Cloak and Dagger

Sat between Lord Asquith and Francis was a position Rosina wasn't entirely fond of. Why they had both been summoned to Lord Asquith's rooms, she didn't know, but now they had been sat at one of his tables for the past twenty minutes in silence, an array of treats before them and some tea. She hadn't touched her tea and she was beginning to think that Lord Asquith was testing them.

Francis went to nudge her and she moved her hand onto her lap before he could. She refused to even look at him, instead keeping her eyes on her tea and her jaw clenched ever-so slightly.

"Is there an issue?" Lord Asquith said, making Rosina look up. The older man was looking between them.

"No," she said.

"Then please do explain why neither you nor Francis have spoke a single word to the other the entire time you've been sat there?"

She looked away from him, bringing her hand to rest on the handle of her teacup. "It's nothing."

"No, there is an issue," Francis interrupted, standing from his seat. "You are treating her as if she is nothing more than a common whore!"

"The only one who has insinuated that I will bed him is you," Rosina snapped at him. "You believe your morals to be far superior than mine and yet you cannot entertain the idea that a woman need not bed a man in order to entice him."

"Sit down," Lord Asquith said, nodding at Francis when he hesitated. "Perhaps if I really did treat her as a common whore your anger would be well-placed; however, unless she has elaborated greatly about what it is she is required to do, I fail to see how such a conclusion could have been made. As it is, I do believe your relation with the Duchess of Brennan is very similar."

Rosina shot Francis an annoyed look. "I said the same."

"That's different," he protested.

"Regardless whether you think it is different, Rosina will continue with what she has been tasked and if you cannot accept that then perhaps you do not have the maturity to be at court." Lord Asquith held Francis's gaze, the challenge clear to Rosina, and only once Francis looked away without a word did the older man tap the papers that he had been reading since they'd arrived. "A letter has been received. It's not entirely surprising but still, it speaks volumes. Harrington has to be pushed to entertain the idea that warnings need to be issued, which means that someone has convinced him that now is the right time to give one."

Rosina frowned and tapped her fingers on the table. "How bad is it?" she asked.

"Warnings are never bad. The most they are is a veiled letter of pleasantries that accentuates his standing as king and is a reminder of his supremacy. However, it does heighten the need for caution. I do not have the blind faith in you that others might, so heed this warning carefully. Make one mistake and I will remove you from court. Come to the close attention of the king, I will send you from court. Jeopardise our cause with petty moral high-grounds and you will be back at the estate before you can even protest. Your happiness, your wants - they are irrelevant. You wished to be involved and now you must learn to keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself whenever you come across something you do not like."

"If it's not bad, why did you summons us?" Francis asked, his tone one that made Rosina shake her head. It was as if he wanted to antagonise the lord further.

The older man folded the papers. "Here I thought only women were bestowed with that naivety. I will say the same to you: if you cannot understand the why, I do not feel inclined to explain it," he said dismissively before standing.

She glanced at her tea before rising to her feet, following Francis towards the door. Just as he had grasped the handle, Lord Asquith spoke. "The heir goes riding each day and his party always returns just before dinner, for future reference. I hear he has a penchant for the colour purple."

Rosina had to push Francis to make him open the door and leave the room, his petty anger doing nothing to quash her annoyance with him. She watched as he strode ahead, a hand running through his hair before he turned back suddenly. "This is unbelievable," he said.

"Get over yourself," she snapped, deliberately brushing past him.

"You of all people--"

She cut him off. "Yes, me of all people should never agree with Asquith. Honestly, Francis. I am not a child and neither are you. Tantrums are so unbecoming."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. "I don't understand you."

"So you only understand me when I talk to the same sex and no other? You always have my full belief so why is it so hard for me to have the same? Never did I expect you to ever doubt me so," she said, speaking lower even with the hallway being deserted.

"It's not that I doubt you--"

"I don't accept that!"

Just as he was about to reply, footsteps could be heard approaching which made Francis drop her arm and them to start walking, rounding the corner in silence and passing by another lord. That reminded Rosina that they had been talking in a place they had no privacy and should Lord Asquith discover that, he definitely would not be happy. So instead of letting Francis continue speaking when the lord passed them, she ignored him and continued towards her room.

As they approached the door she began to slow, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the sight of Aurelia standing outside her door. When she noticed the riding gloves in her hand she realised that they'd agreed to go riding today. "Have you been waiting long?" she asked, coming to a stop a few feet in front of the duchess.

"Oh, no, I have just arrived. I thought that perhaps you might have forgot," Aurelia said.

"Definitely not. I'll just grab my gloves."

Francis put a hand on her arm. "We're not finished talking," he said.

Rosina bristled. "I cannot think of why we are not."

"I did not mean to interrupt you," Aurelia said, shaking her head as she looked between the two.

"You're not. I'm done speaking to him until he decides to change the way he thinks," Rosina replied, deliberately linking arms with the duchess. "Go and frolic with the other lords. After all, it seems as if you fit in with them better."

Francis ground his teeth before turning on his heel and stalking away, leaving Rosina to watch until he had completely disappeared from sight before turning back to Aurelia. "Honestly, men. It is as if we lack the capacity to make our own decisions," she said, opening the door to her room and inviting the duchess in.

Aurelia looked a bit hesitant as she stood near the door as Rosina grabbed her gloves. "I hope it is not a bad quarrel."

"It's not a quarrel, not really. He just needs to realise that I know what I am doing. He may not be my brother but sometimes he acts as if he were."

"He cares for you," the duchess said.

Rosina sighed and turned to her. "There is a difference. This is not so much about his care for me but rather his inability to accept that sometimes I do not need him. We have been so close for so long that I believe he is struggling, though there is nothing I can do if he refuses to be rational." She stopped and gave the younger woman a smile. "It truly is nothing to worry about. We will sort it out so don't let our troubles tarnish how you see him," she said.

Relief covered Aurelia's face and they left the room, heading towards the stables in a comfortable silence. The stables were fairly empty when they arrived and as two horses were being saddled Aurelia broke the silence. "I told Maddy not to accompany me today," she said quietly, making Rosina look at her. "She did not like allowing me to come alone but I did not think it was necessary for her to accompany me when she does not enjoy riding."

"Change is difficult."

"It really is."

They were helped into their saddles and Aurelia started her horse's trot first, allowing Rosina to watch the duchess from behind. They headed the same route they did the first time, a groom following them once more, but this time they didn't have a lady waiting for their return. She was glad that they weren't being waited for because the longer she spent away from Francis, the better it would be. He needed time to think.

They were halfway through the path they'd took last time when Aurelia stopped her horse and allowed Rosina to come up beside her. "How far do you think these trees stretch?" she asked.

Rosina surveyed the area around them. "I don't know."

"We could have a look. Perhaps even race."

She laughed. "That would be terribly inappropriate."

"I agree."

They shared a smile before Rosina nudged her horse and began the race, laughing as the duchess followed.