Music Recommendation: He'll Be on You- Nathan Barr
Alfie, who had been walking back and forth on the above floor's balcony, took a peek at the gates to see if Lady Aurora and her maid would arrive at the mansion first or Master Vincent and Ms. Barlow would return before them.
When one of the maids arrived at where he stood, the butler asked, "Has the doors in the North wing fixed?" The door couldn't be opened from the inside and was also jammed outside like many other rooms as they hadn't been used in a long time.
"One of them has been sent to fix it," the maid answered.
"Good," Alfie exhaled, and he said, "With the oncoming time of festivals and marriage, the rooms will need to be prepared for the guests."
When a carriage appeared in front of the mansion's gates, for a moment, he became worried if it was the Marchioness with the tattle-tale. But on a closer look, it was Lady Marceline's carriage that entered through the gates and now stopped in front of the mansion's entrance. As the coachman opened the carriage door, the butler quickly ran inside so that he could be of her assistance at the entrance.
Marceline's foot had been cleaned, and the physician had applied medicine before bandaging it. This way, she wouldn't have to worry about it being seen by anyone until she would fix her situation.
"Welcome back home, Lady Marceline," Alfie reached the hallways, and suddenly a shoe was thrown at him, which he quickly caught.
Marceline walked past him and ordered, "Send my food directly to my room."
"Yes, milady," Alfie immediately complied.
On her way to the Moriarty mansion from the physician's place, Marceline had thrown her stained stocking as she wasn't going to use it again.
Before Marceline could leave the hallways and walk towards the stairs, Lady Aurora's carriage soon stopped near the entrance and the coachman pulled the door for the lady and the maid to step down from it. Leaving the hallway abruptly would be strange, and if there was one thing Marceline cared about, it was to maintain good relationships with people who belonged to high status and position.
When the Marchioness entered, Alfie bowed and Marceline greeted the woman she had seen several minutes ago, "Lady Aurora, did you forget something?"
Lady Aurora's arrogance was above the roof. She said, "I have come to hear that your brother and the governess aren't in the mansion. That they went out together."
Even in a situation as sticky as Marceline was in right now, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise, and a subtle smile appeared on her lips. She said, "I really doubt that has happened, considering how my brother is bound to the deal with his blood, Marchioness. He can be reckless sometimes, but he's not a fool."
"Let us hope that is true, Lady Marceline. I wouldn't want my beautiful daughter to marry a fool," Lady Aurora's words were firm and she turned to Moriartys' butler, "Did Ms. Barlow leave the mansion today?"
Alfie felt sweat starting to form on the back of his neck. Still holding Marceline's shoe in his hand, he bowed and responded, "I haven't seen Ms. Barlow leave the mansion, Marchioness."
"So, you are telling me that considering how Ms. Barlow is still working as a governess, teaching the youngest Moriarty, she must be with her?" Lady Aurora confirmed, and Alfie suddenly felt his neck had turned stiff.
One would think that the butler would be burdened by the intense stares he was receiving from the three vampiresses. But Alfie was no ordinary vampire, and he had been working for the Moriarty mansion for many years, enough to be used to and keep a blank expression on his face even during stressful situations.
"Yes, milady," Alfie lied to the Marchioness. But he knew the inevitable that was going to take place.
"Good. I would like to talk to the governess now," Lady Aurora stated, and she questioned, "Where is she now?"
Even in pain and in her plight, Marceline didn't stop herself from taking merriment at someone's expense and she answered, "She will be in the piano room." But that was as far as it went, as she couldn't walk there as even after medicine, she could still feel her foot hurt.
"Wonderful. Thank you, Lady Marceline," Lady Aurora started to make her way with her personal maid, Blythe. But the Marchioness stopped after two steps, and turned to Marceline, and asked, "How is your foot now? If you need a physician, I will send the person."
Alfie quickly picked on this, and wondered why Marceline had not complained about it. After all, the young vampiress liked to make a big issue out of small things, so everyone's attention was on her.
