Garden of May - Chapter 77
Chapter 77
“I didn’t get to see the circus after all.” Vanessa sighed dramatically, glancing at him. River Ross, at the reins of the carriage, offered a nonchalant shrug, despite being at least eighty percent responsible for their tardiness. She was annoyed, but couldn’t entirely blame him. Without him, this dreamlike escape wouldn’t have been possible. And truthfully, the night had been satisfying even without the circus, though she’d never admit that to him.
“If you were that disappointed, you should have said something. A few extra pounds would have gotten us in.”
“But they said the tickets were sold out.”
“Even Lyndon’s Opera House magically produces box seats with enough money.”
“…You’ll go bankrupt if you keep spending so recklessly.”
He laughed as if she’d said something utterly preposterous. “Do you really think so?”
“If a naval officer’s salary is that impressive, I should have enlisted.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“I wish I’d been born a boy.” The words slipped out almost as a lament, but they held a kernel of truth. Had she been born a boy, she wouldn’t be treated as a marriage commodity, a pawn in her family’s games. She would have inherited the title and the lands.
Ingram, despite its advancements over the centuries, clung stubbornly to outdated traditions. The archaic law barring women from inheriting titles and land was the most egregious of all. And Somerset, with no accumulated wealth, had nothing but the title and land left.
‘Usually, in these cases, they bring in a husband who takes the wife’s name.’ Her uncle, however, wouldn’t part with a single pence. He’d sooner gamble it all away….
Even if they did find a suitable husband, and even if her uncle agreed, she’d still have to produce a male heir for the inheritance to truly pass on. Titles were always a man’s domain.
“It’s dripping.” River Ross’s words snapped Vanessa back to reality. She quickly licked the melting ice cream. Bought from a street vendor just before boarding the carriage, it had the distinctly illicit taste of festival fare.
The ice cream her father used to sneak her, behind her mother’s back, tasted just like this. She’d shared it with River Ross back then, too. The only thing that seemed to have changed since those days was River Ross’s palate. He’d taken one bite of the ice cream he’d once devoured, declared it unpalatable, and set it aside, looking at her as if she were some strange creature.
While she diligently finished the ice cream, the carriage steadily approached Gloucester Castle. Finally, River Ross slowed to a stop beside a large tree along the castle wall.
“We’re here.”
She knew that without him saying a word. The sight of Gloucester Castle, shrouded in darkness, brought a familiar tightness to her chest. The brief, sweet escape was over. It was time to face reality again. Hesitantly, Vanessa spoke.
“Can’t we stay out a little longer?” She wanted to savor the lingering afterglow of her freedom, just a little while longer.
“It’ll be dawn soon.”
“I’ll go in before sunrise. I told them not to disturb me, that I’m ill.”
“Doesn’t your maid suspect anything?”
“Not yet. I’ve been using the same excuse lately, but it’s apparently a common ailment at my age.”
“What is? Being ill?”
“Falling ill before an unwanted marriage.”
Theodore chuckled at her flippant remark. She clearly didn’t want to return.
“So. You want to stay here until sunrise.”
“River… would you stay with me?”
“I don’t mind, but what will we do until then?”
“We don’t have to do anything. It’s just… stifling in there.”
