The Poisoned Rose

Chapter Eleven

Rose sat in her bedroom sorting through all the poisons she had brought with her, when there was a knock on her door, "Come in." John walked in and made his way over to her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, curious about what she was doing.

"Sorting through my poisons, ready for the finale." Rose told him with a smile. "Don't worry, I wouldn't use it against your family."

"Where do you keep it?" He asked her with a smile.

"On top of my wardrobe, it's always locked so no one can get into it." Rose moved the box onto her desk, "More so no one uses it to cause harm."

"How ironic." He told her while grinning.

"It is very ironic." Rose told him. "I have four different types of poisons here. This one here, is the one that is usually used for my lipstick, then this one is put in people's drinks, this one causes them to die almost immediately and my family make tablets out of them and then the final one causes the victim to die over several days in immense pain."

"Is that one used very often?"

"Very rarely." Rose told him. "It's usually to make a point to everyone else. Show them up as an example of what we can truly do."

"Do you feel bad when you do it?"

Rose shrugged, "It depends on who it was, some of them were monsters and deserved it while others they hadn't really done anything."

John placed his hand on her shoulder, "You are a remarkable human being."

She closed the lid and then locked it, "Could you please put this on top of my wardrobe please?"

John did so and then stepped in front of her, "Have you thought anymore of what you want to do after the Crawford's fall?"

"I have." Rose said. "I want to find happiness."

"And do you know where you have to go to find happiness?" John asked her quietly.

She shrugged, "I might, I might not."

"Could you imagine marrying someone else and having a family with them."

"There is someone I could imagine I could be happy with." Rose said, "How are your children, are they all well?"

"Yes, thank you for looking after Katie when she was ill, I know I never properly thanked you."

"You're welcome, she's a lovely girl."

"The children were asking for you, would you accompany me to the nursery?"

"I would love to."

The two walked into the nursery where all the children were playing, Katie ran up to her father and hugged him tightly while the boys all wobbled over to Rose, "Hello." She bent down to them. "I've missed you all so much."

"Rose, you must play with us!" Katie told her. "Please Rose."

"Of course I will."

She sat down beside the boys and began to play with them, "Can we play hide and seek?" Joe asked her.

"Whose going to count?" Rose asked him.

"You can!" Jack told her. "You and dad!"

"Okay, everyone go and hide." Rose shouted and all the children started to run and hide, except for Charlie who Rose picked up, "You can help us find them all."

John, Rose and Charlie then started to walk round the room trying to find them all, "Ready or not here I come."

Suddenly Joe jumped out and Rose pretended to scream causing all the children to burst out laughing as they crowded around her, "You scared Rose!" Katie giggled. "Were you actually scared?"

"Of course I was!" Rose told her, a small smile on her face. She then bent down and started to tickle the young girl.

John watched with a bemused expression as the children began to tickle Rose back. It was at times like these that John realised how good Rose truly was.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Why?" John asked her, "Do you not like it when people see the kindness in you?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "No. Why would I? I am the invincible Rose Crawford, no one should see I'm actually just a woman."

"A lady." John said while smiling.

"I wouldn't think a lady is someone who kills." She glanced over, making sure none of the children were listening, "I would say I am more of a murderer."

"You did what you had to do."

Rose laughed, "I wouldn't say that makes me less of a murderer. What I did was still wrong, just there were reasons for doing so."

"Would you call the Peaky Blinders murderers?"

"Definitely." Rose told him, "You've killed many."

John sighed, "Because they were our enemies! We had to or they would have killed us."

"It still counts as murder."

"Why are you so high and mighty?"

Rose looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed together, "You are only saying that because I am being honest. I do not want to make it seem that the deeds I have done are okay, for they are not. What we've all done, well, people would run if they knew, but we have to live with it. That is the sad, horrible truth."

"If they truly loved you, then they wouldn't."

She raised an eyebrow, "If they had any common sense then they would."