Free All for a Rose by Jennifer Blackstream

fault.
    “He was truly frightening to behold, and ferocious in his anger, but up until I took the rose, he was kind enough to feed me. I don’t believe he will harm me as his prisoner. I will be all right.” He choked on a sob. “I only wish I could stay here and care for you. I don’t want to leave you to fend for yourselves, not when I’ve already been responsible for you losing so much.”
    “This is all because of me.” Maribel’s voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.
    “Father, there must be another way. You can’t mean to leave us. Perhaps we could compensate this lord in some way.” Corrine’s voice was higher than usual, her eyes showing too much white. She swallowed hard, fidgeting with the skirt of her dress. Then suddenly she stiffened, visibly shaking off her panic. She whirled to face Maribel. “What rose did you ask for?”
    “A… A Rose of the Mist. It was in one of Mother Briar’s books.” She groped for Corrine’s hand, needing to see understanding in her sister’s eyes. “I thought it would help you. The Rose of the Mist has magical abilities… It would have made you stronger.”
    “You asked Father to retrieve a magical plant?” Corrine held her hand back from Maribel’s questing fingers, disbelief in her brown eyes.
    “The book didn’t say anything about it being guarded! I had no reason to think any harm would come from asking. I thought he might find it at an herbalist’s or the apothecary’s.” The words sounded ridiculous now that she said them out loud. A rose that rare with that much power… She’d been a fool.
    “It is not your fault, Maribel.” Her father snatched Maribel’s hand from the table, clutching it fervently to his chest. The dirt from his own hand and clothes was irrelevant in light of the soil permanently embedded under Maribel’s fingernails. “I am the one who has failed you both. If I had been more careful with my business… I lost all those ships to pirates, and now the last one has been claimed to repay debts. There is nothing left.”
    Exhaustion weighed his head down and his shoulders slumped. “And then to enter a strange manor—no matter how abandoned it appeared to be. I should have been suspicious, should have known something was not right.” He cleared his throat, a fresh well of tears glistening in his eyes. “I will stay long enough to teach you both the work you will need to do in my absence.”
    “No.” Maribel raised her other hand and brought it down to cup her father’s between the two of hers. “No, I will go.”
    “Maribel!” Corrine grabbed Maribel’s shoulder, spinning her to face her. “Maribel, you can’t go!”
    “It’s all right.” Maribel patted her hand. “Father said the lord promised I wouldn’t be harmed. Perhaps all he wants is a servant.” She glanced back at her father. “You said there were no servants, but that the manor was very large. Perhaps he intends to have me clean and cook for him.”
    “You have no idea what he wants!” Corrine knitted her eyebrows together, her grip tightening on Maribel’s shoulder. “He could mean you harm, no matter what he says. And even if he didn’t mean to hurt you, would you really go and be servant to a monster?”
    “Hard work doesn’t bother me.”
    Corrine flinched and Maribel winced. “Corrine, I didn’t mean—”
    “I know what you meant,” Corrine said stiffly. “You do all the work around here anyway, so being the servant of a monster wouldn’t be any different, is that it?”
    “I didn’t mean it that way.” Maribel’s voice hitched, stirred by a traitorous thought stabbing into her consciousness. If she were to go away, then she would still work hard, yes, but perhaps she could find some joy in the work. Perhaps she could find some peace, could enjoy her toils if she didn’t have Corrine looking over her shoulder, making her feel guilty for any stolen moment of happiness when her sister was so miserable…
    I am a wretched,