“He’s not dead,” Rose stated.
“No, but he is certainly not well and will be laid up for quite some time. Some people never come back from such injuries.”
“My book says months at least.”
Will looked at the book in her lap. “Ah. That is why you were reading that.”
“I like to be informed.”
“Well, I think you are safe from his unwanted advances for a long time to come. And he has only himself to blame.”
“And you profess to care for his welfare?” Rose raised an eyebrow.
Will smiled and said, “I have vested interests.”
Rose’s gaze flew to his. She didn’t know if he was talking about his business interests or her. By the inscrutable look on his face, he didn’t want her to know.
“Come for a picnic with me,” he said suddenly.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“It is a beautiful day. I have ridden all this way. We could just slip away to the stream, relax in the sun, and leave all this mess behind.”
But you are part of the mess.
“I don’t think either of us has had a comfortable week,” he continued. “I think you must be even more exhausted than I am.” It was true; she did feel utterly exhausted.
“Whatever our grievances, let’s just spend an afternoon together as friends.”
“Friends?” she asked doubtfully.
“Rose, the one thing I hope we can always be is friends. We might argue, disagree, take opposing sides in disputes. We might want different things, but I think the one thing this week has taught me is I always want to be your friend. I don’t want to fight with you.”
Rose’s eyes widened as she listened to him. It was as if he was reading her thoughts.
“Can we not just call a truce on this day we never thought we would get?”
“Yes,” Rose said softly at his side. And she meant it. “A truce!” She realized she so wanted a truce.
He seemed surprised she had agreed so easily but also keen to seize the advantage.
“Then let’s get out of here. Come with me to the river,” he urged her. “Everyone will think you have just returned to your bedchamber and that I have left. We will go as friends and just enjoy the afternoon together.”
Could they manage it? Rose wondered. She knew she loved his company more than anyone else in her life. She was eager to find a footing where she and he could enjoy time together without it ending in disappointment or a fight because, as much as she told herself she despised Will Browning, she knew she was just foolingherself.
Accompanying him to the river was a dangerous proposition, but the way he framed it sounded so inviting.
“We would have to be very careful not to be seen,” she said at his side, and he put his hand on her leg.
“Yes,” he exclaimed and then immediately removed his hand, but the heat of the imprint remained.
They agreed to meet at their favorite spot in an hour. Rose did as Will suggested and told Anna she was going to bed for the afternoon and did not want to be disturbed. Then Rose walked the corridors from one side of the castle to the other to Ernest’s quarters. She could hear his sharp tones berating the nurse as she drew close. At that moment, his door opened, and the nurse came out carrying a chamber pot with a cloth across the top.
“He is most ornery, Your Grace,” the nurse said.
Rose smiled.No change there then. She rounded the door frame and walked into the room.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she said kindly.