A Most Mysterious Gentleman (#1 Sweet Nineteenth Series) VERY SLOW UPDATES

AMMG ~6~

It's the only way you will survive?

She scoffed. What was that supposed to mean? There had been a lot of talk about 'surviving' and 'getting burnt', but in her mind, the man had a flair for the dramatics.

Rosalie harrumphed as she sat on the edge of her four poster bed, corset ripped and skirts creased.

There was no doubting it, she didn't know how to feel around the man. He blew hot and cold.

Eva, noticeably as she partook in a 'special friendship knock', banged on the door.

"Come in!" Rosalie yelled, attempting to unpin her hair.

Eva walked in, almost unsure as she came towards Rosalie.

"I heard your Father was very angry." She asked gently.

Rosalie felt the tears pool at the back of eyes again for the third time that evening. "Oh Eva, my life has changed by a stupid mistake. I knew it was wrong, but I was so upset-"

"Hush," Eva rubbed her back, "all things are meant to be in some way. What happened?"

Rosalie let out a hiccup. "I'm now officially engaged."

Eva gasped.

Rosalie carried on, voice hoarse. "I was waltzing by the man I met earlier-"

"You met a man earlier?"

"Yes! I-er- fell off Francesca-"

"You fell off? Is that why your riding habit was so dirty?"

"Yes. Well, as I was saying, I fell off and he saw me and helped me up. But be then disappeared-"

"How rude!"

"Yes, well I told him to dance with me-"

"You told a MAN to dance with you?"

"Eva! Let me finish!" Rosalie raised her voice.

"He left me on the dance floor, the waltz no less, and then I tripped over the Duke and Duchess who were hosting the ball-"

Eva gasped again.

"And so I ran away. I was so upset you see-"

Eva murmured her sympathy.

"And ended up in a room. And then HE was in there-"

Eva's eyes widened.

"And a few words were exchanged. And then father and the Duke came in and thought differently of the actual situation."

"Oh Rose! How truly awful!"

"I know! but I must tell you, my dearest friend a secret that you must tell no-one."

"Anything."

"He said he would kill me if I did anything wrong ."

Eva stood up in outrage. "if your father knew about this-"

"He must never know."

"Why?"

"He could tell he didn't mean it. Eva please, trust me on this."

"Why?" Eva asked suspiciously .

"Because," Rosalie had be greatly helped by her rant to Eva, "it could be my first adventure."

---------------

The next morning Rosalie sat up a hundred thousand emotions churning around her stomach.

Fear, anger, trepidation, excitement.

She was getting married. To a man she didn't know. But she was getting her independence.

To a man she didn't know.

That was what it boiled down to.

Plenty of women married men they didn't know.

She could do the same.

She could be strong enough to do this.

She would have to be.

She swung her legs over the side, yawning and stretching her arms.

Her father had told her that the man, Henry, visited the house today to discuss the impending marriage.

Walking around the room and opening the heavy, red curtains, she realised that the sun was higher in the sky than it should have been.

"Goodness!"

With a start she acknowledged that it was probably afternoon, and Henry had been due promptly at 10'o'clock, keeping to the country hours.

With a rush, she washed in the cool water that someone, probably Eva, had left for her earlier.

She quickly dressed in one of the few dresses she had that she knew she would look presentable in, struggling with the corset at the back.

"Blast!"

She tied up to half way up her back, propriety was for men and women who hadn't been caught in a scandalous situations.

In a rush, and in a very unladylike way, she ran out the door and down the stairs into the main room. The door was shut, so avoiding manners, she opened it, face red from exertion.

She stood there dress half opened, face red and hair loose staring at the shocked face of her father, and the stern, calculating face of her soon to be fiancée.

She suddenly felt the fool. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry-"

"Rosalie! What is the meaning of this?" Her father hissed.

"Excuse me-"

She turned around at shut the door behind her, walking quickly off in the direction of her favourite place in the house, the garden room.

"Stop."

The voice she recognized.

For moment she thought about keeping walking.

But this was the man who had kept threatening her.

She stopped, keeping her back to him.

"What?"

"You're going to be my wife. In fact, your father has just signed over the property you gain in his will to me."

She stiffened, muscles tensing at his words.

She remembered why she didn't like him in the first place.

He came closer.

"Where were you going?"

"The garden room." Her answer was little shaky, adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins, the hair on her neck standing upwards.

"Walk with me." His hand outstretched, with the same emerald ring bidding her to do his will.