Page 33 of Papa's Captive
Once the door closed behind Harriet, Rosie retrieved the key and opened the wooden box. Her heart pounded and her fingers shook as she lifted the lid, though she had memorized the contents long ago. Still, each time she viewed the items, the shock and horror returned anew.
* * *
“I beg your pardon, milady,”Harriet’s voice startled Rosie so severely she tossed the newspaper clippings in her hands into the air, sending them scattering across the room.
Rosie rushed to collect them and Harriet did as well. “Oh dear, milady,” she apologized, “I did not mean to give you such a fright.”
“I know you did not mean to, Harriet,” Rosie said, scurrying to gather the clippings before Harriet had a chance to see their contents. She could have ordered the servant to leave while she retrieved all of them, but that would have seemed even more peculiar than the fact she had tossed them all into the air like a frightened goose. “I was simply deep in thought and was not expecting to be disturbed.”
Rosie had managed to find all the loose bits of paper and shoved them back into the box and closed the lid. “What has brought you back to my room, Harriet?”
“Oh yes, I forgot in all the hubbub. You have a caller.”
“A caller? Who would even be aware of my presence here?”
“It is Lady Joyce Wartwhistle, Lord Caldwell’s cousin. I believe she called to see his lordship. Since he is not at home, I believe the butler mentioned your presence. I understand she is eager to make your acquaintance. But, if you wish, I can ask Fenton to inform her you are unavailable.”
The thought of a social call with a stranger was daunting, but Rosie wanted to make Papa proud and prove that she could carry out all the duties as Lady Caldwell.
“No, that will not be necessary. Please tell her I shall join her very soon.”
“Yes, milady.” Harriet dropped a curtsy and exited.
Rosie had never had a caller of her own. She supposed Lord Caldwell’s visits at Talcott House counted, but those were of a completely different nature than a social call from her new husband’s cousin. She almost wished Garland were there to provide a distraction and monopolize the conversation as she had done at Talcott House.
Rosie glanced at herself in the mirror and patted her hair. If there was more time, she would have changed her dress, but she did not wish to keep Lady Wartwhistle waiting.
At first glance, it was difficult to imagine her guest was in any manner related to the warm and charismatic Lord Caldwell, her papa. Lady Wartwhistle’s eyes reminded Rosie of raisins pushed into the dough of a ginger cookie. Her mouth appeared incapable of smiling, though she did give a pained effort of doing so when Rosie entered the room and introduced herself.
The tea service arrived and before Rosie could do the honors, as was her duty as hostess, Lady Wartwhistle took up the pot and poured out for both of them, added cream and sugar to Rosie’s drink without asking her preference and proceeded to fill a plate of sweets for herself, though none for Rosie.
“What a shock it was to hear my dear cousin, William, had wed. Why none of his family had ever known of him having a preference for any young lady. Your name was most certainly never mentioned before.” Lady Wartwhistle took an unladylike bite of cake and chewed with gusto.
“It was a rather sudden occurence,” Rosie said, sipping her tea and trying not to pull a face as it was excessively sweet. Apparently Lady Wartwhistle had never been required to economize and use less sugar.
“Shockingly sudden,” Lady Wartwhistle said around the cake jammed between her jowls.
Rosie heartily regretted her decision to meet with Lady Wartwhistle without her papa and struggled to come up with a conversational topic or excuse to send her guest on her way.
“I am sorry Lord Caldwell was unable to be here for your visit. How unfortunate that you have arrived the one and only day he plans to be away from Craigmul Castle. What are the odds of such an occurrence?”
“What are the odds indeed?” Lady Wartwhistle said, eyeing a plum tart. “But, that gives you and I an opportunity to become better acquainted.” She turned her eager eyes from the tray of sweets to Rosie, giving her the feeling she might be pounced upon next.
“Yes, that is true.” The prospect of becoming bosom friends with Lady Wartwhistle did not sit well with Rosie. Or perhaps it was the overly sweet tea she felt compelled to drink.
“Since William has not chosen to tell me about you, I shall have to find out for myself.” Lady Wartwhistle returned her attention to the tarts and placed two upon her plate, then looked back to Rosie. “Perhaps you could start by telling me about your family?”
That was the one question Rosie did not wish to answer. She had arrived in the drawing room to meet Papa’s cousin expecting it to be a cordial visit. She had even been a tiny bit hopeful of finding a potential friend. Lady Wartwhistle quickly disabused her of that notion. Though she had not been directly unfriendly, she was most certainly brusque and off putting. There was nothing warm about her. She was the type of person Rosie had grown to instinctively avoid, though she could hardly walk away in this instance since the offending personage was a cousin to her papa.
“Have you tried the strawberry jam?” Rosie offered a pot of the sweet spread to her guest. She even went so far as to dab a bit of it on a slice of bread and offer it to Lady Wartwhistle, practically shoving it in her mouth.
Happily, the food distracted Lady Wartwhistle. But only momentarily. “I do not believe you have told me about your family. Where do you come from? Who are your people? And pray, how did you and my cousin meet?”
My people are all dead.
No,a small voice said,you have a family. Your friends at Talcott House.That same small voice gave Rosie the impish notion that she might enjoy shocking Lady Wartwhistle, however out of character such behavior might be.
“I grew up at Talcott House, a home for girls without families.”
