Chapter 280: The Woods
Rose sat atop a brown horse. The mane was long and the horse looked well taken care of. She couldn’t help but run her finger across its coat. The horse grunted in satisfaction and moved forward and backwards as she adjusted on the saddle.
Lady Deana looked up at Rose with a worried expression as she watched her climb onto the horse. Lady Deana grabbed the sides of her dress nervously, and Rose worried that she might really stop her.
"Are you sure about this, Rose? I can send you in a carriage—you don’t have to ride to the market. And you can also take a servant or two with you. I don’t feel very comfortable sending you off alone."
"The market isn’t so far off, and I remember the path, my lady. You have nothing to worry about. Riding would be faster, and I’ll be back before you know it," Rose said with the best smile she could muster, trying to assure Lady Deana.
She didn’t want Lady Deana to panic. Her entire plan revolved around this. This was her only way to get out of the estate undetected, and she also needed Lady Deana to be calm so the lady would take longer to cause a stir when she wasn’t back.
"Well then, let me send a servant that can also ride along with you," Lady Deana pressed.
Rose smiled again, doing her best to make sure it didn’t look as if she had ulterior motives for going alone. "I ride pretty fast, Lady Deana. It’ll be quicker this way, and the marketplace isn’t so far off. You have nothing to worry about, I promise."
The lie rolled off her tongue easily, and Rose didn’t even hesitate. She felt bad, but it didn’t compare to going to her sick mother, and she wouldn’t change her mind about this.
Lady Deana held her gaze for a moment. As if seeing what she was looking for, she softly nodded and took a step back. "I’ll be waiting for you."
Her smile made Rose’s heart squeeze, as all she was about to do was break Lady Deana’s trust. She had no intention of going to the market. She planned to veer off into the woods, find the rocky path, and take the route out of the town that wasn’t fenced.
As long as she stayed away from the Stonefield pass on her way to Stonegate, she should be fine. After Stonegate, it was smooth sailing from there, and she would be in Edenville in less than a day.
Rose nodded and tightened her grip on the reins, ready to lead the horse toward the gate.
"Wait," Lady Deana cried, as though recalling something.