Episode 18
Unwilling to offer to do it herself, the maid merely twitched a brow with a priggish air and led the way. I did my best to memorize the path as we went.
The washing was done in a small outbuilding behind the main house, which also appeared to be the maids' quarters. While I hung the cloak on the line, I could feel their eyes on me and hear their hushed whispering. No doubt they were talking about how I was suspected of murdering their master, and how I had spent the night in the main house instead of in their quarters.
What would become of me? Was I to be made a maid of House Beekman?
If that was the plan, this was hardly a good start. I should have slept in their quarters last night and risen with them this morning.
Gauging the mood, I followed the maid back into the main house. Bathed in the morning sun, it seemed even larger and more magnificent than before. I was so caught up gazing at the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that I nearly missed my footing.
I could tell where she was leading me even before we arrived. At the mouth-watering scent drifting toward us, my stomach let out a strange, impatient growl. I walked hunched over to try to stifle the noise.
The man waiting on him corrected himself with a hasty bow. At the far end of the long dining table sat Kirhin.
The striking cut of his shirt featured frilled cuffs that fluttered softly, lending an air of extravagance despite the plain white cloth. Beneath a thick tangle of red hair, his mouth opened wide in a languid yawn.
He looked completely unguarded, as though he couldn't care less about appearances, yet that natural ease only accentuated his charm and made him all the more striking.
Brook, the butler neatly turned out in a black suit, wore an expression caught between a grimace and a wince. Kirhin wasn't wrong. Besides, no one in this household understood high society and the delicate whims of such women better than Kirhin did.
At the maid's words, Kirhin and the butler turned their eyes toward me at once. Having never met a nobleman before Kirhin, I had no idea how to comport myself, so I gave an awkward curtsy and bowed my head low.
Kirhin shuddered dramatically and rose from his chair. As the tall man strode right toward me, I instinctively recoiled. Reading the tension on my face, he flashed a wide, friendly grin.
Nina kept her hands politely folded before her, but the brief glance she flicked my way was sharp as a blade. Sensed she was warning me to mind my place, I quickly spoke up.
Even with my mind in a daze, my eyes darted to the maids standing nearby. If they didn't count as ‘women’ to Kirhin, it meant he didn't lay a finger on the household staff.
I also caught a glimpse of his tastes, given that the gown was so wide in the chest that I’d had to secure it with a pin.
The blunt declaration froze me stiff. Hadn't he said yesterday that I was to stay here for the time being? Pale-faced, I clenched my fists tight.
I may have walked out of prison, but with the taint of having potentially murdered a nobleman clinging to me, no one would ever hire me.
If I couldn't earn my keep through honest work, only two choices remained for survival: become a beggar, or sell myself as a woman.
A reference from a noble family, however, would change everything. It might even open doors to a household far wealthier than the last. No, I didn't care about wealth; I only wanted to work. I needed a place where I belonged.
Waving his hand to dismiss them, Kirhin sank back into his seat and tapped a fork against his glass with a sly smile. Once the room cleared, only the two of us remained in the spacious dining hall.
Nervous, I hurried closer as he gestured me over. Shielding his mouth with an upright palm, Kirhin whispered softly.
I leaned down slightly to catch his words. His voice tickled my ear.
The question instantly drew my morning-drowsy nerves taut. In a fraction of a second, countless thoughts raced through my head. The dynamic between them had seemed friendly enough last night, but I chose caution.
Brushing back his hair, Kirhin crossed his arms in irritation.
I kept my head bowed and answered as politely as I could, but the silence that followed told me he didn't buy a word of it.
The easygoing air seemed to turn icy in a flash. Clicking his tongue, Kirhin hooked a finger under my chin and tilted it up. His chilled blue eyes bored into me as if trying to pierce my skull.
Yet his sneer did not truly frighten me. It was a matter of simple power. From what I’d seen of his demeanor yesterday, Kirhin was clearly the subordinate before the priest. Which of them to side with was an easy choice.
Of course, if asked whether that mattered more than my letter of reference…
At my quiet words, Kirhin's eyes widened. He leaned back in his chair and erupted into a boisterous laugh that rose straight from his belly.
“Let me stay in this house.”
Seeing the smile drain from his face, I briefly doubted myself, but I placed my faith in him.
Kirhin was curious about my connection to the priest, and he had explicitly instructed Nina yesterday that I was to remain here for a while. If I stayed and proved how diligent I was, there was a good chance he would take me on as a maid.
Kirhin drew a light breath, the corner of his mouth curving crookedly.
And you're the one who dragged me back to live in this hellish world.
Meeting his gaze with that thought clear in my eyes, a shadow of bitterness passed over Kirhin's face, as if he understood. Hoping to feed his guilt, I tilted my chin a fraction higher. The bruises encircling my throat had darkened so deeply that only a blind man could fail to see them.
As expected, his eyes flickered to the marks on my neck. Exhaling a long, weary sigh, Kirhin tapped his foot on the floor.
At the unchanged reply, Kirhin blinked in blank disbelief.
Unable to contain his exasperation, Kirhin sprang to his feet. As I looked up at him with an innocent face, a low chuckle came from behind us.
Kirhin and I turned our heads at the same instant. A man was approaching, clad in a cloak so similar to the one I had just hung out that one might have thought he’d snatched it right off the line.
His hood was pulled low, casting a deep shadow over his face, but the darkness only served to chisel his features with greater clarity. I could hear the faint, sudden thumping of my heart.
