Page 47

“Don’t worry,” he said seriously. “I won’t make a mistake.”

She regarded him for a moment before nodding. “In that case, let’s not waste any more time.”

Chapter 14

Rosalie

Rosalie still wasn’t sure she wasn’t being wildly reckless. She had been foolish beyond limit once before in a bid to escape the Legacy. But the circumstances were more urgent in this case, and she didn’t see any other option.

Having made the decision, she refused to second-guess herself, speed walking toward the manor at such a rate that Daphne complained a total of eight times. But Rosalie felt as if she were about to explode out of her skin, and the only thing she could think to do was keep moving. If she stopped, she was afraid she might implode completely. At least once the rose had been taken, there would be no possibility of turning back, and hopefully her nerves would relax.

She couldn’t even look at Dimitri. After everything that Jace had done, she was putting her fate in the hands of a handsome newcomer again. But at least this time they were natural allies. Dimitri hadn’t come up with the plan to save Rosalie—he had done it to save himself. Rosalie just hoped she could complete her part well enough that he was guaranteed to recover his normal form. If he was stuck as a Beast forever while her family lived in wealth and prosperity, she would never have another peaceful day.

Having rushed to the castle, she regretted her speed as soon as the grounds appeared. But she pushed her worries aside. She had a way to save her brothers and father, and she wasn’t going to turn away from it.

“You’d better go and hide among the trees,” Rosalie said to Dimitri. “Then you can emerge when Daphne picks the rose.”

She leaned toward Daphne and lowered her voice. “If we really have to pick one, you might as well pick one of the gold ones.”

Dimitri chuckled under his breath, and she glared at him. There was nothing funny about the situation.

Daphne, at least, didn’t seem to find anything odd in her statement. “That’s a good idea. Even if everything else goes wrong, I might be able to sell it for enough to pay Vernon’s debt.”

Rosalie nodded before cocking her head to the side in sudden confusion. “Did I ever say it was Vernon who borrowed the money?”

One side of Daphne’s mouth twitched upward. “It wasn’t hard to guess. Have Ralph or Oscar ever been the ones to get them into trouble?”

“They follow willingly enough,” Rosalie grumbled, but she didn’t disagree. Sometimes she didn’t know if she wanted to protect her brothers or wring their necks herself.

“You’d better move back a bit, Rosalie,” Daphne said. “If you’re going to be the substitute, you can’t be involved in this part.”

Rosalie reluctantly nodded her agreement and walked back to the far side of the road. She hoped it was far enough because she couldn’t bring herself to go out of sight completely. The important thing was that she not trespass on the manor’s grounds.

As soon as Dimitri disappeared from sight, Daphne sent Rosalie one last inquiring look. When Rosalie nodded at her, she stepped off the road.

Rosalie held her breath, but of course nothing happened just because Daphne had walked onto the manor grounds. Rosalie had done that herself without anything dramatic happening.

She resumed breathing but soon had to force herself to stop biting her lip before she gave herself an injury. At least Daphne didn’t walk far before she stopped in front of a rose plant. She was taking pity on Rosalie and staying in sight. Or perhaps the Legacy’s roses had managed to enchant her that quickly.

The bush she had selected was growing a mix of red and gold roses. As promised, she plucked the largest of the glowing golden ones. Holding it in her hand, she stared down at it for a moment before looking around the garden.

There was no one in sight, and Rosalie’s heart sank. Had something gone wrong already?

But she had barely finished the thought when Dimitri strode into sight. He struck a pose, hand on his sword hilt, and glared toward Daphne.

A slightly hysterical giggle worked its way up Rosalie’s throat. He looked like an overly dramatic actor in a traveling play. She only hoped the Legacy was easily manipulated.

“Who dares to steal what is mine?” he bellowed.

Daphne dropped back a step, clearly more affected than Rosalie. Was she feigning the startled response? If so, she was a much better actor than Dimitri.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was quieter than his, and Rosalie could only just catch it. “I took it for a friend of mine who is in great need. Surely you can spare one rose?”

“If you wish to take something of mine, you must pay the price,” Dimitri said before visibly hesitating over the next line. He finally sighed and continued. “I can either slay you whereyou stand, or else you can return tomorrow and agree to be my prisoner here.”

“Oh no!” Daphne cried, warming to his overly dramatic style. “I could not do so! I only sought to help a friend. She is far more beautiful than I and has a kinder heart as well.” She began to fake sob into her hands.

“In that case, your friend may choose to save you if she wills it. If she comes willingly in your place, you’ll be free.”