The Heart of the Rose

5

Evan offered to carry Rose upstairs but Ethan insisted he would be glad to carry her up. He wanted to have a talk with Lady Hillary in private. They were alone and Rose watched as the Duke walked over to pour them some sherry. She was going to have to decline it was one of the conditions to staying with a family. She couldn't drink so she was not at risk of spilling any royal secrets. He offered her the glass.

"I am sorry I am not permitted drink. It is one of the conditions the king has placed on me."

Ethan put his glass down on the table. He watched the beautiful girl.

"I have been meaning to ask what all these conditions are the King has over you?"

Rose was quiet and was staring into the fire. She knew she could trust him. There was nothing bad about anyone in his family. That was why the king had placed her with them. They were honorable and loyal to the crown. She struggled for the right words to express the restrictions placed on her by the king.

"I am in the Kings service and must keep a clear head. I must ask permission to marry. You see the Viscount is no threat to me at all. I would never give him my consent and the king would not either. I cannot drink because of the things I know which could put England in harm's way. I am to live apart from my brother who they believe would sell me for his next game of chance. I am sure when the two of you were at Eaton you noticed he is not the smartest person in the room. He is always good for fun and games but he has no clue as to what is happening around him let alone in the world."

It was Ethan's turn to be quiet, should he ask her or should he take what she said and leave it at that. He was curious? He decided to throw caution to the wind after all he was pretty sure she was Shy Violet.

"In your service to the king are you Shy Violet?"

Rose laughed. She had told him more than she wanted to. That was unusual for Rose. She never confided in anyone but there was something about his man that she needed him to know everything. She wanted there to be no secrets between them. Well on her part. He had no secrets from her. She had vetted him before she was placed in his care.

"That is such a dumb name. Someone thought they were being clever since my middle name is Violet. If you can't tell my father loved flowers. But to answer your question directly yes, I am Shy Violet. I am the one who gets the information and sends you on your missions. I knew coming to live here was dangerous. The king insisted I live with a family he could trust."

Ethan was both please with the kings feeling toward his family. He was a little annoyed he had not been informed he had been tasked with protecting a National Treasure. She was someone who was on the front lines of defend the crown. He was not as upset as he should be since she had been brought to him.

"Does my brother know?"

"Your brother is sweet and he is good at his job, but he was not told about who or what I was. I was only given permission to give you that information if you figured out who I was."

"Is this season for real or part of a bigger job?"

"The season is real there is no mistaking that I shall be married off sooner or later. It is the kings wish to see me happy and for some reason he believes seeing me married will make me happy."

"You don't want to get married?"

"Maybe someday, but I have fun in the service of the king. I am only ten and seven. I am not sure I am mature enough for such things, but girls my age do it all the time and the king insist that I try my hand on the market so to speak. Oh, there is another condition that I must tell you since it does have to do with you which no offence annoys the bloody hell out of me. You can override my consent if you do not think me capable of making a sound decision."