Page 7 of A Duke for Stealing (The Devil’s Masquerade #4)

CHAPTER FOUR

“ P ink door,” Rose murmured aloud, stopping in front of it.

Her mind still reeling from Everett’s kiss, Rose gave a soft knock and then turned the knob.

“Hello?” She called, opening the door. “Good evening, girls, my name is-”

Rose’s words tore away with a gasp as a small arrow flew at her head.

She ducked, barely missing its dull point, and looked wide-eyed into the toy-littered room.

Her eyes immediately landed on two identical blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls; one wearing a man’s gray top hat that nearly swallowed her head, and another with pearls draped in several strands around her small neck, with elbow-length white satin gloves that were far too big for her tiny arms and hands.

“Halt!” The girl with the top hat commanded, pulling another arrow back on her child-sized bow, “And state your name and business!”

Everett quickly forgotten, Rose put up her hands in surrender.

“I am Rosalind Gravesmoor Duskwell, Duchess of Stapleton, and I have come to offer my introductions-” she paused for a moment, then quickly bowed as she added, “Oh, courageous knight.”

The girl in the top hat smirked and lowered her bow.

“I shall let you pass,” she stated, holding her chin up high, “But only because you have recognized me as I am. A knight.”

Rose bowed graciously again.

“Thank you, kind knight. Now, might I ask your names?”

“I am Leah Duskwell, Knight of the Round Table, and this is my baby sister, Diana.”

The girl in pearls frowned deeply at Leah.

“I am not a baby!” She yelled.

“I am seven minutes older than you,” Leah scoffed, adjusting her too-big top hat. “Therefore, you are the baby.”

Rose froze as their bickering ensued, a bit overwhelmed by the squabble. However, she quickly recovered and hurried between them.

“I should think that even as a babe, it is still a marvel to have a twin,” she said with a warm smile. “It is so special and rare a bond, you know.”

“We know,” Leah said, rolling her eyes. “We are told as such often. It is more of an annoyance, though, truly.”

Diana scowled at her sister again, hugging the teddy bear in her arms tight around its neck.

“You are the annoyance, not I,” Diana argued.

Leah moved to string her arrow again and aim toward Diana, but Rose quickly snatched it away, urging them both for peace.

“Girls, please!” She insisted.

“Quiet, Lady Rosalind!” Leah harshly commanded. “You hold no power here. My mother was the true Duchess of Stapleton. You are simply a poor imitation of what she was.”

The sting of Leah’s words hit Rose quickly, but as she looked at the little girl who spoke with so much venom, she saw not anger in her eyes, but sadness.

“Of course,” she replied, her tone gentle as she reached out and laid a hand on both girls’ shoulders, “You are right. Your mother was the best Duchess. And I? Well, I am not at all sure what I am doing. But perhaps with your help, I could, in time, become better. What do you say? Would you help me?”

Rose looked from Leah to Diana, trying to read their little faces.

“I do not know,” Diana said slowly, eyeing Rose up, “Perhaps we could-”

“No!” Leah shouted, moving away from Rose’s touch. “You are not the true Duchess and never will be. Uncle Everett is not the real Duke either. My Papa was. You and he will never be them.”

Leah walked over to Diana and shoved Rose’s hand away from her shoulder, then took Diana’s hand.

“Come along, Diana,” Leah commanded, “Let us go play in the garden.”

Determined to find a better footing with the girls, Rose quickly got to her feet.

“Perhaps I could come back later?” She asked. “Do either of you enjoy storybooks?”

Diana quickly turned around, her blue eyes wide and full of excitement. Even Leah looked as if she would give Rose a second chance.

“I do,” Diana shyly stated.

Leah threw her a threatening glance, but said nothing.

“Well, so do I,” Rose said, “In fact, I adore them so much that I collect them. I have quite many, in fact. Why do I not bring one with me later this evening? I can read to you before bed.”

Diana vehemently nodded, but Leah still looked wary.

“It must have knights and dragons, it,” Leah commanded after a moment.

Rose nodded readily.

“I believe I have just the one.”

“And princesses, too,” Diana meekly added.

“Yes, every princess deserves to be saved by a brave knight, do they not?” Rose inquired.

While Diana nodded again, Leah only turned to the door and turned the knob.

“Not all of them,” she muttered, then tugged on Diana’s hand. “Come along, Diana, it is time to go to the garden.”

Rose went to the door, watching the girls hurry down the hall.

