Chapter 1
****
Dana first saw him when she was folding laundry on a sunny afternoon.
She was struggling with a quilt that was taller than she was, when she heard a snap.
At first, she thought she’d dropped a clothespin. Or a slingshot from one of the town's bullies.
Whatever it was, she couldn't let it ruin her freshly pressed, pristine quilt.
Dana moved toward the sound, then stopped.
It wasn't tongs or a slingshot. It was a polo ball made from tangled willow roots.
Edwin Hastings.
A blond man filled her vision and heat rose to her ears. A week ago, he'd come here with dozens of friends, not just to relax, but to prepare for a polo tournament.
Dana smiled and brushed the dirt off the ball, wondering when and how she should return it.
It was then.
Ding, ding, ding, the sound of hooves came from the hills. A familiar figure grew closer and closer through the dust. ...What?
Dana's heart began to race.
"It should be around here..................."
Dressed in a bright red polo suit, he held the reins in one hand and a polo stick called a "mellet" in the other.
Just looking at his shiny brown horse and sleek maroon boots made Dana feel a little giddy.
"Ah...."
Edwin spotted the maid with the ball and turned the horse's head. Dana quickly ducked her head and held the ball up to him.
"Here, here.................."
Like most masters, Edwin didn't pay much attention to the maid; he took the ball nonchalantly and checked to see if it was what he was looking for.
Still, Dana had to clasp her hands together tightly to hide her trembling hands and pounding heart.
"Take it, Teddy."
Edwin said, and tossed the ball to someone. Dana's eyes snapped to the man next to him. Dark brown hair, almost black, was the first thing she noticed, soft and sweet, the color of a chocolate she'd only tasted once, and it had been breathtakingly delicious.
Further down, she could clearly see his cool eyes. It was a dense forest in the rainy dawn. Or maybe it was the ocean in the afternoon when the sun was scorching.
The eyes, an odd shade of turquoise, stared down at Dana with a strange intensity.
"Let's go."
Edwin turned the horse's head. The man called Teddy looked away as quickly as he had ever looked before.
There was another dust-up.
Dana froze in place until the two men on horseback became a tiny speck and disappeared completely.
****
"Attention, all!"
A harsh shout echoed through the lower maids' quarters.
Dozens of maids scrambled into a single file line. Dana set down her broom and joined the ranks. A cubicle door opened and a stout woman stepped out. It was Rosi, the head maid.
She walked slowly past the rows of maids in front of her. Each time the clink, clink, clink of a packet of keys around her waist drew nearer, the maids stiffened, their faces tense.
"You!"
Maid Rosi exclaimed, stopping abruptly in her tracks. All the maids, including Dana, flinched in unison.
"What the hell is this?"
Rosi’s fingertips pointed to a young maid named Dorothy, or more precisely, to a lock of auburn hair tucked behind her ear.
"And what is this?"
Her fierce gaze darted down and touched Dorothy's sleeve. One of the buttons had fallen off and was pinched until it was bare. The maid's fingers didn't stop there.
"Not this again......!"
Dorothy quickly pulled her hand back, but it was too late. The black grime on her fingernails was visible from a distance.
Dorothy straightened her hair, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
The head maid turned away as if she had seen enough. The clattering sound moved closer to Dana's side.
Dana stiffened her back and mentally checked her appearance once more.
Her apron was unstained, her collar and cuffs were clean, her nails were well manicured...
Luckily, the head maid walked past her without comment. But just before she could breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh."
The hem of her royal blue dress twirled, making concentric circles.
"You're ......Dana Bordon, right?"
Dana gasped in surprise.
".........Yes... Head Maid."
The head maid stared into the restlessly fluttering ash-colored eyes, then spoke in a softer voice.
"The lady of the house is coming here for vacation again this vacation. Are you aware of that?"
"Yes," Dana said, pressing her lips together as they threatened to part in disbelief.
"The lady wants you to be her companion again this year, and she's checked with the head butler several times to see if you still work here."
