Rose

Chapter 1

After having spent all afternoon preening, we were finally on our way to the estate house my mum worked at. She had arranged to hire the ballroom for the evening so the entire year could celebrate our Graduation. As we pulled into the staff car park, I was reminded just how beautiful this place was. The Georgian facade was covered in rambling Ivy leaves with only the windows and the grand entrance exposed. Two large pillars, typical of the era, mirrored each other on either side as if ready to announce each guest's arrival. I visited Mum at work on several occasions and often found myself amongst the roses of the formal gardens. That was where we headed now, as Mum wanted photos of us all dressed up before we spilled drinks down ourselves.

"Smile!" My mother snapped yet another photo and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Think you've got enough now Mam a dó?" Wynne's Irish lilt only really came through when she called her 'second mum', as usual. Wynne was my best friend; had been ever since we were young. When her own mother had died in an accident years ago, her and Declan — her older brother by only 18 months — had come to live with us. My mum had taken them in without hesitation or argument, so the two of us became four. It had stayed that way up until Declan had headed off to university. He came back whenever he could, but I still missed him.

After a few more snaps, Wynne grabbed the camera off my mum and laughed. "You can have this back when we get in there, I'm cutting you off."

My mum pulled us both in for a group hug. "Mum! The hair!" I groaned, smiling.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She said, a tear in her eye as she pulled back. "You girls have made me so proud, I hope you know that." She turned to Wynne, "Your mum would have been crying tears of joy at the young woman you've become. I know that in my heart."

"I do too, she was always an emotional wreck at things like this." She smiled, but her eyes started filling with tears.

"Now, now. Stop that, both of you. You'll ruin your make-up." I half joked, trying to break the mood. "We've graduated! It's time to celebrate!" Thankfully, it seemed to work, and we finally headed inside towards the ballroom, emotional crisis averted.

A few other people had arrived early to help set up and mum went straight into organiser mode. Wynne and I peeled off as quickly as possible to avoid having to do too much heavy lifting and wandered the grounds of the beautiful estate. Heading back to the rose garden I admired all the varieties in bloom. This place was always so well kept, not a leaf out of place. As much as I loved the heady scent of my floral namesake, part of me wished to see it ramble more — to have a little more freedom. Running my fingers through the lavender that edged my usual path through to the kitchen herb garden was calming, as always. I loved this place. I often accompanied my mum when she came to work in the kitchen gardens. Growing herbs, fruits and vegetables all year round was her passion and she was good at it; having a way with plants like no other.

Winding my way through the herb garden and past the raised vegetable beds, I approached the orchard to find that even though most of the fruit trees had finished blooming, there were still some late apple trees in full blossom and the bees were hard at work collecting pollen and nectar for their honey. Some people were scared of bees; I found them fascinating. Just watching them work and listening to the constant buzz was captivating, but when they stopped to dance it was mesmerising. Besides, who didn't love honey? Its sweet taste and soothing texture was so delicious and absolutely the best thing for so many remedies.

My reverence was interrupted by Wynne informing me others were arriving. How long had I been out here? The sun was starting to set and the bees were settling down for the night in their hives. I whispered my goodbyes and headed round to the front of the property to meet the party guests. Everyone was coming tonight, it was going to be amazing.