"Remember, when you grow up, I'll be waiting for you."

"You promise?"

"I promise, Rosie. I'll never forget you. You're my borrowed sister."

Jake had said that to Rose, when she had been admitted to the hospital. And Rose had believed it.

She had waited and waited and waited for the day she could be saved.

For the day she could be free.

Because there was no freedom at the hospital. They were supposed to just fall into line, to forget.

But Rose didn't forget.

"Picture us a story, Rose," Harriet whispered to her, during a particularly boring sewing lesson.

"Tell us about the squirrel house!" Mary smiled.

"Again?" Rose asked, having told this story a lot of times.

"I like that one."

"Alright," Rose shrugged, turning when she heard some noises from across the way and seeing Sheila and Monica fake yawning, Elizabeth laughing.

Rose rolled her eyes, turning back to Mary. "It was a hollow tree in the woods, but for me and Jake, it was our own enchanted kingdom. A place we could be free."

Rose smiled as she was transported further into a memory, one that she would never forget.

"I wish we were really squirrels," Rose told Jake, as they sat in the squirrel tree. "Then we could run away, and we could live here together."

"And that's what we'll do! As soon as I'm old enough, I'll come to the foundling hospital and bring you back home," promised Jake.

"And we'll live here? In the squirrel house?"

"Yes!"

Rose looked at him. "You won't tell anyone about the place, will you? Promise?"

Jake held out a hand and she shook it.

"Promise."

As Rose finished her story, Sheila said loudly. "As if he'd remember that silly game."

"Wait and see," Rose said irritably. "One the day I get out of here, he-"

"On the day you get out here you'll be a servant like the rest of us," snapped Sheila.

"No I won't, Jake promised," Rose retorted.

"Really?" Sheila raised her eyebrows.

As the bell rang, Macclesfield shouted. "All older girls proceed to the dormitory immediately! We need your help with the new admissions!"

"Off you go, girls! Be kind to the new little ones!" Winterson added.

Rose sighed, helping with new foundling arrivals was probably her least favourite job, even worse than sewing. They were always crying, moaning, or very, very defiant.

"I hope they don't cry so much this time," Polly muttered to Rose up in the dormitory.

"I hope they do," Sheila said behind her. "We should be on our recreation, not looking after those brats."

"Get off me! Get off me!"

"Oh, be quiet, you little spitfire!"

"That horrible Matron cut my hair off!"

"Yeah, they do that, here, put that on," said Rose, sitting the girl down on a bed and handing her an apron which she put on.

"I'm not wearing that!" The girl shouted indignantly.

"Come on, I know it's hard, but please, be a good girl," Rose said.

"No, I won't be a good girl!" The girl said stoutly. "I want to go home to mother and Jake!"

Rose froze, her eyes going wide.

"Rose, please could you help with the baby here?"

"But I don't understand! Where did she come from?"

"She came from... the same place you're going back to. Her name is Eliza."

"Eliza?"

The girl's gaze snapped to Rose's, saying. "How do you know my name?"

Rose smiled slightly. "Cause we're sisters. I'm Rose Green."

That stirred something in Eliza's mind. "Rose?"

And without hesitation, Rose leaned forward and hugged the girl, ignoring Sheila when she said. "Oh please, not another one!"

Polly, meanwhile, sat down on the bed and said. "So you two are foundling sisters?"

"Yeah, oh it's so good to see you, Eliza!" Rose exclaimed. "You were just a little baby when I left!"

"I know, mother told me all about you," Eliza said.

"I'm sure Jake did, too," smiled Rose-

"No. No, I don't think so."

Rose's face dropped as Sheila said loudly. "So Jake never spoke about Rose?"

Rose shook her head. "He's a lot older than you," she said to Eliza. 'You probably never saw much of him."

"Yes, I did! We played together all the time in our squirrel house!"

"Your squirrel house?" Sheila inquired, smirk on her face.

