In all the excitement about the butler and the explorer and the stories and Will, Rose had completely forgotten about Blanche, and how much of a snake she was.

She had proved herself to be something like a nice person in the creation of the memoir to Monica, but that didn't cancel out what she had done in the past.

So, that morning, when it was just the two in the dorm, and Rose was looking for her journals, she wasn't surprised to find out Blanche had stolen them.

"Missing something?"

But she was extremely scared as she turned to see them in the girl's hands.

"What-? How did you-?" She got out.

"You're not the only one who can't sleep around here, I'm just a little less obvious about it," Blanche said casually, sitting on Rose's bed.

"Give them back," Rose said, but her tone wasn't threatening, it was more pleading.

Blanche smirked at her.

"It's nothing really-" she began.

"If it's nothing, why do you want it so much?" Blanche demanded.

"Because-" Rose's eyes grew wide.

She had wrote last night - about the feelings she's been having for Will, and she had poured her whole soul out into the journal-

"I write stuff in them," she admitted to Blanche.

"Do you write about me?" Was the immediate next question.

"No, of course not-"

"Then what do you write about?"

"Dreams, things I make up, it doesn't matter," Rose said quickly.

"I suppose not," Blanche said. "Except this one article. One about a... a boy. Now, what was his name...?"

"Give them BACK-!" Rose lunged but Blanche dodged, turning to the page and smirking.

"Oh, here we go. You feel very protected when he's around, don't you? And his brown eyes, and the way he makes you so happy..." Blanche rolled her eyes, pretending to be sick.

"I said give!" Rose screamed, yanking the journals from Blanche's grip.

"Well, I suppose I should give them back," Blanche smirked slightly. "Because the only writing you'll be doing when you leave here is recipes, or shopping lists."

Rose clenched her fists and gripped her journals tight.

"Stuff like fancying boys and writing stories gets us into trouble," Blanche told her.

"Well, not you, you can go and cry to Matron," Rose snapped. "Don't ever think of including us in your deals, do you?"

"No," Blanche said honestly. "Because I don't help others. And I don't have friends."

Rose rolled her eyes as Blanche pushed past her.

But there was still a fear, niggling in my stomach.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Blanche found out about my journals," Rose told Harriet later over cleaning stairs. "I'm afraid she'll tell Matron. I have to hide them in the tower before she finds them."

"What, now? Too risky," Harriet said immediately.

"Please," Rose begged.

Harriet sighed heavily. "Water needs changing."

Rose grinned, dumping her cloth in the bucket, asking Macclesfield if she could go and change the water, picking up the bucket and sneaking off.

She dumped the bucket at the foot of her bed in the dorm and ran to her loose skirting board, finding her journals quickly and running down to the corridor to the tower.

She got into the rafters quickly, climbing up the stairs to the tower.

Before finding Vince and Judd in there.

"What are you doing here? This place ain't for girls!" Vince told her

Rose scoffed. "Go take a seat, wait for me to give a damn."

Vince looked temporarily put out, but then he stole her journals off her. "What's this?"

"None of your business-!" Rose shouted as she chased him, trying furiously to get it back.

"Oi! Cranbourne's looking everywhere for you! And give them back to her!"

Mathias came charging into the tower as if on cue.

Vince smirked at Rose. "Shame it wasn't your little sweetheart, but you're lucky someone was there to help you."

Rose snarled. "Will's not my-"

"Cranbourne's looking for us?" Judd looked at Mathias, who nodded, standing next to Rose.

Vince frowned. "Why's he not looking for you?"

"It's called having friends who cover for you," Mathias bit back.

Vince and Judd hesitantly headed towards the steps back down and started to descend them.

"I'll be back," Vince said as he headed down.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Blanche found out where my journals were hidden and threatened to tell Matron," she said to Mathias by way of explanation. "I thought they'd be safe here but what am I gonna do now?"

"Well, we found out Vince and Judd knew where the tower was and I had to fight Will for the chance to tail them, well, not really, but still, they won't come back, we'll make sure of it."

Rose sighed, hiding her journals in a hollow compartment under one of the seats and headed back.

"Wait, Rose?"

Mathias' voice stopped her and she turned round.

"Um- could you take a message?" He asked her. "To Harriet?"

Rose grinned. "Yes, what would you like it to say?"

"No, I mean write something, like a letter?" Mathias sighed at the look on her face before muttering. "Now I wish I made more fun of you and Will."

It was Rose's turn to be embarrassed as she said. "It's not like that."

"Oh, well," Mathias grinned. "It's a shame, but anyway, I meant could you write something? To Harriet, I mean."

Rose nodded, getting her journals back out and tearing a spare page from them, collecting a quill and ink from her stash abd sitting down next to Mathias. "Well?"

Mathias stayed silent, face flushed.

