at the thought. Edmund could have commanded George to join him, but he was not that heartless. He had put the man through enough over the years. George had earned a rest.
“Then I shall be away from London tonight. I must draft a letter to my family. I am sure they shall be upset that I leave like a ghost, but I do not wish to make this a grand announcement,” Edmund said. He planned to apologize to Alfred and Mary, to them all really, and he hoped that when he returned, he would be a better man.
“There is just one matter, Your Grace.”