Rose said gently. "Eliza, tell me about the squirrel house."

"Oh, Jake said it was magical and that nobody could ever find us or hurt us. It was our special place."

"Your special place?" Rose almost felt like she could feel her heart breaking.

"Yes, and one day, he'll save me, and we'll live together forever, just me and Jake."

Rose was up and out of that dorm before anyone could stop her.

"Rose? Rose, come back!"

Rose wanted to tell Eliza that her dream was delusional. That it would never happen. That Eliza would grow up to be a servant like all the other girls.

But she couldn't.

Because just this morning, she was saying the same thing.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Rose accepted Polly and Mary's hug, but it didn't make her feel better.

Jake wasn't coming to save her.

No one was.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

That night, Rose didn't go to the tower.

"Where's Rose?" Surprisingly, it wasn't Ned who asked about her first. It was Will.

Polly sighed, explaining everything that had happened from morning to night that day.

"I've never seen her like this before, it's like she's given up hope," she finished with a sigh. "There's always a light behind her eyes and a smirk on her face, but Eliza took them away in a second. She couldn't even snap back at Sheila."

"He's forgotten her," Mathias shrugged. "Why can't she just forget him?"

"Because he's our brother, you idiot!" Ned snapped. "And I know him too. Jake would never forget Rose."

"What if he has?" Walter raised his eyebrows.

"Well, maybe if you talked to her," Harriet said to Ned.

"Me?" He frowned.

"You're her brother, she'll listen to you," Will reasoned.

"But how am I gonna get over-?"

"Leave it to me," Will said to him.

"We'll do it tomorrow."

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Tomorrow came and Rose was just as hopeless as ever. She had also been observing the hospital servants for the past hour, memorising their work because she knew she was destined to be just like them.

She sighed, churning the wash more and more as another servant came in.

"Put them over there, I'll get to them in a minute," she said, panting and sweating, her arms aching.

"Alright, Rose?"

Rose turned and honesty, felt like cracking her first smile in days at the sight she saw.

Ned, wrapped up in a shawl, bonnet on head, in a servant's dress.

"Ned! Get out of here! It's far too dangerous!" She shouted at her brother.

"Why didn't you come to the tower last night?" Ned asked her.

Rose sighed. "I just don't feel like fighting anymore. When I'm going to get nothing out of it. We're never gonna change anything."

"You told us we could win!" Ned hissed at her.

"I was deluded," snarled Rose.

"No, you weren't. We need you, Rose," Ned said gently. "You can't give up now, just because of Jake-"

"It's not about Jake!" Rose snapped.

The silence that hung between them after that told Ned that it definitely was.

"It's not just like losing a brother," Rose backtracked hurriedly. "It's like losing a part of me. Losing the life I always thought I would have. It was the only thing that-"

The door opening caused both of them to jump into action, pretending to work.

"Rose, have you seen your sister, Eliza?" Rose sighed with relief as she realised it was only Nurse Winterson.

"No," Rose said honestly.

"She's supposed to be in sewing class," Winterson told her.

Rose breathed. "I'll find her. Just, please, don't say anything to Matron."

"What do you take me for?" Winterson asked with a small smile. "Thank you. Oh, and Ned," she said to the boy, who turned with a sigh. "That's a very fetching bonnet."

Rose would've smiled if she hadn't've been so heartbroken.

Winterson left just slightly before Ned, but as her brother left, he said to her.

"Just so you know, I don't think a life with Jake was the only thing that you had. You've got some amazing friends who are so worried about you. Just... don't let us down."

And then he was gone, without a backward look.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Rose looked everywhere for her sister, but couldn't find her.

It was in the place she least expected it that she found help.

"Looking for Eliza?" Sheila questioned out in the courtyard. "You won't find her out here."

Rose's eyes widened. "What have you done to my sister?"

"Nothing."

