Page 48 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

Rhys said nothing, but he wondered if Rose was speaking about Violet or him.

“Violet has spent so much time worrying about other people’s happiness that she has ignored her own,” Rose continued. “More than that, she does not think that she deserves to be happy. As if it can wait until all the world’s problems are solved.”

“She seems happy now,” Rhys said as if in defense.

Rose smiled gently. “I worry it will not last. You see, Violet has spent her life helping other people, a conviction that has caused her to refuse when others wish to offer her help. She does not know how to accept help, she thinks of it as a weakness, and I worry that if this little moment here passes…” She exhaled and dropped her shoulders. “I worry that if something happens, she will ignore it, or she will refuse to admit it exists, rather than asking for help.”

“If something happens?” Rhys frowned. “What could possibly happen?”

Rose shrugged. “Hopefully, nothing. Who knows, perhaps this scene right here…” She indicated with a flick of her head towards Violet and Lucy; the little girl’s laughter drifted across the garden. “Maybe it will last forever. Obviously, I hope it will.”

Rhys’ brow furrowed as he considered what Rose was really saying.

Yes, these last few weeks had been easy, and as close to being happy as he could remember, but that did not mean it would last forever. And, with Rhys being who he was, that darkness inside of him that he wished did not exist but knew to be lurking deep down, there was a very good chance that he would do something to ruin it all.

In fact, if my past is any indication, it is a near certainty.

And when that moment came, it would shatter this reality into pieces, breaking apart the illusion and destroying not just Violet’s tranquil little world but Lucy’s as well.

Worse still, Violet would be so determined to deny that things were falling apart, that she would say nothing. And then, slowly and surely, things would spiral until the worst happened.

Perhaps it was a bleak way to look at the world? But again, Rhys had experienced such a thing already, and while he could do little about his own misery and self-doubt, that did not have to be the case for Violet.

“Is this the part where you give me some advice?” he asked Rose.

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “Whatever do you mean?”

He sighed. “I get the sense that you did not come to see me so that you might lament your sister’s passing happiness. You came to advise me on how I might ensure that it continues.” He raised an eyebrow of his own.

Rose grinned. “You need to earn her trust, but you cannot make it obvious that you are doing so. Ironically, any efforts to earn her trust will be seen as false gestures.”

“That sounds like a paradox.”

“Oh, I am aware,” she laughed. “My sister is a complex creature. What she appreciates, and what she will notice most of all, are small gestures. Moments that to many might seem insignificant but to her will speak volumes.”

“Such as?”

“I will leave that up to you, Your Grace. Affection is most often found in moments where it is unexpected. Not pursued but stumbled upon. Do not force trust on her, but let it come naturally. That is how Violet will come to see you as someone whom she not only trusts, but someone whom she believes wants to help her.”

“And what of you?” he said. “If you care so much about her, ought you not to be helping her?”

“Why do you think I am speaking to you?”

Rhys exhaled sharply from his nose, acknowledging her point. She saw him do it, nodded once, and turned to watch Violet and Lucy as they slowly made their way back toward the garden. Lucy saw them both watching, and she waved eagerly.

“Why are you so certain that I even care?” Rhys asked her next, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it said anyway. “For all you know, I care not about Violet and how she feels. As I have said many times, Lucy is who matters to me.”

“Perhaps I am optimistic,” Rose said. “Or perhaps I am not nearly as stubborn as both of you. You and Violet are the same, you know.”

“How so?”

She laughed and shook her head as if the answer was so obvious. “Just the way that you would deny the existence of the sun in the sky, even as it burns your skin. And for no other reason than you think you have some point to make or what have you. I see things, Your Grace…” She paused, watching the other two walking closer, and smiled. “A good thing too, because someone around here needs to do so.”

Rhys said nothing.

There could be no doubt about Rose’s true intentions for speaking with him. Yes, her sister’s happiness was a part of it, but it ran much deeper than that. She had clearly spent the last few weeks watching them and, in so doing, had come to conclusions that Rhys was not nearly willing to admit.

But what of Violet? Has she said something to Rose? Is that why…