The Duke's Bed Warmer-Chapter 15: Black Roses

Two days passed with a basket of pastries sitting on her table, untouched.

She had planned to throw them away. She intended to do it the morning after Audrey asked about them. At one point, she had almost convinced herself to eat one, just to make her lie true.

But something held her back. A stubborn voice that refused to let go of Rosilyn’s warning, telling her to be careful.

That morning, as Alina watered the flowers on her table, a few roses and lavender, she had picked from the garden herself, something caught her attention.

The flower petals were black.

It wasn’t the brown of wilting flowers but black as if they had been burned. She touched a petal. It immediately crumbled under her fingers, turning to ash that stained her skin grey.

The flowers had been fresh yesterday. And now they weren’t just dead but destroyed.

Her gaze shifted to the basket beside them. The pastries were still untouched. She lifted the cover, leaned close, and smelled them.

They were rotten. She pulled back quickly, covering her nose with her sleeve.

Then, she carried both the pastries and flowers to the servants’ midden behind the kitchen. She made sure no one was watching before discarding everything.

When she returned, she looked at the empty table again and thought.

Flowers could die naturally. They could wilt, fade, or turn brown. But black? She had never seen black flowers before.

And the pastries sealed in a basket, and kept in a cool room, didn’t rot in two days. It didn’t make any sense. Pastries could go stale, become hard, or lose their flavour. But rot?

Something wasn’t right. She decided to know more about Audrey and only one name came into her mind: Lady Talbot.

Lady Talbot’s rooms were in the east wing, near the servants’ quarters, far enough to remind everyone that a merchant’s wife, however wealthy, was not nobility.

Alina entered her room and started talking about normal things, slowly coming to the point.

"Audrey." Alina kept her voice casual, as she accepted a cup of tea. "What do you know about her?"

"The princess?" She raised an eyebrow. "That’s a sudden interest."

"I’ve spent some time with her. She has been kind." Alina replied, as she sipped her tea. "I wanted to know if that’s genuine, or if I should be cautious."

"I’ve been at Ravenmoor for eight years," she said. "I’ve seen the princess come and go, watched her grow from a girl into a woman. And during all that time, I’ve never seen her be anything but exactly what she seems to be."

"So she’s kind?"

"She’s more than kind," she replied firmly. "She’s the kind of person who remembers servants’ names and asks after their families. She treats everyone as equal, despite her position." Lady Talbot shook her head. "Audrey can never be cruel."

"Then why..." Alina stopped herself.

"Why what?"

Alina shook her head.

"Nothing. I just... wanted to be sure."

She stayed for another cup of tea and talked about trivial things.

And in the other corner of the castle, one of the servants, sorting through the rubbish for something, had found the pastries and recognized them immediately.

By evening, Audrey knew.

Alina at dinner was seated in her usual place, when she noticed Audrey’s face. She was smiling but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Audrey happened to look at Alina for a second and Alina saw hurt in her eyes.

Austin noticed the sudden change in Audrey as well.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, leaning close so only she could hear.

Audrey shook her head, smiling.

"Nothing. I’m fine."

"You’re not. You’ve been quiet all evening."

"It’s nothing, Austin. I just... I gave a gift to someone, and she threw it away. That’s all."

"A gift?"

"Remember, I sent pastries to Alina, as a token of our friendship...I found out today she threw them in the rubbish without even tasting them."

"But didn’t she say they were delicious?"

"She lied." Audrey’s voice cracked.

Austin held her hand.

"I’m sorry."

She shook her head.

"I know it’s silly to be upset about pastries. It’s just...I thought we could be friends. I wanted to be kind to her. And she... It doesn’t matter. It’s over now."

She pulled her hand away, smiled at him, and turned back to her conversation with one of the noble ladies. But Austin wasn’t listening anymore. He was looking at Alina.

That night, when Austin came into the room, instead of lying down, he stood near the window.

"You lied to her."

Alina immediately understood what he was talking about.

"Yes."

"She showed you kindness, wanted to be friends with you and you threw her gift in the garbage?"

"The pastries went bad. I had to throw them out."

"They went bad because you let them sit for two days." He moved closer. "Because you believed Rosilyn’s warning over Audrey’s kindness."

He had connected the dots at the table only.

Alina sat up, turning to him.

"I was just being careful. After what Rosilyn told me.."

"Rosilyn." He said bitterly. "Rosilyn, who survived because she was paranoid, who saw enemies everywhere and trusted no one, who spent a year in this castle and never once made a friend because she was too busy looking for daggers in every hand.

Audrey has nothing to gain from hurting you, Alina. She’s a princess. She will be a duchess. There’s no competition, or rivalry, or reason for her act to against you."

Alina flinched.

"I..."

"You owe her an apology," Austin said. "You will explain yourself and hope she’s still willing to be your friend after you’ve made her feel like a fool."

Alina sat in the darkness, her hands pressed to her mother’s locket as she listened to him move to his side of the bed.

"I’m sorry," she whispered.

He didn’t answer.

She lay back slowly, thinking about Audrey’s hurt face and Austin’s words.

Audrey has nothing to gain from hurting you, Alina. She’s a princess. She’s going to be a duchess. There’s no competition, or rivalry, or reason for her to act against you.

He was right. Audrey was a princess, and she was just a bed warmer. There was indeed no comparison between them.

I was wrong to doubt her kindness. I shouldn’t have let Rosilyn’s words influence my mind when I know nothing about her. I should apologize to Audrey.