HESITANT

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"Go back to your room Rose. We will speak in a little bit." Dante was reading Rose's emotions loud and clear he knew to give her space. The Count was fearful she would run away if he tried to push her. He was also upset with how he had shocked her with his actions.

Rose fled from the dining room up the stairs and into her room. She found the cupboards and dug through them to locate the few belongings she possessed. Rose went to the bedroom window and was about to jump and run from the mansion when she saw a figure walking across the lawn. It was Jackson, the friend of Lord Thorn. She was sweating, and her heart raced inside her tiny body like a hummingbird.

"My God! What have I got myself into?" Rose muttered to herself. She ran her fingers through her hair and slid down the wall to sit on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Scarlette Rose felt like she could not get a break.

After settling down, Rose looked through her belongings and noted the missing dagger. She would ask Dante about it later. Rose took out her books and climbed into bed. She thought reading might help soothe her nerves and allow her to forget the crazy events of the evening.

***

"I'm certain the Count is up to something. We need to find out what is going on behind those walls." Christopher anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. The fringe fell down the front of his face. He was giving last-minute instructions to Jackson. "Be careful, and don't assume any unnecessary risks at Dragonwood. Take a brief look around and get out. Dante is very in touch with the environment around him and quickly picks up anomalies." Christopher gave Jackson his orders.

Where will the best point of entry be? Quizzed Jackson.

"Most likely upstairs in the library. It's probably the least used room." Christopher had been in the mansion several times for parties and soirees. He was familiar with the layout of Dragonwood. He strolled out to the stables to see Jackson off. "Are you sure you can do this without getting caught?

"I'm sure," answered Jackson. He climbed onto the white and grey spotted Andalusian stallion and headed into the forest. Once he got close, he dismounted, hitched the horse to a tree, and walked up to Dragonwood. Jackson disapparated from his human form into a phantom. He drifted to the second story and walked through the outside wall into the library. When he penetrated the mansion, he could hear Dante speaking. The tone sounded angry and stressed. Jackson couldn't understand what the Count was saying, he moved closer to the stairs and achieved a better view of the dining room.

Jackson witnessed Rose sitting at the table eating in a night dress and Dante admonishing a maid. He thought it an odd scene. After that, Jackson saw the staff gathering in the dining room. He heard Dante make an introduction, "I would like all of you to meet my daughter, Scarlette Rose. You will address her properly as Lady Rose or Contessa Rose; either is adequate." The following words hit Jackson like an iron shock from a sword.

"Holy Shit! Christopher is going to love this," muttered Jackson with a look of astonishment on his face. He couldn't wait to report back to Lord Thorn. Not only was The Lord right about the girl being here, but she was Dante's daughter. He stayed and watched the maid get disciplined and Rose's reaction. He began to realize that maybe the young woman was not evil. Her character was better than expected. She cared and didn't want to see someone suffer, even if they had insulted her.

When Rose emerged from the dining room and ran past him to her bed-chamber, Jackson peered into the room and watched the young girl gather her belonging in a panic. He could sense Dante's confrontation shook her with the maid. He saw her looking through the cupboards and pulling out her flower books. Jackson quickly had to leave the mansion. He could no longer hold his form as a wraith. Jackson hoped no one would catch him crossing the lawn in his human form.

***

"You will never believe what I'm about to reveal." Jackson was overexcited and about to burst from the intel he had gathered at Dragonwood. He babbled like an idiot and wanted to blurt out what he had just seen. Jackson's brain was having trouble keeping up with his mouth.

Christopher sat at his desk listening to the man ramble and was about to light his cigar.

"She's there, and what's better, she is his Daughter!!!" Jackson exclaimed in his excitement.

Lord Thorn choked on the cigar smoke, his eyes watered, and he stared at Jackson like he had lost his mind. He knew Giselle was not Dante's daughter.

"Jackson! Slow down and start from the beginning. Do you mean Giselle? I can promise she is not Dante's daughter?" Christopher stated, shaking his head.

"No, not Giselle! When I entered Dragonwood, there was a gathering, I saw Dante in the dining room, and he was pissed off at a maid. Poor girl." Jackson shivered, thinking about how she was punished. "Dante worked the maid over. But I heard him introduce Scarlette Rose as his daughter."

"What?" causing Christopher's brows to rise at the revelation. "Pardon me, did you just say Scarlette Rose is his daughter?" He stood from his chair and leaned over his desk to look Jackson in the eyes.

"Yes. Milord. She is Dante's daughter." Christopher froze at the news and then fell back into his chair. He continued to listen to Jackson's report on what he had seen.

"When the Count punished the servant Rose acted visibly upset by it, and I think she distrusts Dante. After leaving the dining room, she hid in her bed-chamber and gathered her belongings. I believe she's going to run away. I saw and heard everything." Jackson finished presenting what he had witnessed to The Lord.

"Impressive work, Jackson; I knew I could rely on you. I'll need time to disseminate the information, especially after your statement. I ought to work on a plan to speak with Rose. She may be willing to talk with us if your view is correct. I have questions I'd like her to answer before I consider destroying her." Christopher was fascinated by Rose and could no longer keep her off his mind.

***

She heard a knocking on the bedroom door. "Rose? May I enter?" She heard Dante call her name from the other side of the door.

Rose deliberated on not letting him in, but this was his home, and he could come and go at will, even if she declined. "You may enter," Rose said to the man behind the closed door.

Dante quietly joined Rose in her room. He was carrying a tray that contained tea and freshly baked ginger snap cookies. He sat them on the bedside table.

"I brought what you asked for earlier. Since we didn't finish our meals, I thought you might still be hungry." The Count had a tender smile, yet his eyes showed great concern for the daughter who sat before him.

"What are you reading?" Dante asked Rose in a delicate voice. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Redouté's Book of Flowers." Rose closed the book and looked up at Dante as he spoke to her.

"It's a beautiful book." Dante was admiring the book.

"I received it as a gift from a friend." Rose held the book like a precious jewel in her tiny hands."

"That must be an excellent friend. I had the pleasure of meeting Pierre-Joseph Redouté. He was an exceptional artist. That book is quite rare and costly." Dante brushed his hand over the cover of the leather-bound book.

"Dante?"

"Hmm…., "Lifting his brows, he hummed at his beautiful daughter speaking to him.

"Do you have my dagger? I can't find it, and it's invaluable to me. That knife was a possession that belonged to my Mother. I'd like to have it back." When she asked Dante about the blade, Rose was hard-fast in her words about wanting her dagger. Rose felt naked without her knife. It gave her a sense of security when she controlled the dagger.

"I do." He stated, placing his hand in his jacket pocket and producing the dagger. Dante handed it to Rose. She took the blade and put it under her pillow. He internally laughed at her hiding the knife.

"Thank you, Dante." Rose smiled sweetly at her father. She was satisfied to know he would return her prized possession to her. The act of Dante giving her the blade made her feel he might not be so bad after all.

"We need to talk, darling," Dante poured a cup of tea for Rose. "Sugar? Cream? Or Both?" he asked Rose as he prepared her tea.

"Both, please," Rose responded, then asked. "Why did you discipline the servant like that?" She came straight to the point. Rose had been distraught by the events of the evening. Plus, the fact that she was the subject of the occurrence.