Chapter 10 – Responsibility

Rose came through the backdoor connecting between the garden and the castle, carrying a large basket in her hands. She detected someone coming from the opposite direction and quickly lowered the basket, with the intention of hiding the stains on her dress hem. She calmed down only when she saw it was Adam, and sent him an expectant smile.

"Where are you going?"

"Actually I was looking for you, Rose," Adam replied, taking in her image. Rose was wearing a dress that he didn't recognize, simple and blue in hue. Probably one of the maids lent it to her. She wore a white cap, underneath it locks of wayward curls curled in disarray around her flushed face. The stains on the bottom of her dress completed the picture, and he assumed she went again to her small garden. She looked happy, even if somewhat guilty, and he deduced after being delightedly gardening. He was glad he could give her those peaceful moments. His heart leapt to the spark in her eyes and he noted she looked beautiful even without all the adornments.

"Why are you hiding?" He gestured to her dress hem.

Rose laughed lightly but said with guilt, "Lucy'd kill me if she knew I was gardening like a simple maid."

Adam chuckled and shook his head. "You cannot really fear her…"

Rose seemed serious. "She is the woman who takes care of my clothing. I wouldn't want to upset her, now would I?"

Adam gave up. "Whatever you say."

"Precisely," Rose said, satisfied. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to the kitchen, and give my spices to the cook."

"I will accompany you there."

They strolled in tranquil, and Adam allowed himself a peek into the basket. Branches and green leaves, that's all he could perceive from his point of view.

"Anyway, you said you wanted to see me?" Rose reminded him.

Adam started. "Ah, Yes, I thought maybe, you know..." Rose glanced at him. She always knew when Adam wanted to tell her something important, because it was when words tried to leave his mouth all at once.

"You would probably think it's out of the blue, but I wanted to finish telling you…" Rose passed the basket to her other hand and said, "About the curse, right?"

Adam seemed stunned but Rose felt surprisingly at peace about the whole thing. The curiosity was not as painfully burning as in her first days at the castle, as the clear knowledge was established in her mind that all will be revealed eventually. She knew Adam, and trusted him. Yes, this was the thing that was added: the confidence in her husband. She nodded to herself.

"Ah, Yes. It is about the curse. How did you know?" Adam wondered.

Rose sweetened a secretive smile at him, "it's a women's thing." She said confidently. Adam groaned, and she snickered in response. "I'm kidding... It's simple: you always get nervous when you're going to tell me something important like that. I figured."

Adam smiled with relief as they stood near the kitchen door. "So if you'd like-"

"Oh, Your Ladyship! I didn't think you were coming so soon!" One of the maids went out the door at the moment, inadvertently interrupting the Count.

"Yes, I guess I was in a hurry." Rose said sympathetically. "Anyway, I got only part of the spices. I brought mint, chamomile, geranium…" The maid reached out her hands to the basket.

"Uh, are you going to get the basket to the cook?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"Of course, m'lady. I'll bring the basket to her, and you can go on to your own business." The maid glimpsed at Adam, implying that maybe the Count had no patience to wait for his wife to finish her business in the kitchen.

Rose sighed. "Fine. If so... mint, chamomile and geranium. If you tell it to the cook, I'm sure she'd be able to tell what's what." She handed the basket into the maid's waiting hands, who took the basket without looking inside. Then she bowed once more and Rose thanked her, before she hurried back through the door.

"Well, I guess today will be another day when I won't be going into the kitchen," Rose said with acceptance.

"What's in the kitchen?" Adam asked curiously.

"Nothing special, just that it's been so long since the last time I stood in the kitchen and cooked... I guess I miss it."

"Cooking?" Adam asked in wonder.

Rose laughed. "Housework is not pure misery, you know."

Adam shook his head. There were always new things to discover about his wife. He assumed it would always be that way, and the truth was, he looked forward to it. "Indeed I don't know. But if you want to cook, you shouldn't deprive yourself from it…"

"Shouldn't I?" Rose asked in sarcasm, shaking her head. "I think it is bad enough my knees are deep in the mud - when I am supposed to be with Lucy to embroider, and believe me that Lucy has overlooked those things just out of the goodness of her heart." It wasn't that she didn't want to embroider, but sometimes she preferred to get a little dirty instead of being gentle and noble. Suddenly she beamed, "Well, maybe I'm a little exaggerating..."

