Her heart beat faster at the sight of him. She wished to throw herself into his arms. She wanted to touch his lips with her own. His voice sent a shiver down her back. Did he not feel the same? If he did, how could he bear to even consider waiting years?
“You see, Rosalind,” Cordelia said, “you’ve told him of your requirement. You did have only the one requirement, so he could not exactly ignore it.”
“No, he really could not ignoreonerequirement,” Juliet said. “It was not like Beatrice’s so many requirements and then the fates just threw up their hands and said never mind, here’s Van Doren.”
Beatrice laughed despite herself. She said, “Perhaps you might modify your requirement. Perhaps you might hint that your requirement for a courageous act could be either before or after marriage. Just that it must happen sometime.”
The carriage had been going for a quarter hour and now stopped in front of a small storefront with a blue sign above the door that readThe Tea & Tome. They had planned the stop for their sister. Beatrice was determined to buy a book for the husband who had turned out to be the fates’ final answer to her too many requirements.
“I shan’t be a moment,” Beatrice said. “I know precisely what I seek. Van Doren will be delighted with me as he very much wishes for a copy and I sent footmen out delivering notes everywhere so that I might find one and reserve it.”
Beatrice was helped down to the sidewalk and disappeared into the shop.
After the carriage door closed, Cordelia said, “Beatrice is right, you know. Poor Conbatten thinks he’ll have to wait years for his chance to rescue you. He doesn’t know that we’ve got something already arranged.”
“Neither does Beatrice, for that matter,” Viola said.
“You know we would tell her in an instant if it were not for Van Doren. He would tell Papa and then it would be all up.”
“We will tell her everything once we’ve done it,” Rosalind said. “She won’t mind it.”
“Of course she will not mind it,” Viola said. “And just think how happy Conbatten will be when you get robbed and he realizes he won’t have to wait years.”
“He’ll be over the moon when he sees you getting assaulted in the park,” Juliet said.
“I hope so,” Rosalind said. “Oh, it must be so. I shall die of a broken heart if it is not so.”
Miss Mayton clucked sympathetically. “Now you understand what happened to all my poor gentlemen,” she said.
“I do!” Rosalind said. “I do see how they did not view life worth living. I must have Conbatten—nobody else will do.”
“Now Rosalind,” Viola said, “do not ever lose hope. Beatrice was very sure Van Doren would propose to Lady Mary and she would go on to be a spinster. Then quite unexpectedly, he turned up at the door raging about his love for her.”
“That’s true, it was very sudden,” Rosalind said. “And he was terribly intemperate.”
“Wildly so,” Viola said encouragingly.
“Rosalind,” Cordelia said, “you are the most courageous among us, you must not wilt in the face of your current challenge.”
“You are right,” Rosalind said, taking a deep breath. “Rosalind Bennington does not wilt. Rosalind Bennington does not falter. Rosalind Bennington hires a pickpocket to rob her.”
“That’s the spirit, my dear,” Miss Mayton said.
Beatrice emerged from the shop carrying a brown paper package tied with string. She clambered back into the carriage. “The Battle of Camperdownis now on its way to Van Doren’s library.”
“Beatrice,” Juliet said, “Rosalind has reminded herself of her bravery and is determined she will not wilt or falter.”
“Oh I am glad,” Beatrice said.
“We reminded her that you were planning on being a spinster until Van Doren turned up and raged at the door.”
Beatrice leaned back and smiled. “He did rage, did he not? He still does, I quite like it.”
“You’ll see, Rosalind,” Cordelia said. “Conbatten will rage for you before you know it.”
And so they went on very much cheered by the idea of the duke raging.
*
