Chapter 327: Baron Summons
Less than two weeks after Rose had laid her mother to rest, she received a summons to the baron’s mansion. She had just finished breakfast and was cleaning up the dishes when she heard a knock.
It was still winter, but the weather already gave signs that it would be spring soon enough. It would still take some time, but spring was certainly on its way.
Rose wiped her hands dry as she made her way to the door. Her father was out; he had left right after breakfast as he had been doing for a few days now, returning to work, which meant Rose spent most of the day occupied with nothing but her thoughts.
At first, it was really bad, and she missed her mother every day, but she was able to take the step into the next day and the day after. Doing her daily activities didn’t prove to be any problem; it was the random moments when memories of her mother were as vivid as the snow. It still hurt, and it still felt like her heart was breaking, but it was a pain she was starting to get all too familiar with.
Rose walked towards the front door with hesitation. They didn’t get visitors — at least not anymore. The first few days after her mother’s funeral had been a bit rowdy, but it had calmed down for quite some time now, so Rose couldn’t begin to fathom who was at the door.
"Who is it?" she asked as she got to the door but didn’t open it. She was certainly in no mood for guests. Her father handled them best and he was out.
"I ’ave a message from tha Baron!" a loud voice returned.
"From the baron?!" Rose yelled in horror as she pulled open the door.
"Yes," a man squinted at her. Rose thought he looked awfully familiar.
"What message?" she asked, curious. She didn’t like the pit she could feel in her stomach.
The man sneered, and Rose recalled why he seemed so familiar: he was one of the men who had brought the woods and other gifts from Lord Thomas. The scar on his lips was hard to forget, coupled with his height. She recalled that the first time she had seen him, he wore a hat. The lack of it made it a little harder to recognize him.
"Ye are to come with me to tha baron’s estate," the man stated.
Rose’s brows furrowed, and worry crept in. She could recall the baron’s wife asking her to come around, but that was a long time ago, and Rose didn’t think she meant it.
"May I ask why?" she asked with genuine worry.
"Ye know better. Don’t ask me silly questions and do as ye are told."
Rose tried not to palm her face. The gentleman clearly had a problem with her, and trying to reason with him would be a waste of time, but at the same time, it was so odd to be called to the baron’s estate—not to mention, he had sent a direct messenger to bring her all the way to the estate instead of one to just tell her to go to the estate.
"I am afraid now is not a good time," Rose said as softly as she could.
This wasn’t completely true, but Rose was willing to say anything that would get her out of going to the baron’s estate.
"I understand," the messenger said with a sneer. "I will tell tha baron ye refused his request."
Rose’s mouth visibly fell open. She couldn’t even hide how shocked she was. "I did not say that," she replied, staring at the messenger with visible horror on her face.
She was absolutely surprised at the messenger’s audacity to tell her this, but at least it beat him going to tell the baron this without warning her.
"I ’ave been ordered to bring ye to tha mansion. If ye are not goin’ wit me, it means ye are refusing the Baron’s request."
"I do not refuse, I simply state that right now is not a good time. I can—"
"Do ye expect tha baron to wait for ye?" he asked with distaste. "Ye ’ave wasted mi time. It is bad enoug’ I came ’ere to get ye mi—"
"Fine," Rose said, interrupting him too. "If ye will let me get my coat, I will be right out."
Rose closed the door behind her and walked deeper into the house where her coat hung on the rack. She furrowed her brows as she thought about what the baron could want her for. She couldn’t think of anything.
When Rose opened the door with the coat over her shoulder and a hat on her head, the messenger was nowhere to be found. She looked around the yard, but there was no sign of him. She looked up, wondering if he had dissipated into thin air or perhaps she had imagined the whole situation, when she caught sight of him briskly walking away. He was already at the end of her street.
Rose was stunned, and for a moment she considered going back into the house. She was grieving. There was no way the baron didn’t know about her mother’s funeral. To request her at this time was insensitive.
Rose, however, didn’t want noble problems. The first time she had said no to a noble had ended up completely changing the trajectory of her life. It was just a visit; she would go see what this was all about and be back home.
Rose shut the door, clutching the coat around herself. The walk to the baron’s estate wasn’t short. It was times like this that she missed the horse, but Rose had no clue what happened to it since she rushed to Ander’s house. She shook her head as she walked; that situation seemed inconsequential right now.
Rose wrapped the coat around herself, wondering if she should be wearing the baron’s coat to his estate, it was a little embarrassing.
Rose shrugged; it was too late now, and she didn’t have anything else to wear in the cold. Unless she wanted to be frozen before she got there.