Christopher watched her in silence and gave nothing away. The letter was still in his hand, his body was still half out of the carriage, and she could not begin to guess what he was going to say or do.
“I suppose we'd best hurry then,” he said and handed her back the letter.
She blinked in confusion. “You are coming?”
“As I have told you time and time again, Rose. You are my wife, your life is mine, and no matter what happens to you, be it good or bad, I will be there for you. As is my charge.” He looked right at her, strong and silent and so very serious. “Now, is that a problem?”
“No…” She blinked again. “Not at all.”
“Good. Allow me to attach my horse to the carriage, and then we will get moving. We don’t want to miss your sister.” He stepped back from the carriage and strode away.
Rose sat there gaping stupidly. Surprised by her husband’s words. Touched by them, also. She was starting to realize that it was time she stopped being so shocked when her husband acted as he was doing. By now, it should have been expected.
Christopher was many things, most of all, he was honest. He did not lie. He did not cheat. He did not try to obfuscate. When he told her that he wanted to help, he meant it. And when he told her that he would be there for her, he was being truthful.
Her husband might not have been in love with her, but he clearly cared for her. It was time for Rose to accept that she cared for him just as much… and to start showing him that she appreciated everything he did for her. At this point, she felt that she owed him that, at least.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Would you like to go in by yourself?” Christopher asked Rose, expecting her to say yes without hesitation.
Rose considered his question, biting into her lower lip the whole while. “I… no,” she offered him finally, even if she did not sound completely certain. “I would like for you to come.”
“Are you certain?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you want me to say no?”
“Not at all,” Christopher assured her. “But she is your sister, and I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You already are in the way.” She laughed as she said it, confirming that she didn’t mean what she said. “I want you there, Christopher. And knowing my sister as well as I do, I might need you there too.”
“What does that mean?”
“I am sure that you will see soon enough.”
They arrived just moments ago at the inn where Lady Marianne said that she would be waiting for Rose. It was a small roadside inn, the type that someone from Christopher’s class would never ordinarily be caught dead in. But he supposed that was the point.
Lady Marianne was hiding, and she did not wish to be happened upon by accident. That she told Rose where she was, spoke to how much she trusted her sister… trust that was about to be broken by Christopher’s presence.
Christopher was still not sure why Rose had agreed so quickly to his joining her. He worried that she had done so because she did not feel like she had a choice. Or maybe she was worried about how he would react if she refused him? Mostly, he was concerned that she did not want him there at all.
Now, however, he was beginning to see the situation from a different point of view.
They stood outside the door of Lady Marianne’s room, preparing to knock and announce their arrival. Rose was clearly nervous, as she had been for the last hour of the journey. More than once, Christopher thought she was going to take his hand and hold it as a means to find calm. More than once, he considered doing it for her.
She wants me here. More than that, she needs me here. Whatever we are, whatever this marriage has become, we are no longer strangers… and it is no longer a mere marriage of convenience.
Christopher could not say how he felt about this development. While he wanted to distance himself from Rose, he could not comprehend doing such a thing. Not anymore. Not after all they had been through.
It was time that he started to accept what this marriage was turning into. It was time he stopped running.
“Here we go.” Rose took a deep breath and knocked on the closed door of the inn’s bedroom. “Ready?”
“Too late now,” Christopher said simply.
The door flew open suddenly, and they were greeted by a smiling face… which very quickly turned to one of shock and then anger. “What is he doing here?” Lady Marianne gasped when she saw Christopher. “Rose? What is he doing here?”
“I asked him to come,” Rose said carefully. “Marianne, please, if we might –”
