The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 68

< Chapter 68 >

William, who had taken off his hat, lightly brushed his wet black hair. 

Though his crimson riding attire was dirtied by mud kicked up by the horse’s hooves, it suited his sturdy frame and broad shoulders very well.

“Haah, ha….”

Mabel, who hurriedly returned to the study bedroom, was panting. She couldn’t understand why she had rushed so hastily.

‘Did he see me?’

Mabel questioned herself with a fluttering heart.

The indoor garden was a modification of the second-floor balcony. Since William and the other gentlemen were just passing through the first-floor entrance, they wouldn’t have seen her if he hadn’t looked up.

However, from the moment Mabel spotted him, she felt a tremor as if she had met his piercing blue eyes. Although it had been only about three months since she had last seen him, he looked more beautiful than ever. His handsome face and lively, healthy complexion captivated Mabel’s gaze.

Was he smiling? What was he saying to the other gentlemen? Or, did he see her…

Mabel couldn’t discern where the truth ended and her wishes began anymore.

‘After rejecting him like that, why am I acting like this now?’

While chastising herself, a desire deep in her heart to see him again emerged. Only after seeing him in person did she realize how much she had missed him.

“Mr. Edmundstone, can I apologize for what happened before? Ah, even if he never forgives me, I have nothing to say.”

Leaning against the bookshelf in the study, Mabel soon sank to the floor. She felt ashamed of her impulsive and insensitive behavior towards him, the one who understood and cared for her the most because of her fears.

“Even if, by some miracle, he were to accept your apology, what then, Mabel Willis?”

Mabel continued her agonizing soliloquy.

“Would someone like Mr. Edmundstone propose to me again? …Goodness!”

In anguish, Mabel raised her head and covered her mouth with both hands. It was audacious enough to seek William’s forgiveness now, let alone to desire his affection.

Grasping the handle of the bookshelf, Mabel slowly stood up.

It was true that she was drawn to him, and it was true that she liked him. Without him, a corner of her heart felt empty, and she had once thought she was in love with him.

But Mabel had mocked and underestimated his feelings, inflicting upon him an irredeemable shame of being rejected by a maid girl, which she could not wash away. Even in her shame, she had not yet realized that she still loved him.

‘But shamelessly, I still long for Mr. Edmundstone’s affection.…’

The words slipped out before she realized it, and she felt a shock as if she had been slapped. The handle of the bookshelf, which seemed to be the key to all this confusion, creaked as she held onto it tightly.

“No, what is this….”

Before Mabel could finish her sentence, the bookshelf slid open, revealing a narrow and steep staircase in front of her.

On the opposite side of the stairs, a narrow door was slightly ajar. Still dazed by her earlier thoughts, Mabel climbed the stairs as if chasing a moth to a flame.

After passing through the short flight of stairs and pushing open the door, Mabel found herself in a small, beautiful space illuminated by natural light pouring through a glass ceiling, casting a glow over the roughly 3-meter white marble corridor.

‘A secret passage in the study, indeed, Lord Alfred.’

Mabel regained her composure from her earlier confusion and cast her gaze upon the small but beautiful space before her.

Covered entirely in white marble up to the walls, this space appeared more splendid and beautiful than any other space she had seen in the mansion. However, it was difficult to guess its purpose, so Mabel quietly walked to the end of the short marble corridor.

“…What is this?”

At the end of the marble corridor lay a pair of muddy boots, leather straps, and a strange object.

Mabel picked up the small object, resembling a hat or a bag, and finally turned the corner of the corridor. Immediately, she let out a faint gasp at the sight before her.

‘Oh, this was built for Lord and Lady Alfred…!’

Beyond the corner emerged a spacious, bright space surrounded by white marble. It was the specially designed master bathroom for Lord and Lady Alfred.

Romantic 19th-century patterns adorned the white marble ceiling and walls, and in the center of the bathroom, rather than a bathtub, there was a large ceramic tub that resembled a swimming pool, filled with warm water emitting steam.

And…

“….!”

Once again, Mabel covered her mouth with her hand. This time, not because she wanted to make no sound, but because she was too astonished, causing the unidentified object in her hand to fall to the floor with a clatter.

Standing in the center of the glamorous bath, partially submerged in water, was a man. With muscular shoulders and a robust back, he untied a towel wrapped around his waist. He turned his head at the sound behind him.

“Mabel?”

In his deep, slightly surprised voice, Mabel had to force her eyes open again. It was him, the man she had longed for and thought about so much, William Edmundstone, turning towards her with a slightly furrowed brow, exuding a wild and ambiguous expression.

Having just finished winter horse riding, his muscles stiffened by the cold would have needed relaxation. Moving his well-defined muscles, still damp with sweat and steam, he cast a gaze at her, still carrying the scent of the snow-covered meadow.

Mabel thought that all her deliberations on how to greet him, apologize, show him respect, and convey her sincerity were meaningless in the face of this moment.

She wanted to face him only after she had collected herself, so she tried to avoid him all day, but here she was, unprepared.

“Sorry….”

She barely managed to utter the words that wouldn’t fall from her lips. Her mind was in complete disarray, unable to formulate any coherent thoughts.

“I, that is, in the study bedroom downstairs, I mean, the bookshelf door got stuck, the secret staircase….”

Mabel, with a flushed face, stammered sporadically, so flustered that she even stumbled and swayed, stepping on her skirt.

“Ouch!”

At that moment, William emerged from the bath, still holding the towel he had just untied around his waist. Water droplets dripped from his lower body, soaked in the hot water.

“Are you alright?”

His voice was not as cold or disdainful as she had feared. But Mabel couldn’t sense the same affection in his low voice as before.

“Yes, yes. So I didn’t know I would come this way, I didn’t mean to disturb you, really….”

Ignoring Mabel’s excuses, William picked up the leather bag she had dropped in front of the bath. With each movement, the towel wrapped around his waist clung to his firm muscles. The damp towel hinted at what lay beneath, tantalizingly close.

Mabel bowed her head deeply, blaming her impeccable memory for knowing all too well what was behind that towel.

Suddenly, the distinct scent of William brushed against her nose. His pleasant low voice echoed softly in the marble bathroom.

“I was in the study bedroom downstairs when the bookshelf handle accidentally made a clattering sound and opened, revealing the secret staircase. I wasn’t trying to disturb your bath. But I’m sorry. Is that okay?”

William pieced together all the disjointed words she had blurted out and presented them accurately. Finally, Mabel lifted her head to look at him.

Was he slightly more tanned than three months ago, or perhaps, as Vincent and Mary had suggested, had he been hurt somewhere? His face seemed sharper somehow.

“Mabel, you have nothing to apologize for to me.”

It was such a William-like thing to say. Hadn’t he written it in a letter before?

‘Mabel, I could never be angry with you.’

Mabel suddenly felt as if she saw that faint smile peculiar to William’s face. That beautiful and peaceful smile he always gave her. Even if it was just her imagination due to the steam in the bath, she desperately wanted to believe it.

Feeling her heart pounding uncontrollably, Mabel finally managed to speak.

“Um, then I’ll…. I’ll leave now.”

Mabel withdrew her gaze from his mesmerizing blue eyes. The steam and fragrance of the bath, the faint smile, and the moist, smooth skin evoked memories of that night with him.

Feeling the sharp memories cutting through her entire being, Mabel finally fled the bathroom as if escaping.