And yet, she was still there. Still standing. Alive and well. She survived, which was something she never saw happen.
She leaned over the brook and saw faint outlines of her own reflection. The tips of her fingers touched her cheek. Her red lips stood in stark contrast with her pale skin.
Pale as a sheet. Pale as a ghost. Pale as powder. Pale as a skeleton. She had heard it all. She had been called all of those things, and more. And, worse.
Suddenly, she thought of Edmund. She wondered if he saw her as they did. He had never shown that her outward appearance displeased him. But this did not necessarily mean much. He could have been simply good at hiding his emotions and honest reactions.
No.She shook her head, as if trying to dismiss her negative thoughts.He wouldn’t have hired me off the spot, like that, if he thought any such thing.
But she would probably never be anything more than a curiosity to him. Still, his presence warmed her in a way she had never been warmed before. Her cheeks actually blushed upon hearing his voice, also something that happened so rarely. It was as if, next to him, she felt like a normal person, something she had been longing for all her life.
At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of happy feet scurrying after two little puppies. Rosalie smiled. It was only adequate that two mischievous girls find two equally mischievous puppies.
“Just please don’t run around the brook!” Rosalie warned the girls. “You know how much your uncle and your grandmother dislike it when you soil your clothes!”
The girls barely paid any attention to her words. Rosalie didn’t mind. That cheerful laughter was enough for her to let them roam the close area around them, on their own, unhindered by her warnings and her suggestions.
She wondered what it would be like to grow up like they did - loved, cherished, urged to discover and be curious. Her own childhood was too blurry. She barely remembered her own parents. So, she understood how the girls were feeling. Only, they were old enough to remember. Rosalie herself wasn’t.
The only thing she remembered was her life with Mr. Goosevelt, at the orphanage. This meant that something had happened to her parents, too. She had no recollection, nor idea for that matter what that something could have been. But her life was different for that very matter. Different and sad, even though she did manage to find glimpses of hope and positivity throughout.
That was, until she fell into the hands of Mr. Loveless, and all hope was lost. Lost… until that night at the brook.
“Pebbles!” Madeline hollered after one of the puppies, which had waddled into the brook.
Without thinking, Madeline rushed after it.
“Madeline!” Rosalie called out.
But it was too late. Both girls jumped into the brook, their shoes completely wet, and their gowns muddy and filthy.
“My word!” Rosalie shook her head. “Get out of the water, girls! Right now!”
To her surprise, the girls obeyed. Madeline picked up Pebbles, whose little paws left muddy prints all over her dress. It joyfully licked her face, to which Madeline giggled. In the meantime, Cecilia had picked up the other puppy, and was holding it in her hands.
“Look at you,” Rosalie kept shaking her head. “You’re all wet and muddy. I know it’s not that cold outside, but we should head back to the house immediately. I do not want to risk you catching a cold.”
“Yes, Miss. Blake,” Both girls agreed.
They immediately started helping with the picnic blanket and the basket, then all three headed back. It occurred to Rosalie that Edmund would most certainly not approve of their appearance. The Countess was more lenient - which was, after all, what grandmothers were usually allowed to be. But Edmund had to be the father figure, and as such, it was his duty to see to it that they grew up to be lovely young ladies with good prospects of marriage.
The idea of good prospects of marriage was something that never occurred to Rosalie. Somehow, she had already come to terms with the fact that she would never get married. After all, who would marry a freak?
As they entered the house and were about to start climbing up the stairs, the library door at the end of the corridor suddenly opened, and Edmund came outside to meet them.
“Miss. Blake, I was hoping to catch you and the girls on your way - “
But he didn’t finish his thought. His eyes fell upon the girls, and the look on his face changed instantly. He frowned, as his eyes widened. He stood tall, calm. But there was a nervous tick in the corner of his mouth which didn’t escape Rosalie’s attention.
“What on Earth is the meaning of this?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the girls, who were still holding the puppies in their hands. “And why are those mongrels in the house!?”
His voice echoed in the corridor, then traveled upward, along the spiral staircase that led to the upper floor. The girls buried their faces in the puppies’ soft furs. They didn’t say a word. But Rosalie could see them flinch. She recognized that emotion instantly. They were afraid.
With one step, she stood between them and Edmund.
“Miss. Blake, what is the meaning of this?” he roared. “I believe it was your job to prevent the girls from just running around like some feral children!”
“My Lord, I assure you that it is not as it seems,” Rosalie tried, but she could see in the way Edmund had positioned himself that he would listen to no reason.
