Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,42
through his hair. “If I had any clue what was going to happen, I never would have snuck off with her - or anyone else.”
“I know.”
Joss turned back to look at his brother. “Are you and Rosie okay with the idea of us having a wedding in a different part of the grounds?”
Caleb shrugged. “We don’t own the property. A different part would be nice. I haven’t talked to Rosie about it, though. When are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. We just talked about it since Min ended up at the palace.”
“You know,” Caleb went on thoughtfully. “If you told the rest of us what’s going on, we might be able to help.”
Tapping his pen on his blotter, Joss turned that over in his head. Given what his father said earlier about the earl possibly being in cahoots with Kari’s parents - and knowing Kari’s parents were involved with the men who stole from Rosie - maybe there could be some good come from it. “Let me talk to Minnie. Maybe it would be helpful.”
Caleb stood and Joss stood with him. His brother enveloped him in a big hug.
“If you’re happy, I’m happy for you, Joss,” his brother said softly. “I hope you’re both as happy as Rosie and I are.”
Joss hugged his brother back and prayed he and Minnie would be.
16
A knock on the door surprised Minnie. “Please be the king or queen,” she muttered. She didn’t think any of the others would be as kind as the king or queen had been - at least publicly. In private, things might be different.
There was no way to see who was on the other side, so she opened the door to find Rosie standing there.
“May I come in?”
Minnie moved back and opened the door farther. “Please. I’d offer you something to drink, but I don’t even know if this place has a fridge.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Have a seat then?” Minnie motioned to the sitting area.
Rosie sat in one of the chairs. “I know Caleb and I didn’t respond properly at breakfast, and I wanted to apologize for that.”
“I understand.” Minnie sat in the chair across from her. “It’s a big shock.”
“It is, but I have a feeling you and I could both use a friend while we try to navigate this world of royalty. Kari could, too, though she’s had six months to learn and prepare. Whoever Ezekiel ends up marrying could likely use our support when the time comes.”
“If we’ve figured it all out by then.” Minnie started to relax as Rosie laughed.
“Listen, I don’t mean to pry, and if you’d rather not talk about it, I understand, but something changed a couple of years ago. I would never have called us friends, but we could be friendly at events. Can you tell me what changed? Did I do something to offend you?”
Minnie shook her head. “No. That was about the time my father lost most of his fortune. He started putting significantly more pressure on me to marry well and, if I couldn’t, find a way to blackmail someone into giving him a fortune.”
Compassion followed by understanding crossed Rosie’s face. “It’s not public knowledge, but I was conned out of most of my inheritance and death benefit. I managed to keep my family home, but barely. Marrying Caleb has helped significantly in that respect, and we’ll be moving there before long, but I’ve also had some of it returned since it was connected to Kari’s parents.”
Minnie stared at her hands. “I had no idea.”
“Most people don’t. Once that case is over, I may see significantly more of what I lost returned to me, though now that I’m married to someone with plenty of funds, I would give up my portion for others if people won’t be getting everything back.”
“That’s very kind.”
“I’m sorry your father put you in that position.”
Minnie shrugged. “You know how it is being an unmarried daughter of nobility in New Sargasso.”
Rosie gave her a sad smile. “Not really. I know there are some old laws that can be enforced, but my parents never even mentioned them to me.”
“Well, my father has. Repeatedly. Daily at times. As long as I remained unmarried, he could control me, legally.”
“Is that why you two got married?” There was no judgment or condemnation in Rosie’s voice.
But Minnie wasn’t quite ready to delve that deeply with someone she didn’t know well. “It’s one reason why the wedding happened when and how it did.” That was the absolute truth.