"Dear Harriet...?" Rose suggested.

"No!" Mathias instantly objected. "Because then that means I'd have to say-"

"Love Mathias!" Rose grinned in a sing song voice. "Well, we'll keep it mysterious, so she can guess who it's from."

"What if she doesn't?" Mathias frowned.

"She will!" Rose said.

Mathias nodded, pausing for a second before saying. "I don't know!"

He had given Rose a hawk feather from a bird he had seen in the gardens, intending for Harriet to wear it, so Rose suggested. "Like a hawk, I long to soar the open skies with you."

"You mean like, seeing the world together?" Mathias asked.

Rose nodded with a smile.

And on and on it went, until finally, they had something which Rose could read out for him to proofread.

"... therefore, wear this upon your person as a sign that you have heard, you understand, and that your sentiments are not dissimilar."

Mathias frowned. "Meaning?"

"If she wears this," Rose showed him the feather. "Then she likes you too."

Mathias smiled.

So Rose folded that letter up carefully and put it in an envelope, the feather enclosed with it.

"Now, let's go."

𑁍𑁍𑁍

She was walking too fast. She knew it, but she chose not to do anything about it as she carreened down the corridor and straight into Ida, right outside Matron's office.

"Rose! You're late to class!" Ida scolded as they came out of their collision.

"Well, if I stand here talking I'll be more late, won't I?" Rose still hadn't forgiven the woman for shutting down her dreams.

"Where have you been?" Ida asked her.

"Privy!"

She was too caught up in everything to notice Ida picking up an envelope and putting it into Matron's pile.

An envelope with a feather poking out.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"I had to tell Nurse Macclesfield you'd spilled the bucket over your dress, and that you'd gone to change," Harriet informed Rose when she ran to join her in the line headed back to the classroom.

"What'd she say?" Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Typical."

Rose let out a little giggle before saying. "I've got a letter for you, from Mathias, I helped him write it."

But when she went to search in her pockets, the letter wasn't there.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh no. I must have dropped it-"

Harriet smiled. "It's fine, you can just tell me what it said-"

"No, I can't!" Rose thought of the feather. He's going to see she's not wearing it and he's going to think- no!

"If Matron finds it-"

"She won't know it was from you," Harriet said.

"She will, you know what she's like!"

"Come on, girls!" Came the voice of a nurse inside the classroom.

Harriet sighed to Rose. "Privy? Again?"

Rose nodded, running off.

Oh. No.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Matron was already in her office when Rose got there, and so was Colonel Brigwell.

And there was no letter on the floor.

Oh no no no no no-

She had it.

Matron had the letter.

But the question was: what was she going to do with it?

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Batting at rugs to relieve her feelings, Rose tried to ignore Blanche and the fact that she wasn't doing anything.

"You could at least make an effort," Sheila eventually snapped at her.

Blanche then struck out, hitting all over but covering the girl and Elizabeth in dust.

"That's not clever!"

"Clever enough to know which side to stand on-"

"Matron won't stop until she finds out who it was," Rose murmured to Harriet as they beat another rug. "And when she does, she'll take everything."

"Still, wish I'd seen the letter," shrugged Harriet. "What was it? Like a hawk."

"What was like a hawk?" Blanche asked.

"Your face," Rose snapped. "Well, just you. You're always hovering about."

Blanche shrugged. "That's funny. Because if I was, I wouldn't hover round here."

"Colonel Brigwell!"

"Yes, I thought I'd stretch my legs a little..."

Rose's attention was soon turned away from the rugs but to Matron and Colonel Brigwell, at the top of the garden.

And on Matron's chest... a feather was pinned.

A hawk's feather.

Oh my-

"Rose!" Harriet nudged her.

"I know!" Rose hissed.

Matron was standing, laughing at everything Brigwell said, her chest pushed out so he would notice it.

"She- she thinks he sent the letters!" Rose was almost beside herself with laughter.

Rose pulled Harriet behind the rugs as they both laughed their heads off.

As Matron and Brigwell headed inside, Blanche turned to the two. "Alright, I know about your books and I've said nothing. I'm not saying I want us to be friends, I just wanna know what's going on."

Every instinct in Rose's body was saying don't tell her, do not tell her.

But she did.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"You are so lucky, I can't believe you got away with it!" Harriet said as she and Rose talked over their bed headrests that night.

"It wasn't just lucky, it was brilliant," Blanche said as she came over and sat on the end of Rose's bed.

"So, maybe Matron thinks he's hanging around because he likes her?" Harriet smirked.

Rose got up, sticking out her chest and doing an impression. "Why thank you, Colonel. Such a gentleman!"

Blanche and Harriet laughed and Blanche said. "Your writing isn't nothing, and I'm sorry if I ever said it was. You made Matron wear a feather. You could make her do anything!"

