The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 75

< Chapter 75 >

Mabel opened her eyes. 

Suddenly, she found herself lying in the study bedroom, and outside, the rare winter sunlight reflected off the snow was bright.

‘Could it be that I dreamed?’

Mabel couldn’t believe the time she had spent with William in the cabin last night felt like nothing but a dream. Thankfully, there was a vase of Helleborus flowers brought by William on their way back to the mansion, placed by her bedside.

“Ah….”

Mabel breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes again. It wasn’t a dream.

After confirming each other’s feelings, Mabel and William continued to talk in the cabin until dawn. Their conversation seemed endless as if they wanted to share every untold story from the past. In the midst of it, their lips brushed against each other several times, and she used the cold as an excuse to snuggle into his arms.

As the day broke, they decided to head to the mansion. Otherwise, rumors might spread that Mabel had indeed entered into a ‘marriage of convenience.’ Of course, it didn’t matter to Mabel as long as the other party was William.

As they left the cabin, they passed by the stone chair where William had proposed.

Mabel took a moment to look at the small, old cabin, which almost became a frightening memory. Fortunately, it was now going to be remembered as a beautiful place where they confessed their love to each other.

Then, Mabel discovered something under the stone chair and exclaimed.

‘Look, William. It’s a Christmas rose.’

Under the cold chair lay a Helleborus, also known as the King of Winter, a white Christmas rose, blooming gracefully despite the chilly winter forest. Somehow, the flower’s elegance comforted them in the quiet winter woods.

‘Do you know what this flower symbolizes?’

Mabel leaned softly against William’s shoulder and asked. In response, William wrapped his coat around her tightly and whispered into her ear.

‘The peace and tranquility after anxiety.’

His low voice echoed in the slowly awakening winter forest. Mabel nodded towards him and carefully plucked one of the Helleborus flowers.

Standing up again, she stepped out of William’s embrace and stood in front of the stone chair. In the dim light of dawn, Mabel looked as pure and innocent as the Christmas rose.

‘Yes, you’ve always been the one to soothe my anxiety, the peace after anxiety… But this flower also has another meaning.’

Mabel turned to face William.

‘A response to hope.’

Mabel’s cheeks turned red. Then, she continued slowly.

‘William Edmundstone, not only have you been the one to soothe my anxiety, but you’ve always responded to and fulfilled my hopes. Like this flower blooming in winter, my feelings towards you will no longer waver, and I’ll be by your side. So…’

She held out the Helleborus flower to William. The flower, resembling a snowflake, shone brighter than any jewel in the rising morning sun.

‘Will you be with me?’

Mabel’s trembling voice met the chilly air. Her fingertips, trembling as she plucked the flower from the cold snow, were also turning red.

William and her eyes met. As the silence continued, Mabel, embarrassed, closed her eyes tightly and whispered.

‘William, I’m proposing to you right now…!’

Before long, a short laugh brushed against Mabel’s ear. And as she opened her eyes, her lips were covered by William’s. William lifted Mabel and gave her another long, deep kiss. As Mabel gasped for breath, William whispered, their foreheads touching.

‘Yes, Mabel. Gladly.’

Mabel buried herself in the bed. William’s soft laughter still seemed vivid.

To propose herself. It didn’t matter if it was an unladylike act. The moment she saw the flower blooming under the stone chair, she knew what she wanted most. It was fortunate to realize it before it was lost.

Knock knock—

Amid a happy reminiscence, a knock was heard. But the knock wasn’t coming from the door of the study bedroom.

“Ah!”

Mabel, bewildered, suddenly remembered and rushed into the study connected to the bedroom. Sure enough, behind the bookshelf leading to the master bedroom’s bathroom, a cautious knock was heard again.

Click.

Mabel moved the handle and pushed the bookshelf aside. And behind it, she gently opened the narrow door, revealing William, kneeling on the narrow staircase, towering above her.

“William!”

Mabel smiled broadly, and William’s lips met hers again.