"Just a little bit."

Rose giggled. Then she remembered the important topic he wished to discuss. "About what you wanted to tell me…" They walked towards the library, their favorite pastime room. In the time being since their marriage they had found there solace and mutual closeness.

"Ah, Yes," the Count recalled. "About that..." He took a deep breath, pondering how to begin explaining himself.

"I guess you could say we've been through a lot since the first time we'd met, you and me…"

"To say the least…"

"- There was another small detail that I didn't tell you, since I didn't know how I could tell you without actually telling you," Rose's eyebrows rose in question, but she kept her quiet.

"And then I thought... oh well, what's the worst that could happen."

"So you're going to tell me?" ...Even though you don't want to tell me? She wondered inaudibly.

"Uh, not entirely…" He said when they walked into the library. Adam sat down on his sofa out of habit, and Rose removed her hat and sat in front of him. Her couch was more comfortable for lying than sitting, she believed, but this conversation needed them facing each other.

"But I can tell you around the matter itself, so you'd know what's going on... sort of."

"It doesn't make any sense," she remarked.

"Yes, well, I'd just tell you and you'll see for yourself what I meant." Rose shrugged, but listened.

Adam gazed up at the shelf behind her. After a few seconds of pondering he managed to find the words. "So far I told you about my parents, and about the curse. I also told you about the conditions for breaking the curse but I haven't told you about all of them..."

Rose restrained the curiosity that rose in her anew. Everything will come in time, she reminded herself.

"I told you about the first condition – taking a wife - and the ensuing condition. But the truth is that these conditions are not enough. There are two more things that need to come to be…"

Adam words trailed off as he continued to stare at the air behind her. Rose was sitting on the edge of the couch, holding her breath.

"What is it?" She whispered, when he didn't say anything.

Adam brought himself to look at her. "That is what I can't tell you. But, what I can tell you is... The first thing is something that I need to do, and the other is something that you need to do."

"I need to do something?" Rose asked absently. She was a part of breaking the curse! She would be able to save him like she had hoped!

"Yes, and you have to do it without me telling you what it is. I must not affect you in any way with this. It has to come from you. This is why I can't tell you what it is."

"It's not fair," Rose muttered, gathering her eyebrows in discontent. She lifted her eyes to his. "What about your part? Can't you tell me what it is you need to do?"

"Ah... no, because that will give you an idea about your part."

"Oh." Rose slumped in disappointment. Her head rose as he continued to talk.

"But I can give you a hint: I've already done it."

Rose stared at him for a while, her mouth moving as if to form words but she didn't know which. Finally she managed to grasp a word or two. "And this is supposed help me?" She asked in mild ire.

Adam shrugged. "I think it does."

"It doesn't help at all," she groaned. Then she thought of something else – "And that's it? The only thing missing is for me to do this thing and then you'll... be free?"

Adam allowed himself a small smile. "Exactly so."

There was a pause and then Rose said, "Wow, that's a lot of responsibility."

"No, you shouldn't feel that way..." Adam suddenly realized where her thoughts were taking her. He moved to sitting on the edge of the couch, and took her hands in his. "Don't think that right now all I want from you is to relieve me from this curse. You've already given me more than I could have ever hoped for when you came here... marring me, agreeing to stay here and build your life with me. I couldn't ask for more than that without being ungrateful. I mean, you gave me everything, Rose..." Adam smiled at her gently. He wanted to remind her that they were in this together.

His words touched her heart and absorbed in. A shy smile began to appear on her lips. "I Didn't really do much..." She said in soft modesty, but a trace of pride filled her. Did he really feel that way? Was he really grateful for her decision to be with him? She was aware he underestimated himself, but this was beyond what she knew.

Adam only smiled his strange grin, unaware of her thoughts. "Believe me, you've done everything."

She contemplated it when she embroidered. Similarly, when she read her books she was unable to concentrate. She thought about it whether she was inside the castle or outside of it. Before falling asleep between Adam's arms she wondered about it, and also in the morning, when she woke up without him. If there was a way to save Adam, change his fate, she wanted to know it. Therefore she wearied her brain in an attempt to find the answer.

Of all the questions she had since she came to the castle, it seemed this was the most important one. And she could not ask her husband. To her dismay, it was the most difficult question.

