Page 14 of The Duke's Auctioned Spinster
And it was a foregone conclusion that it would end in disappointment. Rose felt sorry for them and was tempted to end their misery, but then she thought that they had had so little reason to hope for her future that they could enjoy it now.
Rose bid them farewell and then ventured outside. She was accompanied by her maid, Jenny, who was a couple of years younger than Rose. She had straight black hair, wide eyes, and a generous figure. The footman came to open the door. Rose peered inside, expecting to find Edmund sitting there.
Instead, the carriage was empty.
“Where is he?” Rose asked.
The footman inclined his head. “His Grace is waiting for you, my lady.”
“Waiting? Where? He has kept me waiting all day.”
“I am afraid I am under strict orders to keep that a secret. His Grace would like you to be surprised,” the footman said.
She had not even met with him yet, and he was already irritating her. She climbed into the carriage. Jenny followed. The door was fastened shut, and then the carriage set off at a steady pace.
“I cannot believe he is not even here to greet me,” Rose said.
“Perhaps the surprise is worth the wait,” Jenny said. “He must have something grand planned if he has gone to all this trouble, my lady.”
“We shall see,” Rose said. “I just wish I knew where we are going.” Rose pressed her face to the window in an effort to see in which direction they were heading, but she could not discern anything.
“I am sure there is no need to be nervous. It’s not as though His Grace is going to bring you anywhere dangerous. He is justmaking a show of it, I imagine, and what you want is a man to make an effort. That’s what my mother always said. It shows they care.”
Rose was about to tell Jenny that it did not matter to her whether Edmund cared or not, but thought better of it. The fewer people who knew the truth of the arrangement, the better.
The carriage ended up stopping at Green Park. The door was held open, and the footman helped Rose down. The day was bright, and the air was crisp. Great swathes of green carpeted the land, only separated by winding stone paths. Trees stood proudly, their leaves catching the sunlight. It was not a crowded park, but some people were still enjoying various gentle activities.
And sitting atop a small mound was Edmund. He waved and beckoned her over. A pale yellow blanket lay upon the ground, and a hamper was beside him. Edmund rose to his feet and greeted her with a smile.
“Good afternoon, my lady. How are you today?”
“I am fine, although I wasn’t expecting you to take so long.”
“I do apologize. I thought it would be worth the wait, and you did say you don’t rise early, so I thought I had better play it safe.”
“When I said that, I didn’t mean I slept in until the afternoon! I am not an idler,” she said.
Edmund just grinned.
“I have a gift for you,” he said, and held out a fist. Rose stared at it.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Open your palm and close your eyes.”
“I am not playing silly games.”
“This isn’t a game. It’s a gift,” Edmund gave her an encouraging nod. Rose huffed and did as he asked. As she held out her palm, she felt something fall into it. She opened her eyes to see her ribbon.
“My ribbon!” she exclaimed, and the annoyance retreated from her face as she looked at Edmund in wonder, thinking to herself that he might not have been all that bad.
“I noticed you left it behind. I thought I’d bring it back to you. I know how protective you are of your possessions.”
“Thank you,” Rose said. “Luke was playing with it for a little while. He managed to untie it, and I must have forgotten to take it with me.”
“Well, now you can stop fretting, and please, sit down. Your maid may join us if she wishes. What is her name?” he said, turning toward Jenny.
“This is Jenny,” Rose said.
