“I just want you to be happy,” he says with a little shrug, cheeks pinking.
She loves him so dearly.
“And I would love to foil Mother’s plans. It sounds like the best way to spend the spring. Miss Pine and Mr. Sholle? It’s almost as absurd as you spending forever with Mr. Dean.”
“Don’t start,” Rosalie says, her affection dimming. “You’re meant to be going to London with Father next week.”
Christopher’s been against Mr.Dean since the beginning. For not... insubstantial reasons. But she can only deal with one heavy courting issue today.
“What’s one more year at home?” Christopher says dismissively. “Surely we canat leastarchitect more group outings so that you and MissPine may spend more time together; determine if she’s really worth risking all of Mother’s machinations.”
And Rosalie’s heart. But that feels too vulnerable, even for this supportive conversation.
“When do you imagine I’d get the chance to ask MissPine if she shares my unnatural inclination with Mr.Sholle and Mr.Dean always about?” Rosalie asks.
“It is not unnatural,” Christopher says, sharp and fast. Rosalie blinks. She didn’t mean— “You are not unnatural. I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.”
“I—”
“That the world doesn’t accept two women in love is a travesty. You are a wonder, you deserve far more than horrid Mr.Dean, and I won’t hear a bad word about you, all right?” he insists, his face hard all of a sudden.
Rosalie stares at her not-so-little brother. “Cambridge has made you much more assertive.”
His lips twitch. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” Rosalie says, reaching out to take his hand for a brief squeeze before letting go. “I really didn’t mean anything by it. It’s simply how it’s discussed.”
“Then we’ll find better words,” he says firmly. “Together. Oh!”
“What?” she asks, reluctant to continue. It makes her insides twist, to try to think about the way the world might react to her wanting to take MissPine publicly in her arms.
“What if I pretended to court MissPine? Then you could beourchaperone, and I could just... conveniently sod off.”
That’s brilliant, but... “What about Amalie?” Rosalie finds herself asking.
Christopher hesitates for just a moment too long and Rosalie sighs. She can’t let him jeopardize whatever this burgeoning thing is with Amalie. Christopher will be an excellent husband, and Amalie deserves anexcellenthusband.
But, then again, if Christopher looks like he’s interested in MissPine... maybe that would light more of a fire underneath Amalie, increase her interest in Christopher. A little emotion, a little jealousy, could be just the trick.
“Perhaps if we ensure for every outing you take MissPine on, you have two with Amalie?” she suggests.
“Perfect. That’s perfect,” Christopher says, his face splitting in a beaming smile. “Where do you want to go with her first? Another hike, where I could get lost in the woods? Ooh, or, I could get food poisoning in the market and leave you to fend for yourselves? No, that could backfire. Let me think—”
“I have missed you,” Rosalie says, smiling as he blinks, looking back at her, so caught up in scheming.
“I’ve missed you too,” he says, reaching out to take her arm again and begin walking out of the park and down the sun-warmed, broad street toward home. “I can’t wait to graduate and return full time.”
“You won’t miss school?” Rosalie wonders. “Wouldn’t prefer London?”
Christopher shakes his head. “I’m eager to learn to manage the estate,” he says firmly. “I want to do right by our tenants, and our staff, and by you, I hope you know that.”
Rosalie looks up to find him watching her. “I do.”
“If you decide marrying Mr.Boring doesn’t suit you, you can stay with me forever, just so you know.”
Rosalie wraps both hands around his arm and leans into his shoulder. “Don’t call him that. Andthank you. That—that means the world,” she says, her voice tight.
Maybe that future he talked about isn’t totally out of reach. The one where they find better words for how she might love someone.
