The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

no use for it, then passit over,” she told him, taking a seat on the stone besidehim.

He was shocked by her statement.Dumbfounded, he moved the blade farther from her, and then he foundhis voice, “You could not possibly...,” he began.

Lady Rose shook her head, but didn’tsmile. “No, I couldn’t, but my joke was a truthful glimpse of myheart’s despair.”

Peter’s heart went out to her,forgetting his own turmoil for a moment. “Lady Rose, please believeme when I tell you how much I hate what has happened to you andyour family.”

Her face became a mask, and heremotions seemed to vanish. Peter knew he had said the wrong thingsomehow, but he was helpless to understand what it hadbeen.

Rising to her feet, she gave him apolite expression, “Thank you, Peter. I appreciate yourcondolences.” Then she started to turn away.

Unsure of himself, Peter called to herbefore she could leave, “Lady Rose?”

She stopped and looked back,“Yes?”

“Why did you want to talk to me,honestly?” His words were too direct, and he knew if she tookoffense now, it would have been because he had stepped beyond hisplace.

“I thought you were like me, for amoment,” she admitted. “You looked more wretched than anyone elsehere.”

Casting his eyes downward, he admittedit, “It may be that you were right,”

She resumed her perch beside him,almost smiling now. “Misery loves company,” she noted. “Tell mewhat it is?”

“The Count and Countess,” he began,and then without fully intending to, he recounted his story. Hestarted with his grandfather, including the story of his earlyemployment and the reason he had taken it. Lady Rose had been theone who originally arranged for him to take service with theCameron Estate, so it lifted some of his guilt to confess his truereason.

Throughout his confession Roselistened quietly, a skill that she was known for. She didn’t revealthat she had also known of his true motivations at the time, or herpart in Mordecai’s scheme to save the Tucker’s from poverty. Shesimply listened and accepted.

He told her everything, including hisnew doubt in the trust that Penny and Mort had for him, sincediscovering their greater secret. He stopped short only of tellingher about Mordecai’s last request.

“So what did he want?” she asked, whenhe mentioned speaking to the Count.

“He wanted to give me a task,” repliedthe chamberlain vaguely.

After a short pause she asked, “Areyou going to tell me what it was?”

“I am not at liberty to say,” heanswered, ending his former forthrightness.

Rose sighed, “Probably another ofthose shoulder crushing burdens, I imagine. ‘Take care of them!’No, don’t tell me.”

He was puzzled by herresponse.

“It doesn’t matter what it was,” shesaid reassuringly, “just the fact of it. That’s whatcounts.”

“I don’t understand,” saidPeter.

She gave him her first genuine smile,“Neither do I, but I can tell you a few things about your goodCount.”

Despite himself Peter was enrapturedby the thought of Lady Rose sharing her insights. He leaned in,letting his expression convey his interest.

“Mordecai loves secrets. The mansimply can’t help himself. Not when he was alive, and not evenafter his death. Since I’ve known him, it has been nothing but oneafter another,” she announced.

“He has always been a complex man,”said Peter seriously.

Rose shook her head in disagreement,“No, he’s as simple as they come. Sometimes he was as simple as myown husband. Brilliant, clever, smarter than anyone I’ve ever knownin some regards, but Mordecai was simple in his emotions, in hisheart.”

Peter’s brow wrinkled.

“The secrets were his attempt to makeup for it. He would lie and bluff, cheat and steal, all to coverhis plans, but his goal was easy to see,” she declared.

“Steal?!”

“He picked up a lot of bad habits fromMarcus,” said Rose. “But that’s not what’s important.”

Peter had already lost the point ofher story, “What was it?”

“This house,” she explained in a toneas if it were self-evident. “That and the fact that you justdiscovered they knew about your plan for revenge allalong—secrets!”

“Alright…”

“Mordecai would have keptthe location of this house from Penny if he could have managed it,”she told him. “In fact, if it were possible, he would have madeher think it wasactually their apartments in the castle.”

“That’s insane.”

“No, that’s Mordecai,” she answered,warming to her subject again. “He loved simply, but the things heencountered, the enemies he made—they made him very cautious.Anything you didn’t know, couldn’t be stolen from your mind andused against him, or more importantly, against hisfamily.”

“That’s a bit extreme,” suggestedPeter.

Rose clucked her tongue at him. “Thinkabout Walter Prathion. You know his story. Mort was hell bent onmaking certain he never faced something like thatagain.”

“That just reinforces the fact that henever really trusted me,” pointed out Peter.

Like a logician, Rosecircled him with her argument. “No, it merely discounts the factthat these secrets indicated distrust. The fact is that hedid trust you. He lovedyou, in fact.”

“Where is the reasoning forthat?”

“Are you fond of Matthew?” she askedsuddenly, “or what of his daughter, Moira? What does little Conallthink of you?”

Having spent countless hours withthem, Peter loved all four of Mordecai’s children. He also knewthat they felt the same. “I care deeply about them, and I’m surethey’re very fond of me, of course, but they’re children. They knownothing of guile.”

“A brave man might put his back to anassassin, or let him carry a knife in his presence, but he wouldnever leave him alone with his children. More so, he would not lethis children grow to love and trust such a villain.”

Peter was struck by the clarity of herinsight. He sat still for a moment considering herwords.

Rose started to leave again. “Thankyou,” she said.

“For what?”

The smile she gave him was sad, but itwas less so than before. “For being miserable and for sharing itwith me.”

“Wait,” he protested.

“Yes?”

“I still don’t know what to do,”confessed Peter.

She looked at him wisely, “How shouldI know?”

“But you seem to understand everythingso well…”

“Losing my husband has taught mehumility. I know less than nothing,” she countered. “I just thoughtyou should make your decision based on the truth rather than yourdoubts. Mordecai trusts you. He asked you to do something, probablysomething difficult. It’s your choice whether you do ordon’t.”

“What if it could affect all of us?”asked Peter.

“Everything involving that man affectsall of us. My own