Chapter 48 Rosa
Elsie
Rosa and I stood side by side, preparing the evening meal—roasted lamb in red wine sauce, the special dish that Mr. Malcolm Lancaster liked to have before dinner every Saturday.
Rosa was humming softly as she peeled onions, her cheeks flushed from the heat. After a while, she sighed dreamily. “You know, Elsie,” she said, “Sir Caleb is so handsome.”
I glanced at her, surprised by the sudden topic. “Caleb?”
“Yes,” she said with a shy laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s so tall and confident. The way he talks, the way he walks. I don’t know, I just… I can’t help it. I think I have a crush on him.”
I smiled faintly, slicing the carrots. “Really?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course! Every time he passes through the kitchen or speaks to Mrs. Chavez, I feel my heart beating fast. He’s not like the others. Aiden is too quiet, and Jacob always looks angry, but Caleb…” she giggled. “He’s the perfect one. If only he’d notice me.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Maybe he already has.”
She blushed. “Oh, stop it, Elsie. Don’t tease me.”
“I’m serious,” I said, still smiling. “You never know.”
Rosa’s smile stayed on her face as she stirred the sauce. The warmth of her little fantasy filled the air, making the kitchen feel lighter for a while.
But as her humming continued, my thoughts began to drift back to everything that had happened earlier that day—the shouting, the anger, Mr. Malcolm’s red face, and the slap he gave Caleb. The memory made my stomach tighten.
“You know,” Rosa said suddenly, breaking into my thoughts, “you’re very lucky, Elsie.”
“Lucky?” I repeated.
She nodded. “All three heads of this family stood up for you. Do you know what that means?”
I didn’t reply. I kept my eyes down on the carrots.
“It means you’re special,” Rosa went on, smiling like she was teasing me. “Because they’re not like this with people. They’re mean. Arrogant. Cold. They don’t even talk to most of us. But they defended you, all three of them. Even Aiden! I thought Mr. Malcolm would burn the whole house down.”
I forced a small smile and said nothing. Rosa didn’t understand—it wasn’t kindness that made them defend me. Nothing in this house happened without a reason.
The door opened sharply. Mrs. Chavez stepped in. Her voice was hard and sharp.
“What are you both gossiping about?” she asked.
Rosa froze. “Nothing, ma’am. Just the food.”
Mrs. Chavez walked to the counter, tasted the sauce, and nodded once. “Good. Hurry up. Mr. Malcolm doesn’t like to wait for his dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rosa said quickly.
Her sharp eyes lingered on me for a moment. “And stop talking. Less gossip, more work.” Then she left, her heels clicking away until the sound faded down the corridor.
Rosa let out a quiet breath. “She always acts like she owns the world.”
I smiled faintly but said nothing. My hands trembled slightly as I put the carrots aside. After a few moments, I asked softly, “Rosa, can I ask you something?”
“Hmm?” she said, not looking up.
“That night… when you gave me the note. Who gave it to you?”
Rosa’s hand froze halfway to the pot. Her eyes darted toward me, then back to her food. “—I don’t want to talk about that, Elsie.”
“Come on,” I pressed gently. “It’s important.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know who it was.”
I looked at her closely, trying to read her face. “You know I’m close to Caleb, right?” I said quietly. “And you said you have a crush on him. What if I can help you? What if I can help you get his attention?”
Rosa turned sharply to look at me, her eyes wide. “You can do that?”
I smiled. “Of course. You’re a beautiful girl. I’m sure he’s noticed you already, but maybe he’s just too shy to say something.”
She smiled shyly, her cheeks turning pink. “I thought as much. I mean, I am beautiful, right?” She adjusted her glasses, grinning like a child. “I just never know what to say when he’s around.”
I leaned a little closer. “Then tell me, Rosa. Who gave you that note?”
She hesitated. The smile faded a little from her face. “It was Mr. Field,” she said in a low voice. “But don’t tell anyone I told you. Please. He said it was important, a matter of life and death.”
“Mr. Field?” I repeated.
She nodded quickly. “Yes. He called me from the corner near the garden. It was dark, and I didn’t even see his face clearly. He just told me to give it to you and not tell anyone.”
I fell silent. My mind started to race.
Rosa went back to stirring the pot, humming softly again as if she hadn’t just revealed something important. I watched her, still unsure whether to believe her. She looked so calm, so innocent behind her glasses, but something didn’t sit right.
What if she was lying? What if Mrs. Lancaster had placed her here as a spy—to watch me, to test me?
I didn’t know.
When Rosa left to set the table, I leaned against the counter, closing my eyes. The kitchen felt suddenly quiet. My thoughts spun around the same point again and again: the red file.
If I could just get my hands on that file, Mrs. Lancaster will owe me and I could ask for any information that can help my sister’s case in return. Maybe I’d finally find the truth I’d been searching for. But to do that, I had to get into Malcolm’s chamber—and the only person who ever went in there was Mrs. Chavez.
I had to find a way.