Page 52 of Blood and Roses

"Bloody hell!" she cursed.

"Don't feel good, Rosa," Belinda mumbled, her eyes still closed.

"You'll be okay. Don't worry," Rosa assured as she slung an arm around her shoulder and helped her to her feet.

"Oh, the towels are going to get all dirty again," Belinda said, looking at the pile of linen on the ground.

"Screw the towels! Come on. We need to get you to the kitchen." Rosa managed to get her back downstairs and propped up in a chair when Cecily bustled in.

"My word! What happened to her?" she asked as she hurried to feel Belinda's forehead.

"I found her in the passage," Rosa said and pulled the collar back to show her the blood.

Cecily's eyes widened in understanding. "I see."

"Yeah, so do I, and I'm going to do something about it," Rosa said angrily.

"Rosa please... You can't?—"

"Watch me." Rosa charged upstairs, ignoring the looks the guests gave her. Balthasar and Eli were talking with people in the western dining parlor. Rosa stood patiently at the door until Balthasar saw her.

"Excuse me," he apologized before he joined her in the hallway.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Vane, but there has been an incident," Rosa said, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Balthasar opened an empty room and gestured for her to follow him.

Once the door was closed, he whispered, "What has happened? I can smell blood on you."

"I found Belinda drained in the passages!" Rosa hissed.

"She's not dead, is she?"

"No, she's not dead! She's really sick, though. I thought you said this kind of thing wasn't going to happen, and that they would be kept under control."

"They are the Gwaed Gam, Rosa. It's like keeping feral cats under control. I will find out who she saw last and make sure I talk to them."

"Talk to them...Yeah, you do that," Rosa snapped. "If I find out another Gam has touched the staff, I will be sharpening the stakes. I promise you that."

Balthasar fought a smile. "Stakes won't kill Gwaed Gam. That's a myth. But I'll take your warning into consideration."

"Please do,sir."

"In the meantime, I need you to clean out the southern tower," he said as he opened the door again. "It's a disgrace up there."

"As you command, Mr. Vane," Rosa growled, but as she moved past him, his long fingers reached out and subtly brushed hers. His eyes flared hot for a second before the cool mask was back up and he was joining his guests once more.

"Southern tower, you say," she murmured to herself as she stepped back into the passages.

Rosa wound her way through the maze of passages until she found a rough oak door bound with iron. Pulling out her keys, she worked her way through them until she found the right one, and the door groaned on its unused hinges.

Rosa could see footprints in the dust where someone had been recently. She shut the door behind her and walked up the dirty stone steps. The structure of the tower seemed sound, but it had a neglected, empty feeling to it.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, I am coming to rescue you!" she called dramatically, her voice echoing into the passage above her.

The top of the tower was filled with a dusty clutter of broken chairs and old carpets. Another door led to the roof, but otherwise, it had been undisturbed. Rosa looked at where the footprints led and followed them to a rolled, moth-eaten carpet. Sticking out of the side of it was the corner of a letter.

"Bal, you sneaky bugger," Rosa gasped as she pulled it out and sat down on a dusty mat.

My darling Rosa,

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