Esme nodded and rushed in the opposite direction to do as Lady Delphine had asked, while Delphine turned her attention to Rose. Rose couldn't meet her eyes; she had her gaze glued to her knees.
Lady Delphine didn't have to ask her directly—she couldn't do it. She was already having a hard time with the crown prince; adding other strange men would be the death of her. The thought of it made her want to hurl up the lunch she had just eaten.
It wasn't any disrespect to Lady Delphine and the girls; she just couldn't. She had never thought she would be with anyone else other than the man she loved. The worst part was that she was thinking about him less and less these days, and she hated that.
Esme returned swiftly, handing the lit pipe to Lady Delphine. She accepted it and walked to the long chair. There, she settled and got comfortable, then inhaled deeply, allowing the smoke to curl around her lips before exhaling with a sigh.
