Past Loves

Part 32

Chapter 32

As soon as the horse stopped, Rose jumped from it, ignoring the stinging that vibrated up her leg. Her pain did not matter at the moment. What truly matter was her cousin. She could just imagine the heartbreak that Cassie was gong though. Not only that, but worry clawed at Rose’s chest. Who was it that had died in their absence? Was it William, the misplaced Prince? He couldn’t die, not when he had yet to live his life. She refused to believe it could be Colin or Cooper either. They could not pass on from this life. Not yet, it was too soon.

The manor doors, which were normally closed, were open for her to run through. Ramsey must have forgotten to shut them during his entrance, but she could not see fault in his actions. The man was most likely as worried as she was, mayhap more so. She followed the sound of voices, not surprised when it led her to the kitchen. It seemed that when times were hard, people hid in the room.

She pushed the doors open, and as they swung behind her, eyes turned towards her. All of them were clouded with absence, but they were all there. William stood at Cassie’s side, his hand on her shoulder. Colin had his wife curled in his lap as she sobbed into his chest. Cooper was kneeling on the ground beside them, his head rested in Cassie’s lap. She opened her mouth, ready to ask the question she dreaded.

Narrowed eyes from all the men made her mouth snap shut. The only sound that echoed through the room was Cassie’s hiccups as she tried to stop crying. The doors behind her swung open, making her glance back at Peirce and Phillip. The boy frowned at the scene, his eyes instantly clouding with worry as he stared at the group of remorseful people. Peirce did not hesitate to cross the room.

He paused though, as he reached his friends. His eyes stared at Cassie, Colin, and Cooper for a moment before he looked at Ramsey. “Make her stop,” he whispered, barely loud enough for Rose to hear.

Ramsey frowned at Peirce for a moment, before understanding crossed his face. The determined look that crossed Ramsey’s face brought Rose back to her past. He had not appeared so dedicated to one task since before James ruined his life.

“Cassie,” her brother said in a light tone. When the woman did nothing but burrow further into her husband’s chest, Ramsey bent down closer to her. “Cassandra Elaine Moore, if you do not listen to me this instant, I am sending a letter to your father.”

Cassie turned towards Ramsey with devastation on her face. Rose wished her cousin would glare at Ramsey, wished she would show at least a little bit of the Cassie they all knew. “What?” she asked, her voice sounding as if it had not been used in ages.

Ramsey let out a sigh before rising to his full height. “You have to stop crying.”

Colin’s eyes narrowed at her brother, and Rose could tell the man was almost to his breaking point. All he could do was hold Cassie, try to comfort her, but at that moment, Ramsey’s harsh tone was what Cassie needed. Rose just hoped that Colin would realize that before Ramsey had more than one head wound to contend with.

“My mother,” Cassie whispered.

Ramsey was shaking his head before she could continue. “Was dying. She was in pain, Cassie, and now, she is somewhere where she is no longer in pain.”

Cassie turned towards Colin and pressed her face into his chest as if she were trying to hide from the world. Colin looked up with a resigned expression on his face before he let out a sigh. “Cassie,” he whispered, smoothing the messy hair on top of her hair, “Ramsey is correct. You must stop crying.”

Rose saw the grip Cassie had on Colin’s waist tighten as the man began to talk. Even when Cassie seemed incoherent, she could hear Colin. A small smile slipped onto Rose’s face when she looked over at Peirce. She had always dreamed to find something similar to her cousin’s love with Colin, and she had with Peirce. He turned towards her as if feeling her eyes on him. A small smile spread across his lips as he nodded. It was almost as if he were thinking the same as she.

“The sadness,” Colin continued, “will be there for quite some time, but as you age, so will your memories. There will be no room for the sad ones, only happy ones. When I lost my mother, I never thought the grief would end. It did not, but it eased, love. Just as yours will.”

“I just found her,” Cassie said, her face pushing away from Colin’s face. She looked up at her husband with tears flowing down her cheeks.

His free hand came up to brush them from her face. “I know, Cassie, but you need to stay calm.”

The hand that swiped at her tears now rested on her protruding belly. Cassie looked down, understanding lighting her eyes. “It is unwell for the baby for me to be acting so?”

“Yes,” Colin answered. Small smiles flew onto everyone’s faces. Cassie, the one who knew more about health than all the others, was asking Colin for answers, as if she did not already know.

She shifted, before freezing. Her eyes narrowed at her husband as she tried to ease herself from his lap. Colin held onto her, stopping all her efforts of moving. “I weigh too much to be sitting on your lap as a child would,” she grumbled.

Peirce let out a laugh, causing Cassie’s eyes to widen. She glanced towards him and smiled as if she had not realized he was there to begin with. As far as Rose knew, her cousin had not realized that they had returned from their small trip.

“You have returned,” Cassie said, her eyes darting around the room before settling on Rose. Another smile, crossed her face, but Rose could see the brimming of tears. “We buried her this morn,” Cassie whispered.

“Cassie,” Rose whispered, remorse in her voice.

Cassie shook her head, before wiping at her eyes. “No more tears,” she mumbled, before smiling at them all. “It may take me time, but I am stronger than this.”

Rose smiled at her cousin with a nod. “That you are.”

Taking a deep breath, Cassie’s eyes froze on Phillip, who was still standing in the same spot. “Who are you?” she asked, a friendly smile on her face.

Just as everyone did, Phillip relaxed when the words slipped from Cassie’s mouth. “Phillip.” Cassie’s eyebrows scrunched together in concentration, urging Phillip to continue speaking. “Peirce’s son.”

She nodded as if she expected the answer, but Rose could see the surprise flash in her eyes. Looking towards Peirce, she stared at him. “It looks as if I am not the only one who eventful events have happened too. Come,” she said, finally escaping from Colin’s grip to stand, “let us go to the study and talk. It is more comfortable there.” She began walking towards the kitchen doors before pausing near Phillip. Reaching out, she pulled the boy into a quick hug. “Would you be so kind to help me?”

He stared up at her with large, almost worshiping eyes. “Yes, my lady.”

She smiled down at him, making a large smile cross Phillip’s face. “Will you play with my son, Ramsey, and William while we speak to one another? It seems as if Cooper is in need of a playmate closer to his age.”

Phillip nodded his head before Cassie had time to finish her words. “Splendid,” she whispered before hobbling towards the kitchen doors once more. They all stood, watching her go, but as soon as she left from sight, Colin jumped to his feet to chase after her.

Peirce walked towards the doors also, but on his way, he snagged Rose’s hand in a tight grip. “For some reason,” he whispered into her ear, “I have an odd feeling Cassie will not only asking us events of the past, but of the future also.”

She closed her eyes as he whispered the words. Was it so horrid that she was excited about the talk they were walking towards? Because Cassie was not the only one who had questions of the future, Rose was plagued with them also, and before the day was through, she would have her answers.