Rosalie listened intently. She grew up in the conviction that her parents had given her up. She wasn’t the daughter they had expected. They didn’t want her. Now, it seemed she had been lied to all of her life.
“They wouldn’t part with you,” Mr. Goosevelt sighed, his big, bulging belly protruding as he sat with his back resting on the seat. “So, I had to steal you from their home. I still remember that damn dog I kicked away, as he tried to bite me, while I had you in my arms, sneaking out of the house.”
Tears rolled down Rosalie’s face, but she didn’t notice. She was listening to the story of her life, finally unravelling. Vaguely, seeing her previous life as if through a veil, she could see a small, brown dog with a fluffy tail. She could see herself petting it, and its tongue sticking out in joy every time she approached it. She was little, so very little that she barely had any recollection of that house, of that dog, of the people who refused to give her up, the people who gazed upon her as if she were a precious stone.
She couldn’t stop crying. She had not a friend in the world. Mr. Goosevelt, whom she had always considered a friend and a confidant, had revealed himself to be her worst enemy. It was his fault she had been snatched out of a loving home and thrown into the pits.
Loveless never pretended to be something he wasn’t. He was always a villain, a vile man. He always treated her and the others like dirt, like they weren’t worthy of much, if anything. But Mr. Goosevelt was even worse. He lulled her into a false sense of security, only to reveal himself for the devil that he truly was. She hated him even more than she did Loveless, a sensation which she once thought unattainable.
She couldn’t say anything. Strength had been leaving her body slowly, with every breath she took, she felt weaker and weaker. She lost everything. Her love. Her life. Herself.
There was no more hope in this world for her. She might as well be dead. She knew Loveless would keep an even closer eye on her now. He needed her for the freak show. He needed her to be a laughingstock once more. He needed to exploit her very being, her very essence, and he expected her to take it obediently.
Seeing no way out, that was exactly what she would do. Now that her soul was murdered most savagely, she couldn’t care less what they did with her body.
Chapter 26
It was still early in the evening when the carriage arrived at the outskirts of the nearest city. Through the veiled window, Rosalie could see the flickering of streetlamps in those areas which were safe to walk during the night. The rest of the city lurked in the darkness, the same kind of darkness that reigned inside the carriage she found herself in.
When she discovered the depth of the treason she had been subjected to, she retreated into herself. She refused to speak, even when either of the two men would ask her something. Her silence amused them. Loveless would burst into roaring laughter at her unwillingness to grace him with the sound of her voice. She knew he would soon stop being amused with it.
“We’re ’ere,” Loveless spoke as the carriage suddenly stopped.
He tried to take her by the hand when it was her turn to get out, but she pushed him away. Mr. Goosevelt chuckled loudly.
“You really have your hands full with this one, Loveless!”
“The way I like ‘em,” Loveless growled, his eyes chained to Rosalie.
“Do you know what the funniest thing is in all this mess?” Mr. Goosevelt eyed, taunting. “That of all the households, you chose the Hudson Estate.”
She lifted her gaze at him. Confusion was etched on her weary face.
“You do know that the Earl’s brother and his wife died in a tragic accident,” Mr. Goosevelt reminded her. “Tragic! Tragic that the twins remained at home in the last minute, they would have been such a fine addition to the House of Wonders!” He suddenly started chuckling, and Loveless joined in.
Rosalie’s eyes widened in shock. Finally, all the pieces of this puzzle had fallen into place. It was too horrible to acknowledge, too horrible to even conceive.
“You didn’t…” she gasped, pressing her hands to her trembling lips.
“Did or didn’t,” Mr. Goosevelt shrugged, “it doesn’t matter now. The importance of everyone’s life can be weighed in gold. And, those twins would have been priceless, just like you, my dear.”
Rosalie’s senses had suddenly died down. She couldn’t hear anything. She couldn’t see anything. The tips of her fingers had become numb. She was dead to the world.
She had no idea how much longer they continued their travel. Eventually, she could see several wagons scattered about, and a large stage, with a wooden construction behind, from which the acts would appear. She knew this construction well. And she dreaded it.
He took her to a nearby wagon, opened the door wide, then shoved her inside aggressively. Four people were inside, and all of them immediately sprung to their feet upon seeing Loveless, their faces tense and anxious. But, when they noticed that he wasn’t alone, their mouths widened into a smile, and the bearded lady welcomed Rosalie into a hug.
“Get ‘er ready,” Loveless ordered. “We’re on in an ‘our.”
With those words, he slammed the door behind him, leaving Rosalie alone with the rest of the wonders.
Rosalie endured the touch of several soft hands on her body, as they all hugged her. She was in psychological pain, and it had started to spread into her physical body as well. She could barely keep herself upright, crushed by the weight of the newfound truth, the truth that would destroy Edmund if he knew it.
“Lemme make you a cup of tea, luv,” the bearded lady offered. “While you tell us all about what happened.”
Rosalie felt no inclination to do so, but she could not refuse her friends. During the hardest years of her life, they had been her family. They had cared for her. They had loved her. They all shared the good and the bad, of which there was barely any of the former, and much more of the latter.
So, she gave them a brief account of her escape, followed by her rescue and her final removal from the Hudson Estate. As she spoke, she tried not to invoke the image of Edmund in her mind, but that was impossible. She could see him clearly with the eye of her mind. His smile. The warmth of his voice. The way he would gaze at her lovingly.
