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Chapter Fifteen
Rose heard the door to her chambers open slightly without a knock.
She had gone to bed a few hours earlier but had still been unable to fall asleep. As a result, she was wide awake when the intruder opened her door and walked in.
She didn’t have any reason to worry for her safety, though. This was her father’s house, after all. She resisted the urge to turn round and face the unwanted guest, choosing instead to remain deathly still with her back to the door.
Whoever it was will take one look, think me asleep, and leave me undisturbed.
As the footsteps drew closer, she shut her eyes to continue the ruse. Suddenly, the intruder was at her bedside.
“My Lady,” Elsa was whispering.
She thought for a second to ignore her lady’s maid. Instead she got rid of the thought and responded.
“Yes, Elsa. What is the matter?” Rose answered.
“I know it is the middle of the night, but will you please come with me?” Elsa asked meekly.
She was about to lash out at her for such a request but held herself. This was a particularly unique request, one she’d never gotten before from her lady’s maid.
“Is there any particular reason why you are asking me to follow you?” she asked cautiously.
“I want to show you something, My Lady. Please!” Elsa pleaded.
Rose remained silent for a bit before deciding to get up and get dressed. She couldn’t fall asleep, so she thought it best to follow her lady’s maid and see what the matter was about.
As she dressed, she remembered the letter she had hurriedly rushed off to the Marquess through Elsa.
She’d never been with a man before and yet her mind and body continued to yearn for the Marquess.
Of course, she was never going to admit this to him or anyone else for that matter, but her fantasies were going to consume her sooner or later.
As it stood, if the Marquess ever knew how much her body craved him, he could have his way with her without encountering any resistance.
Enough of the vile thoughts, Rose. The man hasn’t even answered your letters yet. Stop fantasizing on things that might never come to pass.
She finished dressing and turned to face Elsa.
“Where to?” she asked, in mock disgust.
Elsa simply turned and headed for the door while she followed.
The house was dead quiet at this time of the night, so they literally had to creep their way through in order to stay as silent as possible.
All the while Rose followed, she never paused to think where Elsa was taking her. Her mind remained focused on the Marquess.
Even though it was looking like she was going to have to let him go, and marry her betrothed, she knew she would come to love no other man the way she’d fallen in love with him. The worst part was she couldn’t explain why this had happened.
She seemed bound to a fate of unhappiness and loneliness. As they descended the stairs and landed in the dinning section, memories of this morning began to flood her mind, causing her eyes to sting with tears.
The worst part of it all was that after the debacle at breakfast, no member of her family had tried to check up on her. Not even Lady Somerholm.
There had been no surprises there, though. She’d always been closer to her father. He would have been the one to check on her if the story had been different and he wasn’t the one responsible for her anger.
They had simply gone about their business while she stewed in her sorrow. Only Elsa had been by her side the whole time. And when she had hurriedly drafted the letter to the Marquess, it was the same Elsa who had ensured it got to him.
She blinked hard at the tears to stop them from falling. Soon, they were out of the house and headed in the direction of the garden.
