Rose is a house slave in the Merriman household, and both cooks and is a maidservant. Her age is never stated, thought she has been with Martha Merriman since before Felicity was born. It is never stated how long beyond that she has been with the Merrimans. While the books often refer to Rose as a "servant", it is clear that she is a house slave and not free. In the notes in Felicity's Cookbook and Felicity's Cooking Studio, as well as in various "Looking Back" sections, Rose is explicitly called a slave.