Free The Woman from Kerry by Anne Doughty Page A

bad. The chances of getting her dressed and ready to go down by eight o’clock began to look very doubtful indeed.
    ‘You can’t do much about dying, no one can, so there’s no use thinking about it. But you
can
choose the man you want to marry. Your father wouldn’t dream of forcing you to marry someone he thought suitable if you didn’t like him. So it’s up to you.’
    ‘But how would I know?’
    It was not the first time Lady Anne had asked a question that amazed her. For all her education, her visits to England and other parts of Ireland, her questions could suddenly reveal how little idea of judging other people she had yet acquired.
    ‘Simple. You’d go riding with him,’ Rose beganquietly. ‘You’d watch how he behaves. That’s what you did with Captain O’Shea this afternoon, wasn’t it? That’s how you know you wouldn’t want to marry a man like him.’
    Lady Anne shook her head vigorously.
    ‘That’s all very well, Rose, but what if he didn’t ride?’
    Rose laughed and was grateful when the younger woman’s face softened slightly.
    ‘I don’t think he’d stand a great chance with you if he didn’t ride,’ she said easily, ‘but you could still test him out. Take him to the stables and introduce him to Conor. Get Conor to do his party pieces, like walking up the steps. See whether he’s interested or not. If he’s the right man for you, he’ll pay attention
for your sake
, even if he knows nothing about horses himself.’
    ‘Rose, how do you know all these things? You’re only three years older than I am and you’re a servant.’
    Lady Anne’s whole appearance had changed. She looked puzzled and she was smiling, sure signs the danger point was passed.
    ‘I’m not sure how I know, but I
am
sure you’ll be late for dinner if we don’t get started,’ Rose replied crisply, as she stood up and waited for her to do likewise. But Lady Anne made no move.
    ‘Promise me you’ll never leave me,’ she said softly.
    ‘I can’t promise you that,’ Rose replied, just as softly.
    For one long, exhausting moment, Rose watched her face, saw the conflicting emotions chase across her features, observed the twist of her mouth, the anxious flick of her eyes. She had almost prepared herself for the scream, the brush thrown violently against the wall, when she saw her drop her eyes. She heard the deep intake of breath.
    ‘I’m sorry, Rose. I shouldn’t have asked that.’
    Rose smiled, relief and amazement flowing over her. It was the first time in her life she’d heard Lady Anne apologise to anyone.
    ‘Why do you always choose the green velvet?’ Lady Anne continued, smiling, as if the words had never been spoken.
    ‘Because it suits you. When you wear pink, or white, or blue, you try to look like your sisters. And you aren’t like them at all.’
    ‘Who
am
I like then?’
    ‘You’re not like anybody else, you’re like yourself. But too often you try to be like other people. That’s what makes you so unhappy.’
    Startled by what she’d just said, Rose bent down quickly and picked up the jacket and riding hat. She’d no idea she’d been thinking about what made Lady Anne so unhappy until the words popped out, ready and waiting to be spoken.
    ‘I’ll wear the green. What about my hair?’
    ‘Up.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because you have good skin and fine eyes. When you smile they light up.’
    ‘So
you
think I’m pretty, Rose?’ said Lady Anne, turning from the dressing table to face her.
    ‘No, I don’t. I think your sisters are pretty. But you have much stronger features.
You
could be handsome.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘Just by being yourself and deciding what’s right for you.’
    Lady Anne stood up, pulled off her shirt and scarf, dropped them on the floor and held up her arms.
    Rose lowered her petticoats over her head, one by one, slid the green velvet down to her waist and let the soft fabric fall into place over the petticoats. She did up the fastenings in half the usual