"We helped her-"

"Tell me right now, Sheila Ormsby, or I swear-"

"Okay, okay," smiked Sheila. "She wanted to know where Matron's private room is. So we told her."

And in a flash, Rose was running.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

She found Eliza in Matron's room, a pair of large scissors in her hand, cutting up all Matron's clothes.

When Rose opened the door, she let out a gasp. "Eliza! What are you doing?"

"She cut my hair and she took my clothes! So I'm cutting hers!" Eliza shouted savagely.

Rose took the scissors from her and threw them on the floor. "Right, you were in sewing class all afternoon, do you understand?"

"No, I want Matron to know I did it!" Eliza replied.

"If you tell Matron you did this, she'll chuck you in the tench!" Rose exclaimed. "You'll be by yourself, in the dark, day after day. She'll leave you in there for weeks! Do you want that? Do you?"

Eliza looked down. "No..."

"Come on, then!" Rose said, making to drag Eliza out the room-

Until she heard footsteps down the corridor.

In an instant, Rose was running to hide Eliza in the wardrobe before ducking under the bed herself, knowing that Matron would find her first if she inspected.

Soon enough, in came Matron. She let out a gasp as she saw her clothes, but Rose couldn't see her face.

Until she lifted up the covers and revealed her.

"Come out," she said, her voice full of tension and threat.

Rose could barely breathe.

She slowly crawled out to see Matron, and another woman in a colourful dress behind her.

"Rose Green," Matron said, as Rose got to get feet.

"Matron," she said uneasily.

"Did you do this?" Matron asked, her voice low, and threatening.

Rose had never really been scared of Matron before. Just slightly intimidated by her.

But there, in that moment, being stared down by the woman who was speaking to her with barely contained anger, she was.

She looked down.

Protect Eliza.

And then up.

"Yes."

Matron shook her head. "I knew you were a sly one, but... I never imagined any girl would do something do wantonly destructive. Why? Why would you do such a sinful thing?"

Rose stayed silent.

Matron's eyes narrowed. "I see. Come with me."

And she knew where she was being led.

The tench.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"This place used to be an ice house," Matron told Rose, as she and Nurse Macclesfield led her to the tench, a key jangling in their hand. "So it should cool your temper nicely."

The tench door loomed beyond her, a hard, dirty wooden thing that was impenetrable. And inescapable.

"The rats don't bite if you keep moving around," Macclesfield explained as she struggled with the padlock, eventually opening the door with a creak.

It was then that Rose found her voice.

"Matron please! You can't! I'll do anything, please!"

Inside lay a long passage into a small circular stone cavern with a dirty crate in the middle of it. Rose shivered as Matron shoved her inside.

"The only thing you can do is pray to god to make you a better girl!"

"Matron, please!" Rose shrieked desperately, as the door was closed despite her struggling, and the padlock was closed.

"Please!"

Slowly and gently, Rose walked down the muddy floor and heard the mice or rats or whatever they were squeak. She settled herself on the crate, shivering like anything and gasping gently, burying her head in her hands.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Will was confused that night as the boys climbed into the tower. He thought Ned had talked sense into Rose, so he was unsure as to why it was only four girls there, all sitting, grave faced, saying nothing.

"Where's Rose?" Will asked as the boys piled into the tower behind him.

Polly didn't look at him, she just uttered. "She's in the tench."

"She's WHAT?!" Will shouted.

Hetty sighed, telling the group the story.

"What was she thinking?" Mathias shouted, once he had heard it. "Getting herself thrown in the tench?"

"Don't put this on her! She probably feels lousy enough as it is!" Will shouted forcefully back at him.

"She was covering for Eliza," Harriet sighed.

"How long to you think they'll keep her in there?" Ned asked miserably.

"After what she did? She'll be lucky to see the light of day again," Walter said sarcastically.

"She didn't do anything," Will corrected him. "She stood up for her sister."

"Rose'll be alright," said Gideon, decidedly. "She'll be out soon."