"But you won't," Harriet said. "Will you, Rose? You'll stay out of trouble."

"Do you know me at all?" Rose asked with a smirk. "I'm always in trouble!"

She sighed, looking from Blanche to Harriet.

Then she took out her writing stuff.

"My dear..." she began.

"Gertrude," Blanche nodded.

Rose giggled. "My dead Gertrude... as I entreated, you wore the feather of the most beautiful bird. Now, do something for me. Wear something..."

"Bright," Blanche smirked.

Rose giggled, noting it down. "For... you are a spring flower."

It wasn't true, but it was going to make a good job.

After a quick visit to Matron's office to slide the letter under her door, Rose slept easily that night.

She couldn't wait to see what she wore tomorrow.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Hurry up, girls! We haven't got all day!" Macclesfield shouted as she led the line of girls down the stairs. "Come on!"

Then Rose noticed it. Noticed her.

Matron was striding up the stairs, wearing a bright yellow shawl.

"What are you girls gawking at?" She demanded as she climbed up the stairs. "Move along!"

Rose was shocked. She had- she had actually done it!

Blanche was right.

They could make her do anything.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Listen to this," Rose said to Harriet, sitting in an abandoned corner at lunch. "Like a hawk you have seized my heart-"

"What are you doing?" Harriet asked.

Rose grinned. "I'm writing to Matron-!"

"No, we've had our fun, that's enough!" Harriet's voice hardened.

"No, just listen!" Rose grinned.

"No, you listen," Blanche's voice made her head snap up. "Harriet's right. It was a laugh, but... that's it. If Matron finds out, we're in big trouble."

"But she'll think they're from Brigwell-"

"No!" Blanche snatched the letter from Rose's hands, reading it.

"What does it say?" Harriet asked.

"Just stupid things," Blanche answered.

"Stupid things? What sort of stupid things?" Rose snapped.

"All of it. The whole thing's stupid," Blanche faced her, slamming the letter into her chest.

Then, in a flash, Rose understood, grinning. "You can't read, can you?"

"Of course I can!"

"Go on then, read it!" Rose said, handing the letter back to her.

Blanche refused.

"You can't!" Rose was getting carried away. "But then- how did you know about my journals? About... what was in them?"

Blanche sighed. "I asked Sheila. She was only too interested to get information on you."

Rose's eyes widened and Blanche took her momentary silence to shout. "You think you're so clever! Send it, then! See what happens!"

She stormed away, leaving Harriet to face Rose.

"If you want to write something, write to Mathias," she told Rose. "Tell him I didn't get his letter. Tell him I'll meet him somewhere-"

"Harriet!"

A nurse calling the girl's name made them both turn.

"If I can," added Harriet. "And forget about that, will you?"

Rose sighed as Harriet hurried away from her as well.

She was getting carried away.

But she couldn't see that.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Oh, Will, Vince, Judd, over there."

Rose was in the kitchens with Ida when the boys came in, and her head snapped up at the first name. His name.

Once the boys had put down whatever crates they were carrying, Vince and Judd left, but Rose stopped Will.

"Is Mathias here?"

Will frowned. "No, and he doesn't want to see you. He feels an absolute fool."

"What? Oh, he saw-" Rose misunderstood then understood in a split second. "Harriet didn't get the letter, Will. Matron did! But- Harriet still wants to see him, so, could you tell him?"

"Here?" Will frowned.

"After lunch, if he can," Rose replied.

"I'll tell him," Will smiled, as Rose began trying to lift a heavy milk churn, full of milk. "You need help with that?"

"No, I'm fine," Rose said, even though she was struggling.

Will chuckled, going over and lifting the churn what seemed like easily, taking it into the pantry.

Rose rolled her eyes as he smiled over at her.

But she couldn't help but smile.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

After a quick detour to tell Harriet about the Mathias meeting, Rose headed to where she was taking her tray. To the governors office, where, no doubt, Matron and Colonel Brigwell were.

They were in there, sitting either side of the table, talking. She laid out the food as slowly as possible, so as to listen.

"Yes, thank you, Green, you are dismissed," Matron finally said, once she had got everything off the tray.

However, upon leaving, Rose left the door slightly open.

And peeked in it.

"...yes, but travelling can get lonely," Brigwell was saying. "Just sometimes, I... I wish I had someone in my life."

Then Matron smiled.

"Then let me be your companion, and we will travel together, wherever the journey takes us!" She was grinning now, beside herself with happiness. "You and I, Rupert, oh, it was unexpected, I have to say! But you have touched my heart!"

As Colonel Brigwell's eyes widened, Rose was tempted to laugh. She hated Matron, and the woman had caused her so much pain, so it was only natural.

Then Brigwell stood up. "Your- what? What have I done?"

