Cameron paced back and forth in his study, trying to calm his wrath as he waited for Rosie. After they'd arrived home last night, he sent her directly to her room to rest. Alice was overjoyed, but her sobs of gratitude for Madison's help gnawed on his already frayed nerves. As much as he needed to set things right with Madison, he needed to set things right with Rosie first.

He'd not slept well, only because he tried to think of ways to keep Rosie's scandal from spreading through the gossipmongers. He tried to convince himself that Rosie must have been kidnapped by Heath Langston, but he just couldn't believe that's what truly happened. Hopefully, Rosie would clear up his doubts.

When a soft knock sounded on the door, he swung around to face his sister. "Enter."

Rosie walked in with her eyes downcast, her hand clutched against her middle. She wore a plain gray dress, and her brownish-blonde hair was loosely piled into a bun at the back of her head. The bruised skin around her eye looked darker today. He'd make certain Mrs. Trumble rubbed some cream on the bruise, and maybe he'd have her place a cold slab of steak on there as well.

"Please sit." He pointed to the nearest chair.

Without a word, she did as he asked, still not meeting his eyes.

"As you are probably aware, I'm trying really hard not to lose my temper. However, I still need the truth from you, Rosie. I know by now that you were not madly in love with Mr. Bailey and he had not wanted to court you. So please, tell me everything that happened."

She nodded, finally looking him straight in the eyes. The bruise made her face appear paler.

"I made up the story about Mr. Bailey wanting to court me." Her voice cracked. "I met him when I was visiting Annie Trent a few weeks ago. I also met his cousin, Gaynor. I could tell Mr. Bailey took an interest in me, but it was Gaynor who'd caught my eye."

Cameron fisted his hands, but didn't interrupt her.

"Gaynor and I decided to meet secretly at Mr. Bailey's house while we planned our..." she paused and sucked in a quick breath of air as her gaze fell to her lap.

Cameron arched a brow. "Your what?"

"Elopement." She peeked at him from under her lashes.

Just as he'd thought. "Then what happened?"

"On the day we'd decided to elope, Gaynor sent a buggy to take me to Mr. Bailey's house, but his other cousin, Heath Langston, was there to greet me, instead." Tears gathered in her eyes and her body shook. She wrapped her slender arms around her waist as if she were trying to keep warm. "He told me that Gaynor was waiting for me in the attic bedroom. I didn't know why he'd want to meet me there, but I followed Heath. He shoved me inside and locked the door." A tear slid down her cheek. "I never saw Gaynor after that. Heath threatened that if I wasn't quiet, he'd kill you and Alice. I had no other choice but to follow his commands."

Cameron sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms. "Why did you choose Mr. Bailey's house to meet secretly?"

"Because Gaynor asked his cousin to help us, and..." She licked her lips and her gaze dropped to her lap. "Gaynor doesn't have a place to live at the moment. He was hoping Mr. Bailey would give him some money to help us start out our new life together."

"So you're telling me that my once-intelligent sister forgot her upbringing and decided to elope with a man who had no money?" His voice lifted in anger, but this time he couldn't control it.

She nodded as another tear slid down her face. "I...love Gaynor, but I didn't think you would approve of him."

"And rightly so!" Growling, he moved away from his desk and resumed his pacing. "Tell me, Rosie. Why didn't you think I would approve?"

"Because he is penniless."

"And why," he continued as he linked his hands behind him, "would money stop me from approving of a suitor for one of my sisters?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do," he urged.

She expelled a deep breath. "Because we might not have a place to live?"

He nodded. "How do you expect a man to provide for you if he doesn't have any money? Pray tell, where did you expect to live? With Mr. Bailey?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Or...here."

He rolled his eyes. "Absolutely not!"

"Cam, there's enough room in the attic. I was up there not too long ago, and I cleared out the main room. Gaynor and I—"

"Over my dead body," Cameron yelled.

Her frown deepened and she rubbed a thumb roughly against the knuckles of her other hand. "That's exactly why I chose to keep the truth from you."

Growling, he pushed his fingers through his hair. Although shaking his sister would probably make him feel better, it wouldn't help her to think clearly. He stopped next to the window and leaned back against the pane.

"Rosie, I just don't understand you. For years you've walked around the house as though you are the queen. And yet when a man pays you some attention, you forget everything about what our father—and I—have taught you. Not only that, but did you ever think of what kind of scandal your poor choice of eloping would create to our family?" He shook his head. "I don't think it crossed your mind at all."

She huffed and rose to her feet, glaring at him. "You've always talked to me as though I were still a child. Not once have you treated me like a mature woman."

"You are only sixteen!" His voice boomed through the air. "And your actions certainly haven't shown me you are a mature woman."

