Rose stood in the doorway waiting for her turn to say good-bye to her father. Everyone in the family was there. Summer and her husband, his family plus Ruby and herself.
"Take care of yourself my sunshine." Her father said giving a hug to Summer.
"I will dad, and don't forget the cloth you said you'd buy for me." Summer replied returning her fathers hug.
"Good-bye my jewel" her father said leaning down to hug Ruby, "be a good girl for your sister."
"Of course I will dad." Ruby said smiling "and you won't forget my necklace will you?" Her father just laughed and moved to give Rose a hug.
"Good-bye my beauty." He whispered. "Take care of yourself."
"Don't worry about me dad." Rose whispered back. "Just take care of yourself."
"Are you sure you don't want anything more then roses?"
"Roses will be a good start to liven up this house dad. If we really do end up rich I'm sure you'll bring more things home then I'll be able to know what to do with." Rose replied with a smile. Her father just shook his head, finished saying his good-byes, climbed up onto his horse and rode out of view. They all stood watching till he was out of sight. I don't like this Rose thought to herself; something bad is going to happen.
"Come on girls." Summer called gathering them up "why don't we go prepare a delicious meal, while the guys go and tend to your chores." She continued giving a laughing smile back to her husband. Rolling his eyes he set off for the barn as the girls went into the house.
"Dad's going to be alright isn't he?" Ruby asked, "I mean it is almost winter, what if a snow storm comes up?"
"He'll be fine." Rose said with a confidence she didn't feel. "Everything will be fine."
But how wrong she was.
"He says he's sorry," a servant translated to the poor merchant looking man standing in his master's study.
Lord Duncan stood proudly in his study telling the sad tale of the ship, how this mans fortune was truly gone. The boat had arrived at port four weeks ago with cargo still on board, but hungry investors had rapidly raided the boat trying to collect on the last of this mans debts. Lord Duncan's men had arrived too late to do any good. All they were able to save was a bundle of blue cloth, but that did this man no good. Lord Duncan now ordered his men to bring the cloth into the room and hand it to this man. Then he said a quick good-bye.
Why did you help him? Lady Sophia asked as the man exited from their house.
He was the one man who didn't laugh behind our backs Sophia. I was only trying to repay the debt he gave to us once. Lord Duncan replied. He didn't mention the set of jewelry he had stashed into the bundle of cloth to his wife. He still pondered why he did that. He used to hate charity but then again this man had once been their friend; and money just didn't seem the same as a useless piece of jewelry. In his mind it was a gift of loyalty not charity.
"IVY" the beast yelled into the gardens "how are my rose's doing? There's a snowstorm in the woods. Are you sure it won't harm my gardens."
Ivy stood up from weeding rolling her eyes. Nice to see you to she thought of saying, but knowing better simply replied "snow's never come here before Philip, even the snow in the woods has never bothered them. I don't see why it would now."
"Ivy why do you insist on calling me Philip" the beast grumbled down at her.
" Well A) because it's your name. And B) everyone else does, so why can't I?' Ivy replied with an innocent smile on her face.
"Because you're the only servant younger then me." Philip (the beast) replied.
"By 3 years." Ivy argued, " and when we first came here you'd even let me play with you. So I'd say I have more right then anyone around here."
"I didn't 'play' with you Ivy. I just tolerated you playing in the same room as me." Philip argued back. "Just because I taught you how to read doesn't mean I liked you." Philip continued cutting Ivy off on her next argument. They'd been through this a thousand times before. It seemed like Ivy could never come up with anything new to complain about. He was about to continue when off in the distance he heard someone running down the garden path.
"Philip….Philip" Brian called.
"Over here" Philip called totally forgetting about Ivy and their argument. Brian ran up to them only coming to complete halt a few steps away.
"There's a man out on the road." Brian told Philip with a smile on his face, he always loved company.
"Well you know what to do." Philip told him. " Just make sure you're more quiet this time. We don't want people trying to find this place and voices from invisible people tend to scare the average person" Philip said with a glare at Brian. " And I suppose I'll go up to my rooms and stay out of the way"
"You got it." Brian said before Philip walked away. "Come on Ivy, you can help me de-cloak this place for the poor man out in the woods. We don't want him to freeze now do we? And then we can tell Alana to prepare a magnificent feast…" Brian continued pulling Ivy away from the gardens and toward the castle talking all the while.
A/N: So here's the next chapter. Sorry about the wait but I've been sick. Hope you like it. Please review.