Adam soon regretted telling her. He saw how the question anguished her. He sighed for the third time when he watched his wife once again staring at the window in front of her, the fork in her hand in midair, halfway to her mouth. Dinner has never felt so abandoned.

"Rose," he said quietly.

"What?" She jumped, then calmed down, and realized the fork was still in her hand. She put it back on the plate.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing! You know, thoughts..." She murmured. She peered at him from the corner of her eye and sighed. "I think about what I need to do." She didn't need to explain anymore, he understood.

"My love, you shouldn't torment yourself over it…" Adam heaved a sigh, looking deliberately at her full plate.

"I'm not torturing myself. I just think to myself..." She decided it would be a good idea to tell him. "I was asking myself – maybe there is some magical ritual that I need to perform?"

"No." Adam said in a decisive tone. "No ritual."

"No?" Rose said in disappointment. "I thought that because of the witch... alright, so no."

Adam looked at her hopefully. "And that's it, right?" He was disappointed in her quick answer.

"I also thought - maybe I need to give you something of mine? Or discover something?"

"A little bit of both," Adam said but immediately regretted it. "I mean, no, never mind, it's not true."

"Which one isn't true?" Rose inquired with determination, sensing she found a lead.

"Neither." Adam rubbed his face. "Rose, this is not a riddle you can solve... You will do it whenever you will, and it will be of your choice. There is nothing you can think of to help you 'solve' it." He has completely regretted telling her about it. It did no good, and only furthered her concerns.

"Adam, I know that if only..." She waved a helpless hand. She did not know what the end of the sentence would be, but she didn't have a chance to find out.

"Please, Rose, don't even think about it..." Adam placed his hand on hers. "You don't eat nearly enough, have you noticed?"

"Nonsense," Rose dismissed his words with a wave of her hand and patted her abdomen. "I eat, you needn't worry about me." To prove to him that she was fine, she began to eat the slice of bread that was laid deserted in her plate. Adam huffed.

Rose raised her head and smiled to him a reassuring smile. He replied with a slight one. He had a grounded suspicion that she won't let it go so quickly.

Rose threw the embroidery away. "Ugh! I can't fix this!" She cried in frustration. In the last few minutes she was trying to re-stitch the latest curve in the decoration of the broad sheet, but it seemed she could hold correctly neither the fabric nor the needle. And if that wasn't enough, Lucy seemed very much pleased at Rose's frustration.

"Give it to me, I will fix it." The maid said, putting her own embroidery on the low table and reaching out her hand to Rose.

Rose stood up, lifting the crimson cloth with both arms. It was quite a broad sheet, as it was designed to cover the bed of the Count. It was Lucy's idea.

Rose wanted to give some present to her husband. She asked herself what could she give him, and nothing occurred to her - until Lucy suggested the current idea. She thought it would be a nice idea to adorn a bedspread for him, even if she knew he almost never spent his nights there. She wanted to give him something, didn't care what. Lucy somehow got the bedspread (Rose didn't ask), and Rose was working on it for more than two weeks.

"At this rate, I'll give it to him only after the curse will be broken." Rose said heatedly as she gave Lucy the sheet. The latter caught the long cloth annoyingly effortlessly. Rose raised Lucy's embroidered piece from the table and returned to her seat.

"Is that bad?" Lucy lifted an eyebrow. "If that will be the case, you'd be able to enjoy the bedspread too."

"What?" Rose did not comprehend that.

"Because you would move in with him…" Lucy explained as if she spoke to a young child, shaking her head.

"Oh! I didn't think of that…" Rose was deep in thought. What it would be like to live in her husband's room? There will be no need for two rooms... There will be no separation... She brooded over it, yearning, then looked at her friend. However didn't she think about it before? Lucy - Lucy knew all sorts of things. She'll surely know.

"You know Lucy, I was thinking..." She said in a calculating tone.

"No." Lucy interrupted her.

"No, what?"

"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no."

"How do you know what I was going to ask?" Rose pushed clenched fists at her waist.

"You were going to ask, if I can tell you what you need to do to save the master. And my answer is no, I can't tell you. And I won't tell you." To Rose's dismay, Lucy was not a woman whose mind could be changed easily. Or at all.

Rose straightened up with guilt. "No, no," She said faintly. "This is not at all what I meant…" Lucy just smiled in understanding.

