Chapter 37
***
"Dorothy... gave me this?"
Dana repeated in disbelief. She looked down at the pin, her eyes grave.
"I was supposed to put it in my cap, but Penny said I could just wear it like a hairpin."
Noah nodded at her to go ahead and try it. Dana untied her hair and pushed the pin in.
"Wait."
Celeste, who had been watching, suddenly stretched her arms. She pulled her hair, which had been tied too tightly, loose. The crown of her head came alive with fullness, making her face look smaller and leaner.
"That's how you wear a clip."
Celeste taught her the name of the pin and handed her the mirror.
Dana took it and looked at herself in the mirror. When she put it back down, her eyes were watery again.
"What the hell, is someone chopping onions in here...."
Noah shuddered, fumbling with his teacup and book.
Dana burst out laughing, pulling at her sleeve to wipe the tears away.
Woof.
The fluffy thing that had been moving in and out of the crowd earlier squatted down in front of her.
It was a small, cute puppy with fur as white as cotton balls and eyes as black as night. A smaller ball of fluff hung from behind, and if it didn't wag from side to side, you wouldn't even know it was a tail.
"You smart little thing. You recognize someone who feeds at first sight, don't you?"
Noah laughed and lifted the dog up with a flourish. Its tiny tail swished and whipped in the wind like a fan.
"Here, hold him."
Stretching out her arms, Dana gasped as she realized her hands still had gloves on them.
"Wait...."
The hands that undid the pearl buttons and tugged at the ends of the gloves were slow and careful, almost too slow.
"Give it to me. Let me do it."
Celeste tugged Dana's wrist toward her and pulled the gloves halfway off, then completely off.
They were expensive gloves, adorned with lace and crystals along the backs of her hands, and like the dress the Master had given her, they were too extravagant and undeserved for a maid.
Of course, the master's dress was more of a 'throwaway' than a gift, but either way, neither was suitable for her. Never.
"...Lady Liana must really care for you."
Celeste hid her true feelings with a modest smile, then folded the gloves neatly and put them back in the box.
"Hi, Willow...."
Dana finally scooped Willow up into her arms, the tiny puppy's sensitivity and wariness unmistakable.
Willow licked Dana's face like a puppy that would roll over on its belly if it were a human.
"So you're into ugly people like Whitman, too?"
Noah's comment made Dana giggle again. He had to force Willow away from her because it was about to eat her tiny face. After a long giggle, Dana's eyes suddenly flashed with concern.
"But...do you think I can... train her?"
"Don't worry. Willow is nothing like Whitman."
Whitman was Belvida's hound who barked at the sight of Dana.
"She’s pretty much trained already, all you have to do is play with her and make sure she's fed."
Dana nodded and rested her cheek against the white, soft fur. Celeste's eyes lingered on her for a long moment.
Why had Master Edwin sent the dog to Dana?
A master's dog was usually given to a maid ahead of time to tame and train. But as Noah had said, Willow was already perfectly trained in the basics.
Besides, she had heard that Lady Liana had a lot of pets, including dogs, cats, and parrots.
What was the urgency of sending a dog all the way to the Shore?
"The head maid said you can keep it like it’s yours. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Celeste's eyes narrowed even more at Noah's words.
Her uneasy suspicions were amplified as she remembered Master Theodore and Master Edwin arguing over a mere cup of tea.
The noble excuse of 'protecting a person of the house' was a good one, but the more she thought about it, the more strange it seemed.
And last night, Master Theodore had ordered her to find out if Dana was pregnant.
Master Hastings cared too much about a maid, a confrontation with his friend, and a pregnancy...
‘No, I don't think so….’
She pushed down the nagging suspicion.
'Master Edwin is not the sort of man to lay his hands on a maid, and she's not just a maid, she's a girl who might be his sister's handmaiden...'
Celeste reminded herself that this was what so many of the rumors in Peron's social circles were about.
Noah stood up, checking the time.
"...I should probably be going now, but thank you for taking the time to say hello."
He bowed to Celeste and gulped down the rest of the tea in his teacup in one swallow.
"Wow, how is this even cold? You made it really well."
Noah gave a thumbs up and Dana smiled broadly.
Celeste's eyes sharpened again, like an investigator's, and she faked a cheerful voice, wiping away any suspicion that might have been on her face.
"How long is Mr. Miller going to be here, anyway?"
Noah's pupils flickered from Dana to Celeste and back again.
"Well, as of right now, I'd say about three more days."
"Only three days?"
Celeste sneaked a look at Dana's complexion. As expected, there was a hint of disappointment.
