Page 37 of The Penitent Duke
“I do know that but does not both of these incidents warn you away from the Duke?” Tears came into Lady Eleanor’s eyes, surprising Rosalind. “Lady Pearl came to a sudden and sorrowful end, did she not? What if you are destined for the same?”
“Because I am to wed the Duke?” Rosalind asked, quite astonished at her friend’s remarks. “My dear Eleanor, I cannot think that these two accidents have anything to do with my betrothal to the Duke.”
“And what if you are mistaken? What if there is something nefarious? Something that wants to push you away from him? What if these are warnings that the Duke is not a gentleman you ought to be connected to?”
Hearing Lady Eleanor’s voice rising, Rosalind squeezed her hand, seeing the fear in her eyes and wondering if she herself was not taking this situation seriously enough. Letting out a slow breath, she smiled and then shook her head. “I am grateful for your concern, of course, but I think these two incidents are just what they look like – accidents.” Seeing the tears in Lady Eleanor’s eyes, Rosalind leaned a little closer. “You are such a good friend to be so worried for me but I am sure that there is nothing to your worries.”
“I would not be so sure.”
Rosalind jumped in surprise, turning her head just as a figure moved to come around the bench to face them. Rising to her feet quickly for fear that this was some dark threat – Lady Eleanor beside her – Rosalind came face to face with a lady, her face veiled as though she feared the effect the sun might have on her skin. All the same, Rosalind could make out a pair of eyes from behind the netting, eyes that were searching hers.
“Who are you?” she said, heedless to just how blunt that made her sound. “Whatever is the meaning of this? You ought not to be listening to our conversation and –”
“I come to speak with you out of great concern,” the lady said, her voice quiet as Lady Eleanor took Rosalind’s arm, perhaps as a show of solidarity or protection. “I have seen what has happened to you. I agree with your friend, it isnotmerely an accident.”
All of the breath left Rosalind’s body as she looked back at the lady, trying to make out more of her face, trying to understand where such a warning came from.
“I cannot be sure but I must warn you to be careful,” the lady continued, one hand reaching out for just a moment to touch Rosalind’s arm. “I fear that you might be in danger.”
“Danger?” Rosalind repeated, the word tasting foul in her mouth. “In what way? Danger from whom?”
The lady closed her eyes briefly. “I cannot be certain of it, as I have said.”
“But you can still give us a name,” Lady Eleanor protested, quickly. “You cannot simply expect us to believe all that you have said, merely because you have said it! We do not know who you are and it is clear that you wish to protect your own identity also.”
The lady sighed heavily, then shook her head. “Lady Rosalind, pay heed to my words.” She took a breath, then lifted her chin just a little. “Be on your guard. Bealwayson your guard. These two accidents are, I am sure, a way to try and injure the Duke of Strathmore.”
Rosalind snatched in a breath, going cold all over. “The Duke? My betrothed? Why would whoever the perpetrator is seek to injure my betrothed? I do not understand.”
“You should end your betrothal.” Lady Eleanor, not listening to Rosalind’s questions nor waiting for an answer from the veiled lady, turned to grasp Rosalind’s arm. “This is proof enough that what I have said is true! Youmustend your betrothal.”
A wall of protests raised itself up between Rosalind and Lady Eleanor as her friend spoke. Rosalind could not explain it but the thought of ending her betrothal was not an idea she quickly accepted, nor one that she wanted to grasp a hold of. The Duke had, she admitted, begun to change and it was that change which gave her pause.
“I cannot tell you what to do, Lady Rosalind, nor would I even think to do such a thing,” the veiled lady added, still speaking just as quietly as she ever had, “but I fear that theseaccidents, as you have suggested they are, will only increase the longer your betrothal holds.”
Rosalind swallowed hard, then sank back down onto the bench, her mind swimming with thoughts. Lady Eleanor sat with her but the veiled lady stood before them, her gloved hands clasped tightly in front of her. Closing her eyes, Rosalind let out a breath, then lifted her gaze to the lady once more.
“Who is it that is doing these things?” she asked, hoping that she spoke with enough firmness but not overly so. “Surely the answer is to discover who it is that is injuring me while seeking to wound the Duke, rather than for me to end my betrothal?” Seeing the lady spread out her hands, Rosalind got to her feet again, albeit feeling a trifle unsteady. “I understand that you cannot be sure and that you might, then, be reluctant to express it but we must know of your thoughts, at least. That will bring us a little comfort as well as offering us a path by which we might go forward.”
The lady hesitated, then nodded. “I suppose that such a request is not, by any means, unreasonable.”
“Then you will tell us?”
The lady nodded in answer to Rosalind’s question, only for her eyes to widen, her gaze somewhere over Rosalind’s shoulder and, when Rosalind turned to look, she saw the Duke of Strathmore hurrying towards them.
When she looked back, the veiled lady was gone, hurrying away into a copse of trees nearby, clearly wishing to hide herself from them.
“Rosalind!” The Duke was upon her, catching her hands, gazing down at her with searching eyes. “Are you all right? I know you said in your letters that all was well but you look pale still.”
“I am well,” Rosalind reassured him, a little surprised at the sudden heat which rippled up through her, her fingers pressing through his of their own accord. “You need not worry, Strathmore. I am well, I assure you.”
The Duke swallowed hard as Lady Eleanor moved away, permitting them a little more privacy. “You cannot know of my worry,” he told her, his voice rasping just a little. “I have been having all manner of thoughts and concerns and now, to see you whole and without prolonged injury has brought me a good deal of relief.”
Rosalind, realizing that the pain of what had happened to Lady Pearl was still in his mind, squeezed his hand gently, her sympathy growing swiftly. “You need not worry, truly. The reason I look pale is because, truth be told, I have had something of a shock.”
“Oh?” The Duke’s eyes flared again. “What has happened now?”
“Nothing of concern,” Rosalind answered quickly, wanting to reassure him. “Please sit down and I will tell you all.”
