Rose and the Thorn (Fallen Tales series)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25
Patrick
I sat in the drawing room with father's journal. I couldn't put it down.

And hour ago, Rebecca had told me that she was pregnant. After three years of waiting it was finally happening. I'm going to be a father.
Rebecca is on her phone to her parents. No doubt they want to come down here from London to visit. Even though I could offer Rebecca anything she ever wanted, they always looked upon me like I was an unwanted school boy.
GOOD LUCK.

I remembered my mother's parents. Around Christmas they would come up here for a couple weeks. Father would hide in his office as much as he could, sending Mother mad. But I guess he was right. I remember Grandmama being a control freak. Whatever Mother had planned, she had said that wasn't good enough and changed everything. And Grandpapa was like a silent guard that followed Grandmama everywhere.
They didn't ignore Adelaide. She was given present after present and I was given one crapy thing. Oh well, she can have that memory.
After that night, I hadn't heard anything from them. It was like they disappeared like everyone else from that life. Bar from Jenson.
"Patrick can I ask you something?" I looked up at Rose who was cleaning the fireplace.
"Okay?" I said unsure. She turned her body to face me. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed like a child.
"Okay, I got this from a chick in the village," she stalled.
I frowned, "Yeah,"
"Have you ever, I mean, totally not judging. Have you ever 'pleasured' yourself?"
My eyes grew wide at the question. Did she just ask me that? This was new, even for Rose.
"Ah, let me ask you. Have you ever 'pleasured' yourself? Totally not judging."
A cheeky grin formed on her face as mine matched her.
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," she said quickly.
"You brought it up."
She went quiet.
"I have," she admitted quietly making my grin spread.
"Like, with 'toys'," I said remembering what she had said to stop me from going down the Servants' Hall. She started to giggle.
"Now you have to answer."
I sighed. How do I answer this?
"Teenager years, yes. For the past five years, no."
Now, just dreams about you.
"Fair enough," she nodded as if approval.
I frowned, "you said a chick asked you this?"
"Oh yeah some red head asked me. Weirdest person ever."
I laughed as I thought about who it could be. Red head? Sounds like Zoey.
"I can't believe we just told each that," Rose groaned putting her head in her hands.
"Well I'm twenty-five, I think I have a right."
Her head shot.
"You're twenty-five," she said surprised.
"And you're so young?"
"I'm twenty-one. You like, old."
"Oh really."
I got up and ran for her. She screamed and attempted to run. I took her by the waist and wrapped my arms tightly around her. My legs gave way and I landed on her. She groaned as my body started to crush her.
"Oh God, I can't breathe. Get off me," she groaned.
"Not until you say I'm not old."
"Never."
"Say it."
She paused, "okay, okay. You not old."
I raised half my body still pinning her. Her hair was spread out on the floor creating a halo around her head. Her bright auburn eyes shone up at mine making my heart raise. Her chest rose and fell underneath me and without thinking I was leaning down to kiss her. I was centimetres from her lips when something got in between. It wasn't until Rose groaned and yelled, "Curious!" That I realized that it was Curious blocking my view. I groaned and flopped off her. Curious took my place on top of her, lying his head between her breasts. Lucky devil. I patted his head and he grumbled. Your territory, I get it.
"God you're a territorial dick," Rose grumbled. He made a sound as if answering her. I laughed.
"He's just for protecting what's his."
"His? No way in hell. He knows the drill, I feed him, bath him, and sleep with him. If anything he's mine."
I laughed at her. He grumbled again and moved off her. His paws took him out of the room as if he was retreating.
"All look Rose, you've hurt his feelings."

Rose
I was cleaning in what used to be the darkest room of the house. The dining room. But with the curtains open and the wall of windows, it was one if the lightest. My eyes admired the little crystals on the hanging chandelier. It wasn't as big as the one in the ball room though. A long wooden table was placed in the middle of the room with three chairs on each side and one at each end.
I felt a ghostly chill as I dusted the china cabinet. Dust fell off the glass as I dusted, uncovering what was inside. I pulled on the wooden nob and with a creek, it opened.
China sat on the shelves, cold and solid. On the middle shelf six tea cups sat on sources in a line. Roses were painted on each cup making them look identical.
But the one stood out from the rest. The end one had a chip in it. My eyes looked upon it as if it held diamonds.
"The chip one's mine."
I jumped at the sound on Patrick's voice. I shut one of the doors so that I could see him leaning on the doorframe, his body not quite in.
"Why is it chipped?" I asked moving towards him.
He shrugged, "I was angry after that night. Mainly because I couldn't join them. That I was left here alone and I didn't know why. I thought that mine shouldn't be up there anymore. I tried to smash it but it only chipped. After that I didn't see the point. I didn't see the point of anything anymore."
His eyes landed on the floor as he thought about that memory.
"So there's one for each kid?" I asked wanting him to stay with me and not to disappear to the land of the past.
He nodded, "Yeah, we each got one on our first birthday."
I smiled, "You know what I got for my first birthday? This teddy bear, it's small and cute. And it has this ribbon around it."
I noticed he was smiling at me as I explained my bear that was still in the corner of my suit case.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, it's just, your whole face just lit up. I just," he sighed.
I felt a shy smile on my face as I felt his eyes glare at me in want.
"Do you miss your Dad?"
His question surprised me that I didn't know what to say.
"Um, I miss the person he used to be. You know, before he went crazy."
He laughed as if I thought he was joking. I watched him. He was just leaning on the doorframe but his body wasn't an inch over the imaginary line that separated the dining room from the hall. I then realized why.
"It was in here, wasn't it? Where they were attacked."
He nodded, "attacked, killed. Doesn't matter how you try to hide it, it will always come back to that. I know that now."
Sorrow washed over his face and I knew he blamed himself about what happened.
"You can't blamed yourself Patrick."
"I should have done more, fought more."
I quickly ran into his arms feeling on the verge of tears. His scent filled my noise making me want to bury my face in his shoulder. His hand cupped my nape pushing my head against his neck.
"You did, Patrick, I know you did. The way you talk about them, I know you wouldn't have let them go without a fight."
"Why were they taken away from me Rose?" he asked.
"I don't know Patrick, I don't know."