Chapter 22
***
"Am I right? I don't know about anything else, but you're sure about that."
Celeste's reaction to the fountain pen made Dana uneasy again.
Only yesterday, she'd been worried about the moody, eccentric Master's temper, and now she sounded as if she'd be ranting at the Duchess at a moment's notice.
"It’s a very special gift to be his fiancée's maid."
Celeste held the fountain pen up to her eye level and looked around. The gleam in her eyes was telling.
It was a work of art, no doubt as precious and expensive as the teacup.
Dana opened her mouth cautiously, watching her eyes.
"Do you... do you have... that...? I was wondering if Ms. Celeste could keep it for me?"
"What?"
"...It's too much for me...too much... I don't deserve it."
As expected, Celeste made a face of disbelief.
"...And I'm worried about losing it."
Dana added quickly, but to no avail. Celeste stared at her for a long moment, then took a deep breath and burst out laughing.
"If you lose it, you can just ask for another one."
"What?"
"Just kidding, just kidding."
Dana's eyes widened, and Celeste threw up her hands and laughed again.
"Well, sure... It might be a little over the top... But, Dana...."
She patted Dana's shoulder nonchalantly.
"To the heir of House Macmillan, this is... How do I explain...."
The hand gripping the fountain pen flicked to the window.
"Well, can I just say that this is just like scooping up a cup of water from that vast lake? Not a big cup of water, just a tiny little teacup."
Celeste's face flashed with a strange pride.
"The Master gave it to you, just a glass of water. To the one who is to be his fiancée's personal maid."
‘Just a glass of water…’
Dana felt her stomach churn. Unlike last night, her words of praise evoked a strange sense of betrayal.
"But I... I've never... I've never... I've never seen it in Belvida, not even from Lady Liana... She always used old pens and ink."
Celeste's pupils flickered, but Dana didn't notice.
"Our maids... the frugal attitude of the Hastings family... always... that we should emulate them...."
"Of course... Now that the Lady is engaged to the Master... I don't know how it’s changed, but... In any case, it's a bit... kind of...yes."
She expected Celeste to laugh, but strangely enough, face hardened slightly.
Celeste seemed to be thinking about something for a while, and then she nodded.
"I see."
The sudden heaviness in her voice surprised Dana.
"I'll keep it for now. I'll get you another writing tool so you can keep studying."
With that, Celeste pulled a pen, ink, and a roll of paper from a drawer.
"A maid never uses better things than her master, right... right...."
Muttering to herself, Celeste looked a little strange.
"...This matter... I'll discuss it with my master once. The pen... I'll return it to you after that."
To Celeste, her mistress was the Duchess of Macmillan.
Why was she suddenly talking to the Duchess of Macmillan about a glass of water?
"...Is it time for lunch already?"
Celeste smiled wryly, as if to say when.
"From today on, you'll be eating lunch with me, so you can learn some table manners."
Celeste led Dana to the servants’s dining room. Dana had no choice but to follow, dumbfounded.
And with that, the question of hemosexual was forgotten.
****
At the same time, a large carriage drove through the gates of Belvida.
It was the very carriage Dana had been dying to ride in.
Inside were the MacMillan family's exclusive pastry chef and two maids.
To Belvida, the Shore's chef was not a laborer to be worked at will, but more like a master who had come to impart his skills.
Maid Rosi couldn't help but greet him as if he were a guest.
"You've traveled a long way, you should get some rest. The real work begins in the afternoon, and you can help me then."
Rosi handed the sweating man a cool drink of water. Then she turned to the maids behind the chef.
"The same goes for you. Please sit down and get some rest."
"Ah, thank you."
They must have been twenty years old.
Looking at the two younger maids, she couldn't help but think of Dana.
Some of the disturbing speculations that had been tightening in Rosi’s chest for the past few days resurfaced.
The broken teacup, and Dana, pale and exhausted in front of it...
