“Ellen.”

At the maid’s beckoning, the woman with bright golden hair who had been waiting behind him stepped forward.

“Yes.”

“You said the East Pavilion is short-handed. Take this girl there.”

“Yes.”

The maid turned to Belviana with a more relaxed demeanor.

“Follow her. I’ll call for you often if I need you, and then you can help me.”

“I will, I will, thank you very much.”

Belviana hurried away in disbelief and repeated her thanks to the maid. Ellen tugged on her arm and led her to a side room. The door opened to reveal a number of wooden crates, piled high with shirts, aprons, towels, and other white fabrics. With a quick glance, Ellen found several sets of clothes and piled them high on Belviana’s arm.

“Pick them up and follow me. Don’t forget your bag.”

Belviana hobbled back to the maid’s room and grabbed her bag. Ellen pushed her way through the familiar throng of women waiting their turn in the hallway and headed for the center staircase. With the bundle of clothes she was carrying blocking her vision, Belviana found it difficult to walk as fast as he did. She panted and barely kept up with him. The stairs were rather steep, but she had gotten used to them by running in and out of Aiden’s room. Ellen opened the door to a room tucked away in the corner.

“There’s two of us to a room, so you can share this one with me. Do you remember the stairs we came up earlier?”

“Yeah. I remember.”

“Get changed and come downstairs right away. Hurry.”

Ellen pushed Belviana into the room and bustled away. She dropped her clothes on the bed with a toss, then slowly looked around the room. The iron bed and simple wooden chest of drawers were pristine, with no signs of human use. Being here, it was as if time hadn’t passed at all since that day eight years ago. Everything was the same as in Aiden’s room, only newer: the shape of the bed, the curtains, and even the construction of each piece of furniture.

Belviana remembered him like a stuck breath. Despite her resolve from the moment she’d first set foot in the mansion, the memories came rushing back. Like, for example, the sight of this neatly made bed. It was an overly courtly sentiment, but once she was alone, it was hard to ignore. Belviana gripped the desk with awkward hands. She was finally back. To the place that had once been her whole life.

* * *

She’d always known the Lester manor to be spacious, but it meant and felt completely different when she was an employee and when she was a servant. The hundred rooms, with their silk wallpaper, curtains, and antique furniture, had long been a source of pride for Belviana, but now that she had to care for them all, they were just a headache. The rooms had been neglected for so long that they were generally in disrepair, especially the second floor of the east wing, which was a complete mess of dust, leaves, rain-soaked wallpaper, and chipped marble floors where someone had forgotten to leave the windows open.

Belviana was up at the crack of dawn, running from room to room, scrubbing the neglected fireplaces and floors to a shine. After such a hectic morning, the afternoon was spent moving, filling, and organizing all the furniture that was being delivered. The meals were fabulous, comparable to the convent, but they were too busy to savor the flavors, and the maids would take turns running around the large mansion as new deliveries were made. The work went on nonstop until 10 p.m., when they collapsed into bed in a faint.

With red, bloodshot eyes, Belviana poured herself a generous cup of coffee with heavy whipped cream and sugar, as if she couldn’t survive without it. The maid’s work was hard, and to her despair, the west corridor was off-limits. Planks of wood and half-broken furniture littered the hallways between the east and west wings, and she couldn’t calculate how much longer she would have to endure this before she could reach her room in the west wing.

“Scarlett. Please tie your witchy broomstick hair up. Doesn’t it bother you?”

Ellen grumbled, pulling another teacup from the cupboard. When Belviana shrugged, Ellen fumbled in her front pocket and pulled out a green ribbon. Her frizzy black hair stung her eyes, so she took the ribbon coolly.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. No need for formalities since we’re both maids. It doesn’t seem like there’s much age difference between us anyway.”

Ellen stretched, her complexion visibly relieved of fatigue. It was his first leisurely morning in nearly ten days. She’d been busy until dawn these past few days, and it had only been yesterday that the maid had given her permission to come down in the afternoon. Ellen gave a long yawn and flopped down into a chair near the fireplace.

