Night of Eden 59

 Chapter 59

***

The head maid had rented out an entire room in the outbuilding. It was quite a distance from the main house, where temporary hires like chimney sweeps and carpenters stayed.

Dana slept there all day.

No one ever visited the outbuilding except the maid who brought her meals. Only one person ever bothered her, Tilly Bryson.

He knocked on her door several times a day.

He constantly asked if she was taking her medication, if she was sleeping well, if she was in any pain, and sometimes left her chocolate and candy. He'd leave books for her to read when she was bored and stationery for her to write when she felt up to it.

When he was gone, of course she thought of the man.

"Get the doctor.”

As the chilling voice echoed in her ears, a strange memory kept coming back to her.

When had it been? Probably when Dana was a tiny little thing walking around holding her grandfather's hand.

One day, she was alone with a large hound dog that was well over her height. She froze, unable to breathe, as the dog bared its teeth and growled ferociously.

Luckily, her grandfather, who had realized what was happening, came running up, chased the dog away, and scooped Dana into his arms. His heart was beating so fast and hard in her ears that she wondered if something was wrong with her grandfather.

After holding Dana for so long that she could barely breathe, her grandfather grunted and headed off into the street. In retrospect, she thought it was a farm where a dog had gotten off its leash and escaped.

When he found the dog's owner, he cursed every curse word in the book. Then he grabbed his opponent by the scruff of the neck and shook him until he said he was wrong.

Why that reminded her of Theodore Macmilan calling for a doctor.......

No, no, no.

Memories could be twisted to suit one's mood and create the most ridiculous illusions.

Dana shook her head vigorously to dismiss the strange thought.

By the third day of her confinement in the outbuilding, Dana had fully recovered.

The head maid had only allowed her to go out after making sure she was free of the rash, fever, and cough that the doctor had warned her about.

Being sick didn't change much. Belvida was still busy preparing for the party, and Coachman Tobias insisted that she should learn to ride as quickly as possible, so he dragged Dana to the practice grounds.

After riding, she practiced making tea in the kitchen.

She made salt tea for her fellow maids and took Willow for a walk. In the evenings, she helped in the kitchen scullery. From plucking and grooming the chickens and ducks to polishing the silverware, they were kept busy in anticipation of the party.

Late in the evening, Dana finally got a moment alone with the Lady. Not at the tea table, but in the bathroom.

***

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

Dana curled the corners of her mouth and rolled up her sleeves.

Liana clenched her jaw and studied her closely, the sight of her smooth, blemish-free skin bringing back the nausea of the day, but only for a moment.

The gray maid's uniform was also helping.

Dana's return to her normal maidenhood put Liana's mind at ease.

She was just a maid, mopping floors, so why did she feel that way? Liana smiled sheepishly and leaned back.

"Would you brush my hair?"

Dana picked up the brush and began slowly brushing her golden locks.

"You're pretty good at it."

"...Thank you."

Dana couldn't say more. The guilt was swelling like a snowball, not lessening with each passing moment.

Studying Dana's dark expression in the mirror, Liana suddenly laughed out loud.

"...It's because of the young master, isn't it?"

The gently gliding comb stopped. Dana puffed out her chest, barely able to keep from feeling suffocated.

“He treated it like an infectious disease so openly, I’m a little… surprised.”

Liana pouted, chin set against the tub.

"Celeste told me all about it. Brother Theodore was a little... rude to you."

Dana stood still, not knowing what to say.

"I hope you don't take it too much to heart."

Dana just wanted to plug her ears, her heart threatening to burst if she listened to any more of this woman's words.

"You see, the Macmilans are very different from our family. They can be selfish and self-centered, but there's a reason servants like Nordstrom and Celeste don't leave, don't you think?"

She could feel the Lady's watchful gaze through the mirror.

She must want to excuse her fiancé somehow.

"Yes, Miss. I'm fine, don't mind me."

Dana finally replied and continued to brush her hair, finding it hard to look the Lady in the eye.

