Chapter 11

Emberly Castle

Rose and Olivia were strolling arm in arm through the gardens of Emberly Castle. It had been three days since they had arrived at the castle, and the first day when the weather had been pleasant enough to walk through the vast grounds.

"It is such a shame you could not see the gardens as they were before Father died." Olivia sighed as she carefully avoided a more overgrown and cracked path, steering Rose towards a great maze in the distance.

"What were they like?"

Olivia paused a moment, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered her answer. "Full of life. There were flowers and birds. So many colors, and everywhere you looked, there was something to bring you joy."

Rose surveyed the landscape around them, trying to see it as Olivia remembered it. Like much of Emberly Castle, the garden was serviceable but devoid of life, color.

It is looked after well enough to survive, but nothing more.

"Is there not a gardener? Who is responsible for the care of the gardens?" Rose asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hunt is an able gardener, but he lacks direction." Olivia shook her head. "He fears making a decision my brother would disapprove of, and as the Duke, it must be his decision."

"Is this the case for the rest of the castle?"

Rose was thinking of the drab nature, of all she had seen.

It is almost as though it is a moment captured in time, yet desperate to move forward.

Olivia nodded. "Yes. But my brother is rarely here, and I think Mother feels that it is important that he makes the decisions. Although perhaps it's because it's too painful for her."

Rose thought back to the woman she had met when she first arrived. The Dowager Duchess had been an older version of Olivia, with the same kind smile and gentleness. Yet, she had been more reserved than her daughter, embodying a kind of serene grace that evoked a sadness in Rose that she did not fully understand.

"And what about you and your siblings?" Rose held Olivia's gaze. "Can you not speak to your brother?"

Olivia laughed. "Oh, we can, but none of us really has a head for decorating or groundskeeping. And to be honest, I agree with Mother. The castle should be the seat of the Duke, and until he decides that it will be his home, I do not think there will be any changes made."

She paused, then gave Rose a sidelong look and an impish grin. "Although, perhaps what Emberly really needs is the loving touch of a new Duchess. Is that not what wives are supposed to do?"

Rose felt her cheeks redden, even as she laughed. "If you have no luck convincing the Duke of the need to tend to the castle, I scarcely see what I could possibly achieve."

"You underestimate your influence, my dearest Rose." Olivia's gaze was serious. "This is the longest he has agreed to remain at the castle since Father died."

Rose felt her jaw drop but was saved from having to think of anything to say by the sound of maniacal laughter and delighted shouts. Curious, she glanced at Olivia.

"What on earth is that?" She gestured in the direction the sounds were coming from.

Olivia grinned. "I suspect it would be best to show you. It will be far too difficult to explain, and I suspect you would not believe me anyway."

"Intriguing. Truly, Olivia, you do know how to pique one's curiosity." Rose allowed herself to be led towards the sound.

Olivia grinned and held a finger to her lips, clearly indicating that a cautious and quiet approach would be necessary. Rose smiled at her sister-in-law but did as she was asked.

I feel like a child trying to see something I ought not to.

As they rounded a corner, Rose saw the source of the commotion. Three children were holding wooden swords in their hands, all aimed at an incredibly tall man before them. Rose recognized the children as Alexander's siblings.

"At last, we have found you, you scallywag!" cried the tallest of the three children.

She was ten and wore a navy blue dress coat and hat made to look like that of a naval officer. The girl was Marie, and she kept having to push her hat up so that she could see. Beside her were the twins, Peter and Natalie, who were eight.

"You thought you could escape the King's justice, but you were wrong!" Peter waved his sword at the man before them, the sleeves of his coat swallowing his hands comically.

"Yes, tell us where the treasure is!" Natalie cried, attempting to roll up her sleeves whilst also holding her sword.

"Never!" came a deep and somewhat familiar baritone. "You fools think you have me cornered, trapped like some wild dog? Yet, it is I who have lured you to your doom."

The man leaped onto a nearby bench, holding his sword before him and letting out the same maniacal laugh Rose had heard before. As he turned to better face the children before him, she gaped.

It was Alexander. He wore an open, ruffled white shirt, with a second wooden sword strapped to his waist. His hair was wind-swept, and he wore a dark eye patch over his eye, which highlighted the scar on his eyebrow.

