Past Loves

Part 14

Chapter 14

Rose bit her lip.  This was completely unlike her.  Never had she wondered if she should keep silent; she had always said what she thought.  It was how her mother was, it was how her cousin was, and damned if it wasn’t how she was.  So, why was she keeping silent when the wicked Lady Emily set her sights upon a helpless Peirce?  Mayhap it was because she was testing him.  Did he so easily go to a woman whom did nothing but remind him of his past?  Or did he make an attempt to move on, to live happily with a woman who was the complete opposite of his dead wife?

Letting out a frustrated breath, she kicked the rock lying in front of her.  It soared in the air, her eyes watching it throughout its descent.  Sailing through the air, it landed directly in the middle of Peirce’s forehead.  “This is fantastic,” she mumbled, dropping to the dirt-covered ground without thinking of propriety or how clean her dress would be.

Rubbing the red mark on his head, he made his way towards her.  “Was there something you said, Rose?”

She shook her head in denial.  “Nothing worth repeating.  Pray, tell me, where is my cousin?”

“Hmm,” he said in amusement, “very much occupied by her husband.”

A flush stole across her cheeks at what his words meant.  They both knew what Cassie and Colin were doing.  They both understood the way the two felt about one another, and Rose had a feeling that they were both thinking about their own, shared moments.

Peirce walked towards her in silent.  Sitting down beside her, he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.  “I have a feeling that you wished to speak to me.”

“You may be right,” she admitted, “but I fear you will think I am lying to you.”

His body turned towards her.  Reaching out, he placed his hand under her chin in order to raise it for his view.  “Cassie taught me a very important lesson in life.”

“What was that?”

He smiled at her.  “To watch a person as they speak.  Watching them can help you in your future; it helps you learn about them, it helps you know things they wish to keep hidden.”

“Like…” she trailed off, waiting for him to explain himself.

“Such as the fact that you are a horrid liar.”  His eyes sparkled in open humor.  “How is it possible for me to not believe you when all I have to do is simply watch you why you speak?”

“You cannot tell when I tell a falsehood,” she denied.

Leaning away from her, he glanced over at her with an expression that clearly told her how much she would regret those words.  His hand reached out, grabbing a lock of her red hair.  Twirling it around his finger, he let out a sigh.  “You see, you have a fondness for your hair, one that many women would have if they had hair as beautiful as yours.”  She opened her mouth to speak her thanks, but he continued.  “You do have a habit of twirling it about your finger as you lie.  Bad habit, if you ask me, twirling your hair as you lie.”

Her eyes narrowed at him as the smug expression turned to one of mirth.  “Have you spoken to Cassie?  Did she tell you how to realize when I am not speaking the truth?”

He shook his head at her, his expression becoming more serious.  “You forget, Rose, I have watched you.  I know your habits just as you know mine.  We can attempt to deny it as much as we wish, but we both know that our eyes stray to one another too often not to notice such things.”

It was true.  Every word he had uttered rang with a tone of completely truthfulness.  Her eyes could not keep away from him just his could not stray from her for too long.  It was inconvenient, dangerous, and thrilling.  Cassie had told her how it was once her and Colin had finally moved past the fact that their marriage would not be one of convenience.  She had told Rose how much she loved to be held by her husband, how much security one felt in another’s arms, but that was not what she wanted.  She wanted Peirce, yes, but did she want a husband?

The question lingered in her mind as he searched her face.  Letting out a sigh, she plastered a smile on her face.  It mattered not what she wished for she knew Peirce would never marry again.  The man had lost his heart when he lost his wife.  No one could compare, and no one would ever win the prize of being the wife of Peirce.

“I beg of you,” he starts, snapping her from her musings, “tell me what it is that worries you.”

She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes.  She should not have waited for her cousin’s return.  She should have retired while she had the chance.  She was stuck now; there was nowhere to go but forward.  “You must first promise me that you will listen to what I have to say.”

“I give you my word,” he replied without hesitation.

Glancing away from him, she said, “You must also promise not to be angry with me, or think I am saying this for selfish reasons.”

“I give you my word, Rose,” he said with a sigh.  “Tell me what it is you wished to say.”

“Emily,” she stared, snapping her eyes towards Peirce, “she plans to make you her husband.”

Confusion crossed Peirce’s face before the man smiled at her.  He actually smiled!  The gall of the man.  “Emily views me as a brother, nothing else.”

“Really?” she seethed, pushing further away from him.  “Is that why she threatened me when we were at the river?  Or is that why she will not leave you be for one moment, no matter how many times I attempt to get you alone.”

“Rose,” Peirce said with a sigh, “I am not saying that you would lie to me.  I know you would not, but she is truly not like that.  Mayhap you read the situation wrong.  The woman is new here, out of her element.  The only companion she has is me.”

“And the fact that she threatened me?”

He shrugged.  “She had always been protective of me, insisting that it was for my own good.”

“There,” she said in satisfaction, “that is all the evidence I need.  She has been protective of you your entire life because she wished to entangle you in a wedding.  Surely, you can see that.”

Peirce stood to his feet, shaking his head at her with a disappointed look upon his face, he said, “I expected more of you, Rose.  I thought you were different from the others.  I had thought that you would not stoop to such low means in order to get what you want.”

He began walking back towards the manor door, leaving her heaving in anger.  If he thought that he would get away with the humiliation he had just put her through, he was sorely mistaken.  He had given his word that he would not believe her to be selfish, but as soon as she brought Emily’s name into the mix, Peirce clammed up and thought ill of Rose. 

Standing to her feet, she stomped towards him.  Not stopping, she passed by him while saying, “I would rather a person believe me selfish than be someone who breaks their word.”

As she sauntered past him, she wished she could smile.  Her small victory should allow that, but her heart was heavy.  Her face did not want to form the slightest tilt.  She now realized how it felt like to be dejected, and she did not like it one bit.