"Yes, it makes me feel better to hear you say that. I'll make sure you don't run into him in the future."

There was nothing she could do.

"...Thank you."

That was all Dana could say.

It was the maid's job to anoint her master's body with oil and dress her after her bath. Dana served her master calmly, as she had been taught to do.

"Have you learned to massage, by any chance?"

"Yes."

"Then can you give me one?"

Liana, still in her robe, leaned back in the chair. Dana cushioned her back, then pressed her fingertips into her temples, then her crown, then the nape of her neck.

It wasn't long before Liana's body went limp and a gasp escaped her mouth.

"Oh my God, what did you do to me, that feels so good?"

"...Thank you."

Dana’s submissive attitude made Liana strangely amused. She felt refreshed, her jealous emotions fading away.

Liana thought back to the feelings and memories of running around with Dana.

Yeah, I really liked her.

She was easy to be around, like a friend, and she never got bored.

The relaxed feeling made her mouth move.

"Everyone tells me, how can I spend time with such a reclusive and arrogant man."

The hand pressed firmly against her scalp paused, startled. Liana, not noticing the oddity, smiled and continued.

"Yes, he's selfish and self-centered, but he's also damn beautiful and perfect. I like all of those things about him, every single one of them."

Her blue eyes took on a wistful gleam as she sketched out her fiancé's features.

"He's a natural, you know, the kind of guy who's always the center of attention."

"..."

"It's weird, isn't it? I've never been a fan of men who cling to me to death, much less men who write poetry or give me flowers. You know what makes me love even more?"

As she muttered, Liana's eyes narrowed, and a gleam of amusement appeared in them.

"He has no interest in any woman but me, and my mother and brother Edwin think very highly of that...."

For a moment, Dana became unbearable.

"Lady."

Liana's languidly closed eyes opened slightly at the harsh-sounding tone.

"Huh?"

A pain like a pounding pulse shot through Dana's head. Her parched lips twitched a few times.

Liana's eyes narrowed into circles as Dana continued to stammer.

"...Why, are you sick again?"

"Oh, no."

Dana shook her head.

"Nothing... Nothing."

Liana smiled softly, as if she were amused. Then she closed her eyes again.

The shadow of a tall tree in the lamp swayed precariously above their heads.

***

At dawn the next day, Dana quietly left the front gate. She took the stagecoach, not the servants' carriage, to avoid being seen.

As she sat on the hard wooden seats and rubbed shoulders with strangers, the urgency of finding a new home and leaving began to sink in.

The time to consider whether or not to leave had passed. Now that the Lady had returned, she had to find a new job as soon as possible.

The carriage drove around the corners of the town and finally arrived at the Ponoa Square.

Dana wasn't too nervous until she opened the door to the employment agency and stepped inside.

But as she gave her name to the boss, who didn't recognize her, and explained what had happened a few days earlier, her pulse began to race again.

"Oh, it's you!"

The boss adjusted his one-eyed glasses and flipped through his ledger. Then he stopped somewhere.

"Yes, here it is. Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster, Chad Lancaster, the husband, is a tax collector, and he's looking for a nanny. He's expecting a second child soon, and he's willing to pay you well if you can teach the first one to read."

As Dana mulled over the surprising word "nanny," the boss handed her a paper with a salary and specific terms.

"Can you make it to Dodge?"

Dodge.

A place she'd never been to, even though it was within the same empire...

A far, far away, unknown city that could only be reached by ship...

Dana's heart began to beat wildly.

***

"I really don't know who to sit where."

Liana sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"It would be so much easier if the Duchess were here."

"You're right. If it was our list, I could have done it on my own, but the Macmilans' list is....”

Stan glanced at Theodore and coughed in vain.

Theodore was looking elsewhere. Stan couldn't help but stiffen in the face of the man who had so blatantly turned his back on his fiancée. Liana continued as if she hadn't seen him.