"I only meant that..." Rose tried to recover from the impact of the direct hit, and decided to change course. "You might be able to help me. Not tell me exactly what..." She inhaled deeply, "I am supposed to do, but maybe you can answer some questions for me."

"Some questions..." Lucy concentrated for a moment on her embroidery, flinging the fabric in her lap. "I think it would be alright. You can ask."

"So…"

"But I won't promise to answer everything," the maid added.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine, I got it..."

She thought for a moment. "Adam said it was not a magical ritual that I need to perform." Her friend nodded. "And I thought maybe I should give him something..." Lucy lifted her eyebrows. "Like what?"

Rose blushed. "Like a bed cover I embroidered over, especially for him…" Lucy laughed quietly and continued to work on the trimming. "No. Although I'm sure he'll be delighted to receive it from you."

"Oh." Rose shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Well... I thought..." She tried to remember the other things that seemed to make sense, and gave up. "Adam said I shouldn't try to find out what it is, but I just can't..."

"He's right," Lucy said when Rose trailed off. "It wouldn't do any good to ask. It'll happen when it'll happen. You can't prepare for it."

Rose moaned. "That's exactly what he said." Sometimes it felt as if Lucy and Adam had conspired against her. If only they'd stop talking so cryptically!

"Then he's right. I keep telling you the master is a wise man," Lucy smiled smugly.

"He also said that I shouldn't worry about it, but how can I not worry? That is, Adam's life is in my hands... And I have no idea which step I'll do will be the right step..." Rose closed her eyes, glad to be taking some of the weight that burdened her shoulders.

"Rose," the maid said softly, offering a little sympathy. "Honey... You shouldn't worry about it. And at least... maybe you don't know what the right step is, but you do know what the wrong step is, don't you?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean that you know now that you can't see his face. It's good that you know, so you can avoid it. The situation is a lot less dangerous that way."

"Yes, it is true.." Rose didn't seem convinced. Lucy continued, "Besides, I know it will happen. You just need to give it time. And stop worrying so much!"

"Yeah, Adam also said that I worry too much… He claims I don't eat enough." Rose snorted. "Me! Not eating! I've never eaten the way I eat here, in the castle. To be honest, I think I'm gaining weight from all this good food…" She patted her middle. She meant it; lately she was under the impression of getting somewhat rounder about her face and thighs. Of course it didn't actually bother her, but it was something she noticed. She had thought before about her changing since she came to the castle – the external change was only proof of that.

Lucy laughed in ridicule. "Nonsense, you look even prettier than the day you first came here." Rose smiled and shook her head dismissively. "Thanks, I guess."

"So it's agreed?" Lucy laid the sheet on her knees, the deep crimson of it radiant against her simple dress. She counted the conversation main points on her fingers: "It will happen when the time is right, you can still ask me - although it isn't sure I'll answer, you're still beautiful, and I'm done with your embroidery."

Rose grinned. She could always count on Lucy to lift her spirits. She was indeed lucky in her case. She was going to get the bedspread back, as she suddenly noticed the shape of the cloth she was holding in her hand.

"Lucy, what is this?" She asked as she spread the cloth over her knees. It was... a tiny outfit. Little sleeves and little slacks... Rose looked at her friend with rounded eyes. "Is there something you want to tell me, perhaps?" She uttered.

Lucy huffed, smirking. "Believe me, you would have been the first to know. But what are you thinking, my dear Rose," she waved a scolding finger at her, "you know as well as I do that I have nothing in my future when my husband is still far away from me…"

"Oh, yes..." Rose said apologetically, regretting for bringing up the issue as she saw the wrinkles reappearing on her friend's forehead.

"It's alright," Lucy smiled kindly. "Anyways, I think it's always good to be prepared." Rose nodded. If Lucy preferred to be optimistic and prepared for the return of her husband, that was completely understandable.

Lucy hasn't heard from her husband since the last letter, and Rose knew she was expecting his answer about the latest developments in the castle. She secretly feared that her friend will be disappointed when the next letter comes. She never met Lucy's Luke, but of what she had heard about him so far, he seemed to be rather stubborn – at least as stubborn as his wife. She hoped that both of them would have a happy ending sooner or later.

She only feared that this happy ending will be sooner rather than later.

