Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

" M y God, hasn't Rosa filled out nicely," Saul commented once the servants had left the room. Their father had taken his coffee and gone back to his study as usual.

"And she kept filling," Pearl giggled to Lily.

"Keep it in your pants, Saul," Balthasar warned. "She's a servant and under our care. She is not your plaything."

"But what if she wants to play with me, Bal? I'm a playful sort of guy."

"You're a promiscuous sort of guy." Balthasar looked him in the eye. "She is a Wylt. You know the rules."

Saul pulled a face. "Father's so-called rules for the Wylts are no concern of mine. Surely, she can make up her own mind who she wants to sleep with."

"She doesn't seem to have much of a mind, so that should work in your favor," Lily said as she poured out more tea.

"Please tell me you aren't jealous of her too, sister. How boring and shallow you both are," Balthasar replied.

"Well, at least we aren't drooling all over her. You pulling your Lord of the Manor trick on her was so obvious , Balthasar." Pearl lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in his direction. "Wait until the other families arrive in a few weeks. All of Eli's rules won't matter with a servant like that around."

"I believe they'll respect Eli's rules far more than you do. Why are you here again, Pearl? I thought you had enough of leeching off our family by the fifties."

"I invited her here to liven the place up a bit," Lily defended. "It's good to see my beloved girl again." She touched Pearl's face affectionately. "I'm tired of being ignored by the men in the house and sorely needed some decent company."

"You should have said something," Balthasar said. "I would've gone to town and bought you a cat."

"I see the last two hundred years of having your head in the sand hasn't improved your haughtiness, Balthasar," Pearl hissed.

"Do you think she will stay long? Rosa, I mean," Saul interrupted, his mind set on only one thing.

"That will depend on her I imagine. Although, why anyone her age would want to stay out here is a mystery."

"I wonder if she'll stay in the house under the watchful eye of Cecily the Hawk, or will she go back to the cottage? She'll be all alone with no one to talk to."

"Oh, for goodness's sake, Saul, can't you think of something more exciting than trying to seduce that creature?" Lily complained.

"Like what? I'm not expected to do anything around here. That is all Balthasar's problem now."

"If you say so," Balthasar drained his coffee and got to his feet. "Leave the girl alone, Saul. Keep your mind off your dick and don't be stupid."

"The same warning could be given to you, brother." Saul smirked. "It's the first time I have seen you smile in months, Tin Man. If you were more interested, we could put a wager on it, the first brother to take the prize?"

Balthasar picked up Eli's neglected paper and headed for the door, "Busy your mind with some other pursuit, Saul. Eli is tense enough without having you fooling about with the Wylt girl."

"What a haughty bitch." Rosa fought the urge to slam the tray down on the kitchen bench.

"Meet Pearl, did you?" Vera asked sweetly before letting out a bubbly chuckle. "I should've warned you."

"I've met worse, but unlike those times, I have to shut up and be polite here."

Rosa had been teased about her weight her entire life, but in recent years, she had finally accepted herself as she was. In London, she had felt empowered, but it had all disappeared under Pearl's withering gray eyes. There was something in the way Pearl had looked down on her that had gotten under her skin more than her obvious rudeness. She was the worst kind of smug and entitled.

"Lily can be just as bad. She will rein it in generally, but Pearl brings it out in her," Cecily added, rubbing her neck. "She's not a very nice person."

"Don't worry. I don't want anything to do with either one of them."

"Be careful with Mr. Saul too," Vera warned. "He looks like a damn angel, but more than one servant girl has been dismissed, and nearly all have been jilted by him at some stage."

"I gathered that. Not to worry, Vera. He's not my type. I couldn't date a man prettier than me for starters," Rosa said and laughed. She made herself a strong coffee. Something told her she was going to need it to get through the day.

"He's certainly pretty, but if I were younger, it would be that Balthasar that would turn my head." Vera winked at her. "All those dark, brooding good looks caught up in a flash suit does my old eyes good."

"And doesn't he put that nasty Pearl in her place! Sometimes, I think she does it just to get his attention," Cecily added.