"Whether you want to believe this or not, Cam, I do have my own opinions, and I can think for myself."

He released a rueful chuckle. "And running away with a penniless man is thinking? Creating a scandal that could possibly ruin your sister's chance of marrying well didn't even occur to you?"

"Augh!" She flipped her hands in the air. "There you go again, making me feel like a child."

"Then stop acting like one!" Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly blew out a frustrated breath. For some time now, he and Rosie communicated by yelling at each other, which wasn't very good at all.

"Forgive me if I'm not like most women you know," she continued in a tirade, "but I refuse to live like the women in England."

He nodded. "I can honestly say you are not like most women. The women I know would want their future husband to have employment or at least have the funds to support a wife and their children."

"Honestly, Cam. I don't believe it'll come to that." She twirled a lock of brownish blonde hair around her finger. "I believe in Gaynor."

"After only knowing him for a few short weeks, how do you know he's a decent fellow?" He rolled his eyes. "Rosie, I must say, I'm quite surprised at your attitude shift. Ever since Father died, you have wanted things beyond your means. And now you want to lower yourself and marry a penniless man?"

She pouted. "Because I'm in love. I know you've never been in love, Cam, but it can change your heart. I'm proof of that."

He bunched his hands into fists. "That's understandable, but love can't put food on the table and it certainly can't pay the bills," he snapped. "And as much as you prance around the house pretending to be royalty, the plain and simple truth is that you'll never be rich."

Tears filled her eyes again. "You know, Cam, I honestly don't know why I'm in this family. I have never felt as if I belonged here."

He arched an eyebrow. "And why is that, may I ask?"

"Because we are so very different. Alice and I don't even have the same interests." She folded her arms across her bosom. "Sometimes I think I'm really not your sister at all."

"Pray tell...whose sister would you be?"

"I don't know, but not yours!"

The pulsing vein in his forehead throbbed harder, so he rubbed his temples. At least once a year, they'd had this type of conversation. This was just Rosie's spoiled way of trying to get what she wanted. Sometimes Cameron wished he could wash his hands of her. She wanted to be an adult, so he might as well let her be one. He really needed to stop catching her every time she started to fall. Rosie needed to experience the pitfalls of being grown up and responsible. Perhaps he should just push her toward Gaynor...

But not before saying a few more things to alert her to real life.

He walked in front of her and stopped, looking into her eyes. "So you truly want to marry Gaynor even though he's penniless?"

She nodded and stared at him with wide brown eyes. "I love him, Cam. And I believe he'll find a way to provide for me."

"Rosie, I can tell you now that if you marry Gaynor, you will be the one trying to make a living for your family. If Gaynor hasn't found employment by this point in his life, he's never going to."

"But...he is next in line for Mr. Bailey's inheritance. Will you change your mind about him if he gets it?"

Chills ran up Cameron's spine. He narrowed his gaze on his sister as suspicion arose inside of him. "What do you know about Mr. Bailey's inheritance?"

She flipped her hand as she moved toward the window. "Gaynor mentioned that he was next in line to inherit Mr. Bailey's land. Well, now that Mr. Bailey is dead, I'm thinking Gaynor will get that." She drew her finger along the window pane.

Anger flared through him, and in three wide steps he stood by his sister, grasping her arm. "Has it occurred to you that Gaynor may have been involved with his cousin's death?"

Her face paled when she stared up into his eyes. "Gaynor would never do that. He and Jacob were very close. There's no possible way—"

"I said he might be involved. I know Heath Langston was involved as well."

She shook her head and turned back toward the window. "I refuse to believe the man I love had anything to do with a murder."

Cameron resumed his pacing as his confused mind tried to place the puzzle pieces together. "So you said that once you got to Mr. Bailey's house to meet Gaynor, he wasn't there. And he never visited you at all during those days you were missing."

She frowned as she focused on something out of the window. "Not once. I asked Heath where Gaynor was and he just yelled at me."

"I met Gaynor two days ago at Mr. Bailey's home. Heath Langston was also there."

She swung around and faced him. "Was that the day some of his family came?"

Cameron nodded. "Yes. Miss Haywood and I dropped in to see if anything was suspicious."

She clutched his sleeve. "How was Gaynor?"

Cameron groaned inwardly. "He was angry that his cousin's murder wasn't solved. He also snapped at his mother for trying to serve us tea."

Rosie scowled. "Gaynor wouldn't do that. He loves his mother...he dotes on her, in fact."

"Well, that's what happened." He shrugged. "He had definitely gotten mine and Madison's attention."

Within seconds the lines of frustration smoothed out on Rosie's face. "Madison? Is that her first name?" A small grin tugged on her mouth. "Cameron, if I didn't know you better, I would think you had feelings for Miss Haywood."

