Page 9 of Blood and Roses

Rosa hadn't questioned her further, but the uneasiness only grew. She was starting to notice that her mother was far vaguer than she had ever been. She hadn't had any of the dizzy spells that Eli had written about, but Rosa couldn't help wondering if they were connected.What if it's not just low blood pressure? What if she has a brain tumor?Rosa quickly shut down that kind of thinking. Her mother was the only family she still had in England, and she didn't know any of the cousins remaining in Wales.

In the afternoon, Rosa changed out of her dress and back into her jeans and a maroon button up shirt. She needed to get out of the mansion before it did her head in.

Everywhere she looked, she saw her father, and if that wasn't bad enough, it felt like the very walls were watching her.

"I had Mr. Goode get some of the lads to take your things over to the cottage already," Cecily said, referring to the formidable gray-haired butler. "Do you remember the way?"

"I'm sure I do," Rosa said, taking the ridiculously large iron key from her and threading it onto her set.

The sun was out, and Rosa took a moment to let it sink into her skin. It was October, and it had been a cold and miserable autumn. Ignoring the white gravel pathways, she cut across the grass and through the oak trees. She headed for the high hedges that gave the cottage some privacy and stopped the howling winter winds. The gate had been freshly painted, and as Rosa stepped through it, she felt overwhelmed with memory.

The cottage was two stories tall and was surrounded by neat flower gardens that looked morbidly empty. Rosa opened the front door and dropped her bag on the cream couch. It was nearly exactly how she remembered it. There was a small kitchen and dining area to the left and to the right a comfortable lounge room and fireplace. The paintings were still hanging on the pale-yellow walls, but all the family photos that had decorated the mantle were gone. The bookshelves were still full, and she took down the battered box set of her Narnia books and touched their covers lovingly as she was assaulted with childhood memories and delight. They had been read to her, though she didn't think by Cecily or Harold. There was a voice but not a face, and Rosa assumed that it had been one of the many servants that had indulged her. He always did the best character voices, that was for sure. Rosa was almost certain she'd only chosen to go to Oxford because C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien had wandered its halls.

Rosa climbed the narrow staircase to the master bedroom where milky sunlight was coming through the lace curtains, making the dust sparkle in the air. She opened a window to let fresh air in and banish the stuffiness. The room looked the same as when her parents had slept in it, but there was a lingering scent of a woodsy male aftershave that she supposed belonged toBalthasar Vane. The thought of one of them staying in her family home made it feel slightly sullied.

Rosa's childhood bedroom had been stripped, leaving only a small single bed. The bathroom was clean and neat, but like the rest of the house, it was in need of a good dust.

She pulled a cord hanging from the ceiling and lowered the attic steps before climbing up carefully. Cecily had told her that the family trinkets and her father's things had been stored up there. She pulled heavy dust cloths off a pile of chests and trunks. Some she recognized, but there were a lot more up there than she had thought.

"Jetsam of our people, cricket," her father used to tell her. If this was the last time she was going to be at Gwaed Lyn, then she would take the time to go through them.

"Tomorrow," she said aloud before climbing back down the stairs.

Puttingon her parent's old jazz records, Rosa set about folding dust coverings and wiping down surfaces to try to make the place livable once more. The fridge and pantry were empty, so she made a note to steal some supplies from the main house. Out the back kitchen door, she found the woodshed fully stocked. She had missed having a fireplace, and the house would need a fire to drive out the cold, unlived-in smell. She vacuumed both levels and mopped the kitchen.

Singing along to Sinatra, she opened the door to find a place to tip her gray water and almost collided with Balthasar, his hand raised to knock on the door.

"What the hell!" she jumped, spilling water down the front of her shirt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he said, failing to hide a grin. "I was heading out for a ride when Cecily asked if I could give you this." He held out a white calico shopping bag. "May I?" he asked, and she nodded. He went through to the kitchen as she made it out the door and tipped the rest of the water onto the garden bed.

"So you mean to stay a while?" he asked as he stepped back outside. He wore a great riding coat with a high collar that made him look like a Victorian highwayman. He held himself straight-backed, which made Rosa think of a soldier.

"Only until Cecily is well again and I finish helping her with your party," Rosa said as she stood up, flicking the water off her shirt. "Then I will go back to London or somewhere else, if Eli will let me." She bit her lip, afraid she had overstepped.

"Don't worry, Rosa. We are all subjected to the will of Eli," Balthasar said before adding, "Please don't take what Pearl and Lily say to heart. They're jealous creatures at the best of times and are threatened by confident women."

"Lily and Pearl and whatever insecurities they may have are the least of my worries."

"Good." Balthasar stepped closer so he could place a hand on her shoulder and look her squarely in the eye. He said firmly, "Caruthers lets the guard dogs out at 8 p.m., so make sure you keep the gate closed. Don't go wandering. Understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," she replied and shuffled her feet awkwardly. She didn't like the familiarity of the touch, so she pushed his warm hand off her shoulder.

"Try not to break your neck riding your horse at night." She hated feeling as if she was getting lectured, especially by a damn Vane.Especiallya handsome one.

"I have an excellent horse. He knows the way," Balthasar said with a small grin. His eyes dropped to the pendant hangingaround her neck and frowned. Then it was gone, and he was smiling politely once more. "Have a pleasant night, Miss Wylt."

"Night," Rosa said and tried not to shut the door too quickly in his face. She breathed a little easier when she heard the gate lock. "Is everyone in this place a weirdo?" she asked her grubby reflection in the hall mirror. Her face was smeared with dirt, and there was a cobweb stuck in her hair. She pulled off her wet shirt, her silver necklace shining in the vanishing light.

She hadn't liked the way Balthasar had looked at it or the tone he had used on her.

Maybe he just wanted to get his point across. Knowing Eli Vane, his dogs probably go for the throat every time.

The calico bag contained tea, sugar, a loaf of bread, butter, jam, and a container with a hot meal inside it. Somehow, Cecily knew Rosa wouldn't be heading back to the mansion that night. She pulled linen and pillows out of the hall cupboard to make up her bed and lit the upstairs fireplace.

As Rosa was closing her windows, she caught a glimpse of Balthasar riding out into the forest. "Crazy bastard." She shook her head.

Her father and Roger, the stable master, had warned her about the wet, marshy ground near the lake. If his horse got caught in a bog, a broken leg would be dangerous as hell.

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