Night of Eden 50

 Chapter 50

***

"Oh my God, there you are! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, it was impossible not to keep running into the head maid.

Dana squeezed her eyes shut and opened them once, then turned her head.

"...What...is...going on?"

"I've got some good news! I just got word from the Shore, and the Duchess wants you to continue your handmaiden training!"

Dana gripped the handle of the teapot and stiffened.

What?

Really?

Behind her, she could hear the maids murmuring.

"I’m surprised. Did I hear it wrong?”

Dana blinked, shaking off the shock.

"But...she...she.. I thought she didn't like me... I thought...."

"Yeah, I thought so too... but then I realized...."

Rosi smiled.

"Well, there's a party soon, isn't there? The Duchess had originally intended to have Ms. Celeste at her side that day, but something came up and she couldn't make it."

"...."

"It's too late to get someone new, and Lady Liana is comfortable with you, so she thought she'd just give you another chance."

The maids murmured again.

Dana lowered her eyes and clamped her mouth shut.

Rosi saw a different reason for her lack of cheerfulness.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Dana. It’s a wonderful news."

She put a gentle hand on Dana's shoulder.

"I was worried about you myself. I was uncomfortable that I couldn't find a maid for the lady's house, and I didn't even know her... and now that you've been chosen again..."

Rosi sighed to herself, placing a hand on her chest.

"Anyway, it's good, it's really good."

Muttering, she spotted the teapot in Dana's hand a beat too late and her eyes widened.

"Oh my, you've been practicing blending, haven't you?"

Rosi’s face fell for a moment as she scanned the bowls of tea leaves.

"Dana, you can't... You didn't use up all those expensive tea leaves to practice, did you?"

Sharp eyes turned to the maids, who were gathered around a number of teacups.

"Oh, no."

Dana answered quickly.

"These aren't for serving, they're from the outbuilding's kitchen, and I've asked permission from the chef, who said they're old and can't be served to guests anyway, so I can have them."

"Yes, that's right, and if you have any doubts, you should go see the chef right now."

Leah interrupted. There was a hint of resentment in her tone.

Rosi’s cold eyes softened slightly. A little embarrassed, she coughed and picked up a random teacup.

"What's the point of using old tea leaves, anyway? What kind of practice is it?"

Rosi muttered and took a sip of tea. She swallowed hard, then took another sip without thinking.

Her eyes flickered, then slowly began to widen. The maids exchanged glances and giggled.

"Delicious, isn't it?"

Leah asked. Rosi looked into the tea without answering.

It was a pale milky color, so she was guessing it was just milk tea.......

Tsk, tsk, tsk, she swirled it around her mouth a few times and took another sip. She tilted her head again and looked at Dana.

"What the hell did you put in it?"

The maids giggled again. Dana waited for the giggles to die down before she spoke.

"I added some sugar and salt to the milk."

"Salt?"

Rosi repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, because sugar is not allowed in much of what we eat...."

"Yeah, that's it."

Rosi nodded and took another sip.

"But why isn't it salty?"

"Because I put a little bit in it, just a little bit."

Dana held her thumb and forefinger out to demonstrate. Rosi shook her head, still not understanding.

"How could you have thought of that? Salt in milk tea...."

"I'd seen the Chef do it once before, when he put a little sugar and salt in the fruit that had less sugar... and I tried it."

The unknown gaze lingered on Dana's face for a long moment.

"The maid often asks Dana to make it for her, too."

Leah interjected with another chuckle.

"We call it 'salt tea,' and it's like a magic potion."

"A magical... Potion?"

"Yeah, you drink a cup of it when you're tired and it's strangely energizing. I think we could sell it somewhere."

"Really?"

Rosi muttered and looked down at her teacup. It was already showing the bottom from when she'd finished it.

"They say it's addictive and once you taste it, you can't get enough of it."

"Yes, and the tea leaves are cheap, so it doesn't cost much."

The maids chuckled among themselves again.

"I think Dana would be good at anything, not just being a maid."

At any other time, Dana would have been embarrassed and at a loss for words. But she wasn't listening at all.

She would have to go through the handmaiden training again.

Her hands trembled with a sense of foreboding.

***

The next day, the Shore's servants were busy early in the morning.

Not because of their master, who had to stop in Belvida and then return to Peron, but because of Master Theodore.

