Ghost in the Roses
Chapter 18

Home at last! For the first time in six months, I’m home. It’s so good to be back in my old room. How I missed its grand size compared to my dorm room. How I missed the slow pace of country life. For a few weeks, I’ll get to relive it, before I’ll have to come back to the hustle and bustle of the domain’s capital.

The first thing I do is open my window and let the family orchid’s aromatic air soak into my skin. I’ll be smelling like rosewood once again soon enough.

“Adrien! Leo! Dinner is ready!” my mother’s voice travels from the other side of the house.

“I’ll be right down, mother!” I shout at the door behind me.

She doesn’t have to call me twice and soon enough, I sit down at my spot at the dining table. It’s nice to see the delicate blue pattern around the plates’ trim. After eating from plain white bowls for so long, one develops a certain appreciation for the beauty that used to seem so insignificant. And as much as I love Nina’s and Kai’s company at each meal, it’s so refreshing to see the two faces that I looked upon since birth and have their eyes marked with wisdom watch me.

After passing around the stewed potatoes and lamb, boiled mushrooms, and chili paste for the bread rolls my mother finally asks me the question I know she’s been dying to ask me since my arrival.

“Are you nervous about getting your exam results next week?”

“I’m a little nervous about Reports and hope I applied the laws correctly on my torts case, but otherwise I think I did pretty good with the rest.”

“I know studying takes a lot of time out of the day and doesn’t leave a lot of time for physical training, but do you think you did okay on the physicals?” my father asks.

“Oh yeah, my results are the top five from my class. Can’t you tell?” I show off my biceps that have outgrown my old shirts.

“Okay, young man. Don’t burst the seams now,” he laughs.

My mother and I laugh with him.

“So, what are your plans for tomorrow, your official first day of break?” my mother smiles.

“Oh, well. I was hoping to replace myself useful in the orchard. There must be something that needs to be done,” I try not to let the deliciousness of this home meal make me forget about table manners.

“I think you should just relax and enjoy it, hon,” my mother says.

“There must be something,” I insist.

“This is still quitting season for the farmers. All our last crops are picked and stored away and it’s still much too early to ready the earth,” she shakes her head.

“I think there is something that you could do,” my father motions with his forks.

“What?” I’m ready to patch up any fence or barn that he can think of.

“For the past two months, your mother was up at every dusk peeling and roasting the groundhog’s lilies and then has me deliver them to the local hospital across the river. Maybe you can help out with your mother’s charity work?”

“Of course, I can help with the donations,” I nod, relieved that I won’t die here of uselessness.

After dinner, I go to the barn and take four sacks of those floral bulbs. I don’t let my mother stay up and with the help of my father, convince her to go to bed. It takes me till midnight to peel them all and spread them on baking sheets, ready for morning’s roasting oven.

What force drives this superwoman? I try to be the first one up, but my mother has me beaten. In the kitchen in front of the oven already burning, she sits on a stool surrounded by more sacks of lilies. Her speedy hands peel away to produce more groundhog lilies ready for roasting.

“Mom?” I’m confused.

“Oh, good morning son,” briefly, she looks up from her busy hands.

“Morning. What are you doing?” I smile at her determination to keep going.

“Peeling the lilies.”

“I peeled lots last night.”

“We need more.”

“How much are you cooking for this small hospital?”

“Adrien, you’ve been sheltered at the Academy and have no idea what you’re about to walk into. This is why I wanted you to take it easy on the first day home.”

“Okay,” I have no idea what she’s talking about.

The bulbs begin to puff and pop. I wait till only the crackling of the fire is talking in the mouth of the oven and then, pull out the sheets. The sweet steam rises out of the bulbs that bloomed into white flakiness and I can’t resist eating one. My mouth is burning from the heat, but this starchy taste of home is well worth it.

The sun just starts rising when I get the horse ready and load the pull cart. This will take me a few trips, but I’m looking forward to the green hill scenery.