Mary, however, shook her head. "No. Rose's never getting out of there."

"Talk sense, girl!" Mathias rolled his eyes. "Even Matron can't keep her locked up in there forever!"

Mary shook her head. "Someone'll come back, but it won't be Rose."

"Laugh a minute, you are," Mathias complained.

"She's right," Polly expanded. "The tench changes people."

"Yes, but Rose won't let it change her," Will said. "She'll fight it."

"Not the way she's been acting recently, she ," Harriet looked down. "The tench will make her someone else."

"How can it?" Walter frowned. "It's just a stinking outhouse!"

"It's more than that," Mary sighed, being the only one in the group to have been in there before. "When it's just you, in the dark... you don't know what's real anymore... you don't know how long you've been in there... you don't remember who you are. You don't know if you're even real."

Ned sighed. "But she will fight it."

He exchanged a look with Will, who nodded, and then spoke.

"She has to."

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Rose?"

Rose jumped as the lock on the tench door was opened and a voice floated through to her. But it wasn't Matron's voice. Or Macclesfield's. Or even Cranbourne's.

"Rose Green?"

Turning round, Rose saw that it was the woman she had seen in Matron's quarters earlier.

"Who are you?" She uttered, her voice coming out tangled and croaky.

"My name's Annie," she said with a small smile. "You must be frozen half to death! Alright come on!"

Annie was holding a candle, so she put that down and took off her shawl, putting it round Rose's shoulders.

"I've got this for you, as well," she said, handing Rose a meat pie in a small cloth. "Bet you don't get many meat pies round here..."

Rose sighed. "Annie, I've got to ask. Why are you doing this?"

Annie shrugged. "I suppose it's my way of making amends for my sister."

Rose frowned. "Your sister?"

And so Annie told her. About being Matron's sister. And about having a childhood in the workhouse.

"I can't believe Matron was brought up in the workhouse!" Rose exclaimed.

"Oh, kept quiet about that, did she?" Annie chuckled. "Well, I'm not surprised. Always was a proud one, our Gertie."

Rose tilted her head. "But you're not ashamed."

"Well, why should I be?" Annie asked. "You can't help where you've come from, only where you go."

"But Matron says we were born in sin and shame and that's why we're only fit to be servants," explained Rose.

"Yeah, well, Gertie did always talk a lot of- horse manure," Annie rolled her eyes, making Rose smile slightly. "Always full of judgement, that one, never any pity."

"Was she always like that? Even as a little girl?" Rose asked.

Annie sighed. "No. Not always. But she changed when we went to that workhouse. It were a terrible cruel place, Rose."

"But- you were there too," Rose reasoned. "And you're not like her."

"I knew that we were in there because we were down on our luck," replied Annie. "But the way she saw it, someone had sinned, and someone had to pay."

"And she's never changed," Rose murmured, Annie nodding along.

"Anyway, why are we talking about her?" Annie sighed. "We have to get you out of here..."

"I can't go," Rose said quickly. "If Matron finds out you've been in here, she'll just lock me back in here."

Annie sighed. "But I can't leave you! Not in here! I promised your sister I'd help you."

Rose smiled slightly wider. "And you have. More than you know."

Annie gave her cheek a small pinch before she left, and Rose smiled.

Tonight had been the worst day of her life.

But she had also learned a lot.

And she was going to use that knowledge as best she could.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

After Annie left, Rose didn't know how long she spent lying on that crate, trying to keep the candle she had been given alight.

However, soon enough she heard the key turn in the padlock, and quickly blew out the candle, dumping the shawl Annie had given her as well and standing up, going up to the door and straightening her posture as the door opened to reveal Matron and Macclesfield.

"Rose Green!"

"Yes, Matron?" Rose said, doing a small curtsy.

"She looks suitably chastened..." Macclesfield murmured to Matron.

