Cole stood beside the carriage as the coachman disposed of Faye, creating the illusion of an awful attack not too far away, and then cleaned the carriage.

Cole entered the carriage once most of the blood was removed and returned to the mansion.

"Clean every bit of blood until the carriage is spotless. Do not let anyone see the blood or get inside the carriage until I have inspected it in the morning," Cole ordered the coachman.

Cole fixed his coat, inspecting it for blood as he walked into the mansion. He wanted to find Victoria to inform her that the matter was over.

When Victoria heard the news, would she be relieved and thank him?

Or, would she continue to be distant?

Cole thought of going to see Victoria first, but with his late return, Rosalie would be concerned about his whereabouts.

Cole didn’t have any other choice but to put Victoria second and Rosalie first. He went up to his bedchamber, and inside, Rosalie was sitting with a maid. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I was about to send someone to search for you. You said you wouldn’t be away for long, yet you almost missed us going down for dinner. What happened?" Rosalie asked, turning around to inspect Cole’s appearance.

"Leave us," Cole instructed the maid.

"You are scaring me. Did you not leave simply to do business? If more occurred, you should inform me promptly, so I am not worried about you," said Rosalie.

"You must calm yourself, Rosalie. I got caught up in my business, and when I returned, there was a maid I needed to fire. Since it was late, I offered to give her a ride near where she lived," Cole said.

"You fired a maid? Why didn’t you let me take care of it? You have never stepped in to fire anyone," Rosalie said, finding it odd.

"I have fired others before, but I didn’t speak of it. I fired quite a few of our servants when you were unwell. I do what I must to not worry you," Cole said as he approached Rosalie.

Cole stood behind Rosalie, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"How thoughtful. What did the maid do? I should know," Rosalie said.

"She stole from Victoria-"

"No!" Rosalie gasped, horrified by the news. "How could she? Wait, why didn’t Victoria tell me?"

"She is a guest in our home, and you know her heart. She would have felt guilty about getting the maid fired. It was better to speak to me about it. I have already apologised to Victoria, so don’t speak of it. We can avoid her feeling awful," said Cole.

"I cannot believe one of our maids would steal. I thought we were paying them well, and all the gifts I prepared at the end of every celebration. Is it not enough?" Rosalie wondered, considering if the pay was too little.

"You are too generous with what you pay the servants. You treat them well, but unfortunately, you cannot get away from others’ greed. It is not you," Cole promised, leaning forward to kiss Rosalie’s head.

"Still, I wonder if everyone thinks it is enough. We are very fortunate with our lives not to need to worry about the next day. In some ways, I wish to help our servants. We should be so wonderful that they never want to leave us," said Rosalie.

"Most have no intention of leaving. As long as they do not steal, they may stay for as long as they like. Rosalie," Cole said, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "I have been putting more thought into what you asked. We should try for a child."

Rosalie whipped around so fast she had to stop to touch her forehead. "That was too sudden. Do you mean it? Are you not going to get too concerned about my health and try for a baby? I mean, it is time we have one."

"I agree that it is time," Cole said, sharing Rosalie’s excitement. "I cannot wait to see the side of you that is a mother. I am also excited by the thought of becoming a father. A protector."

Rosalie stood up from her chair to hug Cole. "I wish to see it as well. We must," she said, attempting to take off Cole’s shirt, but stopped. "Victoria. I am to be hosting a dinner to properly send her off. We must hold off for tonight and start tomorrow."

Rosalie tiptoed to kiss Cole’s lips so he wouldn’t be disappointed. "I promise I will make it up to you. I cannot miss dinner after Victoria stayed to be with me a little longer. You understand, right?"

"I do. It is a shame she must leave," Cole said, watching as Rosalie returned to her chair. "You have been enjoying her company."

"I have, but I also realised that I cannot keep her here forever. It would be unfair to Victoria since she must find a husband. Her father has been pushing it, and she also wants to get involved in the season," said Rosalie.

"In a perfect world, if Victoria didn’t want to get married when she isn’t ready, I would allow her to stay here. She is always welcomed at my side, but she has a duty to her father. The good side is we will have a new friend once she marries," Rosalie said, excited for Victoria.

Cole would have a gentleman to be friends with.

"You could become close to her husband, just as I am close to Victoria. I hope she finds a kind man who will treat her well and fit into our group. You should have one of your friends approach her. One that will take marriage seriously," Rosalie suggested.

"None of my friends is ready for marriage, but I will do my best to find a gentleman suited for Victoria. For now, keep your thoughts on having our child. You must know that once we have a child, you are stuck with me," said Cole.

Rosalie smiled, finding his words to be silly. "Was I not stuck with you the day we became husband and wife? You might have hit your head, Cole. That explains the tardiness. You must get dressed for dinner, or you will be late."

"I will not have you spoil the plans I made for Victoria’s send-off. Get dressed and prepare yourself to have a good time. I have plenty planned," Rosalie said, eager for dinner.

"I will move fast," Cole said, leaving Rosalie with one last kiss. "Also, it would be good for us to keep trying for a baby a secret from everyone. We can surprise them with the news when it is confirmed."

"Very well," Rosalie agreed.