He had decided yesterday to stay in Belvida with his mother, and the amount of luggage they had to pack had doubled.

For a family that had patronized artists for nearly a hundred years, the Macmilans were very particular about their grooming.

Master Theodore, in particular, had a keen sense of aesthetics and was always demanding new things.

Unlike Nordstrom, who was a member of the main household, Wimfred was merely a butler at the cottage, and every hour he spent helping the Master dress was a nerve-wracking moment.

Today was particularly bad.

Wimfred stared down at the rows of perfume bottles, pocket chaps, and cufflinks on the table. All of them had been rejected by the Master.

"Shall I bring you something else?"

Theodore stood before the mirror, arms crossed, without answering.

It was another scene that baffled Wimfred.

He had never been one to look in the mirror every chance he got, but for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off it.

....What’s wrong?

"Master."

There was a knock on the door, and Tilly entered, followed by a string of maids.

In each of their hands were beautifully wrapped boxes of chocolates. Wimfred's mouth dropped open as he stared at what must have been more than twenty boxes.

"Who eats all of that...."

"Lady Liana, of course."

Tilly whispered.

"Of course she doesn't mean to eat it all herself; she means to share it with her friends at a party, or to give it to her hardworking maids, or something like that."

"All the teeth of the women of Belvida must be rotting away."

The two giggled.

In the meantime, Theodore had finished dressing himself. Much to Wimfred's relief.

When they were ready, they all went to the entrance of the cottage.

As the maids were loading boxes of chocolates into the luggage carriage, the Duchess walked out.

"It's a beautiful day, and the foliage in Belvida must be spectacular right now."

Nordstrom opened the door for them to climb in.

Moments later, the Macmilan family's four-wheeled carriage, carrying the two, glided down the driveway of the villa.

The road offered an amazing view.

To the right was a grove of mature trees, and to the left, the vineyards were bathed in red from the harvest. As they followed the cool stream, Isabella marveled.

"I've heard it's almost a hundred acres all the way up to Maple Road," she said, "and now that I think about it, Belvida is huge. I think we could have an outdoor dinner in the gardens. We could line the porch with fallen leaves from the front door to the banquet hall, and decorate each table with wildflowers, and it would be like being in the woods."

Isabella's mind was racing with ideas for the party.

"I want it to have a gardening feel, in the style of the Duchy of Fitz's gardens. Oh, how beautiful it will be. It's a shame you can't make it because of the regatta."

Isabella shook her head.

The carriage began to slow down. They had entered the main gates of Belvida. Through the massive arched iron gates, the carriage turned onto a straight boulevard.

"But, Teddy... I looked at the invitation list that Liana sent... I'm a little disappointed and concerned."

Isabella waved her fan and muttered to herself.

"Why is Liana hanging out with the likes of Alexandra and Angie Miller? Rumor has it they’re not normal."

"...."

"I'm worried that Liana will be swayed by them. At the last literary salon... some... I think there was a bad word said about her. Someone called her a 'clueless princess' and said she looked like a bimbo."

She stopped fanning herself and looked out the window, her face grave.

"Well, I suppose I should take that kind of gossip with a grain of salt, but..."

Isabella paused.

She spotted a group of people lined up at the fountain roundabout across from the towering redwoods.

"Oh my, we're here already?"

Her laughter whistled past Theodore's ears like wind, his pupils darting frantically from person to person.

"Belvida is... It's... It's like a beautiful, elegant piece of classical art. Everything is constant, graceful, and mesmerizing. There's butter Stan over there, and…. Next to him is the head maid, and... Ah!"

Isabella's eyes widened.

"That's her. Dana Bordon, did I mention?"

She didn't need to point a finger. Theodore's eyes were already locked on her.

The side of the woman's back was sharply defined.

Small, cute earlobes and a smooth nape of the neck peeked out from beneath her neatly coiffed auburn hair.

Even though it shouldn't be, he caught a faint scent of the wildflowers that had driven him to madness last night.

Her head, which had been facing downward, lifted slightly upward.

The world faded away, revealing a beautiful feast of blue and gray. Beneath it all, a fine, upturned nose and full, pink lips meshed beautifully.

He felt dizzy with the memory of those full, soft lips, fully parted and tongues mixing.

Theodore's heart, which had been racing slightly earlier, lost its composure and began to beat wildly.

****

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