Rose took hold of the heavy sheet, sitting with a sigh in her chair, and arranged the fabric so she could approach it from the right direction. Even if she can't break the curse, at least she could show him how much he means to her. She turned with renewed powers to draw the stitching at the other end of the fabric. It will be the most beautiful bedspread he had ever had.

As time will come, she would enjoy it too.

Adam peeked at his wife one last time before determinately deciding to concentrate on his work. He was sitting in his study, going through his lists, and Rose sat across the table opposite him, writing on a sheet of her own. She didn't come there to talk, she made it clear, but to work on her letter. She wasn't interested in conversation. Fortunately the table separated them like a river that cannot be crossed.

When Rose appeared after breakfast in his study, he was surprised but pleased. She asked him if she could sit with him in his chamber, while she'll write the letter to Lord and Lady Morel. He agreed even though they had never sat in his room together, and he liked the idea almost too much, in his opinion. But it has been a long time since he had to run away from her in order to control himself. He learned to withhold himself better, to act wisely around her, and Rose learnt to distance herself in time. Anyways, sitting across the table was safe enough.

After providing her with paper and a pen, he resumed his work. Or rather, tried to resume.

Rose seemed quite engaged with the letter, sometimes writing vigorously, other times stopping and staring at the page. Sometimes she would lift her face to him and their eyes would meet. But the letter occupied most of her time, and Adam told himself that he too needed to work on his pages. Therefore he gathered his focus and returned to the extensive list of numbers.

The atmosphere in the room was pleasant for Rose. The room kept warm as for the fire, and the frost of approaching winter wasn't noticeable. In addition, Rose was glad to finally sit down to write the letter.

But what did she want to say to them?

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Morel…

She stopped and deleted the word 'Mr.' The letter was intended to the Lady, wasn't it? Actually... She thought; the Lord was always good to me as well... She wrote the word 'Mr.' over its predecessor, and continued with the letter.

I apologize for not writing before. It was a display of bad manners of me, and I am sorry for that. I am sure you will forgive me because there were a lot of new things which kept me busy, and I forgot that you must be worried about me.

She stopped. The lady will surely be the one to read it, won't she? She didn't want to write inappropriately or too personally, if it will be the Lord who would read the letter. It would be very embarrassing. On the other hand she did not want to write distantly, as she fancied them both. Rose finally decided that her first assumption is probably the right one, and the Lady would read the letter. The Lord will surely be too busy to read insignificant social letters.

After the visit of your son here, I realized that you might be concerned about me and I promised him that I will write you. I hope he returned in peace and is well.

Oh my, she moaned internally, I didn't ask how they are doing, what will they think of me!... She hastened to add:

How do you do? I hope everything is fine.

And marked the statement to be inserted in the head of the letter. On second thought, she also wrote:

I am all right.

She will need to copy the letter on a new sheet, so it seems. Then she stared at the page for a while, wondering how to go on. She wanted to tell them about her life in the castle and her husband, but didn't know how to start.

I have got many new things…

Yes, that will do.

Rose peeked up at Adam and found him looking at her. She beamed at him, and his reaction made her think briefly that was he not in the body of the beast – he would blush. He turned his eyes too quickly to his pages. Rose went smiling back to her letter, which was now covered with words and ink stains.

The castle of Count Fitzroy is the biggest building I have ever seen in my life. I think it is three times as big as your house. When I first came here I sometimes needed help to find my way around.

She smiled at the memory. As of now she knew her way around the hallways without a mistake, and knew (at least theoretically) what was inside each room. But there were still rooms she has never visited: the servants' rooms, the kitchens, and to her dismay, the Count's room as well. She knew very well where it was – farthest away from her own room - but was never allowed to go there. It was all part of Adam's strategy to fulfill the terms of the curse, she knew now, but knowing did not ease the feeling of absence.

The castle is maintained by a great number of servants and it is quite impressive, on the inside and on the outside. Outside of the castle there is a large garden, which I helped to restore. It was completely neglected when I first arrived here, and now it is green and blooming.

It was, to a degree, a stretch of the truth. At the current season most of the garden's floor was covered with golden and brown autumn leaves, which the servants had hard time sweeping away fast enough. It seemed that every minute there was another layer of fallen leaves. In addition, most flowers preferred to blossom on other seasons. But the bushes and cypress trees were still standing proud, green and magnificent.

