Night of Eden 43

 Chapter 43

***

"Really? The maids at the Shore really do that, giggle loudly while talking about their Master?"

"Yes."

"And they don't get in trouble for it, and Ms. Celeste lets them get away with it?"

Dana nodded, and she could hear a few intakes of breath here and there. Fearful that the murmuring would die down, someone else spoke up.

"How's the food? I hear the stew there is amazing."

Before Dana could respond, someone else interjected.

"Yeah, the Macmilans have their own chef for their own use, and they have servants who can't stand the food."

"How do you know that?"

"You know, the maids from the Shore. They told me."

"Ah...."

Dana smirked at the thought of maids who were so selfish and self-serving.

"What about the men? Are they handsome?"

"Hey, why would you ask that?"

“Why not?"

Leah pouted, then looked back at Dana.

"They said the huntsman there was so handsome."

By huntsman, she meant Tilly Bryson.

Was he handsome?

Dana narrowed her brow as she pictured a big, bear-like face.

Just then, Betsy leaned forward.

"And what was Ms. Celeste like? Was she really so elegant and graceful that she was called 'more like your lady than a real lady'?"

Dana's mouth dropped open slightly.

"Is that what they said?"

"Yes. She has a cult following in Peron. The little queen of the Macmilans."

"...The Queen?"

The maids' eyes snapped back to Dana, who had been talking amongst themselves.

"Are you sure? You think she's a little queen?"

Dana had to take a breath as their faces lit up with anticipation. 

"Well... To my eyes... Ms. Celeste... Uh... I mean, she has an elegant, aristocratic side to her... but she’s not exactly the queenly type...."

"Awww, it’s so cute!"

Dana failed to finish her sentence again at the sudden exclamation. One of the maids, who had just finished her work, had spotted Willow.

"It’s really cute, isn't it?"

"Yes, so cute. It has a fluffy name, too. I love it...."

"Look at those paws!"

"And what about her ears!"

The maids flocked to Willow, squealing and screaming. Amidst all the excitement, only Leah sneaked over to Dana.

"You know what...."

Leah's eyes had a gleeful glint in them as she opened her mouth cautiously.

She'd always been interested in the opposite sex, and whenever she talked about men, she made that face.

"...How was Master Theodore?"

Dana's smile quickly vanished from her face.

It had been two days since her return to Belvida, and even though everything was fading like a dream, the mere mention of his name still made her feel like all the blood was draining out of her veins.

"That's right, Master Theodore!"

Someone shouted, clinging to them. One by one, the maids who had surrounded Willow began to return.

Dana had to take a step back, wiping her dry lips with her tongue, unable to control her expression.

"But what chance does she have of running into the Master, I doubt she's seen much of him."

"Still, if she's been following Ms. Celeste around, don't you think she might have run into him once or twice?"

"Yes. She was fitting Lady Liana's clothes the other day, and I'm sure she saw him then."

"Yes," Dana replied in a low voice, trying to put on a nonchalant face.

"What was he like? Was he really that handsome, like he wasn't of this world?"

Moments of her encounters with him flashed through her mind.

"I heard he had such pretty eyes, like peridot."

No, his eyes were not pure green. They were more of an odd turquoise color, and when he was angry, they turned a frosty blue.

"His skin is amazing, too. It's so smooth and white, like porcelain."

Yes, he had fair skin for a man.

The maids used to wonder how a man who rode horses outside all day could have such clear skin.

"But the last time I was in the general store, I heard he had a very nasty temper."

Not just nasty, but 'ruined'.

Dana wonder what their faces would look like if she told them about the things he had done to her.

"I... I don't... I don't know him."

Dana stammered. Leah's face, which had been sparkling with anticipation, faded into regret.

"See. I'm right."

"I mean, how could you not know after almost a month?"

"We hardly ever see Master Edwin's face either, and sometimes he can be gone for months, let alone a month."

"Well, even if he were right in front of you, you wouldn't be able to look him in the eye."

