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“Yes, that’s true.” Rose laughed, recalling the antics. “And I nearly slept with a commoner, and had a…a…”—she lowered her voice—“a climax.”
“You don’t have to whisper,” Lily said. “It’s not a bad word.”
“I suppose not. Anything that feels so good can’t be bad.” Rose giggled. “So Daniel’s the only one who made you…come, and you married him.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to marry Cameron.”
“I suppose not,” Rose said. “But I would like to have that feeling again.”
“You will.”
Daniel entered the room, clearing his throat to announce his presence. “I’m sorry, love,” he said to Lily, “but we need to be going.”
“Yes, of course.” Lily rose and gave Rose a quick kiss on the cheek. “I am going to miss you, Rose. Please don’t worry. Stay here, and follow your heart. I’ll be back in a month, and we’ll talk then.”
“Yes, Lily. Do have a good time, both of you.”
“We will,” she said, smiling and taking the arm of her handsome husband. “There is no doubt about that.”
* * * *
After Lily and Daniel left the estate, Rose returned to her chamber and slept for a few more hours. She rose at eleven, dressed in an afternoon dress, and went down to jo
in the others before luncheon. She found her cousins lounging on the front terrace.
“Rose!” Alexandra called.
“Yes, Ally, what is it?” Rose asked.
“Lord Evan has been looking for you. None of us had a clue where you were, so we sent him to the stables. We thought you might have gone riding.”
“No, I slept late,” Rose said. “I was fraught with exhaustion from yesterday’s excitement.”
“I know,” Sophie chimed in. “Can you believe our Lily is married, and is a duchess? It’s too romantic for words.”
“Romantic, yes,” Ally said. “But who cares about being a duchess? The duke is rich, rich, rich, and Lily will never want for anything for the rest of her life. What I wouldn’t give for that kind of security.”
“I’ve told you before,” Sophie said, “that there are more important things than money.”
“Yes, yes, I know.” Alexandra rolled her eyes. “And I’ve told you that money is paramount as far as I’m concerned. I couldn’t care less about a stupid title. The man I marry will be loaded with gold. I don’t ever want to have to worry about money again.”
“You don’t have to worry now, Ally,” Rose said.
“Only because your parents are supporting us,” Ally replied. “It sticks in my craw, it does. I hate being a charity case.”
“You’re no charity case,” Rose said soothingly. “You know that.”
“What else would you call it? Father left us penniless. If it weren’t for Uncle Crispin and Auntie Flora, we’d be living in the gutters. Poor Sophie and I would probably have had to sell our bodies to support mother.”
“Ally, really!” Sophie admonished.
“I doubt it would have come to that, Ally,” Rose said.
“But you can’t say for sure, can you?”
“We’re family,” Rose said. “We would have never let anything so terrible happen to you.”
“Yes, yes, I know. But I’d like to know for sure that my future is secure, and the only way to do that, for a woman anyway, is to marry money.”