There is a huge library filled with many books, and I have enough time to read as much as I want a day. But generally I find other things to do. I take care of the garden, and embroider-

She didn't know how the Lady would react to her strong friendship with Lucy, and decided to skip that detail.

And I teach one of the maids to read. It brings me much joy.

This too made her feel the need to explain herself. She blew out irritably, berating herself. Well am I the Countess or not? I can decide who will be my friends, can I? She added right afterwards, in contrast to her previous decision:

And I also have a friend here. My personal maid proved to be a wise and caring girl, and I am glad I had met her. She helped me a great deal to get used to my new home.

Good, she looked at the written words in satisfaction. And now it was just left to tell about Adam.

My husband, Count Adam Fitzroy is…

Is what?

Rose looked up from the paper to her husband. This time he seemed completely absorbed in his work, but she knew he was well aware of her eyes on him. He only pretended to be preoccupied with the lengthy numbers, and not with her. But it was pointless, Rose knew him too well. She saw how his posture became slightly tense; his muscles tightened; his eyes were staring at the page without actually seeing it. He was so cute when he tried to pretend he wasn't interested in her but in his endless, tiring in her opinion, lists.

She wondered what she could tell the Lady Madeline of her husband's real form.

...He is not exactly what you would think. He looks different, but I guess you could say I became accustomed to it pretty fast...

It would have to suffice as a description. She reread the last sentence and feared that it seemed worrisome, to a person who will read the sentence without knowing the true state of affairs. She continued.

But don't let the exterior fool you. The Count is a good-natured man; he is gentle and very generous. He did everything to make me feel comfortable in my new home, and I'm grateful to him for that.

Yes, this is how I feel, Rose realized. She peeked sideways at him, noting to herself that this time a tiny smile stretched his lips. He knew that she knew.

There was nothing I asked for that he did not give me.

It was almost true. But the few things he didn't give her were out of his control.

I try to be a good wife to him, and to be grateful to him. You could say I am happy with how things are, and I am happy here at my new home with my new husband. There is no need to worry about me.

It was something that was important to her to clarify.

André made me realize…

She erased his name, and then some.

I realize that you must be aware of the status of the Count, and feared that I go through the worst thing possible... but it is not true. Even though the Count is a little...

She wondered how to convey her meaning, and carried on:

...different, he is a good man and he makes me happy.

Rose found herself deeply pondering this part.

Adam did make her happy. She knew it, and would have told him that, if she wasn't sure he already knew. She was pretty sure it wasn't going to change, because the parts of him that made her happy were the parts deeply embedded in his nature. And of course there was the fact that he loved her, which was equally thrilling and mystifying.

She knew he loved her for a while now, since the incident in the library. Her thoughts revolved about it a few times since, but she could hardly find herself in the tangle of notions and emotions, and so she found herself avoiding thinking about it altogether.

He claimed to love her, and therefore probably believed to know what love was. Rose was more skeptic about it. She had read many books since discovering the library, and some of them spoke about love between spouses. Usually it was a love greater than life that caused the pair to do reckless and sentimental things. She didn't know if what she felt was in the least similar to the descriptions she had read, or even whether the descriptions were accurate at all. She didn't know; that was the problem.

She knew that her parents loved each other, but with the time that passed since the last time she saw them, the memory was faded and she couldn't define what exactly indicated their love. They supported each other unconditionally, that much she remembered. She regretted that her mother wasn't by her side so she could ask her how one can tell. After her parents left for the big city, she knew only the Lord and his wife. It was not often that they were together in front of Rose, and when they were, they showed only reserved companionship. Of course it didn't cross her mind to ask the Lady such a thing, probably because at the time she didn't figure she will ever face a problem like this.

She has given up on the thought of the Lady; it was futile. What do you feel? She asked herself. Her eyes were drawn to Adam. He was dear to her; it was obvious even for the servants who saw her scarcely. But was there something deeper than mere affection..? Here was the core of her doubts.

She sighed in frustration.

"Is everything all right, my love?" Adam pulled her from her deep contemplations.

Rose tried not to moan again. "Yes, I'm fine. I just think of various things..." She avoided telling him what exactly was in her thoughts.

"About the letter?"

"Umm... Yes." After all, she was thinking about the letter. "I'm just wondering how to explain to them that everything is fine with me, so they won't worry."