“She must be a very happy woman, by the way.”

“What?”

Belviana replied out of habit, filling the teacup Ellen had quickly emptied with more coffee.

“The master’s fiancée, you saw the goods that came yesterday, twenty pairs of shoes alone, all made by craftsmen who are said to be the best in the capital, the furniture shipped, all priceless, and that gorgeous dress she’s going to wear at the wedding…….”

The men of the most powerful families of the day were usually those who had been granted large estates for their services in the Revolutionary War, and the lesser politicians were merely well-timed rascals; but the fertile lands of the South, she now knew by hearsay, were reserved for those who had distinguished themselves in the highest degree, or who had given large sums of money to the government.

“…….”

“And what about that blue diamond necklace, the third one already? That’s enough to make even the most monstrous criminal husband fall for it.”

Monster or murderer. The young man who owned the mansion had been the subject of many scathing comments. The name Winston was far too unfamiliar for such a prestigious family in a foreign land, and it was unlikely that any of the townspeople would be loyal to a master they had never met. In times like these, those who amassed great fortunes were often those who skirted the edges of the law, such as drug traffickers and bootleggers.

Everyone at the manor scoffed at Mr. Winston’s origins, but grudgingly acknowledged his brilliance. He was already considered a key figure in the next government. At less than thirty years of age, it was an impossible task for a man of his skill.

The already hectic lives of the maids had just become twice as hectic after the rumored Mr. Winston had ordered that the room for his fiancée be furnished to the highest standards. The finest goods began to pour into the mansion from all over the continent and beyond. Lace, curtains, tables, light bulbs, dining tables, silks, dresses to fill wardrobes and closets……. All were of the finest quality, handmade by artisans, and all were gorgeous and expensive. Just like the things she had enjoyed as a young countess.

“Ah, they say they’re starting on the west wing next week. I thought it was almost finished.”

“Next week? Who said that?”

“The maid. Now we’re just going to die again…….”

Belviana moistened her lips with cold coffee and leaned back lazily in her chair. It was hard to calm her raging stomach with joy. If Ellen was right, repairs to the west wing would begin next week, the timbers blocking access would be removed, and the newly ordered furniture would arrive. Mr. Winston wouldn’t be back for another month, if he stayed on schedule, so that would be her golden opportunity. It was so close now. She only had about five days left.

But as if to betray all her expectations.

It was at dawn the very next day that the young master was suddenly summoned from the capital.

* * *

Early dawn.

The news had arrived that the carriage containing Mr. Winston had departed from Dietrich Station; and as a letter from the capital a few days before had assured him that he would not come down until the following month, the young master’s journey was so unusual as to be almost a journey. Thanks to the skillful handling of the butler, the news quickly spread throughout the manor, but unfortunately, it was faster for the black carriage to pass through the manor’s front gates than for the news to reach everyone.

Belviana was still in bed when Ellen, who had come up to the top floor in search of her, was utterly disgusted by the sight of her, barely out of the corner of his eye. She spoke no words, was barely dressed, and was dragged by Ellen’s domineering hand to the front of the mansion. Already lined up in front of her were all the cadets except for her, and she quickly made her way to the front of the line.

They didn’t have to wait long before they heard the sound of horses’ hooves. The first thing they saw over the hill was a light dusting of dirt. Six knights rode ahead of the black carriage on horseback, and soon a magnificent carriage came to a stop in front of them. The black carriage, decorated with gold trim all over, was as imposing as Mr. Winston’s authority.

When the carriage door opened and one of the man’s long legs stepped out, Belviana felt a strange sense of discomfort for a moment, but it was fleeting, and she was quickly relieved to put it down to her own nerves. She half-deliberately daydreamed about something else. Something about the latest shoe trends in the capital. But then a man stepped out of them completely.