When they returned to the back door of the mansion, it was dawn. Yet, even though they had only been apart for three hours since their engagement, the newly engaged young couple found it difficult to be apart from each other.

“Ha, I should go downstairs soon…”

Mabel, flustered but enjoying the kiss, whispered in a delighted voice, and William finally pulled away his lips. Though he felt like he never wanted to leave her bed, he sat Mabel down on a nearby chair to fulfill his purpose for coming here.

“It’ll only take a moment. My Bella, I have something for you.”

Enjoying the mischievousness in William’s voice, Mabel looked at him curiously. After confirming that Mabel was seated, William slowly took out a familiar-looking box from his pocket.

Recognizing the box, Mabel murmured.

“Oh, this is…”

It was the engagement ring of the Edmundstone family that William had brought when he proposed to her. The ring was adorned with a topaz that resembled the deep and subtle sky blue of London.

Tears welled up in Mabel’s eyes at the poignant and precious memory evoked by the ring. William took out the ring and gently slid it onto her trembling ring finger. Mabel couldn’t speak, she just called William’s name.

“William…”

Mabel gazed silently at the ring on her hand. The ring fits perfectly as if it had been measured precisely. Mabel’s cheeks were flushed with joy and embarrassment. Holding her hand tightly, William said.

“I will announce our engagement to everyone today. So please accept it. Although to me, the Helleborus flower you gave me is more precious than this family ring, I am also happy that this ring symbolizes our eternal commitment to each other in front of everyone.”

“Of course, William. However, seeing this ring reminded me of my foolishness in rejecting you, and I feel sorry for it…”

As Mabel spoke, William affectionately kissed her finger.

“Now, this ring will only remind us of the love we have for each other.”

Mabel looked at him with a happy expression.

Considering William putting the ring on her hand this time as well, it was the culmination of three exchanges of proposals between them before finally realizing their engagement.

* * *

Mary, who was eating at Lord Alfred’s mansion the last meal, asked with wide eyes.

“Is it true that Andrew ran away in the middle of the night?”

To which Theo sighed and replied.

“According to George, who was extremely angry and agitated, yes. He left last night after telling George, who shared a guest room with him, that he was going to propose to Mabel, and didn’t return for a long time.”

Theo paused in his speech and gulped his tea.

As someone with a different skin color and a different temperament, Theo knew exactly what it felt like to be an outsider, especially among the gentry class like Andrew Woolf, who stood out with his unusual appearance throughout his college life.

That’s why Theo felt sorry for Mabel. He wondered if his choice to protect Andrew had put her in danger. Theo spoke with a bitter face.

“At that time, Mr. Edmundstone found out about our conversation in the hallway, and he went to check Mabel’s room. He went outside the mansion through that path. Considering how Andrew returned in a mess and left in a hurry, he must have encountered Mr. Edmundstone.”

Mary was astonished as if she couldn’t believe it.

“If Andrew had even tried to harm Mabel, wouldn’t Mr. Edmundstone have intervened?”

Theo, who had no idea about the relationship between Mabel and William, asked with a puzzled expression.

“Well, from what I heard, Andrew didn’t seem to intend to do anything outrageous to Mabel. He just wanted to tarnish her reputation to make it easier for her to accept his proposal or something like that.”

“What!”

“Of course, that’s cowardly and despicable behavior, but isn’t it a bit too much for Mr. Edmundstone himself to intervene? It’s one thing if Lord Alfred or Mabel files a complaint, but…”

Mary shook her head vigorously, about to explain something when Julia, with a shocked expression, interjected.

“If he didn’t send her back after taking her out in the middle of the night, isn’t that outrageous enough? You don’t have to commit unspeakable acts just to be punished! We shouldn’t be like this. Let’s go check on Mabel right now!”

Julia was restless, showing signs of wanting to rush out immediately. Irina, elegantly raising her teacup, replied.

“There’s no need for that. Look, Mabel is coming over there. I don’t think we’ll hear such bad news.”

As she said, Mabel, with a healthy glow on her cheeks more than ever, was smiling as she walked towards them at the end of the dining hall.