If it wasn't Master Edwin, then perhaps this man?
"Nicaea is settling in better than I expected."
"Why don't you stay here for a few more days, regardless of Nicaea? Dana's training will be over soon anyway, and you can stay with her and then go back to Belvida together."
Noah paused at the unexpected suggestion. He blinked a few times, then smiled softly at Celeste.
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can do that."
"Why?"
"I'm behind on work. As soon as I'm done here, I've got a business trip to Baldurport Harbor, and since I've only been a tamer for a short time, things have piled up. And I have a lot to learn."
"Ah, I see."
Noah pushed his chair back and stood up.
"I'll be going, then."
Noah smiled casually and walked to the door. Dana scrambled to her feet and waved at him.
Celeste spoke up, her tone testing.
"Go see him off, Dana, he might leave tomorrow."
As expected, Dana's eyes narrowed.
"But... Can I?"
"You weren't planning on studying in the morning anyway, and I'm sure you'll feel better seeing an old friend, so go talk to him."
Noah didn't take no for an answer. A smile spread across their faces as they turned to face each other.
"...Thank you!"
Dana hastily tied her hair back into a bun and walked over to Noah. Noah took off his hat and returned the favor.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
They walked out of the study.
Noah looked down at Dana, as he had done the entire time, and said something that made Dana burst out laughing.
A young man with a strong build, and a petite woman who was barely touching his chest.
Celeste's eyes were strained on the two’s retreating backs.
****
Dana led Noah around the perimeter of the lake. She pointed out the scenery that had made her so awestruck: reeds and willows swaying in the breeze, the Cologne Mountains faintly visible in the distance through low clouds.
Noah nodded wordlessly and walked alongside Dana. When they were out of breath, Dana stopped at a clearing with a flat stone.
"Do you want to sit down for a minute? I saw a turtle 'this big' out here."
Dana smiled and held out her palm. Unlike her, Noah had lost most of his smile from earlier.
"Why...?"
Dana stiffened slightly, noticing the change in his expression.
"Now tell me. What's going on."
Dana knew immediately what he meant. She'd cried as soon as she'd met Noah, unable to control her emotions.
"...The maids, right?"
The question caught her off guard.
"No, really."
Dana shook her head vigorously.
"I never had time to talk to the maids here. We never worked together, we ate at different times, and I had my own room, so I never got to meet them. I swear."
"...."
"You've met her, Celeste, and she's a nice person, if nothing else, she's not the kind of person that would not allow harassment. Never.”
Noah's hardened eyes softened a little at that point.
"Yeah, she seemed okay. Surprisingly."
Even so, he couldn't quite get rid of his grimace.
"Everyone was so worried about Theodore Macmilan... He... I didn’t think he'd ever come into direct conflict with you."
Dana curled the corners of her mouth to hide her hardening face.
"The head maid said I was homesick, and she was right, I've never been away from Belvida this long."
Perhaps if Noah had come a few days earlier, she would have confided in him about what had happened and asked for help, whether he was worried or not.
But things were different.
Dana had told a very white lie, and things had gotten out of hand. Her head was filled with thoughts that she shouldn't have gotten Noah involved.
"Really, Maid Rosi cried the last time she came with Master Edwin, and there was no reason for it then."
Any doubt that might have lingered in Noah's mind had to be eradicated.
"I never thought Master Edwin would care so much for me, and neither did Lady Liana. I guess I'm just getting too much love from everyone."
The words were added lightly to reassure Noah, but strangely enough, instead of brightening, his face darkened.
....What did she do wrong?
Dana panicked and thought back over her words.
Noah's gaze, unreadable as fog, lingered on her face for a long moment. The unfamiliar gaze made her feel strange.
"Dana."
The man's jet-black hair swayed in the breeze, and the dark brown eyes beneath it deepened in color.
"...Huh?"
It was awkward. Dana averted her gaze, not knowing what to do,
"...You look so much like her. With Diggie."
Noah mumbled out loud.
"Diggie?"
"Ferguson's youngest daughter."
Ferguson? Who was that? (The pig)
"Oh...!"
Dana realized a beat too late.
"What the hell."
The corners of her mouth curled up as color flashed across her blank face.
"Ferguson's had a litter, finally!"
"Yeah, and one that looks like you. Hence the name 'Diggie'."
Dana giggled.
"You'll be the only one. You're the only girl I know who likes a pig so much even though she looks like one."
Grumbling, Noah pushed down the hat Dana had placed on her head from the sun. Then he turned his attention to the water.
The wind rustled the water grass and brushed his face once more. It was a lonely and dreary breeze.
***
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