WAYDTN? 91

When you run into something unexpected, even if only for a moment, you wonder whether you’re mistaken. You doubt your own eyes.

But if the other person is Edmund, it’s a different matter.

He was someone who allowed not even the briefest flicker of doubt. How could anyone mistake that shining blond hair and those intensely blue eyes for someone else’s?

It was impossible. The moment he stepped inside, even the density of the air seemed to change—so much so that it made her breath catch.

“It looks like my brother-in-law brought a guest… Oh—Rose, what’s wrong?”

Startled by Rose’s suddenly stiffened complexion, Anthony lightly grasped her arm. The touch snapped her back to herself. As if trying to untangle her knotted train of thought, Rose shook her head.

Come to think of it, there was something important she’d forgotten.

I can’t run into Edmund right now.

No—can’t wasn’t strong enough. This was serious trouble. If he saw her wandering around outside at an hour when she was supposed to be in the dormitory, and if he said anything to her father, what then?

There was absolutely nothing good in it for her.

“Perhaps the dancing was too vigorous. Let’s sit down for now,”Anthony said, guiding Rose by the arm toward a sofa.

Just then, hearty laughter rang out from afar, followed by the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, drawing everyone’s attention.

“See? I told you my wife would be delighted. She welcomes any handsome man with open arms.”

“Well, it is true that he’s the most handsome guest you’ve ever brought. It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Shore. Come this way—I’ll introduce you to my younger brother. Anthony!”

Rose sharply turned her head away, belatedly remembering the unmistakable hair that served as his very identification. Anything to avoid meeting Edmund’s eyes.

Like an ostrich burying its head in the ground and believing no one could find it, she did her utmost to avoid him and hurriedly spoke to Anthony.

“Go to your sister. I can sit down by myself.”

“Are you sure you’ll be all right alone?”

“I’m fine—really, it’s fine….”

As the back-and-forth dragged on, Rose nervously checked her surroundings, worried that Edmund might be watching. She only realized she’d made a ridiculous mistake after she was already caught in the blue noose.

The moment she saw Edmund staring straight at her, disbelief written all over his face, regret came as naturally as breathing.

With the arrival of the new guest, the atmosphere in the hall grew noticeably more heated.

Ladies set down their brushes, gentlemen laid aside their cards, and people gathered as though admiring a hard-won work of art.

“I thought you looked familiar—so you’re Chairman Shore’s son!”

“It’s like seeing your father in his youth. It was over twenty years ago, but back then your father was a legend in Walsingham society.”

“That’s right. When he left for Queensland, the women who adored him crowded the harbor and saw him off in tears. It was quite a spectacle.”

As an elderly lady reminisced about her younger days, Anthony—perched on the arm of a sofa—asked teasingly,

“Then you must have been one of those ladies crying at the harbor, ma’am?”

“Oh my, Anthony. How did you know?”

Her quick-witted reply made everyone burst into laughter.

Edmund sat with one leg crossed over the other, looking as though he were enjoying the attention and gazes directed his way.

Slowly swirling the wineglass in his hand, he said,

“Being told I resemble my father is always an honor. If anything, I worry that I might tarnish his reputation.”

“Oh my, that’s a completely unnecessary worry, Mr. Shore.”

“Too much modesty becomes deception,”

Mrs. Harrison said, gently chiding him, her expression—and those of the other ladies—entirely sincere.

Mr. Harrison, whose shoulders were already squared with pride at having brought such a perfect guest, added,

“Mr. Shore isn’t just handsome, ladies. He’s also my junior—he graduated top of his class from Waterford just the other day.”

“Top of his class at Waterford?”

“Good heavens, is there anything Mr. Shore lacks?”

Where moments ago only the women had been openly captivated by Edmund, now even the men admired his accomplishments, their interest evening out across the room. To them, Edmund seemed less like one of their own and more like a being from another realm.

Sensing the attention growing overheated, Anthony stepped in with a well-timed question.

“If you only just graduated from Waterford, shouldn’t you be spending your time enjoying yourself with friends—or a sweetheart? Are we really allowed to keep someone fresh out of confinement tied up here like this?”

But Edmund merely smiled.

“Once you’re released from confinement, it’s important to reintegrate into society as quickly as possible. In that sense, I find this gathering quite enjoyable.”

His answer pleased the Harrisons immensely. And the ladies, glimpsing another possibility in his words, immediately pressed him further.

“Mr. Shore, do you have a sweetheart?”

At that question, Edmund paused and looked fixedly at someone.

“I have a fiancée. Our parents arranged it when we were young.”

Not only the young ladies of marriageable age, but even mothers with daughters sighed in disappointment. Soft laments rippled through the room.

To the women present, Edmund was the perfect prospective groom in every respect—appearance, lineage, background, and character.

Meanwhile, the fiancée who had just shattered all those expectations sat rigidly in a corner of the sofa, looking as uncomfortable as someone sitting on a bed of needles.

‘Rose, say hello. This fine young man is Edmund Shore.’

 

‘It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shore.’

Earlier, Rose had pretended not to know Edmund in front of everyone.

There had been a reason she’d done so.

