The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 33
< Chapter 33 >
‘Late again.’
Mabel sighed as she descended to the first-floor dining room.
It had been a week since William arrived at the villa. From the first morning, Mabel found herself robbed of the opportunity to prepare breakfast as William always had freshly baked bread and jam from the island’s bakery, along with rich coffee and tea of various kinds ready on the table to greet her, no matter how early she woke up.
At one end of the table, William, freshly showered with his damp hair elegantly combed, was reading the newspaper. It was a sight that Mabel encountered every day for the past week.
“Good morning.”
William glanced up from the newspaper and greeted her. His sleek jawline softened Mabel as she looked at him under the morning sunlight.
“When do you wake up to prepare all of this? Is there perhaps another maid hidden here in the villa that I’m not aware of?”
Mabel grumbled, blaming herself for being lazier than William. A grin crept onto William’s lips as he watched her.
“I’m planning to take a morning walk to the coastal hills today, care to join me? It’s a place I used to visit often when I was younger.”
William’s gaze lingered on Mabel’s delicate hands spreading butter on bread.
“Oh, the white cliffs you mentioned last time? Sounds lovely!”
Mabel happily responded, reaching for the teapot filled with tea.
As the awkwardness and nervousness of their morning meals faded away, the two quickly adapted to each other’s presence in the secluded villa on the deserted island.
For example, they always went for a morning walk together after breakfast. It started on the first morning when William arrived, and Mabel couldn’t sleep from excitement. After several days of coincidentally bumping into each other on separate morning walks and returning to the villa together, they started going out together, exploring a new part of the island every day.
Afterward, they would have lunch together, chatting over tea or reading books to each other. In the afternoon sunlight, William would exercise by horse riding or swimming, while Mabel would open the window of her room overlooking the sea and focus on writing.
“The owner of the bakery at the harbor thinks we’re a newlywed couple. He seems to like seeing us walking together every day.”
“Hmph.”
Mabel almost spat out the tea she was drinking at William’s muttered response while flipping through the newspaper. Seeing Mabel’s surprise, William chuckled again in a low voice. His laughter perfectly matched the aroma of the black coffee he made.
“It seems you’re enjoying teasing me this morning.”
Mabel retorted dryly as she wiped around the teacup. However, the flush on her cheeks couldn’t be concealed. In response to Mabel’s protest, William playfully narrowed his eyes and replied.
“Unfortunately, it seems so, Mrs. Edmundstone.”
* * *
Mabel’s determination to keep her distance from William had never been upheld since the first day. Instead, she had to admit that she greatly enjoyed spending time with William in what felt like a disconnected place from the world.
“Take my hand, Miss Mabel.”
William, who was a couple of steps ahead, reached out his hand towards Mabel, and she saw the cuff of his white shirt in front of her eyes. Struggling on the steep uphill path of the cliff, Mabel reluctantly reached out one hand for his assistance.
Contrary to the calm appearance of the beach waves, the wind grew stronger as they ascended higher. Mabel’s thin summer dress fluttered in the wind.
Before she could feel the warmth of William’s hand that she held onto, she felt her body being lifted effortlessly by him.
“Ah!”
Her momentary embarrassment held in his embrace vanished as soon as they reached the top of the hill, revealing the breathtaking view before her.
The sky and the sea were painted in an indistinguishable shade of blue, and the sparkling sunlight scattered over the clear sea, resembling numerous diamonds floating on the water.
Occasionally, they could hear the sound of waves crashing against the white cliffs below. Beyond the meadow on the hill, seabirds were leisurely learning to glide.
“Would you like to go to the end lookout?”
William’s gentle voice echoed in Mabel’s overwhelmed ears. As she looked at him, his dark brown hair was tousled by the wind. Suddenly, Mabel realized that his blue eyes gazing at her were as reminiscent of the sky as ever.
“You can feel the sea breeze better if we go to the edge of the cliff. It’s a place where people rarely come, so the birds won’t fly away. In my childhood, I used to stand there and imagine flying with the birds.”
