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Obviously, her friend had understood the significance of Dimitri’s words, even if her brothers hadn’t. Some of Rosalie’s pleasure in the evening picnic evaporated now that she realized it had been a farewell.

But Dimitri was still waiting for her answer, and there was only one she could give. She should be happy to give it, but she found she wasn’t in the least.

“I have indeed missed my mother,” she said, equally formally. “May I have permission to leave here to visit her?”

“Alas,” Dimitri said. “I cannot refuse you, and yet I know now that I will die. For if you leave me, I will surely sicken and perish.”

“I will not leave you, Beast,” Rosalie said, wishing she could put more enthusiasm into her script. “I swear that if you let me go to see her, I will return to you.”

“Do you mean it?” he asked, and his acting was perfect. The words sounded utterly sincere.

“I will be gone only a day,” she promised, seeing no need to drag out that portion of the story. “I will stay with her one night, and when I arise the next morning, I will return immediately.”

“Thank you,” Dimitri said, and again he sounded as if he meant the words.

They all headed inside quickly after that, but Rosalie lay awake in her soft, cloud-like bed for a long time. It was the lasttime she would lie in it, and she couldn’t bring herself to reach for sleep. She should welcome the morning and their imminent freedom from the Legacy, but somehow in her weeks at the manor, her original goal had become blurry and distant. She hadn’t felt trapped by the Legacy—not since that solitary day in the library—and ending her weeks in the manor no longer felt like the culmination of all her efforts.

Chapter 23

Rosalie

Rosalie walked away from the manor the next day with a silent and invisible escort. In exchange for a pouch of coins each, the boys had agreed to escort her home in complete silence and to then return to watch over Dimitri.

“You have to go straight back to him,” she told them when they reached the yard. “I don’t want him on his own. If something goes wrong, and he starts to sicken early, you’ve promised to come and fetch me. Don’t forget!”

“You’re going to be gone for one day,” Vernon said. “Relax.”

She waved them off, listening for their departing footsteps before she went inside to find her mother. She was greeted with great delight and a long hug.

When her mother finally pulled back, she held her by both shoulders, gazing into her face.

“But Rosalie, you look so well!” she exclaimed. “I expected you to look thin and haggard after such a long illness, but your skin is glowing.”

Rosalie clapped both hands to her cheeks, her face flushing. “Is it? It wasn’t a severe illness. I could still eat.” She made a silent promise to tell her mother the truth as soon as she was able. She hated deceiving her.

Her mother talked almost nonstop from morning until mid-afternoon. It made it easier for Rosalie, who didn’t want to make up stories about her supposed convalescence, but it also saddened her to realize how lonely her mother must have been. At least her loneliness was over now. Soon they would be able to bring their father home and end his long trips.

In the late afternoon, someone called from the front garden, bringing both women to their door. The unfamiliar postman waved a letter.

“For Madam Clifford?” he called, peering from one to the other.

“That’s me.” Rosalie’s mother hurried outside and accepted the letter. She brought it back into the house, tearing it open as she walked. “Oh!” she cried when she saw the signature at the bottom. “It’s from one of your brothers-in-law. No wonder I didn’t recognize the messenger. He must have come all the way from their town. Why ever did he spend so much to have a courier deliver the letter directly?”

She scanned the letter’s contents, her furrowed brow deepening as she read.

“What is it?” Rosalie asked in sudden dread. “Has something happened to Violet or Heather?”

“It’s the children,” her mother replied, folding the letter back up. “All of them are ill, and now both Violet and Heather have succumbed as well. My son-in-law has written to beg me to visit and lend my assistance.”

She looked at Rosalie, fresh concern filling her eyes. “But you’ve just returned today! And your brothers are away. I can’t leave you alone.”

“Of course you can,” Rosalie said. “We’ve had the whole day to catch up, and it sounds like my sisters need you far more than I do. If I get lonely, I’ll ask Daphne to come and stay.”

Her mother immediately relaxed. “Dear Daphne.” She smiled. “She makes me feel as if I have four daughters.”

Her smile fell away, and she looked sideways at Rosalie, clearly concerned for her slip of the tongue. Rosalie continued smiling back at her, despite her sudden sadness. Had she really been that sensitive about the Legacy that her family had feared mentioning the number of siblings in their family? As if Rosalie might have forgotten and been upset at the reminder?

Dimitri had been right. She had allowed her fear of the Legacy to rule her life.