Chapter 83: No Escape
Esme nodded and rushed in the opposite direction to do as Lady Delphine had asked, while Delphine turned her attention to Rose. Rose couldn’t meet her eyes; she had her gaze glued to her knees.
Lady Delphine didn’t have to ask her directly—she couldn’t do it. She was already having a hard time with the crown prince; adding other strange men would be the death of her. The thought of it made her want to hurl up the lunch she had just eaten.
It wasn’t any disrespect to Lady Delphine and the girls; she just couldn’t. She had never thought she would be with anyone else other than the man she loved. The worst part was that she was thinking about him less and less these days, and she hated that.
Esme returned swiftly, handing the lit pipe to Lady Delphine. She accepted it and walked to the long chair. There, she settled and got comfortable, then inhaled deeply, allowing the smoke to curl around her lips before exhaling with a sigh.
Rose watched silently, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress. The tension in her body had not eased. Every word Lady Delphine had spoken only confirmed what she already feared—there was no escape.
"Would that be all?" Esme asked, a jolly look on her face.
Lady Delphine nodded and dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
Esme smiled and glanced at Rose with a concerned look on her face, but Rose didn’t return her gaze. Esme didn’t seem bothered by this as she walked to the table, taking the dishes with her on her way out.
"So," Lady Delphine said, at last, her voice softer than before. "Now you know where things stand."
Rose nodded hesitantly. "Aye... I do."