I bolted towards the servant’s stairs hidden behind the painting and almost hit Maud. She had a fear-stricken face, but her gaze softened a bit upon seeing me.
Was she waiting for me to return?
“A-are you okay?” She asked, skittish.
Her eyes looked up and down to see if I was well. I also saw her glance at my back to see if someone was following me.
I grabbed her black sleeve, dragged her with me within the confines of the secret stairs, and let out a deep breath I was keeping inside until I was sure to be safe behind the closed door.
I held myself up with the unfinished wall and searched her face, hoping to decipher what she was thinking. Frankly, I only saw fear, so I sighed softly. She must have had a good reason to be acting this way.
“Spill the beans, Maud. What’s gotten you so riled up suddenly?”
“I-I saw you go in t-there. T-the room. Usually, w-when people go near that r-room, they don’t come back,” she explained with a shaken voice.
“And you know this how? I mean, if no one leaves to tell the tale, what would make you say that?” I glared at her a bit.
I hoped that having a stern look might freak her out more, and she would be more likely to give me a suitable answer—not to mention possibly encourage her to keep her mouth shut if the head maid made inquiries.
Maud’s head tilted from side to side, hesitating, but finally said, “Do you recall your first roommate, Angela?”
I paused; I thought I remembered the girl but didn’t know her name. When I arrived at High Hill, I had maybe three roommates before they put me into a small room alone.
Every time I changed rooms, the girl I was with never returned. I assumed they placed me alone because I kept having night terrors, making me a lousy bunkmate.
I looked at Maud, and I could see her throat move like she had difficulties swallowing.
“She had blond hair,” she recalled, hoping to trigger my memory.
“Oh! Yeah, maybe. What about her?” I enquired.
“Well, the young lord asked her to meet with him after she serviced his floor, but she never returned to the servants’ corner afterwards.”
Maud’s eyes were fuller now, and she paled a bit. “I had a-asked about her the following days, but the head maid and housekeeper said that s-she had repaid her indenture and was free to leave. I’ve always wondered what h-happened. If she had indeed repaid her debt to Duke Kestrel and was to be set free, she would have m-mentioned it to me. We were best friends!” She said with her eyes darting anxiously.
“And last time a m-maid opened that door to clean inside, t-the lord grabbed her by her arm and dislocated her shoulder because of the force he used to prevent her from entering. Then two other girls went missing shortly after being taken to him.”
I raised my brow in surprise. Now, this was interesting—but frightening. What was Lord Alexander doing with those poor girls? I did feel metal and distinctly heard chains. The smell alone in that room would probably haunt my dreams for Faiths knew how long.
Maybe Lord Alexander was the sort of man who got off by torturing victims. He was the son of a very wealthy duke; this could be a possibility. I had heard that some noblemen had enough money to make even their most horrifying fantasies come true. What better way of wasting money than jerking off while looking at someone being whipped… or worse?
I rested a hand on Maud’s shoulder. I wanted her to know that I was fine and that she was also safe. She gave me a small lopsided smile, and I concluded she was now feeling better.
“Come on, we better tell the head maid that the lord has cancelled his singles mingles party.” I snickered as I grabbed Maud and tried to make her laugh a bit.
I still took the stairs two at a time, wanting nothing more than to get the hell away from that room and the man within.
The hairs on my neck never settled back down until I was locked and tucked safely away in my room that night.
