"Shelter," I said, the word dripping with dark amusement. "How fortunate that you found your way to my door. And how... coincidental that you happened upon the one garden on my estate, the one bed in that garden, the one rose that blooms brightest of all."
His face went pale under the dirt and rain stains. "I... it was the most beautiful. My daughter, she... she asked me to bring her a flower. Just a simple flower, nothing expensive or elaborate. And when I saw these roses blooming so impossibly in autumn, I thought..."
His daughter. The words hit me like cold water, dousing some of the rage that had been building in my chest. A daughter who'd asked for flowers. A father desperate enough to steal beauty for someone he loved.
The parallels weren't lost on me.
"What's your name?" I asked
