Bambi and the Duke

Walking to where his mother sat, he bent down to kiss her temple, ”How is Maximillian?” asked Mrs Carmichael.

”He’s doing well. The head council sanctioned his leave earlier than mine. He will probably be posted in the same town, at least that’s what he’s been hoping for,” looking at Vivian who sat on the floor, Leonard walked around the couch to take a seat at the side, ”You don’t have to knit mother, you do know that you get decent clothes in Isle valley.”

”I am aware but I want to be able to do such small things for my son,” said Mrs Carmichael with a smile, ”Vivian said you went hunting. How was it? We need to plan it as a family picnic.”

”That we will have to. There are quite some deer now in the forest, especially fully grown ones,” Leonard’s gaze fell on the girl who was knitting in full concentration, ”Where’s father?” he enquired seeing his father missing in the room.

”He’s in the room going through some papers Malcolm sent. I heard from that the Lord has been anticipating your change of title,” Mrs Carmichael looked up from her hands to look at her son.

”He has been for a while. The council needs the paper signed by father before they can give it to me,” placing one leg over the other and picked the newspaper that laid on the table next to him, ”Lord Nicholas has some work which has been pending for some time. He’s been waiting for my title change”

”Why wait if it’s urgent? He can give it to your father,” his mother said, her expression a little confused.

”It isn’t a pressing matter. The work this time is a little longer than the others when it comes to the duration. He needs it to be undisruptive because the job requires that,” Mrs Carmichael nodded with an understanding look and she replied, ”Well if that is so.” Leonard read the newspaper, glancing through the headlines until he came to the last page. Folding the paper back the way it was, he placed it on the table to look at Vivian.

Vivian could barely cross the threads with Leonard looking at her so intently that her hands had turned unsteady. She normally didn’t have a problem in knitting and this was the first time she was finding it hard to make her hands work. Stopping for a moment, she lifted her gaze to meet Leonard’s eyes. Noticing her looking up, he offered her a smile and asked,

”When did you learn to knit?”

”Two years ago,” she answered, lowering her eyes down when she felt his gaze was too much to handle.

”It must be for Jerome,” Mrs Carmichael’s words took Vivian by surprise.

”Mr Jerome?” Leonard asked raising his brow in question, ”Why? Surely, he is capable of buying clothed articles for himself.”

”That’s right. Mr Jerome has taken quite a liking towards our young Vivian here, hasn’t he dear?” Mrs Carmichael asked teasingly to see the girl bend her head down to hide her eyes from the other two, especially from the scrutinizing gaze that came from Leonard who sat right opposite to her, ”He wanted her to knit for him. Isn’t that sweet?” the vampiress asked.

”Indeed. Very sweet,” Leonard commented.

”Milady, if you could excuse me for the day,” Vivian asked the lady to receive a nod to which she smiled and bowed her head. Bowing at Leonard who stared at her, she picked up her things and left the room.

”She’s still shy,” Mrs Carmichael chuckled, ”I don’t know how Jerome is going to manage to win her. He often comes by to meet your father but I believe it is only in the hope he can meet the girl. It is good that he is a little old-fashioned.”

”I doubt he is,” Leonard commented to receive a questioning look from his mother.

”Why would you say that?”

”Rumors about the town haven’t been really that pleasant.”

Mrs Carmichael smiled realizing how much she missed her son, ”I keep forgetting that you work for the Lord sometimes. You were so little when you left the mansion.”

”I didn’t leave, I was sent away,” corrected Leonard.

”Do you still hold a grudge for it?” he stood from his seat, going to sit next to his mother he held her hand to say, ”I don’t. That was a long while ago.”

”Come here my boy,” she took him in her embrace, ”I am glad that you are here for good now.”

”I am too,” Leonard answered as she let him go, ”I will be retiring to bed now. Goodnight mother.”

”Goodnight Leo,” Leonard picked up the jacket he had previously placed on the table and went up to his room.

Vivian who had excused herself from the drawing-room sat in her own small room on her bed. Instead of continuing with what she had started while sitting in the drawing room with Mrs Carmichael, she pulled out the new wool she had bought from the thread maker. Pushing away the dull green coloured wool, she replaced it with the maroon one. A candle was lit at her desk to provide sufficient light in her room so that she could knit. She wasn’t sure if it was alright to show the wool she had bought which was of the same high quality as what the lady had bought, after all, she was just a servant girl.

Another reason being she didn’t want anyone to know who had knit the sweater once she would give it to the person. Biting her lip from a secretive smile that threatened on her lips, she made sure each strand was placed in a perfect harmony with the other like it was meant to be.

She hoped to complete it in time so that she could gift Leonard the sweater as his birthday gift which was two weeks away. Vivian being only a servant girl didn’t earn enough to give something expensive but she tried doing her best with what she had.

Two days passed by and the land of Bonelake was back to accepting the rain which fell from the sky continuously without a pause.

Leonard who had finished eating his breakfast late around eleven in the morning wiped the napkin over his mouth, setting it down he stood up to for the maid to clean the table. When he stepped out of the dining room, he saw his father talking to a young man with short black hair at the end of the corridor. It was Mr Jerome. The man’s wandering gaze didn’t go unnoticed and after what his mother had said, it didn’t take time to notice what or rather who he was looking for.

On the other side of the corridor, he caught sight of Vivian walking with a small bucket in her hand. Raising his hand, he stopped her from passing any further. Her questioning eyes looked up at him. Standing right in front of her to cover her entire frame with his, Leonard spoke,

”I have a blue quill in on one of the shelves of my room but I think I lost it last night. Could you please find it for me and place it in the study room, Bambi?” he asked her with a sweet smile on his lips.

”Right now?” Vivian had been asked to change the water in all the vases by Paul.

”Right away,” he confirmed, his gaze soft on her.

”Okay,” Vivian nodded and headed towards his room. Seeing her gone for the moment, he walked to where his father and Mr Jerome stood.

”Jerome. It has been a while since we last met,” Leonard brought his hand forward with a false smile on his lips to shake hands with the vampire which he had no intention to build friendship with.