"Indeed I am," Rose began in an apologetic tone. "Please forgive my wicked deeds. I'm just a poor, ignorant foundling."

"You are forgiven," said Matron in a bored voice.

Rose looked up. "Thank you, oh thank you, Matron! I don't deserve such benevolence. I deserve to be in the workhouse."

She reveled in seeing Matron's eyes flash for a second, widening with fear.

"If only I hadn't been born with such a low, sinful birth," Rose looked down. "Or if I had mother's love, I wouldn't be such a bad girl-"

"Enough," Matron said cuttingly before turning to Macclesfield. "Take her to the infirmary and give her a thorough cleansing. Check for fleas and lice, and rat bites!"

Rose struggled to keep the smirk off her face the whole time.

She had been in the most terrible place ever, but she had learned a lot about herself there.

And even more about Matron.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

However, going back to lessons meant resigning to the fact that this was her life now. No one to save her, no one to love her. Just herself. On her own.

Until that day.

She was by herself, in the laundry, churning the washing again.

She still hadn't gone back to normal after the tench.

"Hello, Rose."

Rose's eyes snapped up and-

There he was.

He had grown. He had been taller than her before, but now he towered over her. He was also sporting stubble and a deeper voice. He was also wearing a bonnet and a servant's dress, just like Ned had a couple of weeks ago. But it was definitely him.

"Jake?"

As he smiled, there was no doubt.

Rose didn't remember lunging towards him but next thing she knew, she was hugging him tight, and him her.

He was here.

He hadn't left her.

He hadn't forgotten about her.

"How-?" Rose started as they pulled apart. "Why are you here?"

"Ned said you needed me," Jake smiled.

"Ned?" Rose turned.

"He wrote on Eliza's letter home with invisible ink," Jake explained. All foundlings had to send set letters home to their families on their first day, but no one had ever snuck a message out before.

"Invisible ink?" Rose asked.

"Yes, made from lemon juice, with a feather quill," Jake explained further. "And all your friends helped him. Then, Eliza copied the usual letter over the top, and added one line..."

"I hope you are reading this by your lovely warm fire."

"...I knew something was up, so I held the letter up to the fire, got the real message," smiled Jake.

"From Ned?" Rose asked gently.

Jake nodded. "He told me you needed me, and how to get in. Got over the wall about midnight, Ned and his friends were waiting for me."

"And the clothes?" Rose chuckled.

"I borrowed them from one of the servants," smiled Jake.

Rose took a pause, frowning. "You all took such a risk... for me?"

"Of course," Jake put a hand on Rose's shoulder. "Remember our promise?"

Rose looked down. "But I thought you forgot about me."

"Never," Jake smiled. "I could never forget you, Rosie."

Rose sighed. "But... you never told Eliza about me. Anne did, but... you didn't."

Jake sighed. "It just hurt too much. I thought about you... in this place, and I just got so angry, and I didn't want Eliza to know how I felt. I wanted her to enjoy being a kid, like you did."

"Like we did," Rose corrected.

"Yeah," said Jake, as he pulled a thick stack of small bits of paper, bound with string, from his pocket, and handed it to Rose.

"What's this?" Rose asked.

"All the letters we wrote you," Jake explained.

Rose looked down at the stack - there were hundreds - and said sadly. "We're not allowed to recieve letters."

"I know, and we figured that out when they all got sent back," chuckled Jake. "But I kept on writing, all these years. Until I thought you might've forgotten about me!"

Rose's eyes met his. "Never!"

Jake nodded. "And I'll keep writing, even if you don't get the letters."

"I will get them, somehow," Rose said. "Address them to Nurse Winterson, I'm sure she'll pass them on."

"I will," Jake said. "Rose..." he took the letters out her hand and held it. "You know... I think about you everyday."

"Me too," smiled Rose, before she hugged him tight once again, wishing to stay in this moment forever.

She knew she couldn't.

But she really, really wished she could.