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“Forgive me, My Lady, but I think I have more concerns than telling you about anything that happened. Aren’t you worried about our secret being discovered, like I am? For heaven’s sake, Lord Rockgonie’s father is sitting right outside,” Rose protested.
“All right, My Lady. I understand your concern. But I assure you that you have nothing to worry about. If Lord Rockgonie and I have been at this for two years with no one in London finding out about us, then you can rest assured that your secret is safe.”
Rose couldn’t help connecting with the point that Lady Anna was making. The truth was that the servants in the house had kept the relationship between their lord and his lady a secret. It only meant that hers with Lord Walsrock would also be kept safe.
“Think of the servants here sharing the same bond with Lord Rockgonie that you share with your lady’s maid. Also, I didn’t just arrive. Actually, I never left,” Lady Anna smiled.
“Excuse me?” Rose asked in confusion.
“I never left the manor since we met the other day. I’ve been in Lord Rockgonie’s personal chambers. My parents went to their country home and left me in London, so I decided to come out here instead, while my lady’s maid covers for me. I came out just now because I spied you from the window with that blush plastered across your face,” Lady Anna snickered.
“And you kept this secret from me?” Rose expressed herself, feeling hurt.
“It wasn’t intentional, Lady Rose. I have just spent so much time sleeping during the day as a result of all the business I get up to at night.” Lady Anna winked again. “So are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to keep trying to pry it out of you?”
“And who said anything happened?” Rose said exasperatedly.
“Come now, it is written all over you. You couldn’t keep it in even if you tried,” Lady Anna insisted. “Did you make love to Lord Walsrock?” she said, hitting the nail on the head.
Rose couldn’t answer. Instead she found herself blushing and turning away from Lady Anna’s intense scrutiny.
“I knew it,” Lady Anna exclaimed, taking Rose’s hand in hers and leading her toward the bed.
There was a brief pause in which both of them stayed silent. Finally, Rose spoke.
“If I may ask, how have you managed to stay in this hidden relationship with Lord Rockgonie? What has kept you going for the past two years?” Rose asked out of curiosity.
“Love,” Lady Anna replied simply. “I love him and will do anything for him, which is the same way he feels.”
“I see.” This time it was Rose’s turn to use the phrase.
“Why do you ask, though? Do you love Lord Walsrock?”
“Of course I love Lord Walsrock. I ask because I admire your commitment and resolve to your relationship. When you said you’d been doing this for two years, I had to ask myself if I could do the same thing if I was ever in your shoes.”
“Well, I have no doubt that you wouldn’t even think twice about it. Why? Because that’s what people in love do,” Lady Anna retorted.
There was another brief pause before Rose spoke again.
“I don’t mean to pry deeper, but what caused the hate between Lord Rockgonie’s mother and yours? You said before that she was the main obstacle in your love with Lord Rockgonie,” Rose asked politely.
Lady Anna proceeded to regale her with a tale of love and betrayal.
Their mothers, Lady Matilda and Lady Margaret, had been friends from the cradle who’d grown up together. Right from their childhood, they’d fantasized about nothing being strong enough to separate them both. For years, they’d lived by that pact till they’d turned sixteen.
Then the problems began.
Eligible bachelors had begun to take interest in them from the balls they’d begun attending. The former Lady Margaret, Lord Rockgonie’s mother, had always been the bell of the ball, extroverted and outgoing, while the former Lady Matilda, Lady Anna’s mother, was the exact opposite, introverted and reserved.
Lady Anna’s father had first approached Lady Margaret. However, in her usual exuberant fashion, she had rejected his advances. He’d then set his sights on the quieter and more reserved friend who seemed like she was always one step away from running back home. Their love had begun to blossom from there and soon, even the quiet and reserved lady couldn’t keep it a secret.
She’d gone on to tell Lady Margaret, who was her closest friend at the time. Instead of being happy for her, her friend had grown wild with jealousy.
“End your relationship with him or consider our friendship over,” Lady Margaret had issued an ultimatum.
When Lady Matilda had tried to find out why, she had received no cogent reason from her jealous friend except repeated threats and a clearly stated ultimatum. For the first time in her life, however, the quiet and reserved lady would go against the wishes of her friend, and rejected the ultimatum. She was in love and was sure as hell not going to let it go.
It had been a new era in the life of the once shy, quiet, and reserved lady. She was losing a friendship that had lasted all her life at that point. In its place, however, she was getting a love that would go on to last a lifetime.