"Oh, the letters!" Matron said, smile slowly fading.

"What letters?" Demanded Brigwell.

"Well, the open skies, the spring flower?"

"No, I'm sorry, I- I really don't know what you're talking about," Brigwell stood up. "Except that it sounds more than a little bit presumptuous. I think perhaps I should take my leave as you have clearly taken leave of your senses."

"But Rupert, the feather-"

"No, I shall put it down to the fatigue brought on by the administrative burdens of the annual review. Good day to you, Gertrude- Matron."

As he left, Matron let out a small yelp, and once he was gone, she buried her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.

Rose wished she could remain impassive and not feel sorry for her.

She really, really wished it.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"What's wrong?" Harriet asked Rose in the kitchens five minutes later when she stormed in.

Rose shook her head. "I've done something awful-"

"Girls! Stay right where you are!"

Nurse Macclesfield stormed into the kitchens, turning to the first girl she saw. "Sheila, come here, turn out your pockets. We're searching all the children. All the dormitories, every hiding place."

"Well, whatever for?" Ida was horrified.

"Writing materials," answered Macclesfield. "Pens, inks, paper. Somebody has written vile and malicious letters to Matron and we will find the culprit."

Oh n-

As Sheila was searched, Rose felt her heart gradually beat faster and faster.

"Your journals are safe, aren't they?" Harriet whispered to her.

"Not if they look in the tower," Rose murmured back.

"Harriet! Here!" Macclesfield called the girl over. "Pockets- hands, show me your hands! Rose, over here! I said over here!"

And all over the hospital, Matron demanded that of the girls. She was everywhere, checking that no one had any ink stains on their hands or paper stashed under their beds.

Naturally, she didn't find anything.

As Macclesfield led Rose, Harriet and Sheila back to the dorm, where Matron lay in wait, Rose hissed to Harriet. "They'll be looking everywhere-"

"But they don't know about the tower-"

"Not yet!" Rose was panicking now. "If they finish searching down here and find nothing, Matron's going to search the rafters. If they finish searching the dorms, I'll hide my journals there."

"I can't cover for you," Harriet told her.

"I know," Rose nodded.

She was running off down the corridor before she knew it.

She got into the cupboard hurriedly, closing the door behind her and climbing up to the hatch as fast as she could, pushing at the vent-

A shiny thing caught the corner of her eye and she looked round. A padlock was in place, holding the vent down.

Ida was the name that flashed through Rose's mind. She was the only one who knew about the tower that had the authority to do something like that.

That means I can't get to my journals anymore.

Rose's heart dropped into her stomach.

But she had to get back to the dorm immediately.

No matter how disappointed she was.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"WHERE IS GREEN?"

Matron knows.

Rose's whole body locked up as she heard Macclesfield shout. And when she saw Harriet missing from line up and Blanche smirking, she knew what must have happened.

Blanche must've snitched. Must've betrayed them.

So, if Matron knew, Rose had no choice.

Stepping forward, Rose tried to stop her voice from wobbling as she spoke.

"I'm right here."

She didn't even remember Macclesfield grabbing her, but soon, she was marched down the stairs, right where the boys were coming back inside.

Rose wasn't even crying now, she was subdued.

But a pair of brown eyes seemed to wake her.

Those brown eyes.

"Ah, Cranbourne, I need your keys," Macclesfield said to the man.

Cranbourne nodded, searching in his pocket. "I trust this is the culprit, Nurse Macclesfield?"

"Oh, yes, and she's going straight to the tench," Macclesfield said, as though Rose wasn't standing next to her.

Rose, meanwhile, had been making eye contact with Will, and as soon as the word 'tench' was mentioned, he stiffened.

"What? No! You can't do that to her!" Will yelled forcefully at Cranbourne and Macclesfield. "You-"

"Will! Quiet!" Cranbourne ordered, and Will tried to shout over him but didn't manage it. He handed Macclesfield the keys and she thanked him.

So Rose was dragged off, trying to remember Will's face as she was, so she could keep a memory of it in there, when she was trapped for days on end. Rose wasn't sure if Matron would ever let her out.

Soon, they were at the tench, and Macclesfield was unlocking it.

"Get in," she snapped to Rose as she shoved her sharply. Rose didn't have the energy to fight, like she did her last time in the tench.

Macclesfield made to close the door, but before she did, she said. "Oh, and you won't see Harriet again. After today, she'll be gone."

What-?

Rose felt like she was on fire. How much more disappointment and anger was her heart going to bear?

The sound of the padlock locking told her she had missed her chance to fight or scream or kick at Macclesfield. But she didn't care.

There, in the darkness, she walked a few steps, before her knees knocked and wobbled and she fell down, head lying against the wall.

I know who I am, she repeated in her head. And the tench isn't going to change that.

But this time... maybe it was.