For the Roses

herself.

She didn't care for the formality. Suppers were supposed to be loud and chaotic. It was the only time all her brothers were together, and each would catch the others up on what he'd accomplished during the day. They would argue and tease each other, and there was always something they could all laugh about.

She felt as if she were at a funeral now. She wanted to go upstairs to bed. She didn't dare ask to be excused, however, and dutifully followed her aunt Lillian's instructions all through the long, seemingly endless meal.

Her father made a lovely toast in honor of her return and her marriage to Harrison. Barbara came up with the idea that a reception held in late September would be a wonderful way to celebrate the union. Lillian embraced the notion.

They began to make their plans in hushed voices. Mary Rose was soon lulled half asleep.

She wasn't allowed to go to bed for another hour, and by then she was so exhausted, she could barely make it up the stairs.

Ann Marie was waiting for her. And so was the rose. The long-stemmed red flower had once again been placed on her pillow. The sight of the rose made her smile.

She was sound asleep by the time Harrison joined her. He leaned down to kiss her good night and was inordinately pleased to see she was holding on to the flower while she slept. He removed the rose, got into bed, and let her hold on to him instead.

Tonight had been difficult for her. He had seen how confused she looked, and at times he was certain she was overwhelmed by all the attention she was receiving.

She hadn't eaten any of her supper. He noticed, of course, and thought that the constant criticism she received was the reason for her loss of appetite. It had certainly destroyed his.

Mary Rose had handled herself well. She'd reacted to the chaos much better than he had. He'd been shaking with anger over her relatives' thoughtless remarks, but she'd been quite gracious to all of them.

Harrison fell asleep worrying about his wife. Yes, this evening had been difficult.

And it was only going to get worse.

October 3, 1872

Dear Mama Rose,

Will you please quit hounding me to take a bride? You know I'm not in a position to even think about marrying. I could be carted off to jail or hung off a tree branch, and I don't want to make a woman a widow or force her to live the way I've had to live.

Besides, I like it just fine the way things are now. I keep to myself and don't have to answer to anyone. The last thing I need is a woman pestering me.

Your letter explaining about a woman's monthly arrived in the nick of time. Mary Rose suffered terrible back pains and hid up in her room for two whole days. She still won't talk about becoming a woman, but I know your letter telling her what to expect helped her. She doesn't like being a female, Mama, but we both know one of these days she'll change her mind. She's going to have to learn to quit punching all the boys who come calling.

She still doesn't realize how pretty she is. None of us think she'll ever turn vain. With four older brothers constantly harping at her, it isn't possible for her to develop airs. She certainly turns the men's heads in town. Wait until you see her, Mama. She's a piece of work, all right. She's sassy and smart, and those blue eyes of hers are going to break quite a few hearts.

Lord, how I hate to see her grow up.

Love,

Adam

Chapter 19

Mary Rose spent the next day being poked and prodded and pinned. Dr. Thomas Wells and Dr. Harold Kendleton arrived at eleven o'clock in the morning and spent two full hours with her. The physical examination didn't take any time at all, and the rest of the time was spent interviewing her about her past.

She was happy to answer their questions, for she enjoyed talking about her family and her life back in Montana. She was proud of her brothers and wanted everyone to know how wonderful they were.

As soon as the doctors left her chamber, the dressmaker and three assistants hurried inside to begin work on her new wardrobe.

The doctors sought out Lord Elliott to give him their expert opinions. Mary Rose's father included his sisters and their husbands in the conference and thought to include Harrison a short time later.

Dr. Wells was a stout man with thick, gray whiskers. He rubbed them constantly while he spouted his opinion. Harrison found the man a bit too pompous. His know-it-all opinions were all wrong too.

The meeting took place inside the library on the second floor. Harrison came in just as Wells was explaining how important he believed it was to help Victoria make a smooth transition into her new life. Harrison shut the door behind him and then leaned against it with his arms folded across his chest.

'She mustn't be allowed to dwell on her past,' he dictated. 'Both Kendleton and I noticed how loyal she is to the men she stayed with. Why, she's actually accepted them as her brothers,' he added with a nod. 'We found it impossible to make her admit they weren't, in fact, related.'

Dr. Kendleton nodded agreement. He squinted at his audience over his thick glasses. 'I don't believe it's a good idea to let her talk about what happened to her. You must help her let it go. In time she'll forget, once she's settled in to her new life here. Your daughter is most intelligent, Lord Elliott. She shouldn't have any difficult finding her place here, and once she gets over this strange loyalty she feels toward those men, her adjustment will be complete.'

Harrison listened to the experts and vehemently disagreed with every suggestion they made. Elliott, he noticed, was hanging on their every word. He was looking for guidance, but in Harrison 's estimation, he was listening to the wrong people.

He couldn't keep silent any longer. 'Sir, why don't you talk to your daughter about your concerns? If you think she'll have difficulty adjusting to her life here, then ask her what you can do to help her.'

'I've just been advised not to dredge up her past, Harrison. We all want to help her move forward, son. Didn't you hear her last night? She believes she'll stay here only a short while and then return to America. She does feel a tremendous loyalty to those four men.' He addressed the last of his remarks to Dr. Wells. 'You were right about that.'

'You cannot undo what happened to her,' Dr. Kendleton announced. 'But with work and patience, your daughter will have a full, rewarding future.'

Harrison was hard-pressed not to let his anger show. 'Why do all of you believe she's been through some godawful ordeal? She wasn't a prisoner all those growing up years. She had a good life. She was given everything she needed, and she was certainly loved. You're making a grave mistake not letting her talk about her brothers, sir. They are her family. Of course she's loyal to them.'

'We must listen to the experts,' Lord Elliott insisted. 'They know better than you or I how to help Victoria.'

Harrison didn't know what more he could say to the man. He was astonished by his behavior. It wasn't like Elliott to ever be unsure of himself. He was usually a very disciplined, methodical man, and certainly reasonable. If he'd only think about it, he would see the rightness in accepting Mary Rose for what she was.

If the two of them had been alone, he would have asked him to tell him what he was afraid of.

Elliott must have guessed what Harrison was thinking, for he suddenly said, 'I will not lose her, son. I will do whatever it takes to make her happy.'

'We all want what's best for her,' Lillian interjected.

Harrison let out a loud sigh. 'What I want is for all of you to realize what a lovely young lady my wife is. She doesn't need to change. You can't erase her past, and if you listened to her talk about her growing up years, you would realize what a mistake it would be to try to make her pretend none of it happened.'

'We don't want to change her,' Barbara said. 'We only want to broaden her education and her