The head maid had been giving me queer looks ever since the incident with the lord two weeks prior. They had not punished me for anything because neither Maud nor Lord Alexander said anything about it to her. Still, she kept giving me weird side glances every time she saw me. Luckily, they asked me to report on Lady Lucia’s floor these last few weeks. I enjoyed working for her. She was Duke Kestrel’s wife. A sweet lady with a playful side. She made me think she wasn’t born into nobility. She had a very laissez-faire attitude about many things—something no respectable noblewoman would have. While I waited for her, she would often talk about her youth and all the mischief she would get into. I adored working in her quarters. It was just so much simpler. Lady Lucia never reprimanded me and always asked how I was in the morning. She would even let me stay with her while she had tea and read her poetry books aloud, so I, too, may enjoy it while cleaning and polishing chandeliers. I fe
I could still feel Lord Alexander’s burning gaze on me while his mother made small talk before sitting in her chair.I stayed even though I felt a bit out of place when they didn't dismiss me right away. The conversation they were having made me feel uneasy.“Could you please reason with that man, Mother?” Said Alexander.The young lord was resting on the edge of his seat. He hunched over with both his elbows lying on his muscular thighs. His demeanour was severe but almost desperate, and I noticed Alexander still kept eyeing in my direction. Maybe he didn’t like that I was forced to stay and listen to their conversation.I made an “ahum” sound in my throat and hoped that his mother heard me, but she continued her conversation regardless that I was in the room.“You know I cannot change his mind, my love. He’s a stubborn man, your father, and he only wants you to find someone and settle down. You’re the heir to High Hill; you should have been married a long time ago,” she replied; her
Alexander’s still dark gray eyes stared at me, analyzing my expression. Was he waiting for an answer? He inched closer. He smelled like the forest—a mix of pine, spruce, and earth that made me long for my missing freedom. I was convinced that smelling like this was not natural. However, his scent was intoxicating, and I knew I needed to tread carefully about the reaction my body was giving him. I kept eyeing his lips, imagining what they felt like. They looked so soft. I could see myself wrapping my hands behind his head, curling my fingers in his dark unruly hair while tasting his mouth, teasing him with my tongue, and nipping his full lower lip. My legs clenched at the sudden heat I felt down in my belly, and I became hyperaware that I was not acting like myself. I saw Alexander stiffen. I hoped he didn’t notice what he was doing to me. I was so ashamed by the wetness that overcame me I could hardly look at him when I replied, “I’m sorry, milord, but I’m afraid you will have to
I followed the footboy to the fourth floor. He hadn’t used the servant’s stairs; Instead, the boy had beckoned me to follow him through a new section of the estate I had never seen before and ushered me into a small-looking broom closet. An oil lamp was lit, and I noticed a bare tiled floor and wooden walls instead of brooms and cleaning supplies. He effortlessly slid close the door and pulled down a lever. I had a weird sensation that gravity was pulling me toward the ground. However, I soon realized that it was because we were going up. I didn’t know this estate had elevators—they were relatively new. I waited patiently behind my guide. The boy had soft brown baby hair curling around his ears. He must not have been over ten years old. He was wearing a black vest with a white dress shirt tucked into navy-blue pants with one white line following the outside seam of the leg. I had so many questions I wanted answers to, but when I opened my mouth to ask them, the boy let go of the
My eyes flew open, and my arms grabbed each side of the tub to sit upright. I brought my thighs toward my stomach, hoping to hide my nakedness. Water splashed everywhere, and nothing in my movements was graceful. I glared up at my uninvited guest. How dare he come in without announcing himself? Alexander had his left shoulder pressed on the bathroom door frame, a sly smirk on his godlike face that I momentarily hated. Both his hands were in his front pockets. He looked amused as my cheeks flushed with shame… and maybe want. Faiths, I really wanted him, but I also wanted to punch him! “Oh, don’t stop on my account; I was really enjoying this! Do make it a habit.” He winked. His eyes were still black. I thought I had imagined them ever being gray. Whenever I saw Alexander, I thought I saw their pale gray colour, but they seemed to darken unexplainably when he suddenly noticed me. I hugged my knees to my chest, looking at him, trying to pull the most infuriating, scolding, death st
I woke up early to a soft knock on my door. The sun was not up yet, but I could see the faint tell-tall sign that it would rise soon through the window. I pulled myself out of the blankets and padded toward the door. I was surprised to see Leo. The small boy smiled shyly and held out a tray with breakfast food and hot drinks. “May I come in?” “Of course!” I gestured him in, and he wobbled to the small table in the room. The tray was clearly heavy and way too oversized for his small arms. “I thought you might be hungry, so I went in the kitchen and fixed this up for you,” he scrunched his nose a bit. “I didn’t know if you liked tea or coffee, so I brought both.” That was thoughtful of the little man. He was already dressed and ready for the day. I eyed him silently, taking him in. It occurred to me I didn’t even know what kind of work he did for Alexander. “What exactly do you do here?” I asked while taking the teapot from the tray and pouring some into a cup. I would pour some
It had been days since I last saw Xander. To be honest, I had desperately been avoiding him. Sometimes at night, I would wake up completely drenched in sweat, and I would have this inexplicable desire to open the adjourning door to Xander’s chamber and ravage him. These sudden urges were frightening enough to force me into staying inside my room with both doors bolted, and a chair was always wedged under the handle. I didn’t feel like myself at all. I almost didn’t dare open the door to get the food Leo brought me every morning. I only did it when I was highly famished. “Xander should be the one locking himself up when I go crazy. This is stupid; I could just unlock everything and hunt him down...” I told myself frustratingly. I did feel slightly better whenever Xander left for work in the morning, and I found myself alone on the floor. I felt like I could breathe again and found some remnants of my previous self. Calling Xander by his preferred name still felt foreign in my min
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