He pulled the second sword out of his belt, holding both before him as he advanced on the children. "You think that I, the Dread Pirate Golden Eye, would be lured here by such a foolish ploy? I, who conquered the seven seas? The same Captain Golden Eye who has laid waste to half the King's navy? So brave, and yet so na?ve. The treasure shall never be yours. Even if you kill me, you will never find what you seek. For I have hidden it, and you lack the wit to find it!"

"You dog!" Peter lunged with his sword at Alexander, laughing as he was gently parried away. "We are the finest wits in the land! We are the King's men!"

"And women!" Marie added indignantly.

"Be you the King's men or his women, it matters little to me." Alexander held his swords before him as if inviting his siblings to attack. "For it is I who holds the power here. And it is you foolish children who have entered my domain. There is no hope to be found here, for you shall not best me in spirit or body! Flee while you still can!"

"Never!" Marie pushed her hat further up her face. "We shall defeat you and be victorious."

Alexander let out a villainous laugh once more. "You have spirit, and I like that. But it will do you no good here. Yet, perhaps… Yes… Perhaps I shall allow you to amuse me. After all, it is so terribly dull being the most fearsome man in the world. Let us play a game then, or do you lack the courage?"

Rose watched in amazement as Alexander turned away from the children, and spotted them. Instantly, he dropped the act. His mouth opened, and in his haste to put away his swords, he dropped one on the ground.

"Good morning, Sister, Rose." He bowed to them. "I had not expected to see you."

Rose noticed a faint flush on his cheeks and found herself smiling. "I had not realized you were such a talented actor."

To her surprise, Alexander's flush deepened.

He stiffened, but before he could say anything, Natalie peered around from behind her brother and grinned at Rose. "Have you come to play with us, too?" she asked brightly.

Alexander looked down at his sister, and Rose recognized the look as one she often used with her own sisters. It was one that said, Stop talking, now.

Rose forced herself not to smile, especially when Peter appeared at Alexander's other side, an equally hopeful look on his face.

"Oh, yes, it's much more fun with more people!" Peter looked at Rose and Olivia.

"I am quite sure the good ladies have other things to do." Alexander's voice was firm as he tried to nudge his siblings away. "They will no doubt want to return to their walk."

He wants us to leave.

Yet, Rose found she could not bring herself to do so. This was a side of Alexander she had never seen before, and she found herself deeply curious.

Ignoring his words, she moved towards the group and bent down so that she was the same height as Peter and Natalie. "I would love to play with you both, but I am afraid I do not know what game you are playing."

"Ah, see, well, there you have it, the ladies will have to—" Alexander began, relief evident in his voice, until Marie cut him off.

"We are playing Pirates and Officers," she replied with an air of authority. "We are the Officers, and that is the Dread Pirate Golden Eye."

"He lost his eye after he stole from a sea witch who sent a cursed bird after him. That's why he has the scar!" Natalie mock whispered to Rose.

"Well, it is rather foolish to steal from a sea witch." Rose attempted to keep her expression serious.

"I did not know she was a sea witch at the time, and it was only under the King's orders that I did so in the first place," Alexander explained, his formal tone at odds with his words.

Rose glanced at him, the corners of her mouth quirking up into a smile. "Ahh, well, in that case, you were betrayed."

"Yes, and then he kept the treasure for himself. And we"—Peter gestured to himself, then Marie, and then Natalie—"have been sent to retrieve it and to end his life."

Rose nodded. "So, to win, you must find the treasure and avenge your king?"

The children nodded, apparently pleased that she had picked up the story of their game so quickly. She pursed her lips as if in thought, glancing at Olivia and then Alexander.

"If I am to understand, the Dread Pirate Golden Eye has hidden this treasure, and no doubt there will be riddles and clues for you to solve to find them?" She waited for the children to nod in confirmation before continuing. "And I assume there are traps and all sorts of dangerous things to stand in your way?"

Once more, the children nodded, and she grinned. Moving quickly, she grabbed one of Alexander's fallen swords and pointed it not at Alexander but at the children before her.

She put on her best villainous voice and said, "I will not let you steal my treasure. For you see, I am Golden Eye's Pirate Queen."

Olivia joined her, folding her arms as she stared down at her siblings and added, "And now it appears that it will be three against three. For I am the infamous Black-Haired Maiden, the right hand of the Pirate Queen and the first mate of Dread Pirate Golden Eye."

Behind them, Alexander groaned.

Rose smiled.

I shall see the real you, one way or another, Alexander Rokesby.