Penny was fixing up the fireplace with some extra logs of woods as the cold had crept inside the room when someone knocked on the door. Leaving the log of wood on the floor, she went to the door and opened it.
“Is master Damien in here?” It was the butler.
“No, he went out for work,” she answered to notice a confusing expression fall on the butler’s face. Compared to Falcon who had always been calm and composed, this new butler appeared to always look as if he was ready to run if someone even coughed. She wondered if it was the Quinn’s that had him behave like this right now. She gave him a questioning look.
“None of the carriages has been taken out from the shed,” he waved his hand over his shoulder. Durik was sure that he had been on the ground floor and near the entrance the whole day since he last saw Master Damien.
Understanding what the butler was doubtful about, Penny said, “He must have gone by walk. He likes to walk sometimes,” Damien had apparated out of the room with his ability instead of wasting his time by making use of the carriage.
The butler nodded his head but he still wasn’t convinced with it. Did master Damien perhaps jump out of the window and not take the door? It was because he had been near the entrance getting a frame fixed on the wall while aligning it in the right direction which Lady Fleurance had bought home yesterday.
“Was there something you needed?” Her words had the butler to frown at the tone she used on him. Wasn’t this human a former slave? Just because she had been turned to a lady by the master the lady thought she could use that tone with him like he was some pesky housefly?
His mouth twisted slightly before opening his mouth, “Yes, milady. These letters came in for Master Damien an hour ago,” he handed them out to her. He stared at the girl, her green eyes feeling unique as he had never seen this bright, sparkling eyes.
He saw her shuffled the letters in her hand before looking back up at him, “I will make sure he reads them,” seeing the butler not move from where he stood, she asked, “Is there anything else?”
He still couldn’t believe that this human was ordering and questioning him. In his mind, he glared at her. Surely she was younger than him and he demanded respect until it came to his notice on who she was. She was Master Damien’s woman. The gear in his mind started to change, talking to himself.
Penelope, on the other hand, found the butler thinking to himself. She wondered if this was how Damien found her having conversations in her mind. She turned her face a little, looking at the still and raised her hand to snap in front of his face which had him suddenly shake his head.
“Are you alright?” the lady asked him, a small frown on her face.
With the mere three words, the butler’s seniority in age or possible status melted down like a butter placed under the sun. It had been some days since he had started to work here but not knowing anyone and having no time to get acquainted with anyone, life had been lonely for Durik. Butlers often weren’t allowed to make friends, they were the lonely people of the mansion, at least that is what he had concluded.
No one had asked him how he was doing in this ghost mansion. He couldn’t share his thoughts with his fellow workers in the mansion. And when he had shared his thoughts on wanting to leave the mansion he had been threatened to be thrown into the sea and was called a sunflower.
This lady asked him without him having to tell his woes, “Milady, may I speak?”
Penelope nodded her head wondering what the butler had on his mind. His demeanor reminded her of a puppy that had been scolded. He opened his mouth and then closed before opening it again, clearing his throat he asked her,
“Milady, do you believe in ghosts?” she was not a vampire but a human, a kind he once belonged to.
“Why do you ask?” she asked him. Ghosts?
His voice dropped low and he said in a whisper in fear that the ghost would hear what he had to say, “I think this mansion is haunted.”
“Really?” Penny questioned him to have the butler nod his head immediately.
“I saw it twice?” he raised his hands, showing two fingers to emphasize his point.
“Twice?” she repeated and the butler nodded his head.
He looked at her anxiously, “I don’t think I can work here. With the ghosts and in this big mansion,” Penelope gave it some thought, to say,
“With the number of people who might have been thrown in the sea and would have died, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise if one or more of them were spotted walking in here.”
Hearing this, Durik’s eyes turned wide in horror, “It is true?” did it mean he wasn’t hallucinating and was the only person able to see them? “Milady,” he bowed his head, “Please, I appeal for you to talk to Master Damien so that I can be moved from here and the mansion can have a new butler in my place. I cannot sleep at night and have been seeing things lately. I don’t think the pureblooded vampire family is for me.”
Understanding where the butler was coming from, Penny suggested, “You should speak to him directly then.”
The butler bowed his head again, “I did, milady but Master Damien refused. When I asked him to let me go while I speak to the local magistrate about my replacement he said I would be swimming with the fishes in the sea.”
Penelope smiled hearing this, “Then I hope you enjoy your stay for the rest of the years here, Mr. Butler.”
The butler shook his head, “Please, milady, help me. Is there no way to escape?”
Deciding to share some of her thoughts, she said, “I once thought about escaping from here too,” the man gave his full attention, waiting for the end result of what might have happened, “But the plans didn’t stay long especially when you think there would be people who would hunt and bring you back here if you escaped,” she gave him another smile at the end of it.
Did that mean he was stuck here for life?!
