Page 17 of Blood and Roses

"As a reward for knowing what frumenty is, I'm going to make you the best damn sandwich you have ever eaten in your life."

"I've eaten a lot of sandwiches in a lot of different countries. The competition is very high," Balthasar replied as she dug about in the fridge for the leftover lamb roast.

"Yeah, we'll see," she said and continued to tell him about London, all the bad kitchen jobs she had worked in and the best food she had tasted. It did not take her long to forget whom it was she was talking to and only managed to stop once she had placed the made sandwich in front of him. "Voilà!"

"Are you going to tell me what is in it?" he asked.

"In simplest terms, it's a warm roasted lamb club, but the rest is a secret," she said, smiling as he tried it, his face changing from mocking skepticism to delight. "Yeah, that's what I thought, Mr. I've Eaten So Many Sandwiches."

"Consider me put in my place. I forget how much I like food sometimes," he said vaguely as he looked down at the sandwich.

"That in your hand, Mr. Vane, is the summation of what I have learned at the fine culinary school your dad's money paid for."

"I will assure him that it was worth every penny."

Rosa spent another half an hour talking comfortably with Balthasar before wrapping up the remains of the still warm bread.

"Right, now I definitely think it's time for bed," she said, picking up her wooden spoon.

"Put that down. You won't need it," Balthasar said as he walked outside and let out a low whistle.

"Are you sure that's a dog, not a dire wolf?" Rosa asked as a huge animal came crashing out of the dark forest.

"He is a special breed of wolf hybrid," Balthasar answered as the beast sat down beside him and glared at her with yellow eyes. "He won't bother you, though I don't suggest wandering off. Thank you for the sandwich and your company tonight, Miss Wylt."

"You're welcome. You can call me Rosa, you know…if you want. And you should try to get some sleep. Big day of important business type stuff with Eli tomorrow," she said before turning and heading for the cottage before he spotted how red her cheeks had gone.

Balthasar watchedRosa disappear into the darkness before he looked down at the animal beside him. "Follow her, Caruthers, and make sure the other dogs don't bother her." The beast nodded his great gray head before trotting silently after her.

Balthasar stood in the cold and wind a moment longer before shaking his head, "Don't even consider it, Balthasar. Only trouble and heartache could come of it."

CHAPTER SIX

Rosa could feel his hands running along her skin, hot from the sunshine above them. Sunlight flickered off the lake, sending bright spots glimmering on Balthasar's dark hair. The trees above them rustled in the warm summer wind. Dark, sincere eyes hovered above her before he bent down to kiss her neck and collarbone. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his cheekbones, his lips forming soft words of love and devotion before they were on hers—hot, moist, and all consuming…

Rosa woke with a cry of alarm, fumbling about in the dark to turn on her lamp. The details of her dream came flooding back to her, and she hid her face in shame.

Rosa knew she shouldn't have hung around to talk to the current Balthasar the previous night, but after seeing the portrait of his ancestor, and how lonely and frustrated he had looked when he came into the stables, she hadn't been able to ignore him.

After her baking session in the kitchen, she had tried searching on her phone internet for anything on the Vane family history. She desperately wanted to know if Jane and BalthasarSenior had ever gotten married. The strange thing was the Vanes.

Despite their long line of rich aristocracy, they barely had a digital footprint at all. There weren't even listings of businesses they owned, and she lacked the skill to know where to dig.

Rosa couldn't find anything in a public forum, but she knew they had a monstrous library up in the mansion. Surely, there was an old family Bible or something that would speak of the couple's fate. Getting dressed, she cut across the grounds, purposely avoided the kitchen door, and went around the back of the house to use the underground parking lot entrance.

Fluorescent sensor lights flickered on as she strode past the beautiful shining cars, being extra careful not to brush up against any of them accidentally.

The visitors' parking bay was damp unlike everywhere else, the chemical smell of strong bleach almost overpowering her as she walked over the concrete space. She hummed the Bond theme music as she stepped into the elevator, thinking that she was quite clever to sneak past everyone. Her feelings of triumph were dashed as the doors opened widely to reveal Balthasar flicking through the calendar on his phone. He looked up with a surprised smile.

Don't be weird. Don't be weird. Don't think about warm midnight conversation and the dream you had after. You are meant to be sneaking about the garage. Everything is fine.

"Morning!" she said, far too brightly.

"Miss Wylt," he replied calmly as he put his phone into his breast pocket, "should I even ask what you are up to?"

"Probably best if you didn't," Rosa said, stepping past him, his aftershave far too pleasant. He smiled in a way that said quite plainly he knew she was up to something she shouldn't be.

She whispered conspiratorially, "I'm avoiding Cecily, but don't tell anyone."

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