She leaned against the tree’s gray trunk and wrapped her arms around it. Her heart throbbed, hurting more with each heaving breath she took. Her throat ached and her eyes burned, but the pain inside was the worst. How could she have ever thought Lord Rupert, son of the Duke of Hagenheim, could possibly marry her? Frau Geruscha had been right all along. She never should have trusted him. He never intended to marry her. Humiliation pierced her and forced out the tears, doing nothing to relieve the ache in her heart.
Rose heard only her racking sobs as they wrenched her whole body. Then, suddenly, horse’s hooves were pounding up the hill toward her. The animal was nearly upon her when she tore herself away from the tree to face the rider.
Chapter 20
Wilhelm held Shadow’s reins loosely as they walked back to the castle through the dense brush and trees. A faint noise toward the west stopped him. He listened but couldn’t identify the sound. Urging Shadow forward, he followed it.
They emerged from the forest. Someone lay crumpled at the base of the beech tree on the hill. His breath caught in his throat as he realized it was Rose, weeping.
He grasped the reins and catapulted onto Shadow’s back, urging him into a canter up the incline. They closed the distance in a few seconds. Wilhelm dismounted before the agile beast had even come to a stop.
Rose lifted her face and jumped at his sudden approach.
“What is it?” His heart constricted painfully at her anguished look. He reached out to her, but she shrank back, staring at his hand as though he’d suddenly grown claws.
He drew back, startled at her reaction, taking in her ripped dress and tear-stained face.
“Dear Lord of heaven, what’s happened to you?” He sank to one knee before her.
He longed to put his arms around her and comfort her but he remembered the way she had cringed when he had reached out to her.
“Who did this to you?” The impulse to tear her attacker apart set his muscles on edge.
Rose shook her head as fresh tears slid from her eyes and down her cheeks. “No, no.” Tears seemed to choke off any other words she might have spoken.
“Tell me, Rose. Who did this?” On his knees a mere two feet from her, he had to restrain himself again from pulling her into his arms.
She shook her head. “I—can’t—t-tell you.”
“Yes! You can tell me, Rose. Please. You can tell me. I vow before God I will never let him hurt you again. Was it Peter Brunckhorst? I’ll find him and make sure he never bothers you again.” Pain strangled him at the emptiness of his promise. You’ve been looking for one man for seven years and haven’t found him yet.
She shook her head again, and he yearned to smooth back the strands of hair that clung to her wet cheeks.
His heart pounded so hard it seemed to shake his whole body. He stared at her and felt the rage growing inside him. He had to know. “Rose, you have to tell me who did this. Tell me.”
“I can’t tell you!” She looked up at him, her eyes glinting.
He took a deep breath. “Why?” He softened his voice as he pleaded. “Please tell me, Rose. I don’t understand why you can’t tell me.”
“If I tell you, you’ll hate me.” Her face crumpled. Fresh sobs shook her as she covered her face with her hands.
“How could I hate you? Especially for something someone else did to you?” He yearned to pull her hands away from her face and kiss her until she stopped crying. An irresponsible, nearly irresistible thought.
“Because. Because you won’t believe me, and you’ll hate me.”
“Of course I’ll believe you, Rose. I only want to take care of you. I won’t be angry. Tell me.” A hard edge crept into his voice.
A muscle writhed in her jaw. Anger flashed from her eyes. “All right, I’ll tell you. It was your brother, Lord Rupert. He told me your father was appointing him the next bishop and he asked me to be his mistress.”
Her fury seemed to rush out of her with the last word. Her chin quivered and she bit her lip.
Wilhelm closed his eyes as he grasped her declaration. His whole body sank under the weight of it. Oh, Rose, what have I done? He fell to the ground, his face in his hands.
Rose drew in a breath as Lord Hamlin collapsed in front of her. Why did you make me tell you? Now he would hate her forever. He would never turn against his own brother, yet he’d vowed to punish whoever did this to her.
Now that she had actually spoken the words out loud, the flood of tears subsided, but she was horrified at Lord Hamlin remaining in so undignified a posture. “He didn’t hurt me, Lord Hamlin.”
Still he didn’t move.
“The rip in my dress was my fault.” Heaven forbid that Lord Hamlin should get the idea that Lord Rupert had assaulted her.
But what did it matter? She was a lowly nobody to him and his privileged brother. With all his talk of love, Lord Rupert hadn’t cared about her, had no respect for her. She wondered why she had ever found his face handsome or his pale blue eyes kind. Now he seemed cold, almost inhuman.