章節 33: REPLY
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The entire night, Christopher could not concentrate on the social event. Most of the guests noticed he was distracted. They assumed his unusual mood was due to his wife's recent death.
It was actually the opposite. He had been enchanted by a beautiful woman this evening. Christopher's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Scarlette Rose, the gorgeous vampire girl who visited his greenhouse. He could no longer focus on the party. After the bells rang in the New Year, Lord Thorn returned home.
~~~
Christopher sat in his study with a tulip glass, half full of Armagnac, rolling the delicate vessel between his hands to warm the amber-colored liquid. It helped to intensify the taste and aroma of the liquor he was sipping. After a while, curiosity finally made him wander outside to the greenhouse. He wanted to see what Rose had done.
Lord Thorn entered the conservatory and beheld a thoroughly cleaned indoor garden. Some plants had bloomed, and everything appeared healthy and green again. He had never seen it look this wonderful. Thinking back in time, he remembered Lilith was no good with gardening.
Christopher often joked with Lilith about her black thumb of death. His deceased wife had not been the nurturing type. She was a destroyer.
Rose had revived his greenhouse.
He walked along the stone path, looking at the rows of potted plants and orchids. When Christopher reached the middle of the conservatory, His eyes drifted to the center of the floor.
He found an odd double-ended bouquet. Rose left a reply to his message from yesterday. He picked up the flowers and rushed to the library for his Collier's Digest to see what they meant.
The bouquet was a strange mix of mismatched florals and stems; it was composed of ferns, and laid on top were sycamore twigs and canterbury bells, with a medium pink rose and blue Hyacinths. The upside-down portion of the bouquet was three pink and white striped York and Lancaster roses with Icelandic moss wrapped around the middle of the entire decorative arrangement.
Lord thorn sat until sunrise, deciphering the floral missive. What he discovered was a unique and personal message.
The fern and sycamore said Rose was inquisitive and wanted to meet, pointing out she was probably interested in why he apologized. The canterbury bells meant she acknowledged and accepted the apology. Next, he saw the same blue hyacinths he had put in her bouquet; she was saying sorry to him. Rose wanted his grieving heart to heal, and that's why she put a medium pink rose in the nosegay.
It was more satisfying to interpret the upside-down portion. A message of Get well was one definition of the moss, and starting a new friendship was another.
After reading Collier's Digest, he discovered a flower presented upside down was the opposite of the original meaning. The three upside-down York and Lancaster roses stood for a truce between Rose, Christopher, and Jackson. It would have been a declaration of war if she had sent them right side up. He would have to figure out how to respond without involving Dante and Giselle. Lord Thorn was impressed with her message. Rose understood the language of flowers.
~~~
It was dark, and fog wrapped itself around the mansion as the young Contessa Rose returned to Dragonwood. She paused outside the door, wet and dirty. Rose was a complete wreck. She waited for Carrick to open the front entry; instead, it was Dante who greeted her.
The Count was visibly shaking as he reached out to pull Rose into his arms, kissing the top of her head. He embraced her for a long moment, then bent to her level so he could see her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Rose didn't respond and remained still, looking emotionless at Dante. "Sorry I made you uncomfortable, darling. The last thing I wanted was for you to leave me." Dante rubbed her shoulders, trying to soothe her. "Please don't run off anymore. You are free to express yourself around me without retribution. I don't care if you get mad or laugh aloud."
Rose wiggled away from her father's grasp and spoke. "It was the tone you used with me. I'm not like the others in your home. You will not dominate me by tyranny. I've lived a life like that, and once was enough. Now, may I go to my room? I'm drained and would like to bathe." not waiting for Dante to answer, Rose strode past the servants to her room. The handmaid tried to follow her, but Rose slammed the door shut in the maid's face as she headed straight to the bath.
Watching Rose march off to her room, Dante wondered what she meant by her earlier statement about living in tyranny. So far, Rose had been tight-lipped about herself and the past. The Count was eager to know about her history.
This girl had a lot of different layers to uncover. Dante observed Rose was reserved yet strong-willed, with a caring heart for people and animals. She was no ordinary demon. He felt Rose was remarkable in ways that had yet to be found.
Giselle had hunted everywhere, finding no sign of Rose. "Is she here?" Giselle had come back from her search of the woods and saw that her Master was still irritated.
"Yes, Rose has returned and is cleaning up. Go assist her with bathing. Dinner will be served soon, and I'm sure she will be hungry by her looks." Dante rubbed his hand over his hair. He had been curious about her whereabouts for the past few hours. "Get her to tell you where she went," Dante ordered. The Count was relieved to have her back unharmed, and at the same time perturbed by her disappearing act.
"Yes, Master,"
Giselle ascended the stairs to Rose's bed-chamber. She rapped at the entrance and waited to see if the young lady would open the door. She knocked again, and there was no reply. "Contessa Rose, it's Giselle. May I enter?" Her request was met with continued silence.
"Open the door, Giselle. I want to be sure she is okay." The Count had joined her at the entry of the room. He was anxious because she was still sick. It made him crazy how she was acting and not wearing the stone. He did not know how she was feeling.
"Master, I think that is a bad idea right now. You are only going to push her away further by chasing her. Let me handle it. She needs some quiet time and space." Giselle looked into the Count's eyes amber-hued eyes and scanned them for some sense of understanding of what she was explaining.
"Let her be, then. I will come by later and check on her."
As the two were about to walk down the stairs, they heard the lock snap open on Rose's door.
Giselle then perceived a voice that asked her to come into the room. Alone.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what, Giselle?" asked Dante
"I'm not sure, but a voice in my head invited me into the room but asked me to come alone." Responded Giselle. She had a perplexed look on her face and her brows furrowed. "It was the Contessa's voice I heard."
"The only sound I heard was the lock tumbling, nothing more. Are you sure you're not imagining things?" He asked Giselle.
"No, I'm telling you, I heard it loud and clear. Like she was standing in front of me."
"Find out what is happening with my daughter. I want a full report later." Dante waved his hand towards Rose's room and walked back downstairs. He looked like he was upset about being rejected by Rose.
"Is it okay to enter?" Giselle peaked her head into the door. She saw the bathroom door was still closed, and then she heard a voice in her head ask for her to come to the bath. Giselle knew she was not losing her mind. It was Contessa Rose; she could communicate telepathically. The girl was talented. Giselle smiled at the revelation and could not wait to tell Dante. She opened the bathroom door to see Rose rinsing the soap off her body under the shower. Giselle noticed the Contessa looked sickly. She was too thin, and Giselle noted what Dante had spoken about; the sword wound on Rose's side still looked angry, as if it had trouble healing. There were also many scars that marked Rose's skin. Giselle wondered what Rose's previous life had been like.
"Please hand me a towel," asked Rose.
Giselle gave Rose the bath sheet and watched the young woman dry herself. When rose finished drying her body, Giselle took the towel from her. "Come here. I will help you with your hair."
Rose walked out of the bathroom and sat at the dressing table in her room. Giselle came to stand behind her and started drying the beautiful red highlighted chestnut hair with the towel.
"You have a unique skill. How long have you known you could speak to others without using your voice?" Giselle inquired of Rose.
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