Chapter 10
***
Louise asked, reflecting on what she saw in the room.
"Do you like to draw? What about the piano?"
"The piano..................?”
Miriam's blue eyes sparkled for a moment, but quickly lost their light.
"It's noisy, my brother wouldn't like..................."
"Doesn't it have a muffler pedal?"
Louise asked, and Miriam shook her head. She didn't seem to know about muffler pedals.
"If you have a muffler pedal, you can muffle the sound; if you don't, you can practice when His Highness goes hunting."
In fact, piano was one of the few liberal arts that Louise didn't learn from her mother. The expensive instrument was hard to come by.
Still, she had practiced with the sisters at Viscount Engel's, teaching them, and that experience would be of great benefit.
Would the viscount be safe by now? Louise couldn't help but wonder.
****
As she was leaving the dining room, she heard loud, heavy footsteps. As she looked up, she saw a group of men rushing into the hallway. It was Caius and his men.
The man's presence was even more eerie under the brightly lit windows.
Pale cheeks shone strangely against his maroon kravat, dark eyebrows framed golden eyes, and his form-fitting hunting outfit showed off his muscular body.
The long-legged man's stride was fast, and he came closer and closer, until he stood still, side by side with Miriam.
Soon their steps slowed to a halt.
Louise took half a step forward. Miriam trembled like a deer at the sight of a hunter before her brother.
Caius locked eyes with Louise and smiled, his golden eyes catching the morning sun.
"Ah, tutor. Did you rest well last night?"
The fishy odor of freshly killed animals mingled with the acrid smell of gunpowder. The man standing at the back of the group had something slung over his shoulder.
Louise quickly looked away before realizing its identity. Considering it was the beast that cried out the day before, she didn't want to look at its uncooked carcass.
Out of the corner of her eye, the glossy black of Caius's hunting boots glinted off his nose.
She hid the tremor in her chest and spoke politely.
"Your Excellency, I see you've already been outside.................., and I've been making myself comfortable."
Then, as if by way of excuse, she continued.
"I've just had breakfast with Miss .................. and we'll be leaving soon."
Behind her, Miriam clutched the hem of Louise's dress, like a child trying to hide in her mother's arms.
She hoped he'd move on, but Caius looked more relaxed than he had the day before. His face looked eerily cheerful.
"I caught a silver fox, and I think its silvery fur would look great with your hair; perhaps I could make you a shawl as a souvenir."
Louise smiled in bewilderment.
"I’m not worthy of the fur, thank you for saying so."
The man's gaze fell on the worn brush draped over Louise's shoulders, and he cocked his head slightly.
"It'll be warmer than that."
Louise stammered an excuse.
"This.................. belonged to my mother, so I wore it because it reminded me of her. Next time, I'll be a little more...................”
When she'd said that, Caius raised one hand in a warning gesture.
"In Burg, we must obey the laws of Burg, and it doesn't hurt to be a lady worthy of my manor, does it?"
Maybe she looked inadequate in this place. Louise shut her mouth.
He tugged at the corners of his mouth and smiled.
"The carriage will be ready in a moment, then."
His demeanor was so natural that it made her feel as if the harsh words the man had spoken earlier had actually been logical. It couldn't be.
Miriam let out a small sigh as men in hunting boots clattered past her, standing tense and statuesque.
Then, in a very small voice, she said to herself.
"..................my brother, no."
She almost said yes herself. Louise chewed on her tongue, trying unsuccessfully to be honest, and corrected her.
“Your brother's just a little blunt, but His Excellency certainly cares for Miss Miriam. He even put a big ad in the paper for a tutor for a young lady."
Luckily, Miriam was quickly fooled.
"..................Really?"
"Indeed."
Louise added apologetically and exaggeratedly.
"I'll grab the paper when I get back and show you."
Caius had walked past his sister earlier without so much as a hello.
Miriam's stiff shoulders softened, as if relieved.
Louise breathed a sigh of relief. As she walked Miriam back to her room, she looked down and saw a carriage pull up in the garden.
It was her turn to go back to her mother.
***
The long way had been cut in half. Caius had given her the carriage.
After arriving in Melk, Louise stopped the carriage at the top of the steep hill that led down to the earthen house.
"I know the road is rough, but why don't you wait here? I don't have much luggage, so I can go and get it."
The coachman, who seemed to be in good spirits, replied lazily.
"If you have anything heavy to carry, just wave to me. I'll sit here and wait for you."
Louise thanked him and ran down the street.
As she looked through the few items of clothing she could find to pack, she remembered Caius's eyes the day before as she headed to her mother's solo.
She was probably half joking, but she meant no offense to the man who offered to make her a fur shawl, and yet the words lingered in the air and made her heart ache.
There was no shame in poverty, but it was right to dress for the occasion, if possible.
Louise eventually put the few clothes back in the bin. Now that she was working for the Margrave, she might have to pay a little more attention to her appearance.
A dress, a nightgown, and a few pairs of undergarments were all that remained.
She packed her hairbrush, the last of her perfume, her diary with memories of her parents, and her class materials. She also picked up the newspaper she had planned to show Miriam.
After that, there was nothing left to take.
She packed everything into an old trunk and brought it to the coachman.
"I only need to bring one more thing, but do you mind if I stop by my neighbor's house and say goodbye?"
"Of course. You may spend as much time as you like, lady."
The coachman was very kind to her, calling her "lady" at the end of every sentence. His kindness was a small consolation to Louise, who had been overwhelmed by the maid's energy that first day.
Lastly, she took out her mother's urn. As soon as she had the money, she would return to Melk to bury her mother, but she didn't want to leave her alone, even for a month.
As she carried the urn to Mr. and Mrs. Smith's house, Mr. Smith was standing outside with a toothpick in his mouth. He spat it out impatiently and said,
"Are you here, Louise? My wife has taken her little girl to work."
Mr. Smith, a carpenter, had a small workshop on one side of the house. It was Mr. Smith who had repaired her broken door after the last burglary, patching it with wood and putting a sturdy latch on it.
"Mister, hello."
Louise greeted him warmly and told him she was employed by the Burg. She thanked Mr. Smith for getting her a newspaper and for encouraging his wife to send a letter of introduction.
Mr. Smith chuckled.
"Ah, that newspaper, that's good, that's good, the man was a bit suspicious then, but it came in handy, eh."
"The man...............?"
When Louise shook her head, Mr. Smith waved her off.
"Alas," said Mr. Smith, "don't take it too seriously; for while everybody was worrying about the lord, I was worrying about you, Louise. You'll be out of a job, too, if the lord has a change of heart."
The people of the marketplace gathered around, worried about Viscount Engel's arrest. The viscount was a reputable lord, so they had reason to be concerned.
"..................So?"
"We were talking among ourselves, and a stranger burst in, and held out that newspaper as if it were a red flag, and he was dressed like a rich fellow, a rare sight in this neighborhood, and he said that his master was looking for a teacher, and that he didn't know if he could take a country fellow like this."
“Are you saying that the man was an employee of the Margrave of Burg?”
***
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Write a comment
Seayon (Monday, 01 July 2024 19:56)
Hm i wonder why is Miriam is so afraid of her brother �. Thank you for the translation <3