“Ah, yes, now I see.” She made sure to be grinning. “And here I was, thinking that you were going to miss me.”
“Just your work,” he said.
She continued to grin at Christopher, enjoying how uncomfortable it seemed to make him. He could claim that all he cared about was the work that they were doing together. He could pretend that he thought little of her outside of this fact. And he could lie to them both, keeping up this façade of coolness and dispassion.
His lies are starting to run thin. This constant battle he wages to keep his distance is becoming old. Try as he might, I can see him changing slowly before my eyes. And soon, I know, the real him is going to come out.
“As you say,” she said with a wink before pulling herself inside the carriage.
She was smiling as he closed the door behind her, and she held that smile as the carriage started down the driveway and exited the estate. This marriage might not have been something that she wanted, but it was also not nearly as tragic as it could have been.
If anything, Rose might have even gone so far as to say that she was starting to like being married to the Duke and, what was more, she sensed that he liked being married to her also.
But that was a thought for later.
For now, Rose had today to look forward to. It was just last evening that her father had written to her, requesting that she visit as soon as she could because he needed her help with his businesses.
While it might have been a little too hopeful, Rose liked to believe that her father missed her and wanted to see her. And even if he did not, she missed him and her sister and was looking forward to the chance to see them again.
“Rose!” Marianne was waiting on the driveway for her. And when Rose opened the carriage door and stepped outside, she rushed to greet her. “You came!”
“Of course I did,” she laughed as she hugged her younger sister. “Did you think I would not?”
“I did not know if the Duke would let you.”
Rose almost laughed at the comment. It made sense that Marianne would think such things, having no idea how Rose and Christopher’s marriage had changed. And it delighted her to be given the chance to explain these changes, as if confirming them for herself.
“Oh, he was never going to stop me,” Rose assured her as she pulled away. “He might have tried, but it would have made no difference.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that married life is nowhere near as tragic as I believed it would be. Perhaps it is not as wondrous either.” She made sure to be smiling. “But rest assured, my life is still my own.”
“You are happy?”
“I am not unhappy,” she said. “And that is a victory worth holding onto.”
Rose considered it at that moment, telling her sister that she was happy, but she refrained from doing so. She and Christopher were still finding their way; they were far from a happy couple, and while she could feel the changes happening between them, she could not say for sure where those changes were going.
And if Christopher continued to fight so hard against himself, refusing to show her the side that she knew to exist, their journey together might stall long before it went any further.
“I am glad,” Marianne said. “Ever since you married him, I have…” She bit into her lip. “I am so sorry, Rose. That you did this because of me. That you thought you needed to save –”
“Hush now,” Rose cut her sister off. “I have told you, what I did was my decision, and it had nothing to do with you. Besides,” She let her smile reach her eyes. “I did not come here just because Father asked me.”
“Oh?”
“I wanted to talk to you, silly. Now, tell me,” She dropped her voice, just in case anyone might overhear. “How are things with you and Julian? Should I have a dress laid out for your wedding? Or am I getting ahead of myself?”
Rose expected her sister to blush bright pink and look away with embarrassment. Maybe to giggle and tell her to keep her voice down, while assuring her that things were going well. She expected laughter, smiles, gushes of love. What she got instead…
“Oh… yes… me and Julian…” A shadow passed behind Marianne’s eyes, and Rose could feel the sudden tension emanating from her sister’s body.
“Marianne, what is wrong?”
Before Marianne got the chance to say anything, the front door to the manor opened wide, and their father strode from inside. Marianne sensed him coming, and she let go of Rose, turning away as if to hide her face. And Rose eyed her sister a moment longer, realizing without having to ask that something was terribly wrong.
A shame that there was no chance to follow up with a question, because their father was on them.
