Loving Madison

Five

"Rosie just turned sixteen. Our mother delivered Rosie two months early while visiting relatives in Scotland. Because of an early birth, Rosie was a sickly child, and so for the first five or six years, my parents kept Rosie living in Scotland as she was cared for by a nurse, and of course, my mother. When my mother died, Rosie was finally brought home. It was left up to the rest of us to try and raise her properly. When Rosie was twelve years old, our father died." He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. "Needless to say, Rosie didn't get the attention she needed when she was a sick child, and we spoiled her when she came to live with us. We had a cook who took Rosie under her wing, but Mrs. Trumble wasn't a replacement for a mother."

"I understand." Madison nodded.

"Over the last few years, Rosie's temperament became uncontrollable. We shouldn't have spoiled her, but now it's too late for regrets." Licking his lips, he shifted in his stance. "She figured that she was a mature woman and that we should treat her as such. She began doing things Alice was doing, and Rosie kept trying to push to do more. I just could not control her."

Nervously, Madison flexed her hands. She figured she knew where he was going with this story, but she kept quiet and waited for him to finish.

"Not too long ago, Rosie met a man..." he trailed off, and his jaw hardened.

This was exactly what Madison had suspected.

"He was older than Rosie by nineteen years. Of course, there was no way I would permit him to court my sister. She was far too young." Mr. Westland scratched his neck as if he tried to loosen an invisible noose. "She had begged, pleaded, thrown tantrums, but naturally, I didn't change my mind."

"Naturally," Madison agreed.

"Exactly one week later, she disappeared."

Madison nodded. "Do you think she ran off with this man?"

"I do," Mr. Westland said softly. "My first thought was that they eloped to Gretna Greene."

"Yes, I would have wondered that, as well."

"I went there straight away, but I discovered they had never arrived. When I returned, I searched for the man who had wanted to court her, only to find that he hadn't seen Rosie in five days. Now, as each day passes, I fear that something might be wrong and that she is hurt or suffering."

"Of course, you would feel that way." She moved her hand out to touch his arm but quickly stopped herself before she made contact. She certainly didn't know him well enough to be so personal.

"I hesitate to tell Alice. If Rosie has run off with a man, a scandal will undoubtedly follow."

"Alice doesn't suspect at all?" Madison tilted her head, studying him closely. "Your sister seems like a woman who would figure that out for herself."

He shrugged. "I suppose so. It was no secret that Rosie was an accomplished flirt, but I don't want to worry Alice needlessly."

"Forgive me, Mr. Westland, but wouldn't it be worse wondering if someone has killed one's sister rather than knowing the sister actually ran off with a man?"

"You do have a point." He rubbed his forehead. "But I cannot have a scandal starting on speculation. I won't let it happen to my family again."

Perhaps it was none of her business, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Again?"

"Yes. The last year of my father's life, he caused quite a lot of gossip in town. He had completely lost his mind, and no matter what we did to keep him home, he always crept out of the house. Needless to say, everyone for miles around knew about our father." He took a deep breath. "I don't want another scandal to land on our doorstep."