"So tell me all about home," Emily said as she grabbed a bread from the plate in front of her and put it in her mouth. She swallowed it and accompanied the bread with a small glass of milk before turning back to Victoria and asking, "is my sister fine? Is everyone at home fine?""Everyone is fine, Your Grace," Victoria said and Emily gave her a look that made her to immediately change her words. "I meant, everyone is fine, Emily.""That's much more better," Emily said with a short laugh as she picked up another piece of bread and put it into her mouth. "Has there seemed to be any change since I left?" Victoria shook her head."Apart from your sister turning me to her personal servant, I don't think anything else has changed," Victoria answered as she stretched her hands to Emily's plate. She paused and looked at her mistress, asking for permission to take a piece and Emily nodded."You don't have to act like I marrying a Duke has changed who I am, Victoria," Emily said with a shake of
"This place has a lot of trees and flowers," Victoria said as she and Emily walked outside of the house. She walked towards the trimmed bushes surrounding the house and saw a small flower that had just started to blossom among them. She then plucked it off the rest and began staring at the petals on it. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Emily said as she took the flower from Victoria and sniffed it. It gave out this sweet honey smell that made Emily's belly to rumble. "Yes,it is," Victoria said with a small smile. "This whole place is really beautiful. More than home, if I do say." Emily raised her eyes to Victoria gave her a look causing her to laugh out loud. "That is your opinion and not mine," Emily said as she returned her attention to the flower in her hand. "I personally don't think there is any place like home and I don't think there will ever be." Victoria nodded. "Maybe you just have to accept this place as your home before that feeling ever comes on you," Victoria said and Emily
"You know, I have never been the kind of person who is great at giving advices," Baton said as he poured himself another cup of tea from the kettle. He then turned to Edward who was still sitting on the couch and asked, "do you care for more tea? It seems like yours has finished." "I don't think I want more," Edward said with a small smile as he held his grumbling stomach. He had forced himself to drink the tea that his uncle had given him and taking another one would just mean suicide for him. "Nonsense," Baton said with a dismissive wave of hand. "I will get you another but you will have to pardon my using another cup. Your cup is far away and these bones don't work as they used to." Edward fake laughed at his uncle's joke, watching painfully as he picked another cup and poured him another tea. The black liquid that his uncle called tea poured out of the kettle and into the cup while hot steam rose from it. "Honestly though, uncle, you don't have to do any of that," Edward sai
Baton walked into his house and Edward could hear him cursing and shouting profanities as he scattered the place. He was probably looking for something but Edward knew that whatever it was that he was searching for would be like a needle in a haystack. Whatever he was looking for was probably hidden under the pile of clothes in the sitting room. Edward couldn't even imagine the things that would be under there if the old man was to even search the pile. If he could find a rat in the man's couch, who says a snake won't pop out from under the cloth pile. Edward sighed for the upteenth time as he pulled out his pocket watch and stared at it. Time seemed to be running fast and Edward wanted so much to go back home. As much as he didn't enjoy his wife's company, he still preferred the comfort of his manor to the mercilessly cold wind blowing against him."Just wait a moment, Edward, I think I have found what I'm looking for," Baton shouts from within and Edward grumbled. He knew for sur
Emily returned to Victoria who had stood by the door side watching everything that happened between her mistress and her husband. She, Emily, was pained and furious and the joy that she had once felt from Victoria being with her immediately washed away. "Is anything the matter, Emily?" Victoria asked as she followed Emily who had walked past her, heading towards the other side of the manor. She turned to look at Edward before returning her attention to Emily and asking, "what did His Grace say? Is anything wrong?" Emily didn't answer and just kept on walking till she reached the uncompleted barn. There she fell on the ground and held her face as she cried. "Emily," Victoria mumbled as she bent down beside her mistress and tried comforting her. "You shouldn't sit in the floor, Emily. Your dress will get dirty." "Just let me be, Victoria," Emily said amidst her crying in a tone that said pain than anger. "I just want to be alone at the moment." Victoria shook her head. "As much as
The sun had started to set and its golden rays reflected on the pond at Victorias and Emily's feet, casting s beautiful golden light across the garden. For the first time since Emily had come to the manor, she finally felt peaceful. "Are there fishes in the pond?" Victoria asked as she looked into the surprisingly colorless water. It was her first time seeing a pond this clean as the one that they had back at home was filled with moss and flies and mosquitoes and toads. No one even dared to go near the pond as everyone seemed to dread it."They are fishes in there, Victoria," Emily replied with a soft smile as she placed her hands on the soft grass and looked into the pond. The moment that she said this, a little fish, orange and white striped, jumped out of the pond and did a flip before landing back in. It seemed to have taken Emily's words as a cue to showcase it's skills."Wow," Victoria said as she held Emily's arm. She had flinched and yelled a little in fear when the fish jump
As Emily watched Williams leave, the question that she had been trying her best to remember came back all of a sudden. She wanted to call him back but he had already gone too far and the book he was reading seemed to have him pinned to it so Emily knew that no matter how loud or long she called, he wouldn't answer."Why was he reading that book?" she asked herself as she turned and placed her feet back into the water. That was the question that she had wanted to ask before he distracted her by asking her about Victoria. Now she couldn't find out the answer.Emily stared at the pond as different thoughts crossed her mind. She had thought His Grace and his household didn't believe in the supernatural. Why then was William reading a book about one?The want for her to go back into the pond died down and Emily stood up from the grass. She wiped a few grasses from her gown, picked up her shoe and headed towards the manor.She had reached halfway to it's door when Emily suddenly remembered
Emily walked up slowly to the dining room, her eyes on the shadows dancing from the lit candles. They seemed to be two shadows and Emily assumed one to belong to His Grace's brother. She came around the corner blocking her from seeing His Grace and finally beheld him. Just as she thought, he was with his brother and they seemed to be ignorant of all that was happening around them. The discussion that they were having seemed to have them tied and for the first time since she came to the manor, they were not having argument. Edward had a small book in front of him on the table that seemed to be the cause of the concentration between he and his brother. He suddenly seemed to be distract and Emily hid behind the corner just before His Grace could look up at her. When Emily peeped around the corner again, his face and attention was back on the book. From the dim light coming from the lit candle beside him, Emily could see that he had his mask on. It seemed to be half on though as half o