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“Cordelia gave it to me.” Rosaline said truthfully, and her mother’s face hardened.
“Humph. That silly girl and her frivolous gifts. I daresay she never stopped to think whetherwewould like new clothes, or even some money to buy decent food. But then, she’s just like her mother. The Atwoods are remarkably selfish.”
Rosaline smoothed the skirts of the dress, beginning to feel self-conscious. “She was just being kind, Mama.”
“Kind? Ha! Don’t make laugh. Little Miss Atwood doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Now hurry and change out of that ridiculous gown and come down and help Margaret with dinner.”
Rosaline sighed. In truth, she was just relieved that her mother hadn’t suggested that she try and sell the dress.
The next day, the Baroness and Rosaline sat in the morning-room, working on mending.
At least,Rosalinewas working on mending. The Baroness was reclining on a sofa, loudly lamenting about her various aches and pains. The dress and Rosaline’s inconvenient disappearance was all but forgotten.
Well, that wasn’t quite true. The Baroness had forgotten, but Rosaline was beginning to think that she never would. The Duke’s face, impassive and imposing, kept flashing up behind her lids whenever she closed her eyes. She kept turning over what she had said to him, and whathehad said toher. Was that normal? Thinking incessantly about a man she’d only met once – a very rude and frightening man, at that?
There was a knock at the door, and the Baroness sat bolt upright.
“Avisitor?” she exclaimed, brightening. “We haven’t had a visitor in an age.”
The Baroness began to smooth her skirts, picking up a purely decorative piece of embroider.
Loudwater came hobbling in.
“Miss Atwood, madam, my Lady.” He announced.
The smile faded from the Baroness’ face. Cordelia came striding in, almost shouldering poor Loudwater aside. The color drained from her face when she saw the Baroness, but she kept her chin high.
“Baroness, good morning. Are you well?”
“Fine, thank you.” The Baroness replied, her tone cold and clipped and completely devoid of any pretense of civility. She couldn’t very well throw Cordelia out of the house, although Rosaline had a feeling that she would very much like to.
The Baroness rose stiffly to her feet. “I shall leave you to socialize with your…friend, Rosaline. Please don’t be long.”
She sailed out of the room, closing the door a little too firmly behind her. Cordelia breathed out.
“Oh, thank heavens. I thought your mama was going to throw something heavy at my head.”
“So did I.” Rosaline admitted, wincing. “Cordelia, what are you thinking of, coming here without warning? You know what things are like with my parents at the moment. She’ll tell Loudwater to tell you that we’re not in now, you mark my words.”
“Thenyou’lljust have to tell him to bring me round the back or something. Listen, Rosaline, I need to talk to you, and I need to talk to younow.” Cordelia sat down beside Rosaline, and for the first time, Rosaline noticed a piece of paper in her hand.
“What’s that?”
“First of all, you can start by telling me what, exactly, happened with you and the Duke.”
Rosaline frowned. “I did exactly as you said. I was vulgar, and impolite, and ordered far too much food to be ladylike. I ate it all, too. I put him off, quite thoroughly I should say.”
Rosaline had, of course, written to Cordelia last night, telling her what had happened. She hadn’t mentioned the Duke chasing after her and asking to see her again. Besides, even if he had been intrigued, a little reflection on his part and that insult on hers would have done the trick nicely.
“Yes, except you didn’t.” Cordelia handed over the letter. “He sent this to my parents last night. I’ve barely finished reading your note when it arrived. Mama got to it first, of course, since the Duke had signed it with his own seal. Read it.”
Rosaline scanned through the brief letter, her heart sinking.
The Duke wanted to see “Cordelia” again. He suggested a promenade in Hyde Park at 4pm today.
“I… I don’t know how this happened, Cordelia. I was so rude to him!”
“Well, apparently that didn’t work. Perhaps he likes someone who stands up to him. I daresay the Duke of Ice never hears the word ‘no’.”
