Music Recommendation: RV 155: II. Allegro- Antonio Vivaldi
With her mother's maid away from her, Rosetta could finally speak to Eugene without having to worry about the maid reporting about their interaction to her mother. They finished walking on the stairs and had stepped on the second corridor. She tried to walk next to him, but the man didn't even try to look at her or make an attempt to talk to her.
Rosetta's arrogant heart softened everytime she looked at Eugene, and she wondered why her love was so hard. She tried speaking to Eugene,
"I, uh. I don't want to marry Vincent Moriarty. It is my parents who are forcing me to marry him and I have nothing to do with it."
Eugene turned to look at Rosetta, "It is good to hear it." His words brought a smile to Rosetta's lips. At least he understood her. But then he continued, "It would be the worst if you agreed to marry the man because of other reasons."
He had heard about the situation from Miss Eve and wasn't pleased with how things had turned. But he trusted Mr. Moriarty to fix the situation. He knew both Miss Eve and Vincent shared a deep bond, which was the only assurance he had for now.
Rosetta nodded in agreement and said, "I would never do that to Eve. She is my only friend and who cares about me, I would never betray her. I know she and Vincent like each other."
"Thank you for holding your friendship with her, Lady Rosetta," Eugene paused for a second to offer her a quick bow, but Rosetta wasn't happy with the wall between her and him. He avoided looking her in the eye, as if it was beneath him, but in truth, he didn't want to get her hopes up.
"I want to marry you, Eugene," Rosetta once again declared her thoughts to Eugene. The man turned startled and quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard her. He quickly said in a hushed voice,
"You cannot go saying that, Lady Rosetta. Lest you want all of us to get into trouble. Haven't I told you not to pull me or Eve into any more trouble? Please," Eugene pressed on the 'please', hoping she would comply. But Rosetta, who had been crying back in her aunt's mansion, had bounced back to her usual self after seeing him.
"I don't want to cause any problems. All I want is for you to look at me as your potential wife. I love you," Rosetta paused her feet.
Eugene turned worried, and before someone could catch what they were talking about, he requested, "How about we go and talk about this elsewhere?" When Rosetta didn't move from her place, he let out a frustrated sigh. How did she even fall in love with him? Surely this woman was allergic to people who belonged below her status, and her confession puzzled him.
"Not until you agree to what I said," Rosetta knew this wasn't how to approach a man's heart, but she didn't have enough time with her parents planning her wedding with Vincent.
Eugene said in a low voice, "Did you not hear what your mother said at the entrance of the mansion? If you marry me, I cannot offer you anything. I don't have a house of my own, nor do I have the money to look after you the way your parents have."
"I just need a little space in your heart, I will live there," Rosetta said with her eyelids gently batting, and she looked at him with a hopeful expression. "I am willing to live the way you do. The only thing I want is your love. I will adjust with the rest. I promise to do my best!"
"Lady Rosetta," Eugene gently dropped the trunks on the ground. "You seem to be not li—"
"Rosetta. Rose will do too," Rosetta interrupted him. Her voice got slightly louder in excitement, and she said, "I am sure with your guidance, I will learn to cook, clean and everything else. I have enough clothes to last for a year and by maybe an year I will learn to knit and we can—"
Eugene quickly covered Rosetta's mouth to stop her voice from getting any louder with her thoughts of their future. The young vampiress suddenly stopped thinking and trying to speak, while she stared into Eugene's black eyes. His hand was pressed on her mouth, and the thought of him touching her entered her mind. She furiously blushed.
Rosetta's heart skipped a beat, as she stared into Eugene's eyes. She saw him part his lips, but before he could say something, they heard a gasp from the other corner. Both she and Eugene turned, noticing it was Eve.
"Uh… Is everything alright?"
On finding out about Rosetta's arrival, Eve came looking for her friend. Eugene quickly let go of Rosetta, while the vampiress was ready to melt into a puddle.
Eugene didn't know how to explain. He murmured in haste, "I will keep these trunks in the room," and he grabbed the trunks and left the place.
Eve noticed something to be going on between Eugene and Rosetta. Unsure if Rosetta had perhaps shown her sharp fangs that had led Eugene to cover the vampiress's mouth in fear. She walked to where her friend stood.
"Are you alright, Rose?"
Rosetta shook her head. Like a child, her eyes started to brim with tears, and she said, "Help me, Eve."
Eve frowned before she quickly nodded, "Of course. I will do my best." But before she could hear what it was about, the young vampiress grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "Easy on the hug," she patted Rosetta's back. Soon she felt her shoulder turning wet and could only guess the vampiress was crying. "Rosetta?"
"I am so sorry, Eve," Rosetta softly sobbed, "I… I am in love. I—I didn't know about things before. I am sorry. I don't know what to do."
Rosetta's words being unclear and Eve, unknown of what the vampiress was apologising for, questioned if perhaps Rosetta had agreed to marry Vincent because she was in love with him. If so, the situation had only turned complicated and Eve didn't know what to do.
"You don't have to apologise for it," Eve whispered with a frown, "Somethings are out of our control."
"But he doesn't love me," Rosetta sobbed. That was because Vincent liked her, Eve thought in her mind and she rubbed her friend's back, and when the vampiress pulled away from their hug, she noticed tears streaking down the pale cheeks of her friend. "Will you help me gain his attention? So that he starts to think of me?"
Eve turned speechless because she knew Rosetta was a spoiled vampiress, but she hadn't expected for the girl to be in love with Vincent.
Same time, Eugene stepped back into the corridor after placing Rosetta's trunks in her room. He walked past the two young women, and Rosetta looked at Eugene, "He doesn't even look at me."
Eve got confused and asked, "Eugene?"
Rosetta nodded, "Am I not his type?"
Eve's eyes widened, "You love Eugene?"
"Obviously," Rosetta answered in a proud tone.
Eve remembered the letter Rosetta had written to her, which Lady Camille had brought along with her. There was a mention of Rosetta asking for her approval, something Eve had forgotten. But who would have guessed that it was something to do with Eugene?
On one side, Eve felt relief wash over her mind, knowing Rosetta wasn't in love with Vincent. But simultaneously, she realised the trouble that her friend would bring her and Eugene.
Rosetta then quickly said, "Don't tell anyone though! Only the three of you know about it."
"I don't think it would be good for anyone to know," Eve pursed her lips and then asked in doubt, "Three?"
"Yes. You, Vincent and Eugene are the only people who know about it," Rosetta confessed, and it finally dawned on Eve. "I don't know how he found out, but he just did. I didn't mean to hide it from you!"
They heard footsteps coming from one side of the corridor, and soon Alfie appeared in sight. Reaching near them, Alfie informed, "Ms. Barlow, Master Vincent wants to meet you in his study room along with Lady Rosetta."
