Partners In Crime

Chapter 5

"𝙱𝙴𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙸𝙵𝚄𝙻. 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈 𝙽𝙾𝚃?"

Startled, I turned my body toward the voice and was met with Rosie's smiling face. Like her name, her cheeks carried a natural, rosy blush that beautifully complimented her bright blue eyes. Although she was only a few years my senior, she carried herself with the composure and dignity of a wise middle-aged aristocratic noblewoman.

She would have blended in with the high society flawlessly.

"I feel I owe you my gratitude for keeping them in such a healthy state." Responding to Rosie, I knelt, caressing the petals of various species of plants our garden nurtured. The season of spring was the season of lily of the valley flowers. Among the blossoming botanical giants, compared to Lily, with her head hung low, her beauty was shy. Yet the appeal of her differences made her an utterly satisfying object to observe once you spot her small, bell-shaped flowers.

"Your mother loved them dearly. Remarkably lilies." Rosie added, kneeling beside me before her hand carefully moved the roses and tulips to the side, giving the lily of the valley its well-deserved spotlight. "It's an astonishment how not one of you is named after this flower."

I laughed at her light joke regarding my mother's fascination with the flower, wondering if the name would match Claire, Nina, or me.

Surely not.

"The sun is setting, my lady. I believe the special guests are soon to arrive; we should head back and have you changed for supper." She rose, brushing off any dirt from her gown.

I simply nodded, not particularly worried about my image at the dinner, or the guests' opinions for that matter. However, out of respect for my sister, I had Rosie style and arrange a suitable outfit. Her choice of gown was a deep red, off-shoulder, timid ball gown, entirely made of silk fabric. The simplicity of it was its most complimentary attribute — without any layers or extravagant jewels, the glow of the fabric was enough to convert a casual dress into a respectable gown meant to showcase one's status.

Silk had always been a luxury, after all. 

I bathed, sprinkled some of the finest perfume on my body's pulse points, and brushed my hair before Rosie coiffed it into a half-up, half-down hairstyle. She attached a couple of ruby hair clips on each side, justifying it as necessary to balance out the still irrefutable casualness of my gown. 

"Wearing the gown alone will do just fine in impressing the already acquainted guests; however, to make a good impression on utter strangers, you will need a little pop of wealth." She winked at me while attaching the gemstones to my hair. 

"Are you certain that you are not a long-lost daughter of a high official? You seem to know plenty of tricks among nobility." I questioned in a joking manner yet with genuine curiosity for her answer. 

Her chuckle was warm, like hot tea on a rainy day, "Nonsense, my lady. Your mother was a wonderful tutor throughout the years of my loyalty to your family."

"It requires great natural talent to absorb such..." I pondered for a fitting expression, "... lessons in the short period my mother could afford attending to fashion and design before her focus laid solely on raising her youth." My eyes climbed to hers. "From my perception, you would make a wonderful image consultant if your heart desired it."

Her eyes grew wider for a short-lived second before blood rushed to her cheeks. I shot a glance at my reflection in the vanity mirror, rising once satisfied with my rainment. As I walked towards the exit, a sudden hunch of an unfinished remark electrified my brain. I drew a deep breath, debating whether or not it was any of my business to proceed with a thought that formed in my mind amid my stroll. It is only fair that she was aware of her freedom of choice.