The next morning began like anything other day and as usual the mansion had visitors in and out who visited the Valerian Lord with work.
Katie was in the kitchen helping Mrs. Hicks in mixing the dough to prepare meal for the guests who were going to arrive later to join the Lord for lunch.
Lord Alexander and Elliot had gone for a small hunt in the deep forest. The last time they had been out hunting they had got a beautiful deer and it made Katie wonder what they would be getting back this time.
The dead animal’s sight had pained her but she didn’t speak about it knowing this was how the vampires lived their lives. If it wasn’t the animals then it would be the humans. After all it was the life cycle of the world now.
“I’ll be going to the storage room,” Mrs. Hicks informed them, “Once you’re done with the dough I want you to boil these vegetables in the pot and dry them up before frying them,” the old woman said to Katie and Fay who sat there mixing the dough’s in a large vessel.
“I am almost done,” Katie replied with a grin on her face.
“You started mixing it up early,” Fay protested. They had decided on a bet on who would complete the task first and Katie had won.
“Reasons reasons. I have won fair and now you’ll have to work in my place for half the day,” Katie laughed, going to where the vegetables that were sliced and diced neatly while Fay slumped in defeat dreading the extra work she had to do.
“Anyway what are you going to do taking the day off?” Fay questioned her.
“Actually it’s just a few hours and won’t have to work the entire half day. I wanted to visit the town next week,” she replied making the woman tilt her head.
“Why not ask Martin for the day off? I doubt he would say no to it after all the Lord is lenient when it comes to you,” Fay commented, Katie was going to protest but Fay continued, “Lord Alexander is stern and inflexible when it comes to any of the workers breaking the rules or having hard time following orders.”
“He was scary last night,” Katie murmured to herself remembering the cold eyes that stared at her when she had only stepped out of the carriage at night.
“Previously there have been incidents with severe punishments in the mansion and I can only advice you to be careful and not get into any troublesome situation,” Fay said making Katie frown.
“What do you mean?”
Picking up the bowl Fay placed it on the slab before looking around to see if anyone was there, “There was a time when a maid tried to destroy the rose plant in the garden.”
“I heard about it. The girl was punished and was asked to leave the mansion,” Katie said but Fay shook her head.
“The girl was punished but she wasn’t asked to leave the mansion because she was beheaded in the dungeon by the Lord himself. I don’t know the details of why and what but this is what I know. Life is beautiful here if you follow things, else it can turn to a nightmare,” Fay said as Katie stood still in her place listening to the woman next to her, “No one knows why the Lord treasurers that plant in particular so much but none of us go near it. It was quite a shock to most of us to see the roses in the vases again.”
Katie didn’t know what to say but she felt goosebumps form over her skin after hearing what Fay had to say. Wasn’t death over a plant a little extreme? She gulped thinking about it. Surely there must have been more to what happened and what people knew, she thought to herself.
Lord Alexander himself had said that he didn’t mind her cutting roses from the bush, maybe he trusted that she wouldn’t do any harm to it.
“You are here in one piece so definitely he is lenient when it comes to you, after all you aren’t a permanent maid here,” Fay said as two men entered the kitchen carrying a large vessel of fresh and clean meat in it.
“Guess Lord Alexander and the others are back from hunting,” Katie said going back to stir the vegetables inside and adding two logs to the already burning fire.
When it came to lunch to be served in the dinning room, Katie along with other two maids began serving one buy one. One of the guests they had was none other than Lady Caroline who had come along with her father and brother. The other guests included the grand duke and his wife who belonged to the next land of their empire.
They spoke about providing smoother roads to connect the adjacent cities and the towns development. Caroline sat there pretty like a doll pipping in questions once in a while.
Neither Katie nor Lord Alexander had interacted after what happened the previous night. Frankly Katie didn’t know how to face him. If it weren’t for the butler’s interruption, Lord Alexander would have- no no, she had chastised herself for being so full of herself. The man loved teasing her but she doubted he would have kissed her.
Even though they stood there one breath apart she was sure that Lord Alexander was only playing her to get a reaction, especially when he left the room with one corner of his lips turned slightly upwards.
The thought of him noticing her had made her happy but Lord Alexander was a lady killer like her friend Annabelle had stated. Women flocked and fought for his attention and one of the live example right now was Lady Caroline.
Katie was occupied with her thoughts when she went to serve Lady Caroline’s brother who by chance happened to turn to get up when she was about to serve him which ended up in her spilling the gravy right over his shoe.
Realizing what she had done her eyes went wide with fear.
“Ah my shoe…” the man exclaimed dully looking at his leather shoe.
“I-I am so sorry,” Katie apologized in a panic and saw Martin’s face across the room who had his lips pressed together. Previously she had saved herself from spilling the drink on the table but now had really done it.
“What are you doing standing there instead of cleaning the mess,” Caroline commented with an annoyed expression. In the moment of panic filled mind Katie picked the napkin that was laid on the table to bend down but the man took a step back.
“That’s alright, I should have been watchful. And I am capable of cleaning my own shoe, dear sister,” the man spoke in a calm voice not giving it much thought and turned towards the butler, “If you could show me the way to the washroom it would be quite a help.”
“Miss Welcher,” Martin called and this time alert as a clock Katie lead the way out of the dinning hall with the man.
The head butler called a maid to clean the spilt food over the floor which was cleaned in few seconds.
“Your maid looks to be inexperienced and useless right now my Lord. Slow in serving and thought process. Why not send her over to our mansion,” Lady Caroline’s father spoke to Alexander as he had his meal, “We’ll be more than happy to discipline them. I’m sure she will learn more than that and be useful to you,” he said putting the meat in his big mouth.
