The Frozen Rose

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The circus

Lady Anne had given Elizabeth a strange look. Mary asked her if she had received a blow to the head. Thomas wanted to know if she had become crazy. Andrew merely told her to be careful.

Their reactions made Elizabeth doubt if she should go to the circus with William. If they had so little faith in this ending well, why would she believe it?

She had not told them of the kiss from two days ago. If they had known that, they would not be sitting here, looking at her like she had gone mad. No, they would have locked her up in her chamber, tied to the bed.

"You are speaking of William Hawthorne, yes?" Mary asked. "The man who left you years ago?"

"Yes, Mary, it is him," Elizabeth repeated for what felt like the millionth time. "I have told you that already."

"I am only making certain I hear this correctly, for it sounds quite unrealistic."

"Tis not unrealistic," she argued. "He is just a man."

"A man who hurt you," Thomas reminded her.

"A man who made a mistake," she corrected.

Lady Anne's eyebrows shot up. "Does that mean you are willing to forgive him?"

"I will not fall in love with him, if that is what you are asking."

"Of course not," Thomas said, "for you have never fallen out of love."

"Elizabeth," her mother said in a gentle voice, "it does not matter to me who you fall for or who you love. All I ask is that you are careful with your heart."

"I will not give him my heart." She looked at her siblings and her mother, all of whom were looking at her, disbelieve obvious in their eyes. "It is merely the circus!"

"That is what is starts with," Mary said under her breath.

Elizabeth sighed, then stood up. "Fine. If that is your opinion, than I shall not tell you where I go to the next time I get an invitation."

"Elizabeth, that is not what we meant," lady Anne said while throwing Thomas and Mary an angry look. Then she stood up and walked to her daughter. "We just want you to be happy, not hurt. And we know William can easily hurt your for you are too kind. You can always tell him no. There is no shame in that."

"But I do not want to tell him no. I want to see the circus, and he was the first to ever ask me."

"If that is what you want, then we can go to the circus with you."

Elizabeth sighed. "So what is it you truly want, Mother? To tell me that I can go or not? Because now you have already told me both."

"No, I have not," she said surprised.

"You have told I ought to be careful with my heart, but you have also told me not to give it a chance to beat."

"Mother, may I speak with Elizabeth alone?" Andrew said for the first time since Elizabeth had dropped the bomb.

Lady Anne turned around at her son, sitting calmly on the coach. Andrew had always been their father when they needed one. Giving them good and sober advice whenever lady Anne could not.

Their mother finally sighed, then told Thomas and Mary: "come on, you two. We shall leave them alone. And no listening in at the door."

With a sigh, the two youngest Brompton children stood up and followed lady Anne outside. Once the door was closed, Andrew stood up to face his sister fully.

"Is that what you want?" he asked her. "For your heart to beat? Any man can make your heart beat, Elizabeth. So why would you give Hawthorne another chance at breaking it while you think he makes it beat?"