Bambi and the Duke

It was after Leonard was almost done eating his dinner alone at the dining room with Paul who kept him company by standing not too far from his eyesight did he inquire if there were any new servants who had been taken in during his absence.

”Your mother hired two women, one to replace Martha and the other to take place of the girl who left to get married.”

”How’s Martha?” asked Leonard, siping water from the glass that was filled for him.

”She has turned a little weak now. Seems like the old age catching up but she should be alright for now. Vivian has gone to tend to her today at my sister’s house,” Leonard nodded his head in response. Taking the napkin to use it to wipe his lips, he excused himself to go back to his room.

In the next town not far from where the Carmichael’s residence was, Vivian washed the utensils in the small kitchen of the house.

”You should get going, I will do the rest,” a woman came into the kitchen with more dishes in both her hands. The woman was none other than Paul’s sister, Grace.

”I should be done in fifteen minutes and I have Tom to accompany me back to the mansion,” Tom was Grace’s son, ”Mr and Mrs Carmichael won’t be home until the time of midnight.”

”Aren’t you a doll,” commented Grace taking the utensils to dry them and place it back inside, ”By the way did I tell you that Mrs Maxfield found a new husband. I heard it from Mrs Collins.”

”I didn’t. One of these days Mrs Collins is going to get into trouble if she keeps trying to pass every single information she gets to hear,” Vivian responded back, tucking in her hair behind her ear that had loosened from the braid, ”The vampires don’t take it too kindly at what the humans have to speak behind their back.”

”Well, I don’t think anyone would speak in front of them knowing the possibility of what the vampires are capable of. I also heard the night isn’t safe for anyone,” the woman pushed the girl to the side, taking Vivian’s place to clean the rest of the dirty dishes, ”I can handle it from here. Go,” she said firmly to which Vivian hugged her.

”I will come to visit soon,” she said to bring a smile on the woman’s lips.

”Of course, you will. Go on now and tell Tom not to stop anywhere in between. We don’t want both of you being kidnapped by any crazy person,” Vivian replied with a yes, waving her hand she went to see Martha again, telling her she was leaving and would return as soon as she could.

With the family being poor, they had barely been able to buy a horse for themselves to afford a carriage. Tom rode the horse with Vivian who sat behind him, her hands clutching the sides of his shirt and her eyes closed due to the fear of falling off the horse. After the twenty minutes journey, Tom dropped the girl in front of the mansion waiting for her to get in safely before he turned around and left. The servants who weren’t allowed and were forbidden to get inside the mansion from the front, because of which Vivian had to walk around until she stood at the back of the mansion where the servants got in and out.

It was past eleven in the night when she finished washing her face and changing her clothes to a nightgown. Having the habit continued from a young age when Mr and Mrs Carmichael wasn’t in the mansion, Vivian went to the glass room to look at the sky even though there was nothing to look with the way the clouds covered to create a black sheet of the mask in the sky. What Vivian didn’t know was that Mr and Mrs Carmichael’s son had returned back home which the maid who had opened the door for her had failed to mention it to her. And also that he was in the glass room when she had entered the place.

Looking at the plants, she caught sight of a new pot that was added along with the rest which she wasn’t familiar with. Going closer to look at it, she went to touch the sharp thorn.

Before she had the opportunity to touch it someone scared her by speaking to her out of nowhere. At that moment she placed her hand on the small gap of the pots which ended with her pushing down the new pot from its place into a mess on the marble floor.

”Leo-Master Leonard!” Vivian corrected herself.

Leonard’s red eyes fell on the pot which he had bought before it settled on the girl in front of him. Her strawberry blonde hair looked ruffled with a lot of loose hair falling from the sides of her face. Her frame still petite and lean since the last time he had seen her, ”It took me a lot of effort to get the plant and you broke it in less than a second. I think it is time we start cutting down your wage with what you break here.”

”I-I am extremely sorry. I apologize for it. Please allow me to fix it,” she bowed her head in shame. She didn’t know why but her hands felt like they were made of butterfingers.

”It isn’t something you can fix. It cost me fifty gold coins,” hearing this her black eyes went wide and she looked down at the plant to see it’s stem broken. Was he serious about the cost? The plant didn’t even look special. If what he was saying was really true it would be almost a year worth of her wage. She then heard him ask, ”Are you hurt?”

”What? No,” she shook her head vigorously at his fierce gaze on her, ”I didn’t know you were coming today. If I knew...I would have baked you a cake.”

This seemed to soften the look in Leonard’s eyes and a small smile appeared on his face, ”Is that so...” he drawled.

”Yes,” her reply was quick. She had been counting the days of his return and if she knew he was coming today, she would have gone to meet Martha yesterday.

”Alright then. I have time for a cake before I go to sleep,” she heard him speak.

”Now?” she asked puzzled, it was past eleven and didn’t he have dinner?

”Hmm. Let’s go to the kitchen so that you can prepare the cake,” he responded with a smile and began walking towards the door to only stop and turn to ask her, ”What are you standing there for, Bambi?” hurrying to his side quickly she walked beside him.