In the first place, no one knew she was Chairman Carl Shore’s future daughter-in-law—because Rose herself had kept it hidden. If people knew, it was obvious that Walsingham society would take an intense interest in her, and that attention would only interfere with her free life at school.

So until she graduated, she’d planned to keep all information about her fiancé strictly concealed.

Edmund, unaware of these circumstances, must have been quite taken aback when she’d acted as though she didn’t know him. But he’d quickly caught on and politely returned her greeting.

‘The pleasure is mine, Miss Panning.’

At the time, the smile Edmund gave her had felt like a mocking “You really go to such lengths,” but now she suspected that had only been her imagination.

Watching him tonight, he did seem to have grown more gentlemanly with age.

Fortunately, Edmund didn’t stay long. After exchanging farewells and promises of future meetings, he rose to leave. From a distance, Rose watched him with a faintly anxious expression.

Moments later, the conversation between Edmund and the Harrisons as they headed out drifted to her ears.

“Mr. Shore, how long will you be staying in Walsingham?”

“Two more days. Then I’ll be returning home.”

“In that case, we’re holding a bazaar at the Soho Hotel the day after tomorrow. If you’re free in the evening, do drop by.”

“I have a dinner scheduled with a client that day, so I can’t give you a definite answer—but if time allows, I’ll certainly attend.”

Amid the exchange, only one thing lodged itself clearly in Rose’s mind.

He’s going home in two days.

He can’t go home and tell Father about me.

If Edmund mentioned stopping by Walsingham, Father would surely ask whether he’d seen her. And if Edmund told him—truthfully—that he’d run into her late at night in a salon…

Rose squeezed her eyes shut.

On the day she entered Cheswick College, her father had personally escorted her to school and warned her: the city was dangerous, so she was never to wander outside without a guardian, and she was to behave properly and stay quietly within the school grounds. If she broke that promise, he’d drag her straight back home.

George Panning was not a man who spoke empty threats.

Her lips dried as anxiety burned through her. After a long moment of agonized deliberation, Rose hurried after them.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, returning inside after seeing Edmund off to the door, looked puzzled when they saw her.

“Rose, why did you come out?”

“I just wanted to check my appearance. I’ll be right back.”

Pretending to head for the restroom, Rose waited until the couple had reentered the hall, then dashed for the entrance.

She threw open the door and saw Edmund descending the wide staircase.

“Edmund—wait!”

The blade-like shadow stretching across the gray steps stopped. The man in the jet-black suit turned around.

When Rose clutched her skirts and came down the stairs to look up at him, she found herself facing someone entirely different from the man she’d seen in the hall—cool, curt, and unmistakably unfriendly.

“Did you have something to say?”

From his deep blue eyes to his low, even voice, everything about him was sharp-edged. The courteous gentleman who’d smiled at everyone else was nowhere to be found. Standing before her was a man poised somewhere between boyhood and adulthood, brimming with defiance.

Rose was inwardly shaken by the sudden change, but realizing that her earlier pretense must have offended him, she began with an apology.

“I’m sorry about pretending not to know you earlier. But I had my reasons.”

“Yes. I’m sure they were very compelling reasons.”

Edmund pulled a cigarette from his inner pocket, clearly uninterested. His indifference tangled her thoughts. She didn’t have time to stand there floundering—the carriage would arrive any moment. She needed to get to the point.

After a brief hesitation, Rose spoke with difficulty.

“I heard you’re going back to Islesford in two days. When you do… could you keep it a secret from my family that we met here tonight?”

“Why? I was planning to tell them that you’re doing quite well in Walsingham, Miss Panning.”

His words were slightly slurred around the cigarette as he searched for a match, but the mockery was unmistakable.

At last, a desperate note crept into Rose’s voice.

“Please don’t, Edmund. You know how Father will react if he finds out I’ve been out like this at night.”

“And you know that, yet here you are?”

As he said “here you are,” his gaze swept openly over her attire.

The moment she realized he was criticizing her immodest dress, heat flared from her face down to her bare shoulders, her pale skin flushing hotly. Just thinking that his eyes had skimmed her exposed skin made her feel embarrassed.

But Rose clenched her skirt, refusing to be dragged down by pointless shame. Immodest or not, she was an adult free to wear whatever she wished.

Remembering that only made her irritation grow, and her words came out sharper than intended.

“Can’t you just help me out? I’m not asking for something that difficult.”

Edmund straightened, looking down at her in silence as he took a drag from his cigarette. Then, along with a breath of acrid smoke, came his arrogant reply.

“I’ll think about it.”

A luxurious carriage rolled to a stop at the foot of the stairs. Without so much as a farewell, Edmund turned away, descended the steps, and climbed inside.

Was he deliberately staring at her through the low carriage door just to be spiteful?

Watching the carriage depart, Rose pressed her fingers to her brow and let out a sigh.

A gentleman, indeed. Edmund was still a mean-spirited, unpleasant man.

To her alone.

__________𓍯𓂃𓏧♡𓇢𓆸_________

T/N: Guys I apologize in advance but I agree with Edmund on this and do not condone Rose’ action… One should never break the trust their parents sent them with honestly, but that’s just me ig 🙂