Rosalina could not understand if what Alice had predicted was correct or not, but as she watched Ophelia almost run up the stairs, she could see that the remarks hurt Ophelia. Rosalina understood the pain caused by those words, but Ophelia had also appeared flustered at the accusation of being in love with Edward.
Could it actually be true? Rosalina was unsure.
“Lady Rosalina,” Alice greeted her, a huge grin on her face as she turned around.
“Lady Alice.”
“I believe your little secret is out in the open. I am sure all this must have been your scheming to keep your brother away from me.”
“Trust me, Alice, I do not need to scheme to keep my brother away from you. He dislikes you enough already,” Rosalina replied.
Alice stood there fuming for a few seconds, finally storming outside the manor towards her waiting carriage. Good riddance, Rosalina thought, watching the woman hurry away. Alice only ever brought unnecessary drama along with her. Now armed with the knowledge of Ophelia only being a nanny and not Rosalina’s actual friend, one could only wonder what lengths she would reach to make this secret known to the ton.
“Could it be true?” Rosalina whispered to herself, walking inside the hall.
Could Ophelia really be falling in love with Edward?
A part of Rosalina kept saying it was true indeed, and this was evident through the way Ophelia always interactedwith Edward. She had been sweet, charming, and courteous, always keeping Edward before her from the beginning. Rosalina had noticed the look in Ophelia’s eyes whenever she had been dancing with Edward at a ball.
It was the look of pure love.
Rosalina knew because she had the exact same look in her eyes when Randolph, her fiancé, was before her.
However, what intrigued Rosalina even more was how Edward often had the exact same look of longing in his eyes whenever he looked at Ophelia. He was also finally opening up again and beginning to get kinder towards Amy. Mrs Connor had told Rosalina that a few days ago, he had sought Amy out himself and had even played with her while Amy was in the gardens with Ophelia.
All of this could not be nothing.
Edward had always been excellent at hiding his feelings, and if not pushed to reveal them, he would never confess his love. However, Rosalina was not going to let go of it this easily. She had already made the decision to bring them together, and she would. Especially now that she realized how Edward felt the same way as Ophelia. The pair were meant to be.
Rosalina was sure.
“But what should I do about it?” She sat on the sofa, her mind working in multiple directions as she continued to think. All she needed to know was that she did have to do something for the two people who were rather dear to her. Both of them. And the best thing she could do was bring them closer to one another if what they shared was actually love.
Rosalina did not have another choice.
“How will I do that?”
Knowing the two of them, they would resist every single push; hence, Rosalina would need to be subtle about it. They were almost already in love and only required a slight nudge to walk in the right direction. Perhaps this was the only way to make sure Edward tried to become a better version of himself, letting go of the sadness and hatred in his heart.
It was about time.
And if there was someone who could help him with it, it was Ophelia.
And Amy.
“The Cartwright Ball!” Rosalina clapped her hand in excitement, remembering the biggest ball of the Season was about to arrive.
She knew what she had to do. She simply needed to present Ophelia in front of Edward in a new light until he confessed his love to her, and Ophelia confessed it back.
If someone deserved to have a fairy tale ending, it was the two of them, and Rosalina was ready to do everything in her power to make it happen. It was going to be the best thing for Edward and Ophelia, and the two coming together just might turn into the home that Amy needed to flourish and grow in.
Chapter 22
“Oh, Ophelia,” Rosalina sighed, standing fully dressed behind her as she put a few finishing touches in Ophelia’s hair, “you look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you.” Ophelia smiled at her through the looking glass, even though she felt she looked exactly the same as every other night.
Although she felt a little different. Rosalina had told her how the Cartwright ball was the biggest ball of the entire Season, and everyone dressed lavishly for it. Hence, Rosalina had made sure that Ophelia wore her best gown. Dressed in a bold pink gown, which was entirely sequined, Ophelia did indeed feel beautiful.
