Chapter 22
****
Louise was overwhelmed by his intensity and stood still for a moment before replying a beat too late.
"..................I thought you didn't like me wearing mourning clothes. Thank you for your concern, and I really appreciate your concern for my mother's funeral."
With that, she bowed a little deeper than she should to her employer.
Caius raised one eyebrow as if he didn't quite like it, but then settled back into place.
"As a thank you, would you like to have your mother’s funeral in Burg?"
Louise smiled faintly and shook her head no.
"No."
"Why, you don't like the Burg?"
The question was as direct as ever.
Louise quickly averted her gaze from the man's straightforward stare. It was hard enough to talk about her parents with him, even though she knew it would only make her look weak.
"How dare I not," she said, "but my mother has missed the islands half her life, and that's where my father is buried."
He stood still, listening. Louise summoned up the courage to speak.
"My mother is to be buried in the parish chapel in Melk. If you will allow me, I will make one more trip to Melk with her ashes in the next week or so."
Caius interjected, his tone dry.
"Melk isn't exactly close to the Islands."
He wasn't wrong, but to say she buried her mother in Burg would mean she would accept his proposal.
But even if Caius had no ulterior motives, Louise was not strong enough to accept the offer. She had no family to answer to, and she had always dreamed of marrying the love of her life.
When she closed her mouth, seeing no reason to repeat what she had already said, Caius sighed softly.
"I don't think you've come to accept my hand in marriage today either, but will you at least join me for dinner?"
This time, Louise nodded meekly. It was rather on her part that she had nothing left to say.
***
Humans are indeed animals of adaptation.
Unlike the previous meals, where she could taste nothing but the man’s face, as if her tongue was numb, the richness of the custard coated the tip of her tongue.
Louise forced herself to tear her gaze away from the colorful desserts and look at Caius. He was not interested in sweets.
He had no sweet tooth, so he placed only a single slice of the apricot compote on his plate.
Louise spoke up cautiously.
"I, um, actually wanted to ask you about your full-time tutor."
The man's eyes deepened instantly, and her tongue dried up. Perhaps he knew the tutor's behavior, if Miriam didn't.
Louise spoke with difficulty, not wanting to disappoint him.
"I heard she was sent home because of illness, are you certain?"
She asked softly, but it was not easy for the man to hear. The sharp retort came right back.
"Why do you need to ask me that again? Why? Do you think I deceived you in Burg?"
Louise bit her lower lip slightly, regretting her hasty question.
"I didn't mean that..................."
Pale gold eyes nailed to her twitching lips. Louise sucked in a short breath and met his gaze.
"Actually, I found evidence that the teacher abused the young lady, and I was wondering if you were aware of it....................."
"Abused?"
Caius's expression didn't show much emotion.
"Yes. She punished her in class by stabbing her in the thigh with a needle, and she still has the scars."
Louise spilled out her prepared remarks.
"Personally, I think it was, of course, unnecessary and excessive corporal punishment, and if you didn't know, I hope you've punished her now.................."
Still, she couldn't read the man's eyes. He sat there, not even moving, and she wondered what the hell he was thinking.
As her embarrassment deepened, Caius finally responded, straightening up.
"Oh my, I never realized it, since she’s a grown-up sister, and she doesn’t even dare look at me, and as you can see, she finds me difficult, and we rarely speak to each other."
As he said this, he lowered his shoulders slightly. She must have strange eyes if he looked more relieved than surprised.
But Louise clearly felt some kind of discomfort that she couldn't quite put her finger on, because the tension that had been building between them had suddenly been broken.
He certainly seemed uncomfortable asking about his former teacher...................
Perhaps because the issue of abuse was so serious, he decided to tolerate her somewhat rude question.
The man's hand moved gracefully, slicing the food in half that had been left on the plate. The eggy, soft dough split open, spilling the compote inside.
Soon after, he spontaneously added,
"Thanks for the heads up, I'll take care of it."
Louise wondered if he's wondering how badly his sister was hurt. Caius's reaction was as slight as when he'd been told that the plants in the glasshouse had giggled a little.
He moved on to the next topic, as if there was nothing more to ask or hear.
"So, you're going to Melk next week, do you need someone to accompany you?"
Louise didn't immediately follow the sudden shift in conversation.
She felt a twinge. Dealing with the former teacher probably meant punishing her, but he didn't seem to want to say more, so she didn't bother asking.
"I could accompany you, if you don't mind."
Louise threw up her hands in surprise when Caius added.
"That's very kind of you, Your Excellency. In my heart, I am truly grateful..................."
The man smirked.
"Why don't you stop giving in to that gratitude, I'm more patient than I look, and I wait very well."
Louise could only blush, unable to reply.
There was a small knock on the door.
Caius frowned faintly at the unexpected interruption, and soon the butler, Martin, entered with a troubled look on his face.
"I apologize, my lord. I have an urgent messenger....................."
Caius shrugged at Louise.
"The butler, who should be most on my side, is prolonging this wait, and it must be very urgent."
Martin stood with his back bowed deeply, as if he had committed a great wrong.
Louise quickly straightened up and stood up, hoping to avoid an awkward moment.
"Thank you for the invitation to dine, Your Excellency, but I'll be off."
Then, unexpectedly, Caius rose from his seat and escorted Louise to the door.
Embarrassed by the change in demeanor, he whispered in Louise's ear.
"Don't be too relieved to be interrupted, Louise, I'll always be waiting for you, just a few steps away, where I can hear your answer."
Louise turned and walked away, barely hiding her flushed cheeks, her embarrassment at his excessive kindness, at the former tutor, fading a bit.
***
"What is it?"
Caius asked bluntly as soon as the door closed behind him. Martin held out a letter.
"Viscount Engel's butler came in person to deliver it. He was almost begging me to deliver it as soon as possible....................."
"..................Ha, Martin."
Caius called out with a deep sigh. The old butler gulped dryly as he clutched the envelope.
"Yes, my lord."
"If Viscount Engel is in a hurry, should I know who he is?"
"Oh, I mean Sebastian, Lord of Melk. As you know, my lord, the Engels are a prominent family that has ruled Melk for generations, and their estates are close to Burg, so you should know..................."
"Martin."
Caius interrupted, calling his name again.
"I have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Yes? What..................."
"The new teacher is quite the character. I've found evidence that the previous teacher abused Miriam."
"What? How dare she?"
"She punished her by sticking her with needles."
"What?"
Butler Martin had a weakness for Miriam, the sweet girl. Unlike the maid, who was the same woman and whom he looked down on, he often showed sympathy for her as if she were his youngest daughter.
"My father would be sad to know. Did the teacher go back to her hometown Krems?"
Martin sucked in a breath.
Caius had rarely called his adoptive father "father" in his adult life. Now, when he did, it was usually only when he was very unhappy.
"I'll find out, my lord."
In the end, Martin bowed and left. The letter that the Engel family butler had traveled so far to deliver was still in his hands.
***
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my personal kofi page
Write a comment