Rose Wong

*Not what you were looking for? See Rose Pritchett and Rose Tree.*

**Rose Wong** is a recurring character in the Murder Most Unladylike series. She is May Wong and Edward Wong’s sister, and Hazel Wong’s half-sister.

## Childhood

Rose Wong was born in 1927/28 in Hong Kong to her parents, Vincent Wong and Wong Min Su. She was quite sick when she was born, spending sometime in the hospital. Her younger sister, May Wong was born three years later and her brother, Teddy eight years later. She is considered the daughter of her step-mother, June Wong in Hong Kong society.

## Personality

Rose is a quiet and shy girl that seldom causes trouble. She says that she doesn't get noticed by grown ups much because she isn’t clever, like Hazel, or naughty, like May. Similar to Hazel, she likes reading and is a responsible big sister.

## Appearance

According to Hazel, Rose is the prettiest of the three sisters. The sisters are noted as looking quite alike, so it can be inferred that she shares Hazel's brown eyes, pale skin and dark brown hair, or May's black hair. Rose claims that she and May look very similar (which she was going to use to her advantage to swap places with May). However, unlike May, Rose is very neat and tidy and graceful, and she doesn't get her clothes dirty.

## Storylines

### A Spoonful of Murder

Rose greeted Hazel when they arrived at the compound. She is present throughout the murder and kidnap, and overhears Daisy and Hazel talking about detecting. She tells Hazel that nobody notices her like they do the other Wong siblings, and that she didn't like Teddy at first because she felt her mother and father cared about him more than her, although she felt guilty when he was kidnapped. She even saved some of her supper for the gods to pray he was alright, but Pik An, her maid, cleared it away. She tells Hazel that she wants to go to an English boarding school like she reads about in her books. Rose was teasing May about May being punished for throwing oranges at the walls to soften them. She burst into tears at May's beetle on a string. Rose went to the Peninsula Hotel with the others to get Teddy back, and when they did, she was very happy.

### Death Sets Sail

Rose came up to Hazel and hugged her at the hotel where they reunited. She was noted as looking graceful and shy and carrying a boarding school story. Once again, Rose was present throughout the murder, and when being interviewed, she revealed that when May, a major witness, was spending the night of the murder sleeping on the deck of the ship pretending to be a pirate, she knew this, and got up to see if her sister was alright every time she heard a noise, looking at the clock as she did so, thus confirming May's story and the detectives' timeline of events. Near the end of the book, when May was taken hostage by the murderer, who threatened to throw her overboard, Rose told Hazel she planned to distract the murderer and swap places with her sister, as she could swim better than May. When they were back in England, Rose and May were both very keen on the 'treasure hunt' for the lost brooch. Rose also went on long walks with her father and the dogs, Millie and Toast Dog, around Fallingford Estate.

## Relationships

### Hazel Wong

Hazel is Rose's half-sister, who is older than her by seven years. They are similar in personality, both being quite shy and timid, although Hazel becomes more confident later on in the series. They both like reading, and Rose wants to go to an English boarding school, just as Hazel did when she was younger. Hazel considers Rose to be the prettiest out of all their siblings, and Rose considers Hazel to be the cleverest out of all their siblings. They both care for and trust each other greatly, and, in A Spoonful of Murder, Rose confided in Hazel about how she felt like adults never noticed her, like they did the Hazel, or May, or Teddy.

### May Wong

May is Rose's sister, who is younger than her by two years. While they look similar, they are polar opposites personality-wise. Rose is sensible and shy, while May is wild and energetic. Rose often has to try to keep from getting in to trouble. In A Spoonful of Murder, she admits to Hazel that she feels like she doesn't get noticed by grown-ups as much as May does, because she isn't as naughty. In Death Sets Sail, Rose tries to keep an eye on May; when she hears her sneaking out of their room at night to sleep on the deck like a pirate, she frequently checks on her.

### Edward Wong

Edward "Teddy" is Rose's brother, who is younger than her by eight years. She admits to Hazel that nobody notices her like they do Teddy, and that she didn't like him at first because she felt her mother and father cared about him more than her, although she felt guilty when he was kidnapped. She even saved some of her supper for the gods to pray he was alright, but Pik An, her maid, cleared it away. Rose went to the Peninsula Hotel with the others to get Teddy back, and when they did, she was very happy.

## Trivia

* She wants to escape to the schools in England and have bunbreak and games because she hates school in Hong Kong.
* Teddy made her feel neglected and she disliked him at first but came to cherish him after they got him back from the kidnap.
* She was a sickly and weak baby when she was born, and Hazel remembered herself sitting outside the hospital ward pretending to read and listening to what the nurses were saying.