Free Rose by Holly Webb

book. Then she’d be able to get rid of this stupid magic and stop it ruining her lovely new life.
    Mrs. Jones received the crab with approval and gratefully accepted a chocolate satin, saying she’d always had a fancy for them. She drove Bill out into the yard and swiped the sherbet from his jacket with a clothes brush while he was still in it, but he wasn’t sick this time. And moaning about being beaten up by Mrs. Jones distracted Bill from what Rose had done for a little while. At least, he didn’t mention it to anyone, but for the rest of the day, Rose kept catching him eyeing her in a thoughtful sort of way. She took to making rude faces back. It was the most unmagical thing she could think of to do.

Six
    Miss Bridges bustled into the back kitchen looking slightly harassed. Rose blinked at her. Mrs. Jones looked harassed all the time, especially when Bill was anywhere near, but Miss Bridges was usually serenely calm.
    â€œAh, Rose.” Miss Bridges managed a regal smile, and Rose hurriedly put down the crystal drop she was polishing. Miss Bridges had announced that morning that now they had Rose to help, they really ought to take down the chandelier and clean it, as it was looking decidedly grubby. Everyone had congregated in the main hallway, the grandest part of the house, watching Bill wobble on a stepladder. Rose couldn’t help thinking that this was one of those jobs that a spell would make so much easier. Bill had been standing on tiptoe at the very top of the ladder, swaying sickeningly. Rose had closed her eyes—she simply couldn’t watch anymore in case it all came crashing down on top of him.
    â€œIs he all right?” she whispered to Susan. “He’s not going to fall, is he?”
    Susan gave a disgusted little snort. “What are you worrying about that grubby little toad for? You’re sweet on him, aren’t you?”
    Rose’s eyes flew open. “I am not!” she snapped. “I just don’t want him to fall off that ladder. If he brings the chandelier down, it’ll be me sweeping it up, won’t it?” It hadn’t taken her long to realize that Susan had an amazing talent for being somewhere else when the nasty jobs needed doing.
    Susan only smirked, as Miss Bridges was eyeing them, but as soon as the housekeeper turned around to call more directions to Bill, she gave Rose’s arm a vicious pinch. “Show a bit of respect for your elders and betters, miss!”
    Rose hissed with pain and mentally added to her revenge list for Susan. She’d seen some quite impressive tricks at the orphanage, but she wanted to be settled in her job for a little longer before she did anything risky. Let her just wait… A yelp from Bill made her dig her fingernails into her palms. “Please don’t let him fall!” she whispered to she didn’t know who.
    â€œOh!” Susan sounded surprised and rather disappointed, and Rose opened her eyes, too anxious not to see what was happening. There hadn’t been a crash; surely that was a good sign?
    Bill was standing at the bottom of the ladder, trailing an armful of crystals and looking relieved if somewhat confused. “It was a lot lighter than it looked,” he muttered.
    Rose blinked. She looked at the chandelier, sparkling innocently in the sunlit hallway. It seemed to send little motes of light bouncing and glittering around the marble pillars, so that the whole room glimmered. The effect was—magical.
    Rose stared hard at the chandelier. She couldn’t tell. It might just have been good luck. Or maybe not. She glanced over her shoulder and shivered as the servants went in procession down the back stairs to the kitchens.
    Was it her imagination, or, as the great hallway emptied out, could she hear the house breathing?
    Rose looked up at Miss Bridges. “Did you want me, miss?” she asked anxiously, wondering if she’d done something wrong. It would