Interlude - Repose
Rosa woke up to the serene sight of sunlight streaming through the window above her bed, the gentle chill of the winter air permeating the linens and stirring her awake.
After blinking away the remnants of sleep—and doing a decent job at it, if she might say so herself—she sat up and looked outside. The snow-draped expanse of the Hartford estate lay beneath an almost crystalline blue sky, offering a stunning vista that practically screamed ‘good morning’.
Unfortunately, the sun’s high position in the sky screamed ‘noon’ instead.
Seems like she’d overslept.
A subtle smile played on Rosa’s lips. Lately, she had slept like a baby on more than one occasion.
Her smile waned as she realized she had missed the first morning meal with the others since returning to Freybrook. She had been looking forward to the chef’s mutton stew and walnut scones.
They were to die for.
It was surprising that no one had come to wake her. Was this some sort of divine punishment, perhaps? If so, it seemed unduly harsh, even for divinity.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her gaze momentarily dropping to the floorboards beneath her bare feet. For a fleeting moment, she half-expected shadows from under the bed clamoring at her ankles and muttering in a cacophony of tortured voices, but there was nothing of the sort.
She glanced around the room. It was tranquil. Calm. Normal.
Today promised to be a good day.
Lifting her arm, she brushed her fingers against the strange violet gem pulsating steadily near where her heart should be, concealed beneath her nightshirt. While it still felt weird to have the ‘Heartstone’, as Scarlett called it, be a part of her, it had become a peculiar source of comfort. Even if she had the choice to throw it away now without any consequences, she wasn’t sure she would.