He tried to remain upset with his sister. She was purposely trying to change the subject, and he wouldn't allow it. "That's neither here nor there. We are talking about Gaynor, remember?"

Sighing, she leaned her back against the window. "Cameron, you are the investigator. If you think Gaynor had something to do with Mr. Bailey's death, then why are you standing here chatting with me? Why don't you ask Gaynor himself?"

"Oh, believe me, I will."

He moved away from her, heading toward the door. As he reached it, he stopped and placed his hand on the knob. "Rosie, you will tell no one about secretly meetings with Gaynor, and especially about being kidnapped by Heath."

"Why?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "I cannot believe it has slipped your mind, but our family doesn't need another scandal."

"What if people see my bruised eye?" She lifted her hand and brushed her finger over the discoloration.

"You shall stay inside the house until it disappears. If anyone asks where you have been for the past few days, we'll tell them that you and I had an argument, and you left to visit our aunt in Stratford."

"But Cam, we don't have an aunt in Strat—"

"Nobody knows that except us," he told her quickly. "We shall stick with that story. Understand?"

She nodded and looked at the floor again. Inwardly, he growled. She was giving him that look again...that pity me expression. He couldn't take anymore of her childish tactics.

"Rosie, I'm being harsh with you to try and help you. Maybe one day you'll understand."

Lifting her head, she threw a glare at him. "I'll go along with this story, but I'm warning you, Cam...I'm not a child any longer, and I'm tired of you making all my decisions."

"I understand. But can you let this incident calm down before you do anything rash? And next time you want to create a family scandal, please tell me about it first." He marched out of the room before giving her time to answer.

He clenched and unclenched his fists. That particular sister would shorten his life, he just knew it. Why was she so difficult? And why couldn't he understand her at all? If their father was still alive, would the old man understand Rosie's mind? Unlikely.

He walked outside, trying to breathe in the fresh air in hopes of it clearing his head and cooling his temper. Immediately, a movement from the drive captured his interest. A man was dismounting from his horse.

Cameron's heart raced with worry...until he realized the man was his cousin, Tristan. Cameron breathed a sigh of relief.

When Tristan saw him, he stopped and his eyes widened. "Are you not in hiding?"

Cameron shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm hiding here at the house."

"I dropped by to see if Alice had heard any word about Rosie, or about your situation."

Nodding, Cameron motioned his cousin inside the house. "Come, and I'll fix you a drink and tell you the whole sordid tale."

They walked into the study and Cameron closed the door. He fixed a drink for him and Tristan. As he explained what had happened to his cousin, Tristan sipped his drink of whiskey, keeping his eyes on him. He finished his glass before Cameron had finished the story. Tristan sat back in his chair and linked his fingers around the empty glass.

"What an amazing life you lead, dear cousin."

Cameron laughed over his cousin's remark. "Amazing? Wherever did you get an idea like that?"

Tristan arched an eyebrow. "You have tasted the excitement of adventure, felt the fear of mystery, and most importantly, your heart has been softened so that love can enter your life."

Cameron had just taken a swallow of whiskey, but choked on the strong drink. Either that or it was his cousin's words. Indeed, it was what Tristan had said. "Love? You think I'm in love?"

One side of Tristan's mouth lifted higher than the other as he presented a wide grin. "I suppose the question should be...why don't you think you're in love? After all, you speak of Miss Haywood with such endearment in your voice, and you admit how much you admire her. Let me also point out the twinkle in your eyes whenever you mention her name." He shrugged. "It appears to me that you are head over heels, dear cousin."

Rubbing his forehead, Cameron stared out the window. Love? Could he truly have this feeling? And yet, what his cousin had said made sense. Cameron's heart melted every time he thought about her, and yet, at the same time, his gut twisted for knowing he had upset her. He missed her greatly. Could his stubborn pride admit that he was lost without her?

"I'll let you ponder that for a little while." Tristan stood and placed his empty glass on the liquor tray. He moved to leave, but quickly turned toward Cameron and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Tell her your feelings. I promise you, you'll feel better."

"Feel better?" Cameron blurted a laugh. "Does it show how miserable I am?"

"It does." Tristan grinned. "I was in your shoes once. I know what agony a man goes through until he confesses his love."

Tristan walked to the door and opened it, but before leaving, glanced over his shoulder. "I come to tell you that the rumors I heard about Miss Haywood were wrong. People who don't understand her gift are quick to judge. Don't make the mistake of being one of those people."

"I can promise you that I'm not. I'm a believer."

"Good man." Tristan walked out of the room.

As Cameron listened to the fading footsteps, he pondered over his cousin's words. Perhaps it was time to pay Madison a visit, especially if it would ease his frame of mind.