The maids nodded yes, yes, yes, in unison.

"Anyway, it would have been nice. The dresses, the tea blending, the things that girls like us dare to dream of?"

Dana had to admit, it was.

Except for one thing, her time at the Shore was an experience she'd remember for the rest of her life.

"But where the hell is that dress?"

"The dress?"

"You know, Rosaline Tiso's dress."

"Yes. We're all expecting you to wear it for us at least once. And the gloves you were given by the lady."

She hadn't told anyone, but the rumors had already spread.

And Dana was beginning to feel more and more overwhelmed by it.

"...That... The head maid took them."

"What?"

Leah's eyes widened in disbelief, as did the other maid beside her.

"The head maid... took... that... why did she take it?"

"My training as a handmaiden has been interrupted, and my future has not yet been decided."

Dana replied calmly, the corners of her mouth deliberately curling up. Dana was relieved when the head maid made that decision. She hoped the dress would be forgotten about once and for all.

But contrary to her expectations, the maids frowned in unison.

"She’s a nasty maid, too. Why would she take something that doesn't belong to her?"

"That's right, it says in the rulebook, 'Servants don't tamper with each other's things.' She’s a servant, too, so why is she taking Dana's things?"

The others nodded in agreement, but only Bessie shook her head in frustration.

"Think about it, girls."

Her serious voice drew the maids' gazes together.

"Who knows what might happen if Dana left those expensive clothes here? Of course, none of us would touch another's things, but you never know what the human heart will do. Someone might get jealous of Dana and steal it or destroy it."

"Well... that's true."

The puzzled maids, starting with Leah, looked at each other and nodded.

"To be honest, Dana,"

Bessie suddenly wrapped her arm around Dana's shoulders.

"I think you'd better be careful for a while."

Bessie's eyes were dark with concern and worry.

"You've been the talk of Belvida for a while now, being chosen to be the lady's maid, if nothing else, and those of us who are here, including me, are as happy as I am, but I'm sure there are some who are jealous, especially the head maids."

Dana didn't know what to say, so she just listened.

"So I think you'd better be careful for a while. Is there anything more terrifying than jealousy?"

"Exactly."

Leah, parroting Bessie's words, spoke up again.

"I saw the head maids talking about Dana in the dining room earlier."

"Yeah, me too."

There was a lot of agreement, afraid to finish.

Bessie looked at Dana with a look that said, "Look at that.”

"Yeah... I'll be careful."

That was all she could think of to say. Bessie patted Dana on the shoulder and smiled softly.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling two o'clock. Sighs escaped the maids' lips as they realized they had to get back to work.

Dana quietly left the kitchen, leaving the grumbling and groaning behind.

Long grass fluttered on the windy hillside. The smell of grass and damp earth tickled her nostrils with each step.

Dana walked slowly to the top of the hill.

"Hello, Seyfried."

The old tree greeted her, unchanged.

Fingering the hard bark, she climbed straight up the tree.

The sun set over the horizon. The sky turned from gold to red to orange.

Looking down at the sea with the wind in her hair, it all seemed like a dream.

"Go back now.”

The Duchess's voice echoed in her ears, as harsh as the north wind.

Yes, it was over.

Dana didn't bat an eyelash or feel sorry for herself as she was hustled back to Belvida without being told why she had failed.

It was because of him, after all, that she was able to get back to work as if nothing had happened.

***

"I told Liana to take her time, her ailing father comes first, not her fiancé."

Smooth, wrinkle-free hands moved up and down, the sweet scent of freesia wafting in the breeze from the black fan.

"Countess Hastings wanted Liana to go to the Shore as soon as possible, but I said I wouldn't mind. I said a gentleman ought to be able to wait that long. Isn't that right?"

"Yes."

Theodore nodded in reply. As he and his mother sat together in the sunlight, their hair looked alike and yet so different.

"I'm worried, by the way. I fear that Count Hastings will not make it through the year, and Countess Hastings is already making arrangements."