Marceline offered the lady a kind smile and responded in her sweet voice, "You don't have to bother yourself, Lady Aurora. I am sure with a little rest in my room, I will feel much better."
Lady Aurora gave Marceline a nod, without another word she left the place, as she was more interested in the lowly human. The butler said she was in the mansion. But if the governess had left the mansion without informing the butler, it only showed how bad of a governess she was, leaving her work in the middle of the day and it would be easier to catch the lie and dismiss the human from her job.
Lady Aurora walked at the front, her head high, while the two servants followed her a few steps behind, while Blythe let her mistress know which way to go, to reach the piano room.
"This is the one, milady," Blythe informed Lady Aurora, and on seeing the door closed again, she whispered, "Earlier when I came here, it was closed and looked suspicious. They tried to set me up. They are up to no good, milady."
Lady Aurora placed her hand on the doorknob, while Alfie closed his eyes. When the Marchioness opened the door, Eve sat at the table, teaching Allie with books in front of them.
Eve looked in the direction where the door had suddenly opened, and on noticing Lady Aurora, she stood up from her seat. Alfie let out a sigh of relief that Blythe took note of. The mermaid asked,
"Lady Aurora, is there anything I can help you with?"
What Lady Aurora and the maid weren't aware of was that not a minute had passed since Vincent had dropped Eve back in the piano room. Vincent had left as he had other matters to attend to. While Eve had quickly walked to the table and had taken her seat when she heard footsteps outside the door and in the corridor.
Lady Aurora's eyes moved across the room before she walked towards the opened windows. She put her head outside, her eyes looking left and right. She then pulled back and remarked, "Yes, I wanted to talk to you about the gown you will be needing for my daughter and Vincent's wedding." She turned around and waved her hand at the butler to dismiss him, "You can leave. You too, Blythe. Fetch Rosetta for me."
The two servants bowed and left the front of the piano room. The older vampiress said, "I assumed that as you are a mere governess, you would want to have a gown tailored for the upcoming celebration. From what I remember, governesses don't make much to afford a decent gown that will be fit to be worn in high society."
Eve stared at Lady Aurora.
For a woman, who was on her way to stepping foot into the line of poverty, Eve couldn't believe the arrogance this vampiress showed. She offered a polite smile to the woman and responded, "Thank you for your generous thought, but I assure you that I can buy my own gown. It isn't a celebration for me, so I do not see a point in dressing like an elite."
"That is because you are incapable of doing so," Lady Aurora sneered.
"Sister Eve is the prettiest," came the soft voice that belonged to Allie, who had a small frown as she didn't like the Marchioness's belittling words.
Lady Aurora laughed, "It seems like you have been putting a spell on everyone here. Makes one wonder if you really are a human," her voice lowered as she stared at the governess. For a human, the woman was stunning to look at, and it was something the vampiress couldn't deny. "A witch who eats little girls, to steal their youth for herself. Isn't that what the people of your town said about you a few weeks ago?" She then looked at Allie and said, "You should choose your friends wisely, and know who your true enemies are. You don't want ill things to befall on your family now, would you?" She smiled.
The vampiress stepped towards Eve, staring at her clear blue eyes, "There seems to be something very peculiar and suspicious about you. Don't think I won't find out."
"You seem to be overthinking things, Marchioness. I think you like to write in your free time," Eve responded to Lady Aurora, turning the Marchioness angry.
"So young and naive. To think you can provoke and deceive me, and I won't do anything to you… or the people who you love so much. It seems like you aren't too fond of them," Lady Aurora's lips quirked up as she cunningly smiled at Eve.
Eve's face turned serious. She warned, "Don't you dare hurt any of them."
Lady Aurora softly harrumphed, "That's what I thought. Before you th—"
Suddenly the Marchioness's words were interrupted by her maid, who returned to inform, "M—milady, Lady Rosetta. She…" She shook her head.
The vampiress turned to face her maid and demanded, "Rosetta what?"