"Sir Fallon and Sir Anthemere should be seated next to each other, but I understand that Sir Fallon will soon be receiving a new title from His Majesty the King, so what should we do? Should we seat Sir Fallon more senior?"

"...."

“Brother?"

Theodore's arm, on which he had been leaning his head, moved. Blink, blink, two blinks, and he straightened his posture and slowly opened his mouth.

"...sir Fallon."

"Ah, in that case, I suppose it's retroactive."

"No, not that."

Liana shook her head.

"Sir Fallon owns eleven percent of Pemburg. He's shown every intention of continuing to invest in my brother's business, so it's only right that he be given a seat at the table."

"Ah."

"Capital, not titles, is increasingly influential in social circles, and I'm sure my brother would agree."

Liana nodded and corrected the list.

"This is so much easier with young master helping me."

She smiled and flipped through the list.

"Now, next up... Julian Stenber... Stenberg?"

Liana squinted, looking down at the paper.

"Could this be Harman? I don't know how to read the name."

"Give it to me."

Theodore extended his arm toward the list. Liana leaned over to hand it to him.

At that moment, a familiar, faint scent rushed into Theodore's nostrils. Theodore's blood suddenly rushed to his ears.

"...What is that scent?"

Liana's face flushed red as she realized that her fiancé had smelled her.

"It's Dana's cologne. I thought it smelled so unique so I tried it."

Theodore felt a surge of concentrated heat shoot through his body, making his manhood harden painfully. Damn it, he swallowed a curse and forced himself to sit up.

Every nerve, every sense, imagined the woman not even in this room.

The image of her standing precariously, as if she were going to fall at any moment, the last time he saw her, flashed before his eyes.

A whirlwind of uncomfortable emotions had kept Theodore up until dawn this morning.

Liana noticed right away that his expression was less than pleased.

"You don’t like it, huh?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. She was smiling mischievously, but inside she was bitter with regret.

Why had she worn a perfume for maids? Not in front of anyone else, but this man who insisted on the finest of everything?

"If you don't like it, shall I wash up?"

"...No, it’s fine."

Theodore replied coldly and turned his attention back to the list.

"Julian, that's 'Julian Stenberg' in the Hamanese pronunciation."

He put the list down and turned to the window again.

The atmosphere grew terribly awkward. Liana chewed her lip, unsure what to do.

"Now... that's enough... Shall we get up? We were supposed to ride together to the Dandaluya Heights today."

She turned to Stan and held up her hand. Stan exchanged a curious glance with the young woman, then stood in front of Theodore.

"Shall I prepare the horses?"

Theodore nodded and rose to his feet. It was a moment of relief for Liana, who had been anxious that she might hear a no.

Throughout the ride, Theodore's manners were impeccable. He held Liana's hand as she got on and off the horse, and he kept up the pace without ever getting ahead of her. He offered her handkerchiefs and water at appropriate times and asked if she was having a hard time.

Still, Liana didn't feel good.

What was she supposed to say?

Soulless kindness?

It felt like he was putting on an act.

What was wrong with him?

She felt a tightness in her chest.

****

"Did you have a good time, Master?"

Tilly asked deliberately, even though the answer was obvious in Theodore’s expression. If he was going to carry out what he had planned for the moody lord, it was important that he pretend to know nothing.

Without answering, Theodore pulled off his gloves and tossed them onto the table. His tightly pressed lips and narrowed brow were full of discontent.

Tilly pretended not to see it and continued nonchalantly.

"You must be tired, so why don't you have a cup of tea?"

The correlation between 'tired' and 'cup of tea' was not very strong.

But right now, the master needed an excuse, and it was the assistant’s job to provide one.

"I know you don't like it, but the only one who can blend at Belvida is the girl, and she's finally feeling better, so I'll bring her over."

Tilly didn't wait for a response from his master before scurrying out the door.

He had plenty of excuses to avoid raising suspicion.

It was easy enough for Tilly to bring Dana Bordon to his Master's doorstep.

***

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