“But what if I had been there with her since that morning, or what if I had just been a little quicker in getting a physician? She might have lived if I had hurried.”
“No, Edward,” Rosalina sighed, “her death was written, and no matter what you had done, it would have happened. The situation was not in your control one bit, and I know you tried your best. You loved her so much; you would never let her die without trying your very best.”
“I could have saved her still. The physician gave me a choice.”
“Edward, the choice was never yours,” Rosalina whispered, holding his hand, “Margaret kept asking you to save the baby instead of her when she heard only one of them could have been saved. It was her decision, not yours because I know if you had to decide, you would have always saved Margaret.”
“Only if she hadn’t asked me to do right by her and save her child, she could have been alive today.”
“And she would have despised you for not listening to her. She would have despised herself for being alive while her child was dead. You made the right choice, Edward. That was what was meant to happen, and you must not blame yourself for it. Please.”
“I had not even reconciled with her properly, Rosalina,” he whispered, his eyes far away as if he could see that day before his eyes. “She died without ever knowing how much I still loved her.”
“She knew, Edward.” Rosalina smiled. “She knew that you loved her, and she could always count on you despite the fight you two had at the time of her marriage. She loved you just the same, and if she ever found out that you blame yourself for her death, she would be devastated.”
“I wish I had been on time,” he sighed, his heart grieving still.
“You were,” Rosalina held his hand, “you must trust me when I say this. None of this is your fault. Had I known you blamed yourself for Margaret’s death, I would have told this to you earlier. You reached her the moment you found out she was giving birth, and you went to look for a physician the moment the complications began. You could have done nothing about the storm, and even in those terrible conditions, you found a physician. Only a brother who loves his sister immensely would battle this way for her. Trust me.”
“You really think I am faultless?”
“I know you are faultless.” She smiled. “If there is someone to blame for this, it is just her husband who left her knowing how precarious her condition was and did not eveninform you. He left without caring about her one bit and was never good enough for her. I wish she had never married him.”
“I wish so, too. She might have been alive if she hadn’t.”
“Perhaps,” Rosalina sighed deeply, “but we are not to think of that. We have the future to think of, and you owe it to Margaret to let go of this guilt that consumes you and find happiness for yourself.
“How?” Edward asked seriously.
“You can begin by telling Ophelia of your feelings for her. That might be a good start.”
“You think she will reciprocate?”
Rosalina laughed.
“How will you know if you never tell her?”
“I will go to her at once.”
Edward knew he had to go to Ophelia. Rosalina was right; nothing made sense without her.
Chapter 26
Ophelia rested her back against the tree, comfortably seated on a picnic blanket with her mother. They had decided to bring Amy to the nearby park and the entire house had decided to accompany them; everyone was extremely fond of Amy. As Ophelia stared at all her sisters playing with Amy, she could not help remembering her picnics at the manor where Amy would be crawling about.
Now here, she had several people to play with, and Ophelia could see how the little girl was having the time of her life.
“What are you smiling at, dear?” Her mother, seated right beside her on the blanket asked, and Ophelia shook her head.
“Nothing, Mama,” she said. “Just glad to see how Amy is having such a good time with everyone around her. She has no one to play with in London or at the country house except me or if some other servant can find the time during their busy schedule. She usually ends up playing all by herself but now she has everyone around her.”
“She is such a beautiful little girl,” her mother sighed. “How can anyone not want to make time for her.”
“Lady Rosalina is both kind and loving towards Amy and always finds the time to play with her,” Ophelia explained, already missing Rosalina a little.
In the past few days, they had become such fast friends that Ophelia felt slightly empty in her absence, hoping to have her around.
“And Lord Cavendish?”
