Three Years Later
The Sparrows had finally returned to their grand townhouse in Elaris for the new Season. For three years, they'd lived quietly in Windmere, away from all the noise and gossip of high society. They spent those years away perfectly happy with the laughter of their daughter echoing through the halls.
Now, Lady Lavender Sparrow was ten, and her parents had decided it was time to step back into the world they'd left behind.
Invitations began arriving like a flood, gold-edged, perfumed, sealed with wax, and all written in the neatest handwriting imaginable. Balls, musicales, dinners, teas, it seemed the whole of Britannia wanted to welcome them back. The house was suddenly alive again; servants hurried everywhere, the butler was buried in letters, and even the cook seemed excited, planning menus "fit for a lady's return."
---
In her dressing room, the Marchioness sat at her vanity while Rhea, her maid, twisted her hair into soft curls.
"What event shall we begin with, my lady?" Rhea asked, tucking a pearl pin neatly into place.
Lady Beatrice smiled faintly, eyes on the lavender-colored invitation beside her. "Lady Bridget's tea party," she said.
"Ah," Rhea said knowingly. "A smart choice. Everyone worth knowing will be there."
"Exactly," Beatrice replied. "The perfect chance to introduce Lavender properly."
From the bed, Lavender looked up from the thick book she'd been reading, her dark eyes wide. "A tea party?" she asked, her accent now perfectly Britannian ,soft, lilting, lovely.
Her mother turned and smiled. "Yes, darling. Tea, cakes, and far too much talk, you'll fit right in."
Lavender giggled, closing her book.
Rhea laughed as she tied a ribbon. "Three years out of society, we'll have to dust off your charm, my lady."
Beatrice rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I never lost it, Rhea. I just put it away for a while."
---
The next morning was a flurry of ribbons, perfume, and laughter. It was the day of the tea party, Lavenders first outing and it needed to be perfect.
Lavender sat before her mirror while Martha gently worked through her curls. Her hair, black as midnight, gleamed in the light. A few strands were left loose around her face, softening her serious little expression. Her gown was pale lavender silk, simple but beautiful, tiny pearl buttons down the front and a ribbon tied neatly at her waist.
When the maids finally stepped back, Rhea let out a breath. "There. A perfect young lady."
Lavender turned to the mirror and smiled. She liked compliments and everyone in the house knew it.
"You look lovely, my lady," Martha said proudly.
"Thank you," Lavender replied, her voice sweet but a little shy. She was still getting used to all this , the ribbons, the lace, the endless attention, but she didn't mind today.
---
Downstairs, the Marchioness waited by the carriage in a gown of soft blue satin, gloves buttoned, bonnet tied just so. When Lavender appeared at the top of the stairs, Beatrice's eyes softened immediately.
"Oh, look at you," she said, her voice warm. "My little darling looks like she's stepped straight out of a painting."
Lavender blushed. "Do I really?"
"Even more so," her mother said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Rhea smiled faintly from behind them , the young Miss really had grown into a beauty.
As the coachman opened the carriage door, Beatrice turned serious for a moment. "Promise me you'll behave, Lavender."
"I always behave," Lavender said with mock innocence.
Her mother raised an eyebrow. "You did not behave when you pushed that stable boy into the pond."
Lavender covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "He deserved it."
"Nevertheless," Beatrice said, though her lips twitched with amusement, "we shall aim for grace today."
"Yes, Mother," Lavender said, still smiling.
The carriage door closed, the wheels began to roll, and the grand gates of Windmere slowly disappeared behind them.
Neither of them could have guessed that by the end of that afternoon, every whispering lady in Britannia would know the name of the girl they'd come to call ,The Black Rose of Windmere. A rather weird name because Lavender hates flowers, especially roses.