"Excuse me, I have one question to ask you...."
The maids nodded for her to continue.
Rosi began by asking how the 'child being trained as a maid' was doing.
"Oh, the girl?"
They began to explain, not knowing who would speak first.
There was no particular story.
Dana Bordon hadn't yet gotten to know the maids, but she was earning a good reputation for being diligent and good. At first, she was trained only in the afternoon, but now she was trained all day.
"Is she ill, or is her face dark, or anything like that?"
The maids looked at each other for a moment, as if thinking, and then each answered.
"Um... A little... She seemed a little... uncomfortable.”
"And tired."
The last image of Dana's face flashed before Rosi’s eyes.
She looked completely lost.
Like a puppy abandoned in a downpour...
The image of the shattered teacup and her own knee-jerk reaction to the scolding made her heart sink.
Perhaps it was a vanity she didn't realize she had.
Perhaps she was so thrilled that Master Theodore had given her the clothes that she saw only what she wanted to see and believed only what she wanted to believe.
Something must have happened.
As she thought about it, she couldn't resist the urge that had been building up in her chest for the past few days. Parting with the maids, she went straight to Master Edwin.
Today, he was in his study.
A blond young man stood by the window with his back to her, and beside him a bespectacled man with a dark face.
It was Dawson, the financial manager who had arrived from Peron a few days ago.
Letters and papers strewn across the desk caught Rosi’s eye.
Who knew?
What he must be feeling right now...
The state of the family's finances was first noticed by middle managers like her more than anyone else.
It was a secret that even Lady Liana didn't know, which was why she had so casually bought such an expensive horse, claiming it was a gift for her fiancé.
"Uh... Master...."
Even knowing all of this, Rosi couldn't help but open her mouth.
Master Edwin was a man who held honor and pride in the highest regard. And he was horrified to offend anyone.
If she did not confess her speculations now, it would be a deception to her master.
"I have something to tell you."
Edwin turned. As usual, his calm face concealed his anxiety.
"You see... The maid you sent to be Lady Liana's handmaiden. Dana Bordon."
He tilted his head as if to indicate that she should continue.
"Apparently, she made a grave mistake in front of Master Theodore."
His clear blue eyes clouded for a moment. Rosi’s heart sank, but she couldn't stop herself from speaking.
"She... I think she broke a teacup, and Celeste said it wasn't just any teacup, it was a work of art, something very valuable... Daniel Rauch or something...."
Edwin's brow furrowed.
He knew it wasn't simply anger at the maid for destroying someone else's property.
"Why are you telling me now?"
The coldness in his voice made Rosi want to pounce on the words. But it was too late.
"Well... Master Theodore... He said that he broke it... At first, I really thought Dana did."
"...Teddy?"
Rosi repeated in disbelief.
"Yes, and Ms. Celeste seemed to believe it too, so... I thought... maybe she did."
"...."
"But it's weird, no matter how you look at it... I don't know what kind of person Master Theodore is... He's not the kind of man who would break an expensive teacup by mistake...."
Edwin's mouth slowly closed.
"Crucially, her reaction was so strange, she was completely terrified, or should I say... I guess you could say she was freaking out about getting in trouble... Anyway, that's the look on her face."
"....."
"I'm sorry I told you so late... I'm so sorry. Whatever the truth is, I should have told you first...."
Edwin said nothing for a long moment.
Through his blurry vision, he recognized Willow, the puppy he'd only named yesterday. It meant "fluffy" in Old Romanic.
As soon as it made eye contact with Edwin, Willow trotted up to him and rubbed her nose against his calf.
The sight of the fluff rolling around was enough to make anyone smile.
Edwin stared at Willow for a moment, then opened his mouth. Not at Rosi, but at the financial manager.
"Find out about the teacup, Dawson."
He continued to face the maid.
"I'm going to the Shore as soon as you’re sure, so have it ready."
*****
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page
Write a comment