Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were filled with sadness. Unspeakable sadness. Before he could ask anything more, she curtsied and quickly left.
He had read somewhere that women were fond of acting as if they had a big mystery around them. It was a charade to make themselves more appealing to their potential suitors. He was certain this was not the case with Rosalie. Whatever the cause of that sadness was, it was pressing down on her soul heavily. It was no charade. No game.
He knew he had to find out what it was. The sooner the better.
Chapter 19
That same afternoon, right after lunch, Rosalie was in the study room with the girls. Their history lesson had just ended, and they were allowed some free time. Cecilia had chosen her favorite book, and was nestled underneath the window, enjoying the sunlight which seemed to caress the inside of the room. Madeline had remained at the desk, practicing her writing.
Rosalie watched over them, but the silence that reigned within, tried to assure her that it would be a pleasant and peaceful morning. Still, something deep inside of her urged her to beware. Rosalie had lived a life during which she learned to trust her gut feeling. It was that subtle rise of those fine hairs on the back of her neck. It was that sudden sensation of gooseflesh. Unexplained, yet impossible not to notice. This morning, that same gut feeling kept telling her to remain attentive, to stay aware of her surroundings.
Rosalie’s breathing quickened. She paced through the room, walking from one girl to the other, under the guise of simply following what they were doing, and inquiring if either of them needed any help. However, the real reason she was walking up and down was because she was unable to sit still. That feeling inside her stomach had awakened, and it wouldn’t let her be.
She was smiling as the girls showed her their progress. Indeed, she was smiling. But, deep down, she was anxious. Scared. Petrified, even. She tried to pacify the trembling of her hands, but it was futile.
Just as she was about to suggest to the girls to go out, there was a knock on the door. It was the butler.
“The Countess asks for your presence in the parlor,” he announced gracefully once he opened the door, and all eyes fell upon him.
“Grandma wants to see us?” Madeline rephrased his statement, curiously.
“Indeed, Miss. Madeline,” the butler confirmed. “She has a guest with her.”
“Oh, yes,” Rosalie nodded, confirming. “I do remember her mentioning something yesterday.” Then, she turned to the girls. “The Countess wishes to introduce you to her friend. This friend of hers has not seen you since you were little girls, so neither of you has any recollection of her.”
“What’s the lady’s name?” Cecilia asked.
“Uh,” Rosalie frowned. “I’m afraid it had slipped my mind. Miss. Dodgson? Hodgson? Uh, I seem not to have my senses about me today.”
In all honesty, the Countess had given Rosalie a full account of the lady who was to be their guest. Only Rosalie’s mind seemed to be focused on other things at that moment.
“Shall I inform Her Grace of your arrival?” the butler inquired politely.
“Oh, yes, yes, of course,” Rosalie replied a little absent-mindedly. “We shall be there shortly. Thank you, Hastings.”
“I shall let her know then.” He bowed, then closed the door behind him.
“Come along, girls,” Rosalie smiled. “Let us put everything away, and head on to the parlor. We shouldn’t let them wait for us.”
“Why do we need to go?” Madeline frowned.
She was never fond of being interrupted in activities that pleased her. Also, she was not too keen on meeting new people, although Edmund had told Rosalie that before the accident, Madeline had been the more outgoing of the two girls. Now, both of them were shy, and preferred to retreat and keep to themselves.
“That Hodgson Dodgson lady isn’t our friend, she’s grandma’s friend,” Madeline added.
She longingly looked outside the window. Rosalie knew the girls wanted to go out, and probably go see what the puppies were up to. It had become a reward Rosalie used to resort to often. A well-done lesson would grant them an hour outside, playing with the puppies.
Now, there was no need for much urging. The girls gladly did what she bade them to do, and then all three would go outside for some fresh air and to see the puppies. The girls had bloomed wonderfully in the past few weeks, and it made Rosalie feel not only grateful, but also proud.
“Sometimes, we need to do something we might not like,” Rosalie explained patiently. “Something that isn’t all that fun. However, certain rules state we should, and we live in a world governed by rules.”
“Who wrote those rules?” Cecilia suddenly wondered, as only a child could.
“What do you mean?” Rosalie chuckled. “People wrote them.”
“I think only one person wrote them,” Madeline corrected, her little finger tapping her chin, as if she was deeply lost in thought. “A person who benefited most from them. And, the rest of the people simply had to agree, or have something bad happen to them.”
For a moment, an ominous cloud appeared in the room. It was almost tangible. Rosalie wondered if the girls sensed it as much as she did, or perhaps, it had more to do with the way she had felt that entire morning.
