The Roses

Chapter One

Me and my brother and sister sat in the garden under the rose bush. Our new step mum and her sons were moving in today, we were told by dad to stay out of the way. It was the first time we had met her sons and we were waiting in anticipation for them.

"Caleb stop that hurts!" A small reedy voice screeches through the bush.

We emerge and peeked, a boy about my own age, maybe a little older, grab a boy about nine, the same age as Violet, and a boy the same age as Josh, about 12, and push them apart. We see Nikki carry a large suitcase through the gate. As soon as she is in the front door and embracing dad in a hug, we are out of the gate and watching the boys. The older boys turns and catches my gaze, he has brown, tawny  hair and big brown eyes.  He is tall and slim with a wide smile. The younger boys have brown hair and brown eyes. 

"Hi, you must be Ella, Violet and Josh" Says the eldest

"And you must be Kian, Caleb and Noah." I say confidently masking my shyness. "Give me a suit case and I will show you around!"

I show the boys to the top floor, where we all will sleep. There is a long corridor with five doors set off it. Kian in the first room, Caleb and Josh in the next room, Violet and Noah in the old nursery room and me in the last room opposite Kian's room. 

Dad calls us down to the dining room. We never used that room, Rose Cottage was meant for a lot more people, it was once a manor house. It was left to dad by an old client of his from his lawyer firm. There was no mortgage or rent to be paid and it was really beautiful. We normally ate in the kitchen or when dad was working in his office we would take our food to the top floor, our floor, and eat in the nursery. But now Nikki and her sons are here, Rose Cottage really comes into its own. 

We stand behind chairs around the dark mahogany table. The sunlight streamed through the French Windows and dad and Nikki move us around the table to let us get to know each other. Dad sat at the top of the table opposite Nikki at the end, I sat on one side with Kian and Violet and the boys sat opposite. There was two more seats left unoccupied. Dad called through two people, a man and a woman. They were quite young. About thirty I would say.

  

"This is Claudia, our new au pair and her husband Tim the new handy man. I hope you will welcome them and not run them ragged. And they will sleep in the North House.

The North house is a little Cottage were staff would have lived but it is perfectly beautiful. Surrounded by flowers and willow trees. It was one of mum's favourite places.  She used to sew there, but we had it done up and it stayed un-touched till now. 

After a lovely dinner cooked by Nikki ,who is a professional cook, we then went off to the second living room to watch some television. 

At half past eight Claudia came in to get Violet and Noah ready for bed. Me and Kian come with them, Claudia has run a bath for them, she gives them a wash while I help Kian make Noah's bed.

"Very neat aren't you?" Kian laughs.

"Dad is very particular about these things." I laugh as well.

Once Noah and Violet are in bed, me and Kian go into his room. I helped him unpack, then I left him and went to bed myself. I had helped him for over an hour and a half and Caleb and Josh had long since gone to bed. I grabbed my book and sat on my window seat. It was still light so I read for a while. Dad came in and shut my shutters and tucked me in, Nikki came in and complimented my room and said if I fancied it she would french plait mine and Violets hair. I nodded happily and went to sleep.