Chapter 226: Letting go [2]
Victoria stared at Rosalie, surprised to see her standing in the court. She hadn’t thought she would come across Rosalie so soon, especially after Rosalie had completely cut her off.
Though it was unlikely that anyone was speaking of them, Victoria felt watched by the workers around them. That she was being judged for being part of the reason that a marriage had not lasted.
"It is not as it looks," Victoria tried to explain, glancing back and forth between Rosalie and Cole’s mother. "We met out of the blue. She came to see her son," she said, but her words fell on deaf ears.
Rosalie looked away from Victoria, uninterested in why she was with Cole’s mother. She expected that at some point, Cole’s family would have to accept the new member of the family and prepare Victoria to become his future wife, if he weren’t imprisoned forever.
Rosalie searched for a chair and found one near the door. The wood creaked faintly as she sat down. "You must act fast, Father. I promise you that I will be well. I can take care of myself."
Benedict wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about Victoria and Rosalie talking, but it was Nancy Presley, Cole’s mother, who bothered him. He had never liked the talkative woman, whose voice always carried too loudly in any room.
"Your Grace," Nancy greeted Benedict with a curtsy. "My husband and I have been trying our best to speak to you and your wife. Could I have a moment of your time to speak about the children?"
"No," Benedict flatly replied, leaving to find the man he knew in the court. He lingered close, however, keeping an eye on Rosalie since he didn’t trust either woman around his daughter.
Failing to get Benedict’s attention, Nancy turned to Rosalie for support. She was not yet ready for the marriage to end.
"Rosalie, might I have a word with you? We are family," Nancy reminded her. "I haven’t picked any sides in this matter, and I certainly haven’t accepted that woman," she said, surprising Victoria.
Victoria thought back to what she had spoken of with Nancy before Rosalie arrived. She had asked about the existence of a baby, and after Victoria denied it, Nancy had been pleasant. Now she acted as though they were not on good terms at all.
Nancy approached Rosalie, keeping a watchful eye on the duke. "I don’t mean to upset you."
"You have already upset me with your presence. We shall no longer be family now that I am leaving your son. Surely you have heard the news that after his affair and becoming a murderer, we are no longer together," Rosalie said, looking up as she acknowledged Nancy’s presence.
Nancy licked her lips, annoyed that Rosalie was speaking to her without respect. "Rosalie, until the marriage is officially done with, I am still your mother-in-law. You are to speak to me with respect, just as my son would speak to your mother with respect."
"I respected you quite a lot. I respected you so much that when you pestered me for a child, even when I was ill, I wore my best smile and ignored it, though I was in pain. I respected you when you tried to act as though I was beneath you, when you acted like you were more important," Rosalie said, her voice trembling with long-held frustrations.
"I respected you because it was how I was raised. I was well-behaved even when you enjoyed ordering around the daughter of a duke. For once, I ask that you respect me by moving on and not ask me to save your son," Rosalie said, for the first time speaking back to Nancy with defiance.
"I hope the cheating bastard rots wherever he is now!" Rosalie declared, her words echoing through the court. Since Nancy wanted to put on a show, Rosalie would give her a good one.
Nancy raised her hand to slap Rosalie, but she held it in the air.
"That wouldn’t be wise of you. My father is already returning, and we are in the court, surrounded by men who could arrest you. Rather than try to keep me within your family, why don’t you focus on your son?" Rosalie asked, her eyes cold.
Nancy lowered her hand. "My son is innocent. He is not a murderer, and you know it. He is the provider for our home. I don’t know many things, but I know for certain that Cole loves you. This tale you are coming up with, that he cheated, is not true."
"Is that what he told you? Is he also remaining adamant that he didn’t get her pregnant? That guilty look is all over their faces. I don’t know how I missed it for so long, but you should open your eyes. They are not going to admit to it unless you see it," Rosalie said, meeting Victoria’s eyes with a piercing stare.
"I know my son. I know that he is not a murderer, and I know that he didn’t cheat on you with this woman," Nancy argued, her voice rising.
"That’s enough," Benedict said, returning to Rosalie’s side to take her to a private room.
Nancy couldn’t understand why anyone would think that Cole would leave the daughter of a wealthy man to be with Victoria. Not a princess or another wealthy woman, but Victoria, a woman who had far less than Cole did.
It was wise for Cole to hold onto Rosalie rather than go towards a woman he would have to take care of. What did Victoria have to offer anyone other than headaches?
"I know my son," Nancy repeated, refusing to believe that Cole killed or cheated on Rosalie.
Rosalie held up her hand to stop her father from taking her away just yet. "And I thought I knew my husband. I suggest that you go back to have a word with him. Those two have already admitted to what they had done while I was sick."
"Well, what did you expect? My son was no doctor, but he had to stay by your side to care for you."
"
"Mrs Presley, I urge you to be careful," Benedict said as he stepped towards Nancy, his patience worn thin.
"No, Father. Let her speak. I want to hear just how she felt about his affair. How she intends to justify it. You truly think it was reasonable that while I was fighting for my life, my husband should have been able to cheat because I couldn’t sleep with him?" Rosalie asked, seeking an honest answer.
"Do not be shy now," Rosalie said, waiting patiently. "Continue to make a fool of yourself."
