When dinner ended, I waited for Dylan in his study. I had the key to it now, because Dylan told me it was best to not let people see me loitering around. I sat at his desk and remembered when it was just us, him teaching me about the de Winter family. It felt so far away, as now it was warm. Summer would come soon. I was officially Blanche and somehow, I regretted it.

I had all the treatment I wanted, talking to rich girls like I grew up like them, had a daddy to pay for my college tuition. The maids always dressed me and made me pretty, and Dylan was buying accessories and dresses to make me his ideal Blanche. I was supposed to be happy—

The door opened and I looked up. Dylan nodded in acknowledgment.

"Rose. How were the sisters?"

"My cousins, you mean. They were easy to converse to."

"I'm glad," he said, taking off his outer jacket. He tossed it to me, and I caught it. His cologne was there, slightly musky but also feminine, like some spring breeze.

"I'm worn out," he continued. "Austen made me invite the families for his daughters, you know, they are of age. I heard Angel had been playing around with boys and Austen wanted her officially engaged already. Sixteen, if I'm not wrong."

"Is that really why?"

Dylan's hand stopped midway as he loosened his tie. He looked down at me in the seat.

"Ah, you think I'm trying to marry you off?"

Dylan sighed before he finally loosened his tie and pulled it out from his head.

"You don't tie your tie?" I asked.

He looked at me in surprise. "Well, I'm clumsy with my fingers, and my butler and valet Hughes is still on leave. He should be returning in a while."

"I can tie ties." I looked at him, and he sighed.

"You can't meet me every morning to tie a tie. You've got much more pressing matters, as Ruby is returning to sleep with you. Watch out for Claribel—she's plotting something, but I don't know what. And Olivia, she's been controlling Austen's every move."

"Is everyone in the de Winter house like this? Villain or victim?" I asked.

He smiled a little, ironically. "It's the Curse of the de Winter blood. We are greedy, we want money, and the men either love cruel women, or never love."

"Which section would you fall into?" I asked with a smirk. He closed his eyes.

"I wonder. But on the day of the ball, Rose, I want you to dance with me and not leave my side. Vaughn found out something when he was questioning Abraham Whitecross—he was paid by someone to do it. Won't say the name."

"He was paid? He was bribed to assault me?" I felt coldness at once and my eyes couldn't focus. My hands scratched one another and then Dylan walked over. He crouched down until he looked up.

"He was bribed to rape you, actually. But he couldn't. He said he decided to assault you and keep you quiet would be better, but I have a feeling you're in great danger, so don't leave me. Please."

I looked at his face, earnest and somehow neither Asian nor Caucasian, eyes long and jawline prominent, as well as his tall nose and thin lips. I draped his jacket over his arm.

"If anything happens to me, know I'll never forgive you."

Confusion lined his face as I stood and left the study.

If he had protected Rose, the real Rose, I would've never be put into this spot. I wouldn't have fallen for you, Dylan. I wouldn't have fallen for a man I can't marry, for reasons I didn't understand myself.

***

The next day the girls went shopping with Caralette, and to my surprise, even Ruby, willing too. Calvin asked her multiple times and I offered to go, too, but she said Connie would be enough. I was relieved to see her 'making' friends with her cousin, but also stressed at being left alone.

"There's something I need to talk to you about, Blanche," Vaughn said.

"What is it?"

"I need to tell an audience—which will be the men of the house. You'll hear at night."

"Just tell me, it's the fact Abraham was bribed to rape me!" I snapped. "What else is there? I should deserve to know!"

"It's not as easy as you think, you fool," Vaughn snarled. As always, we were like fire and oil—our communication might as well be useless. If only Dylan was here. "I have a play set up. Don't say anything, simply sit there and listen. That's all you have to do."

The women also ate dinner outside, from what I gathered from the phone call Irene got and relayed to the men. I spent the day with Irene making fittings of my dress for the ball and talking to the maids. They all said Hughes would be home after the ball.

"What awful timing!" Gwendoline sighed. "But you see, after he comes back he's so swift and good at everything no one complains, even Scarlett!"

"Yes, yes, and Hughes is quite a dandy man, I know the women are swooning over him!" Julie added.

Irene focused on sewing my dress before frowning. "You've gained a little weight. I'll have to do alterations."

"I apologize," I said, "it's all thanks to these wonderful dinners by—the cook? Who is the cook?"

"Sandy. She doesn't leave the kitchen and leaves for her own house after dinner is made. She's been cooking for thirty years, no one ever objects to her food," Irene said.

Interesting. That night I inspected dinner. Even with half the number the quality hadn't declined and I ate it without a complaint as always. In fact, it was like the food I had at fancy restaurants day after day, only I didn't drink much wine to disguise myself as a country girl.

Yet dinner was tense. Calvin only spoke to Ruby, and without Scarlett and Claribel to suck up to Vaughn was quiet too. Austen, as always, didn't speak because his lovely wife and daughters were away. I couldn't bring myself to look or talk at Dylan who sat next to me. After possibly the second worse dinner, and even missing the women myself, Vaughn said we should all have a drink.

"Now that the women, no offense to the beautiful Blanche, of course, are gone, we should have an honest heart to heart."

"I don't know," Calvin said, looking bothered. "Ruby isn't home yet and it's awfully late."

"It's only seven, besides it's spring. The sun is out all day, what's there to worry about?" Austen asked happily. "I'm so glad you were able to invite my family, Dylan! And Blanche, don't worry if Angel begins to steal men away, it's just an innocent hobby of hers."

His booming laugh reminded me of that man's, just a little.

"Irene," Dylan called, gesturing for her. "Please prepare some, uh, whiskey and two buckets of ice. We will be drinking in the parlor room."

So we got ready and soothing out my dress and them their suits, we went to the parlor room.

It felt like I went back in time as when I was only Rose, trying to find easy shelter in the house. The moose head greeted me once more, and the many paintings. I sat down at a long sofa chair. The men settled down too, Dylan next to Calvin while Vaughn was next to Austen.

The house was big and I could see up the stairs. It was built in such a way people on the second floor hallway could see down. I always thought it made it easy for us to get shot if an intruder came, but we were only waiting for our family—their family, I meant, to come home.

"So," Vaughn began as we relaxed, "let's drink and talk, my men, and, of course, Blanche." Vaughn flashed a smile. "I've been worried lately."

"Me too," Calvin said.

"Oh, there's far more to the eye, my friend. Ruby was only the catalyst. There's problems concerning Blanche, too, and you know, the rest of us."

"There is? Such as?" Calvin turned to me but I averted eye contact.

Was Vaughn going to tell the truth about Abraham and the bribery? With Austen here? He was a brother to Scarlett and could be a perpetrator despite his usual doofus act.

There was a sound and I jumped to see the maids entering, Irene was carrying cups that hit once another occasionally, but made a loud sharp noise on pretentious trays. Julie followed with whiskey and ice in two metal buckets. It made a clanging sound and Dylan thanked them.

"Now, I've been quiet worried for Blanche," Vaughn said as the maids gave us each a cup. Calvin made a gesture for 'just a little' by putting a finger and thumb together.

Vaughn went on. "There was actually a murder attempt on Blanche by a female member of the household, with only the three maids with aliases."

What?

Since when?