“But who are you marrying?”
Rose watched as Adeline dipped her head and peeked at the Duke of Stonecastle across the sleigh. He was staring straight at her with an even bigger grin on his face than Adeline had.
“What?” Rose was vexed. And befuddled. And addled. And all the other words that meant she was confused. And irritated. How had Adeline become engaged to a duke? What had happened last night that she missed? Though she would never trade places, she did wish to know what had transpired. And if there had been any way to be present, she would have liked that.
But Adeline? To a duke? It was scandalous. How could Adeline, a lady’s maid, let herself dream that big? Well, all she could do was be happy for her friend. She could figure out the rest later. Now wasn’t the time or place for a private conversation.
“I’m happy for you,” Rose finally said.
“Thank you,” the grin on Adeline’s face impossibly widened.
Rose leaned in, “I guess you’ve got it made now.”
At those words, Adeline turned to her friend. “I’m beyond elated. But this is not it.”
Rose scrunched up her face. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. But what I mean is, yes, I’m engaged. Yes, we’ll marry. But that’s not it for us. It’s not like we can ever get to some place or some time in life, and then we’rethere. Where everything is done and easy. Where we’ve achieved it all. Truly, life continues on. We have moments where everything is beautiful and precious and beyond our biggest dreams. And we must hold onto those moments and celebrate them. But life doesn’t stop here for us, simply because we’re engaged. We’ll have a family. There will be many more moments. Some trying. But many more treasured moments. If only we look for them, see them, and hold onto them. I could have missed all of this, but somehow, with some help,” Adeline nodded her head toward Margaret, “I found it.”
Adeline patted Rose’s hand. “I think you can find it too.”
Rose cocked an eyebrow.
“Just a hunch.” Her friend squeezed her hand, and then went back to stealing glances at the Duke of Stonecastle.
Adeline had just poured out her heart to her. It was all too much. Just because Adeline had found love with a duke didn’t mean that Rose had the same fate. That was assuming too much. Wishing too wildly.
No, there was no chance that at a single house party, two lowly servants could find their own love matches, each with a duke.
Chapter 9
ANDREWHATEDEVERYSTEPthat Rose had taken in her departure of him. It was a ridiculous plan, to pretend that nothing happened. To pretend that he didn’t want to have more of what they had shared together. To pretend that she didn’t want it either. He knew she was suppressing her emotions. And he could understand why. He was a duke.
His life was set out in a neat little box. Not only were things prearranged and expected of him, he liked them that way. Until last night, that is. Rose had infiltrated his–what he would now deem pathetic–box. She had damn near broken his box.
And he was perfectly content with it. What good would it be to live within the constraints of society and ancestral regime if he couldn’t experience what he had felt last night?
He was close to calling it love. He wasn’t spontaneous or impulsive. But he had been rocked, in the best possible way, past the perimeters he had thus far lived within.
He needed to tell her. He had been on his way to tell her. That’s why he had been so close on her heels when Jonathan had noticed him.
Now they sat in the sleigh together. Apart, but together. The inches between them were too much. He wanted to switch places with Adeline, but he would bide his time because the two women appeared to be deep in conversation.
Andrew rubbed shoulders with Luke and noticed him looking at Adeline with a goofy grin. “Luke, don’t you think you’re being a bit too obvious with her?”
Luke shot him a look. “Her? Byher, do you mean my fiancée?”
“Fiancée?”
“Don’t look so shocked.”
“I can’t hide it. I apologize.” All his years of ducal training hadn’t prepared him to respond to a duke affianced to a servant while he was considering the same, albeit with a different woman.
“Don’t worry. I suppose I’ll have to get used to it. You’re not the only one who will judge me.”
“I wouldn’t say judging. I would say…curious.” Andrew lowered his voice. Though he was already sure no one was listening, one could never be too careful with Lady Antonia around. “Doesn’t it all seem too contrary to everything we’ve been trained to do?” He wasn’t even asking because he believed it himself anymore. He was asking because he wanted to hear that someone else believed it too.
“It’s not the way it should be,” Luke looked across the sleigh at Adeline and then back up to Andrew. “You like everything neat and orderly. You like to be in control. You like to know what’s going to happen. I know you. And this…this just isn’t the way anyone could have predicted it. It’s so much better.” Luke’s exhale produced a vaporous cloud that dispersed slowly into the air. “Everything is as it is. And it’s always changing. Life doesn’t fit how we want it to. We fight it. We face it. We feel it. But we can’t change everything. Or make everythingright. We can’t control the factors or the outcome. We can only control our actions. And then we hope to God that the love of our life says yes.” Luke turned his gaze back to Adeline. “I got lucky. She said yes.”