More unbelievable stories followed.
"She must have enjoyed her time with you so much this time last year, because she is so determined not to send you elsewhere. When she comes, I want you to make sure she doesn't get the wrong idea."
"......yes, ma’am."
Dana replied deliberately calmly, trying to suppress the pounding in her chest. Everyone else pretended not to care, but the fact that she had caught the eye of the mistress was bound to arouse the envy and jealousy of her fellow maids.
Over the past six years of working here, Dana had learned to deal with it well. The first was not to be overly pleased.
"Then I'll call you again when she’s decided on a day for her arrival."
The head maid walked past Dana with a satisfied look on her face and disappeared out of the servants’ hall.
"Hmph!"
Dorothy sobbed as the door closed behind her.
Her sobs were so loud that they rang out, but the maids paid her no attention.
Belvida's maids prided themselves on working for a prestigious family.
To be a proper maid, you had to have a good face and clean hair, and to be a senior maid, you had to come from a good family.
Dorothy, who came from the workhouse, was lame, and had a nasty streak, was always ostracized among the maids.
"Can't you go outside and cry? It's a communal space, and even the smallest noise is loud."
Dorothy ran out of the room at the sound of someone's mean words.
Dana felt uncomfortable for some reason. As she stared at the open door, someone rapped on the table.
"Okay, enough talking, let's get to work."
The huddled maids scattered like grains of sand back to their hard labor.
***
Late in the afternoon, all work done, Dana headed for the back door.
Her feather-light steps took her to a high hill not far from the mansion.
The wind was blowing hard under an ashen sky with low clouds. The long, knee-high grass danced frantically to and fro.
Dana hugged the hem of her skirt tightly and took one step, then another.
Soon she was in front of a sheer, steep cliff.
The sky and sea were tinged with a dark blue color. Looking down at the crashing waves, Dana took a deep breath and stood in front of a large tree with majestic branches.
"Hello, Seyfried."
Seyfried was the name Dana had given the tree when she first came here.
"You know, I heard the most incredible news today. Do you know what it is?"
Dana put her hand on the trunk and caressed the hard bark.
"Well, that Lady Liana still remembers me."
In a low whisper, she grabbed the nearest branch and began to climb.
"She wants me to be her companion again this year. She must have enjoyed all the exploring we did."
Dana strained her thighs and reached for a higher branch.
"You know, Lady Liana is the most beautiful woman in Peron, and she's also an angel, smiling and talking so kindly to a maid like me."
Dana muttered to herself and continued to climb the tree.
Her goal was to reach the thickest, sturdiest branch. From there, she could see the world, almost touching the sky, and it was her secret hideaway.
"Do you know what other good fortune comes with having a lady in your service?"
Dana paused for a moment, then lowered her voice to a whisper.
“I will be able to see him very close, for he is her brother."
She blushed again and choked. Dana paused to catch her breath.
"You know ......... I met him the other day, I was hanging out the laundry, and he rode right up to me on his horse......"
Dana spoke shyly and clutched the branch directly above her. Rustle. Through the swaying leaves, she saw something.
"...!"
There was someone.
The other person seemed to recognize her, and leaned toward her.
The moment their eyes met, Dana was struck with another shock: It was him.
The man at Master Edwin's side, the man named Teddy.
The wind that had been ruffling the hills had disheveled the man's hair. Even in her surprised state, Dana was momentarily distracted by the rich chocolate-colored waves.
"What are you looking at?"
"...What?"
"What are you staring at?"
The cold voice repeated over and over again, and she snapped out of it.
"Oh..."
Dana quickly ducked her head in panic. Something tingled at the tip of her chin, making her face heat up.
"Oh...... oh......."
She managed to reply in a crawling voice and began to frantically climb down the tree. Her legs shook. Her skin scraped against the rough bark.
Finally, her feet touched the ground.
Dana ran frantically. The harsh wind whipped through her wounds, stinging her skin, but she didn't even realize it hurt. All she could think about was getting away.
***
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