“Quite,” said Rosanna with a laugh. “Your words have been used so many times that they’ve rusted over and could use a coat of polish. However, your comment does prove a point I’ve heard debated at length.”
Mr. Malcolm allowed that statement to linger just a moment before he rose to the bait. “Which is?”
“That the servant class is no different from their masters. At least when it pertains to flirtation.”
“Did I not tell you, Miss Leigh? I am a revolutionary at heart, doing what I can to correct erroneous thinking on the part of the ignorant.”
Rosanna couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. In all honesty, the banter was not terribly witty, but it was hard to view the world seriously when she had mud caked in her pantalettes and was holding the arm of a groom who (despite his handsome features) would send Mama into a fit if she spied him squiring her daughter about with all the grace and manners of a fine gentleman.
This day was quite odd indeed.
“And now, you’ve done your level best to distract me from my previous question, but I shan’t be put off another moment,” said Mr. Malcolm, glancing at her as he led her around a copse. “What has you standing in the forest, looking forlorn on such a glorious day? You are clearly from a well-established family and blessed with enough beauty to guarantee you are the envy of every lady you meet. It would seem your life is filled to bursting with reasons to be grateful.”
And just like that the storm clouds rolled in.
Rosanna pulled to a stop and stared at Mr. Malcolm. “And because my life has a few obvious blessings, I must be unceasingly happy? A lady cannot possibly want more in life than a healthy income and fine features, is that it? As long as she is amply supplied with both, she shall spend her days frolicking about the forest without a care in the world. After all, troubles only belong to the poor and plain.”
Mr. Malcolm opened his mouth, those gleaming blue eyes dimming as his brows pulled tight together, but Rosanna spoke over him. Whether it was the anonymity rife in the disparity of their social positions or that she would likely never see him again, Rosanna couldn’t keep her tongue in check as the thoughts and feelings surged to the forefront, pressing down on her.
“A lady in my position couldn’t possibly be overwhelmed with expectations, could she? No, she only enjoys the lavishness of her lifestyle, not bothered by the fact that she is bartered about like some commodity to be sold between father and husband?”
Rosanna’s hands flew to her mouth, stifling anything more that might’ve slipped out, and she winced. “I—”
“Think nothing of it, Miss Leigh,” he said, raising a hand in supplication before taking hold of hers and threading it through his arm once more. “Believe it or not, I am well aware of how difficult family expectations can be. It is the reason I escaped to Greater Edgerton.”
“Your parents wished you to be a footman rather than a groom?” she replied with a faint smile.
“They would never hope for anything as lofty as that.” Mr. Malcolm chuckled and shook his head. “I assure you men are not immune to pressures of marriage. Though my father is no longer with us, I am certain if he were here, he would be as vocal as my mother is about me choosing a proper bride and producing a horde of offspring. As her only son, all her expectations for a regiment’s worth of grandchildren to carry on the family name rest solely on my shoulders.”
“For all that family can be such a blessing, I fear they can be so vexing at times,” murmured Rosanna. She paused, her gaze turning to the greenery around them, and amended that thought. “Except my sister, Prudence, of course. I could never do without her.”
“Is that so?” he asked, and with a bit of prodding (though she required little of it), Mr. Malcolm had her speaking of her sister and family. Rosanna avoided some of the more unsavory aspects of the Leighs, which were unfortunately vast, but there they strolled, arm in arm, discussing their respective families, which led to other subjects that were far more varied than those Rosanna would’ve imagined a groom would be interested in.
For all that it was ridiculous, she couldn’t help but allow her imagination to settle for the briefest moment on the thought that Mr. Malcolm was quite a fine man. More than his outward appearance, he had a way about him. Rosanna couldn’t help but allow herself to be led along, physically and conversationally. Mr. Malcolm had such a keen wit and an air of joviality that begged for others to join in.
And at that moment, Rosanna desperately needed a bit of laughter.
Yet even as she reveled in the feel of her arm woven through his, she forced herself back to reality. Attraction was one thing, but to fancy anything more than that was foolhardy. Even if Mr. Malcolm were the best of men, a family did not survive on love alone.
Perhaps that was cynical of her, but one did not reach seven and twenty years of life without having learned something about love and marriage. At least, Rosanna hadn’t. For all that her heart was as silly and romantic as other young ladies, she had seen too many married off into varying situations and watched as the blush of first love faded beneath the reality of daily life.
Girls with hearts full of joy approached the marriage altar to exchange vows, certain that love weathered every storm. Then the bills and children arrived, and the worries and cares of daily life ate away at that felicity until the affection that once was no longer existed. If Rosanna needed proof of that fact, she need only look at her parents. Mama and Papa hardly had a kind word to say to each other, though theirs had been a love match once upon a time.
That was no way to live.
Not that she desired an arrangement solely for money’s sake, for those cold marriages fared no better. Surely there was a compromise in there somewhere. A sensible marriage with a strong footing based on securityandlove. And perhaps Rosanna might have believed it to be merely a fancy, but Parker and Prudence’s success proved it was possible. Her sister adored her husband, and though they were not well off, they were happily situated.
It didn’t even bother Prudence that they had only a maid-of-all-work to manage the house chores. But then, her elder sister had always been far more capable. Frugality didn’t frighten her. More likely than not, Prudence was knee-deep in dusting and cleaning fireplaces at this very moment, handling the added work without question. After all, she had taken on the role of adoptive mother to her new niece whilst aiding her husband and brother-in-law after the unexpected loss of their sister and wife.
And without a nursemaid.
Rosanna couldn’t imagine how to even begin tackling dirty nappies or all the laundry required for a babe. Yet Prudence managed it with aplomb.
“What was that expression?”
Jerking from her thoughts, she glanced at Mr. Malcolm. “Pardon?”
He arched his brow and smirked. “You were frowning just now, though I was recounting the exceptionally diverting tale of how I ended up in this corner of the estate, searching for the errant horse.”
