Bambi and the Duke

Leonard took the music box out of his pocket, turning the stick in a clockwise manner he let the music play from it. The girl who had her eyes roaming everywhere suddenly set her eyes on the thing the boy held in his hands. Her expression changed to one of a concentration, transforming into awe and fascination when it began playing music.

”Good, isn’t it?” he grinned proudly to have the music box as his possession.

It continued to rain the following morning, letting both the children fall asleep on the floor where the music from the box had stopped after some turns of the side stick. When a maid who had to water the plants in the glass room entered the place by pushing the door, it had woken Leonard from his sleep. Slipping out of the place without a sound, he went back to his room to sleep while leaving the human there for the maid to take care. With seven months that passed through the lands, the rainy season moved to one of the harsh Winter which Bonelake had experienced in its history. The weather was cold but the trees didn’t dry out due to the rain which showered at rare times, not letting one forget that Bonelake was a land of rains.

The little girl who had come to the Carmichael’s mansion had slowly let go of her memories from where she had come which was replaced with a much better one where she was taken care by the housekeeper, Martha and Paul. Initially, it was more of a responsibility than the feeling of love that had come by the old woman but she had grown to be a mother figure in the little girl’s eyes. And in time, she had come to care and love for the girl. Vivian had learnt to pick out the flowers from the garden under Paul’s guidance, doing little errands like fetching the servants when they were needed by the housekeeper or taking light weighed objects were what consisted as her work.

When it came to Leonard, Vivian had grown comfortable around him and the same could be said about the boy. She followed him around the mansion when she was given nothing to do. With the growth of comfortableness of the people and the environment, she had begun to speak again.

”That is why Paul said the bees will bite you,” Vivian who sat next to Leonard explained one of the incidents that had taken place that morning.

”You are taking away their food by plucking it. You should always take the flowers that they can’t see,” said Leonard who had the little girl nodding at him in agreement. He turned the page of the book he had placed on his lap, reading the content as his governor had asked him to complete reading it by tomorrow.

Vivian moved her hand across the slate Leonard had pushed into her hands. Vivian who came from one of the pure-blooded family was one of the girls who had the opportunity to be exposed to the world of education even if it was only alphabets and basic words she had learnt. Instead of learning to write sentences from the book in front of her which Leonard gave her, she took her time to draw on it.

Leonard had noticed something similar with his cousin Charlotte who took less interest in her books. He wondered if it was something the girls shared, ”What are you drawing?” he asked from where he sat.

She continued scribbling on the slate for a few seconds, bringing the slate in front of her, she exclaimed with a smile, ”Billy!” Billy was the name given to the lamb which she spent time with.

Leonard stared at the drawing which looked nothing but a piece of circular drawings with four stick-like legs. The ears looked like the one’s cat did, ”That looks...” he trailed trying to get the right word so that she could understand but not knowing what to say, he settled with, ”That’s nice. Here give it to me,” he said taking the slate and chalk from her. Once he finished drawing with Vivian leaning close to it, Vivian said,

”You draw Billy good, Leo.”

”Of course, I do. My previous governor taught me about arts and how important it is,” he responded, raising his hand he flicked on her forehead.

”Ah!” Vivian rubbed her forehead.

”Stop drawing and start writing. I need to read myself,” after ten minutes Paul came to fetch the children for lunch.

”Lunch is ready, master Leonard. Your mother is on her way to the dining room,” Paul informed the boy who closed his book and placed it to his, getting up he dusted the front and the back of his trousers, ”Vivi, come. It is time for you to eat too,” the man gave his hand for her to hold which she did.

While Vivian was taken back to the kitchen behind which a small room was built for the servants so that they could it there, Leonard joined his mother at the grand dining room.