Page 54 of The Perfect Rose

Miriam sighed. “It is just a book. Samuel’s book.” Miriam played with the hem of her sleeve. “I didn’t want to be caught with it because I didn’t want him to be forced into an alliance with me. I didn’t want it bandied about that I had letters or anything of the sort from the duke. Besides, he was just trying to be helpful.”

“You have piqued my interest. How long have you been exchanging letters?” Surely, he would have noticed if it had been long.

Miriam bit her lip. “It’s been a little over a year.”

Frederick blinked fast. “What? You’re joking.”

But her crimson cheeks told the truth. What else didn’t he know about their clandestine relationship? “When this is all over, I expect a full accounting, Miriam.”

“Well, when this is all over, you may be lucky to get half an accounting. And you’ll have to be happy with that. Now, to your room.” She pulled him down the corridor and flung his door open wide.

Frederick stepped into his chambers and looked around at the friendly space. The dark walls gave him a feeling of being held close, and in a home more empty than not, that was important to him. His bedside table was littered with books on all subjects, but his Bible always sat on the top of the disorganized stack. It was one of his ways of keeping his priorities straight. His writing desk sat between a twin set of tall windows overlooking the rose garden at the back of the house. He’d spent more time next to those windows lately than he was willing to admit. Lady Rose never lingered in the rose garden, but whenever she escaped the house—or more likely her mother—it was the first place she went.

Miriam walked straight over to the desk and sat in his hard-backed chair. She opened a drawer to the side and pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. “I love the smell of parchment, it is so refreshing, like taking a dip in a pond or pushing your brother off a stone wall.”

Frederick chuckled. “I can’t even recall how many times that happened. Hopefully this endeavor of ours will be as painless as those larks. Personally, I think you like the smell of fresh parchment because it reminds you of all the trouble you can concoct when you have a place to jot them down.”

Miriam tilted her head as if considering the notion. “You know . . . I believe you are right.”

Frederick checked out the window to the rose garden again. Empty. Then he pulled over a settee and sat next to Miriam. “So, what do we do now?”

“Now, we decide on the perfect opportunity for you to convince Lady Rose to become my sister.” She picked up the quill and dipped it in the small bottle of dark ink. “We have tea planned in about an hour. After that, the ladies will all retire to prepare for the ball tonight. So I think we have a three-step plan. Stage one is teatime. You must allow Samuel to dote on Rose, and you keep your distance. It would do no good for her to be seen too much with you right before the ball. It might make Lady Gardner nervous.”

Frederick rolled his shoulders. “You know, I don’t like this plan thus far. Shouldn’t I be wooing Rose? Maybe you could create a diversion . . . like drop the tea tray. And while there is a ruckus going on, I can sweep Rose into the hall and let my lips show her my intentions.” He wagged his eyebrows at his sister.

She swatted his arm. “You’ll do no such thing! Lady Rose will be won over only if you play the part of a society gentleman, not a rake. She’s had too many of those fawning over her all season. You, Frederick Hastings, must stand out in her mind as the only gentleman who really understands her.”

“And what if what I understand about her is that she would like me to take her in my arms and . . .”

“Stop, right now.” Miriam put her hand up. “I’d rather not imagine all the things you would like to do with Lady Rose. It would make me far too disgusted to plan an incredible ball for the two of you.”

Frederick slumped his shoulders and leaned onto the desk. “Fine, I will act the part of a gentleman and try not to turn green from watching Samuel, your intended, woo the woman I love.” He blew out a long breath. “What is stage two of your plan? Do I get to scale the outside of the house and slip into her room through the window?”

Miriam didn’t skip a beat. “If you did that, the countess would throw you out of your own home on your ear. She will be inside Lady Rose’s chambers the entire time, making certain she looks as lovely as a princess.”

Frederick racked his brain to help Miriam with the plan, but nothing came to him. “So what is stage two of the plan?”

“Stage two, you will ask Lady Gardner for permission to ask for Lady Rose’s hand in marriage, then you will go out to the garden and pick an enormous bouquet of flowers. I know you think Lady Rose prefers the wildflowers . . . but maybe roses would be nice for this one instance.”

“No, I will not give her roses. The name itself makes her feel confined to a predetermined and unachievable role. It would be like flaunting a piece of lemon cream and strawberries in front of her face and then eating it without offering her any. And do you really think Lady Gardner will give me permission to ask for her hand?”

The corners of Miriam’s lips pulled down. “I have no doubt that the countess will allow you to apply to Lady Rose. Her daughter, on the other hand, may be given strict orders as to who she is allowed to accept. But we can worry about that later. I’m so happy that you really do understand Lady Rose. Oh, Frederick, we have to save her from the path that is set out for her. She deserves more than unhappy endings. And if you insist, wildflowers it is. But you’d better get a lot of them, and you’re likely going to have to ride quite a way to find them since you spent the whole of this morning picking the ones closest to the house.”

Frederick nodded his agreement. Gathering wildflowers was easy at this time of year . . . approaching Lady Gardner would be the real challenge of stage two. But he would do it for Rose. As much as he disliked the dictates of society, he would take every step seriously and observe the societal expectations he was under in order to secure her as his own.

Miriam bit her bottom lip. “Oooh, I have an idea! Could you bring me some of the flowers so that I can give them to her to weave into her hair? That way she will look like an angel herself when she is presented with your bouquet.”

As if Rose Gardner ever looked short of the divine. The thought was absurd. He’d been afraid of her beauty at first. It reminded him of Kendra. But now he knew better. It wasn’t Rose’s exterior beauty that captivated him. It was her strength and resilience, her diligence and patience, her vulnerability and kindness. In short, her beauty reached into every part of her, and that was far different from his experience with Kendra.

Miriam cut into his thoughts. “After you procure an incredible bouquet of wildflowers, you will come back to your room and make yourself into the prince that you are. You will do your best not to wear a hole through your carpet while you pace up and down wondering when you will see your angelic Lady Rose, and you will take some refreshment. I’ll send something up to your room.”

“Thank you. Now, while I am up and pacing, what is it that I will be fretting over as stage three comes upon me?” Frederick ran his hand through his hair. This was the moment he was most concerned about. He’d been putting off sharing his feelings with Rose for so long, now that the moment had actually come for him to act, he wasn’t sure he was capable of putting two coherent words together without making a complete and utter fool of himself. He felt quite nauseous.

Miriam patted his arm. “Stage three is up to you. How can I help?”

“Wait, what? I thought you were here to help me with a full battle plan. As of now, you have positioned me at the front of the enemy lines and left me without so much as a bullet in my charge.”

“That’s not true. I just armed you with a thousand wildflowers. Now, what are you going to do with them?”