Beyond the folding fan, Isabella's face darkened a little.

"I'm more worried about Liana than Countess Hastings. You know how horribly she loves her father, don't you?"

She muttered something rueful, but then her lips curled into a smile.

"I love that about Liana, she always puts her family first."

Isabella set her teacup down and tilted her head back slightly. Two ashen-colored birds were flitting to and fro in the redbud tree next to her. Their wings flapped frantically, as if they were trying to mate.

Isabella's eyes followed the pair's trajectory, then turned back to her son.

"The Hastings are a venerable family, dating back to the Beringer dynasty. Few families have that kind of pedigree and history."

"..."

"Everyone worries that the odds are tipped too far in our favor, but I do not wish to prioritize wealth in choosing a mate for my son. Money is no substitute for pedigree."

"..."

The two birds sitting on the tree had flown off somewhere in the meantime. Their chirping ceased and silence descended.

Isabella's eyes flicked idly across the tea table. She paused at a small porcelain bowl. A smile tugged at her smooth face.

"This reminds me of your father."

Isabella lifted the lid and the pristine white sugar glistened.

"How old were you, eighteen?...because this white sugar was much more precious then than it is now."

A pair of wistful eyes roamed the air.

"One day, your father brought me a cake as a gift. It was so big he could barely lift it with both hands, and the next day the newspapers were all abuzz with gossip. It was said that the Duke of Macmilan had given his fiancée a cake as pure white as any in the empire."

She replaced the lid and turned to her son.

"Theodore."

Isabella called him, in her native accent. The tone was so serious that Theodore couldn't help but look her way.

"I don't want my son to have a cold, affectionless marriage, even if it is arranged, and in our world, the men usually courts first."

"..."

"I mean, I wish you'd be a little nicer to Liana. I heard you didn't write to her while you were at the Shore."

Theodore's eyes, once as hard as rock, flickered and turned downward.

"Speaking of which, I'm thinking of throwing Liana a little party as soon as she gets to Belvida. I discussed it with Countess Hastings before she came here, and she's quite pleased."

"..."

"I'm sure it will bring you two closer together, and it's a good thing, too, since the Continental Cup qualifiers will be held there soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Isabella turned to the servant across from her and gestured. The servant placed a piece of paper down before Theodore.

"Here's the invitation list. Check it out."

Theodore slowly lifted the paper. Then he put it back down-quickly enough for the servant to feel it.

"This is your first party with the two of you as hosts, and I expect you to lead it well. Liana's not exactly the life of the party, as you know, is she?"

"...."

"I wish I could help you myself, but I must return to Peron sooner or later, and having a maid like Celeste by your side would be perfect...."

She turned her porcelain-smooth face back to her son.

"...By the way, the maid child. From what Celeste says, she's a poor choice for a handmaiden, and I'm guessing young master Hastings feels she's a woman?"

Muttering to herself, Isabella burst into laughter. Theodore faced his mother without blinking an eye.

"At first, I was going to tell Countess Hastings right away. The heir to the family has taken a liking to a maid... It's not usually a serious matter, is it? But Celeste said she'd take care of it herself, that she wasn't sure, and that she was worried about causing unnecessary upset when the Countess got so much on her mind these days with her husband's care. Celeste had a point."

"...."

"Well, I'll pretend to ask Liana what she thinks, but I have no desire to have that troublemaker around. If Celeste wants to throw it away, she asked for it, so let her."

Having spoken, Isabella tilted her head back and closed her eyes for a moment.

The languid afternoon sunlight fell softly on her face.

The two birds that had flown away returned and perched on a branch. Their chirping continued for a while in the silence.

When Isabella opened her eyes again, Theodore was staring out toward the lake.

"By the way, I have brought Helen DePia from Peron. Come with me tomorrow to hear her play the harp."

"...Yes."

Theodore replied, lifting his teacup to his mouth. The tea was too cold.

***

To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page 

https://ko-fi.com/doradora