Chapter 278: At peace [1]
On the duke’s estate, Rosalie sat alone, planning a small gathering she wished to host for Eloise and other close friends to visit her.
Rosalie sat in her former chamber, the one she had used while growing up on the estate. She looked up from the paper upon which she had written her plans and gazed out at the gardens her father had lovingly arranged for her.
Her return to the estate felt as though she had never left. All the servants she cared for were present, which helped her to settle in.
Though it was wonderful to be back at home, Rosalie began to feel restless. The silence was starting to be suffocating.
Her mother was occupied with events, and her brothers were away, living their lives in their own homes. The estate felt empty without them.
Returning to an unmarried state was a change Rosalie needed to grow accustomed to. She did not intend to return to her marriage, for the divorce would soon be settled, yet moving on was proving far more difficult than she had imagined.
What was she to do without herself while everyone else had moved on with their lives?
A knock on the chamber door startled her. She sat upright, hopeful it was her father or mother come to keep her company.
"Come in," Rosalie said, her voice eager.
To her disappointment, a maid entered the chamber.
"Good afternoon, Miss Rosalie. A guest is asking to see you, but on your father’s orders, we are not to allow Miss Victoria to set foot inside the estate. We have repeated this to her, but she claims she shall sit before the gates," the maid informed her.
Rosalie sank back onto her bed. "If that is what she wants, then so be it. Let her wither away in the weather. My father’s word is law here, and I shall not go against it. No matter what she says or does, you must keep to your orders."
The maid bowed her head. "I have been asked to pass on a secret message. She says she will be paying for her crimes, and this may be the last time you see her. She wishes to speak to you. I shall instruct the men to send her away."
Rosalie watched as the maid retreated to the door. "Wait!" she called, rising to her feet. "I will speak to her, but she shall not be allowed inside."
Rosalie walked out of her chamber, scolding herself for contradicting her earlier resolve. She had sworn never to speak to Victoria again, yet here she was, compelled to see her.
She knew it was unwise, but she wanted to know what punishment Victoria was facing and see her current state.
Descending to the front doors, she stepped out towards the gates, where Victoria lingered, no longer welcome within the estate.
"Do not open the gates," Rosalie instructed the men as they moved. "She is not coming inside. Surely you were raised well enough not to cause a disturbance. You are fortunate my father was not the one informed of your arrival."
"I did not come here to upset you," Victoria promised. She came only to have one final honest talk.
"What a pity. The mere sight of you unsettles me," Rosalie replied coldly. "There is nothing left for us to speak of."
"I came to apologise and to say my goodbyes."
"We are no longer friends, so this means nothing to me. You denied the affair and tried to make me feel foolish for suspecting it. It is far too late for apologies," Rosalie said, folding her arms tightly across her chest, showing her defiance.
"I know. I know how wrong I was. I have come to terms with what I did and accept full responsibility. I will not speak of what Cole did or said. I acknowledge that I was wrong. I hurt you, and I lied to your face for weeks," Victoria admitted, finally sharing what Rosalie wanted to hear.
"I should never have done it when you were so good to me. I deserve all that comes my way. I will not plead for forgiveness or beg to be accepted back as your friend. What I did was unforgivable."
"It is good you have finally come to terms with it. You always tried to cast blame onto Cole. Do you know how it felt to sit in my place, watching the two of you deny it, only for it to be true?" Rosalie asked, her anger showing in her tone.
Rosalie took a deep breath, not wanting to get too riled up. She was tired of fighting.
"I felt as though I were wrong for assuming the worst about two people I cared for. I want to laugh now, because it took you this long to offer what you call an honest apology. This is a joke," Rosalie said with a bitter laugh.
"With all that happened after, and being banned from your homes, I could not come to offer you a sincere apology," Victoria explained, but she knew that wasn’t enough.
"You should have apologised the moment I revealed I knew what you had done. That was the time, not now, when you claim this is the last I shall see you. Is the court arresting you for your involvement?" Rosalie asked, curious.
"I did not kill her. I suspected Cole had harmed her, but I had no proof. There will be punishment for not coming forward with what I knew, and money to be paid, but I shall not be arrested. Cole will bear those punishments," Victoria revealed.
"How fitting. He would not want the mother of his child locked away. I think the court has made a grave mistake. You did not kill her, but you knew more than the rest of us and kept silent. You should be imprisoned," Rosalie said, her voice trembling with fury.
"And I do not say this because I dislike you now. A daughter was taken from her family. A person who tended to you during your stay in my home. Even without proof, you knew the motive. You should have spoken," Rosalie said, shaming Victoria.
"You stayed silent then, just as you stayed silent about sleeping with my husband. Cole killed someone. You should have spoken up, but you did not. Say what you must and leave. Keep true to your word that I shall not see you again," Rosalie said.
"You truly will not see me again. My parents are sending me out of town, for there is no hope for me here. I will live with my aunt in the countryside. Before I go, I want to be honest that there was a child, but there is no longer," Victoria confessed, the loss still eating away at her.