Alberic did check in on the girl the next morning before he settled into his routine. "How is she? Did she wake up at all?” He asked the healer, who was seated near the bed.

"No, Sir. No peep from her. And not a mark on her. She is well fed, not too dry, not under the influence of drink or medicine, that I can see. Not too hot or too cold. She seems perfectly healthy except for not waking up and being found on the ground by your gatehouse."

"Weird. I hope it isn't magic.” Alberic sighed. “Is there any sign of who she is or where she came from?”

"Her clothing is rather fine, so she is most likely noble born. Her shoes were not particularly made for traveling, but were rather worn, like she had come a long way."

"If a local noble is missing a young daughter, I expect they will notice soon. Just... do what you can for her."

The healer nodded. "Yes Sir. Those were the lady Kerin's orders as well."

"Ahh yes. I should have expected she'd have it all in hand. Very well. Update me if you learn anything." Alberic took himself back to his personal chambers, wondering but not worrying too much. Perhaps she had run away in a fit of temper, and her family would come for her any minute. He turned to a footman waiting upon his Prince's whims in the hallway. "Have people sent up and down the road, looking for anything the girl might have dropped. Perhaps she had some luggage or a mount that ran off."

"At once, my Prince!" The lad set off down the stairs two at a time. Alberic watched him go, reminiscing slightly about when he was younger and had that much energy.

He worked at his accounts and letters until lunchtime, when Kerin herself interrupted him to come for lunch. As they ate and made small talk, a servant came in, looking flustered.

“Sir! A body was found by the gate! A young lady!”

Alberic looked up. “That is old news, lad. That was yesterday's news. Unless someone has turned up to claim her, there isn't much...”

“Sir, Sorry sir I don't mean to interrupt, but no Sir, another one. Just now. A messenger from your father saw her and alerted the gatekeeper.”

“WHAT?” Alberic and Kerin shouted in unison, jumping from their seats.

At the gate, they joined the small group surrounding a pair of feet and a pink skirt sticking out from under the border hedge. The gateman and one of the garden boys were trying to lift the girl out without too much damage to the shrubbery, as the Head Gardener fretted and shouted suggestions to spare the branches.

When she was extracted, Alberic knelt to inspect her. “It is a different girl. And again, no mark on her; she's alive, but not awake. What in the world is going on?”

“Are they coming here themselves and then falling asleep, or is someone dropping them off on your doorstep?” Kerin ran her hands along the girl's waist, something the men wouldn't have dared to do. “Ahh, she has a pocket. I'll check that when we get her inside. I guess we could just put her in with the other one.”

Alberic scowled. “I'd rather you stay away from them, Kerie. What if this is a disease? I don't want you to get sick.” He looked away from her annoyed look, and spotted something red under the hedge. Leaning over to retrieve it, he found it was a red rose.

“Wait now. The other girl had a rose too.” He glanced around again, and his eye was caught by a splash of red behind the gatehouse. He groaned. “The magic rosebush stick the witch gave me. That's it there behind the building, isn't it?”

The gardener nodded in affirmative, and took the single rose from the prince. “Looks the same, Sir.”

“Well, it's a clue. Someone go see if they can find that dratted witch. Neil can give a description. And someone else send a message to my father's wizard and ask for advice, or beg him to come out and look at it, whatever it takes.” He turned to take his bad mood and grumpy face back into the house. “Oh, and someone take care of this girl, I guess.”

Kerin found him in the parlor closest to the door, flopped long ways on the nearest couch, still scowling. “The maids are getting her washed and settled. Her clothing is even finer than the last one's. And I found a few coins from Eastshire in her purse.”

“Eastshire? I suppose we should send someone over there to ask if they are missing any young ladies.” Alberic didn't open his eyes or raise his head, though he did reach out a hand to Kerin. She took it and sat on the edge of the couch.

“Should we write your father and tell him to delay his visit?”

“No. No way. I'm not delaying the wedding for this.”

“I didn't suggest delaying the wedding, just asking your family to come closer to the actual date, like mine.”

“I need the staff they are bringing, though. And if he brings his wizard with him, that could help us. Since we aren't keeping the girls in the Royal Suites, I don't see a problem.”

“All right.” Kerin smiled though the prince still hadn’t opened his eyes. In fact, he had his other arm draped over them like he had a bad headache. “We never finished lunch. Are you hungry?”

Alberic made a rude noise, but not too rude in sympathy to his lady. “No, this has completely ruined my appetite.”

“Albie, don't be a baby. It could be worse. No one has died.”

“Yet!”

Kerin rolled her eyes. Alberic replied, “You're rolling your eyes at me, aren't you?”

“Yes, actually, I am.”

“I knew it.” Now he opened his eyes and looked up at her. “I'm glad you are here. One, you keep me sane. Two, I don't have to worry about you hearing rumors of me having strange ladies dropping by and sleeping over.” Kerin laughed, and Alberic smiled. “See? There you go keeping me sane again.”

She smiled back. “I'm sure we've dealt with stranger things than this. I think you are right to suspect the rose bush. Do you think we should just cut it down?”

“I want to wait, if we can keep any more ladies from falling prey to it, until I get a professional opinion. If the antidote for it is a spell made from the petals or something, I’d hate to have to tell the girls' families that I had already killed the bush and burned it.”

“I suppose.” Alberic had closed his eyes again but felt her nod without seeing it. “May I suggest keeping the gate shut, or at least guarded, whenever possible, so that no more females can reach the bush?”

He grunted again. “That is probably a good idea. I'll give the orders, unless you want to.”

“No, that is your job. The grounds are your problem.” Kerin stood and straightened her skirts in order to get back to work. “I'll take over the house, but anything outside you are not dumping off on me.”

“Not even the gardens? Lots of Ladies like gardens.”

“No, you have a great gardener, and I'd just mess things up. I intend to leave the gardens alone, just like you and everyone in the household who isn't the gardener or his staff do. Now get up, silly. You have more work to get done before we can have our private time this evening.”