"I think it would be wiser to stay out the way of all of them," Rosa said, planning to do just that. She kicked off her ballet flats before pulling on Cecily's boots. "If anyone wants me, I'll be down in the greenhouse. I might need some deadly nightshade to season Pearl's dinner with."

Rosa followed the stone path from the kitchen door, around the back of the mansion and out to the greenhouse. It was a lavish building with a three-tiered glass roof that let all the northern light in that it could manage. The main section was filled with exotic tropical flowers, fruit trees, and a koi pond where the Vanes could hold outdoor tea parties or whatever else that took their fancy.

Rosa wasn't particularly interested in flowers apart from a mild appreciation. Instead, she passed it quickly, and using her special Wylt keys, she opened up the nursery.

Inside, there were boxes of herbs of every variety as well as large planters and beds filled with vegetables. Rosa crushed different herbs between her fingers, letting their sweet and earthy fragrances fill her mind with recipes and create new ones with all the ingredients she had at her disposal. With the wine grown in the vineyards, fresh meats from their neighboring organic farms and bounty of the nursery, Rosa would never have to brave a farmer's market again. With her temper cooled and her mind calmed as it went over the list of recipes, she wanted to cook, Rosa walked back to the house, ready to start the day anew.

Rosa spent the rest of the morning helping Cecily on her errands. She allocated workers to the rooms that needed to be dusted and prepared for the guests that would start arriving. The whole affair gave Rosa the feeling of being caught in the middle of a Mafia movie with all the families coming together to discuss business. The feeling was greatly enhanced by the people who turned up during the day to meet with Eli and Balthasar. They all wore money and power like suits and had brawny bodyguards that screamed ex-con.

"What exactly does Eli do?" Rosa asked.

"The Vanes are a very old family and have their hands and money in everything. They are a business empire unto themselves," Cecily quoted as if she was selling the official company line. "You know they still farm the land hereabouts and that kind of thing."

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 to Balthasar 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.

Putting on 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. Especially a handsome one.

"I have an excellent horse. He knows the way," Balthasar said with a small grin. His eyes dropped to the pendant hanging around 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.

"Not your problem, Rosa," she reminded herself and turned the bath taps on, letting it fill as she arranged her toiletries.

It was a good, old-fashioned claw foot tub that she had often thought of when sharing dorm showers with messy teenage girls. In those days, she had begged to go back to Gwaed Lyn, but her requests were always denied. Her mother was too busy looking after the Vane family to worry about her own. She was only doing what she thought was best for you , Rosa lectured herself.

Sooner or later, she would have to get over her abandonment issues. She took candles from the kitchen and set them up around the bathroom before switching off the light, settling in the hot water and trying not to think about Balthasar Vane's grin.

It was late when Balthasar left the forest. Everything was so much quieter and easier out there. There was no Eli forcing him into meetings and no Saul sulking that he wasn't getting enough attention. Lily was still angry with him for returning to Gwaed Lyn. In her mind, she was the rightful heir to Eli's empire. To punish him, she had summoned Pearl, the only person that could infuriate him in less than a minute. Pearl had not forgiven him for rejecting her advances in the twenties and every subsequent decade. It all seemed so pointless.

Soft lights flickered in the bathroom of the Wylt cottage, and he slowed his horse. Rosa . She was sharper than the others realized. Would she figure out their secret?

The Wylts had always known what they were, but Eli had kept it from Rosa after Harold's murder. Balthasar had only met Rosa's father once in Paris and had liked him immensely. He had been warm and funny and had talked fondly of his strong-willed young daughter back home at Gwaed Lyn. He would never admit it, but Balthasar knew Eli felt guilty about Harold's death.

The way Eli had told it, one of the delegates from the Vecchio clan he was entertaining had attacked Eli when they were out hunting, and Harold had tried to protect his master. He hadn't stood a chance. Eli had been furious at the failed assassination attempt and the murder of a Wylt. He had gotten his revenge by destroying every member of the Vecchios that resided in England, warning the rest to stay in Italy.

After Harold's death, Eli had used a compulsion on Cecily to send Rosa away, for what chance did a child have in a house full of vicious, immortal monsters? Balthasar flicked his horse's reins impatiently.

What chance did she have now ?