Page 63 of Waking Roslyn

She nodded. “We met Princess Marilee at market yesterday, and she invited us. Edmund didn’t seem thrilled with the idea, but we were committed. Lisette offered to go without him, make excuses for him, but that idea seemed to anger him even more.”

“Of course it would. Heaven forbid Lord Rockwell’s wife be exposed to someone who knows his true nature.”

The corners of her mouth pulled down into a deep frown, and she swallowed hard. “What true nature? He was never like this in Winhaven,” she said quietly. “He wasn’t a saint. I’ve never really liked him, but I never thought—” She swallowed and didn’t go on.

I let out a sigh, doing my best to control the urge to wrap her small frame in my arms and brush her tears from her shining eyes. “This place seems to bring out the worst in Lord Rockwell. It always has, but I’ve never known him to resort to violence.”

She gave a sad little shrug. “I guess I’m just lucky then.” She shook her head in frustration. “What happened to him here?” she demanded. “What happened between him and the princess and Sir James? John, you should have seen them. The hate between them. The way Princess Marilee flinched.”

I winced at that. “I don’t know it all.”

“Tell me what you do know.” It was a command.

She probably deserved to know. “Lord Damian Rockwell, Edmund’s younger brother, was married to the princess.”

“Yes, I know,” she said, impatient.

I nodded. “I wasn’t here then, but Emeline, Beatrice, and Cecily were. They say the way he treated her was…abominable.”

Her brow furrowed. “Like the way Edmund treats Lisette?”

I shook my head. “So much worse than that.”

Her countenance dropped.

“He practically kept her prisoner. He wouldn’t let her socialize. He controlled what she wore, what she ate. Sometimes he even locked her in her room.”

“Oh,” she let out in a horrified whisper.

“When he died, Her Highness did not act the part of a grieving widow. And that caused great offense to Damian’s family, including Lord Rockwell.”

She chewed on her lip a bit and then shook her head. “The anger I saw between them last night seemed more personal than that.”

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. “Lord Rockwell came here for a time to try to help Marilee. Sir James, who was Mr. Sutton at the time, was courting her, and because of old childhood rivalries between Sir James and Lord Rockwell, which I do not understand, his time here was not pleasant…for anyone.”

I saw tears gather in her eyes. “Is that how it’s going to turn out for Lisette? Is Edmund just going to get meaner and meaner until he makes her completely miserable? What kind of a life is that?”

The fact that her concern was entirely for her cousin and not herself was a testament of her selflessness.

She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and tried to shake off her emotion. “If only Lisette and I could stay here while Edmund took himself back to Winhaven.”

I didn’t know why, but her fiercely whispered wish made my heart swell. “You would want to stay?”

She nodded but kept her gaze on the horizon. “I love it here.”

The way the light touched her face made her look so young. I was only eighteen and had assumed that she was of similar age, but looking at her now, I had to wonder if she were younger than I’d assumed. Young and alone. She seemed to have no one but Lady Rockwell. I felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to take care of her, but it didn’t feel like I had the right. So I did the next best thing.

“Come on,” I urged quietly, gently grasping her elbow. “I want my mother to look at that cut.”

Her fingers went self-consciously to her cheek. “Does it look awful?”

“It looks painful,” I said.

She sniffed and her eyes welled with tears. “It is.”

We walked toward the kitchen, and despite my previous determination, I couldn’t help looping an arm over her shoulders. When she immediately leaned into my side, I was grateful for my lack of self-control.

“Mum?” I called when we entered the kitchen and I didn’t immediately see her.