William spoke affectionately. As Mabel imagined a little boy standing at the edge of the cliff with his arms wide open, surrendering to the wind, a smile unconsciously formed on her lips.
Holding William’s hand, Mabel headed towards the narrow edge of the cliff shaped like a pen tip. Indeed, the sea breeze intensified as William had said.
“I-I want to look down, but I’m afraid the wind might blow me off the cliff.”
Mabel said hesitantly, swaying her body. She watched the seabirds soaring freely in the sea breeze with envy.
“Don’t worry, I’ll hold onto you.”
At his words, Mabel turned to William. Seeing his trustworthy gaze and the broad, sturdy shoulders that effortlessly carried her earlier, she felt courageous.
Mabel cautiously reached the edge of the cliff, knowing that one wrong step could send her falling into the sea below. Yet, if she shifted her weight backward, she feared she might tumble down the steep curve of the hill behind her.
Then, Mabel felt the warmth of William’s body behind her. His hand gently touched her waist, supporting her unsteady body. A tingling sensation spread from where William’s hand touched, coursing down her spine. The strong scent emanating from him enveloped her entire body.
“There’s nothing to fear. Trust me.”
His gentle voice, in contrast to the strong wind, echoed in Mabel’s ears. Slowly, she straightened her back. Strangely, as she stretched, she felt less resistance from the sea breeze.
“Oops!”
In an instant, Mabel screamed as she lost her balance and stumbled backward.
“I’m going to fall backward!
It was a moment when she anticipated tumbling down the hill and squeezed her eyes shut. Just as she was about to fall, she felt something firm behind her. William swiftly wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her against his chest.
Mabel leaned fully into William’s body, pressing against his thin shirt. Her startled heart raced wildly.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
As William’s calm voice came from above her head, she felt the vibrations created by his voice resonating against her back, pressed closely to his body. Leaning into him, she no longer saw the edge of the cliff beneath her feet; it felt as if she were floating in the sky.
Then, a light pressure from William’s hand wrapped around her waist.
“Ah…”
Unintentionally, Mabel let out a moan. The fear of the sea breeze disappeared, replaced by the intense warmth emanating from William’s body.
The surreal sight of standing in the middle of the blue sky, wrapped in William’s embrace, made Mabel’s body tremble as if longing for something more.
* * *
Tossing and turning in bed for a while, Mabel finally got up. Even with her eyes closed, the scene from today’s afternoon kept replaying in her mind.
Whether it was the excitement of standing at the edge of the cliff or the support she received from William Edmundstone, the heat that filled her body refused to subside, disturbing her sleep.
‘Did I catch a fever or something?’
She pondered.
Thunk.
Mabel opened the window facing the sea. Along with the sound of waves, the cool breeze cooled her flushed cheeks.
“What kind of emotion is this?”
The question slowly surfaced in her cooling mind. It had been a week since she started spending time with him, yet her days were filled with the conflict between her rationality, telling her to keep her distance, and her heart, constantly drawn towards him.
‘I can’t resist it. The desire to get closer to him.’
The difference between the sea breeze and his breath, the gentle movements that wrapped around her waist, and the sound of his heartbeat against her back…
At the edge of the cliff, where it felt like they were disconnected from the rest of the world, she pressed her body against his as closely as possible, yet she still felt an emptiness.
She remembered the moment when they leisurely watched the seabirds soaring and spinning along with the wind.
‘Shall we stop here? Before the wind gets stronger.’
William gently held her, who was precariously standing at the edge of the hill, and effortlessly lifted her into his arms. Soon, her toes safely touched the grassy ground.
As a white cloud obscured the sun, shading William’s face, he wore an enigmatic smile. His dazzling blue eyes, unlike the storm raging in Mabel’s heart, seemed remarkably calm.
‘No, more like the calm center of a storm.’
Correcting her thoughts as she vividly recalled his face, Mabel realized that while William often appeared calm, he occasionally pulled her into the center of his attention with an unpredictable force.
Mabel sighed, leaning her head against the expectation-laden window. It seemed she would spend the night full of contemplation and confusion, giving up on quietly falling asleep.