She hugged herself as she watched them, worrying for their little hearts.

She’d been sad when she’d lost her own father, but in truth, she barely knew him.

It seemed that the girls had a very close relationship with both of their parents.

Getting close to the girls was going to be difficult, Rose imagined, but it was a feat she decided then and there that she wanted to conquer.

It would take time, though, and a little more information from Everett.

Rose’s body warmed at the thought of talking to him again, and the memory of their kiss flooded back in.

She leaned against the doorway as she began to wonder if it had meant anything.

“Pardon me, Your Grace.”

Rose jolted out of her thoughts, then blushed as she saw Mrs. Mulberry standing before her.

“Apologies, Mrs. Mulberry. I had lost myself to thought,” Rose offered.

“No trouble at all,” Mrs. Mulberry replied, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I am sure it must be quite pleasant to lose oneself in a daydream.”

Though Mrs. Mulberry’s tone was polite and her words were not particularly harsh, Rose sensed a bit of stiffness from the older woman. It seemed that she had more than just the twins to win over.

“Pleasant or not, you would be correct in assuming I do not have the time for it,” Rose replied, offering Mrs. Mulberry a kind smile.

“I suspect I should not waste any time in getting to work. Would you be so kind as to have some tea with me and inform me of the late Duchess’s duties?

I should very much like to ensure that nothing unnecessary stays on your shoulders.

I am sure you have many duties of your own, and if the pristine condition of this manor is any indication, you manage them quite well. ”

Mrs. Mulberry’s blue eyes alit with surprise, and she gave a swift, single nod before she curtsied to Rose.

“It is an honor to manage this household, Your Grace. I am so pleased to know that you find it acceptable.”

“Far more than acceptable,” Rose replied, happy that they had found a good footing. “Now let us have that tea.”

Rose closed the door quietly to the girls’ nursery, then leaned heavily against the wall, letting out a sigh. Exhaustion had settled deep into her bones, and her eyes were tired from reading for so long in the dim candlelight. Still, she felt a sense of accomplishment.

She’d found common ground with the strict housekeeper during their tea, thanks to all her talks with Theo, Amelia, and Seraphina; she understood most of the duties required of her.

While Mrs. Mulberry was the one who directed the orders to the staff, it was Rose who would direct Mrs. Mulberry on what those orders were, and there were many.

The menu. The linens. The flowers. The deliveries of any odds and ends.

The list of small details Rose was to coordinate went on and on.

She would handle them, though. She was determined to.

It was clear after speaking with Mrs. Mulberry and the girls that the former Duchess’s shoes were quite a task to be filled.

After her meeting with Mrs. Mulberry had concluded, Rose had hoped that she would have dinner with Everett and the twins.

Instead, she’d found that their suppers had been sent to them, and so Rose dined alone in her quarters, lost in the realization of how quickly her entire life had both changed and yet somehow stayed the same.

With her mother’s maturity on a seeming path backward, Rose had gotten used to making decisions for their house from time to time. And there were far too many nights when she’d had to tuck Betty into bed; sometimes even reading to her like she’d read to the twins to help her fall asleep.

Yet there were startling differences. The Stapleton Estate, from what she understood, always ran smoothly.

There were no lulls due to forgotten payments.

And though Leah had still been persnickety during the bedtime story, Rose did not have to entertain any drunken outbursts or spontaneous ideas from either girl to throw on a gown and go back out.

Rose leaned away from the wall, deciding she did not have much time to linger long on such thoughts. She still needed to talk with Everett. A surge of anticipation travelled through her as she knocked on his study door; her mind briefly racing back to their kiss. It really had been lovely.

“Who is it?” Everett asked through the door, his voice surprisingly gruff.

It took Rose aback, and for a moment she paused, unsure of whether going to him was a good idea.

“Blast it all if someone is to interrupt me, then they better well-oh,” Everett’s muffled words became clear as he opened the door. The glare in his eyes quickly vanished, and Rose noted how his broad shoulders relaxed a little.

“It is you,” Everett said, his voice kinder this time. “Why did you not say so?”

Rose lifted her chin slightly and once again nervously clasped her hands together.

“I was not sure if it was a good time,” she replied.

Everett grunted, but opened the door wider for her.

“It was not,” he agreed, “Though I am sure interruptions will never come at a good time.”

Rose raised a brow, irritation tunneling through her, and she turned to leave.

“Well then, never mind,” she stated.