"I think André Morel has already handled that problem for you. He seemed eager to make amends to you when he left, and personally I think he passed on the message." Adam said considerately.

"Hmm, Yes," Rose murmured, lowering her gaze to the table. "Thank you."

"No problem, love." He replied, and when she looked at him again he was already back to his notes. She detected that this time he was really working.

Rose went back to her letter and read it again from the beginning. She occasionally erased a letter, and altered a word or two. Finally she wrote at the bottom of the page:

I hope you are all feeling well, and that you have found a maid to replace me to your satisfaction. Please pass on the good news of my state to the men of the Council, so they know that no one was sacrificed in the carrying out of the contract.

I would love to hear from you,

Rose Fitzroy."

She signed her name with an embellishment and smiled with pleasure at the sight of her name. Now she should just copy the letter anew and seal it in an envelope. And the next time a messenger will come by the castle, he will also have a letter to deliver.

Rose woke up in alarm, momentarily not knowing where she was and what woke her up. Shortly after, as hot lips kissed her forehead, she grasped that it was Adam that woke her in the early hour of morning.

"Adam?" She whispered.

"Yes, love?" He replied as he began to move away from her, to get off the bed. But Rose wasn't ready yet, and she tightened her grip around him. She sighed with dreamy eyes.

"Adam, I had a dream..." She uttered, "I had a dream that I saved you... And you and I were walking arm-in-arm in the garden, in the sunlight... and you were... human..." Her voice trailed off as yearning took over her. Adam did not move and did not answer for a long time, until she feared she saddened him. She recalled how he hated being a beast.

"Adam, I didn't mean to..." She began to say with regret.

"It is fine," he replied softly. "You think I don't dream of that? And not just at night…"

"Really?" She asked tenderly, encouraged to hear she was not alone in her dreams.

"Yes..." It seemed that he wasn't going to go on. Rose brought her hand to his cheek, her delicate hand hot on his skin. "Tell me."

He debated what to tell her first of all his dreams, he had so many. Finally he said the first thing that came to mind. "I dream about it every night. You and I, like a normal couple... Waking up in our bed in the sunlight…"

Rose breathed deeply as she pictured it. "In your room?"

"Err... come to think of it, yes, but I also dream of your room…"

"You really dream about it..."

"Yes, and I also dream there won't be two separate rooms, but only one room, our room…"

"Oh..." It sounded so good, especially from his mouth.

"Sometimes I think what it will be like when I can finally introduce you to the world as my wife, without having to apologize, or be forced to withstand hostile glares… We could travel to other places outside the castle…"

"And meet my parents…" Rose was carried away with him in their little fantasy, forgetting for a while that her parents have not been found as yet. She only thought how wonderful it would be to introduce her husband to them.

"And I sometimes think to myself... sometimes, when we're together during the day... for example when we're in the library, I wonder how easy it would be - to close the distance between us and simply kiss you…"

Rose's heart felt wide and so full, she pulled his face down to hers, until she could kiss him the way she wanted. So, in a kiss, she expressed her feelings in the best possible manner, and there were no doubts.

Adam pulled away from her after a while, reluctantly recalling that he must go. But before he could get away her voice stopped him, strangled with emotions.

"Adam, I want it so much…"

He hugged her tightly to his chest, recognizing her need for consolation. If only he could give her what she really wanted…

The encouraging part was that she wanted him. The less than gladdening, not to mention frustrating, part was much less encouraging. Only she was able to change the situation, to give both of them what they wanted. But she had no idea what was the thing she had to do. Worse, it seemed that she wasn't remotely ready to fulfill the last condition. Eventually the future of both of them was in her hands, and there was nothing he could do beyond what he has already done.

He shut his eyes tight, and murmured words of reassurance, "everything will be all right in the end, my love." And even though he found it hard to believe it himself, he would still try to convince her it was just so.

"Everything will be all right..."

AN: A slow chapter to ease a bit all the excitement from the last one.

Another mystery, and some more love-doubts... get it already, Rose, you fool!

What do you think it is? The last condition, I mean? I thought it was really obvious but maybe I'm completely wrong... please let me know what you think!

Thank you for all the reviews so far, I loved them!

A small tease: the next chapter has some real action, as it's called 'Hunt'!

R&R and see you later:)