Can I just ignore it?
As unlikely as that seems, I wait it out, but over the bell I can hear footsteps coming down the hallway. The door flies open without warning and slams against the wall.
“Servant, it has not even been a few hours since I told you what this bell was for and you seem to have forgotten it!” By her tone she seems quite irritated. “You are needed downstairs and I will not have my guests waiting for their meal because my newest servant decided a nap sounded better.”
“You remind me of Evalyn,” I mutter.
“What was that servant?” she snaps at me.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing what?” Looking at me with expectant eyes, she waits for me to say something again.
“Duchess?”
“That is right. Duchess! Widow of a Duke! Status symbol among the community, and I will not be mocked!” She waves her finger angrily at me.
To me it appears that it wasn’t just a first impression issue, but that she has an entitlement mentality. A revelation hits me and I find a common theme seems to be emerging within my life as a time traveler: women, trouble and women who are trouble.
This is Eve all over again.
“Yes Duchess,” I reply.
“That is more like it. Now, I need you to serve while Evalyn is cooking.” Her voice calms down, and as quick as her temper flared up it’s gone.
She turns around and exits the room while I stand up from the bed, stretching and groaning. Feeling quite a bit better, my muscles feel rejuvenated and my face doesn’t hurt as much as it did before. Back downstairs, I feel an opportunity is near to confer with Evalyn and quietly plot a way out of this situation while the Duchess is busy with her guests. When I reach the main floor of the house I glance to my right to see Duchess Tamiell greeting guests, an older man and woman, but I pay little attention to them. As I head for the kitchen door, I am beckoned over.
“Servant boy, come here so that my guests may get a better look at you,” she calmly instructs.
While I could disobey her and likely have her get angry in front of her guests, I play the part of the obedient servant, for now. Swiftly I make my way over and stand with my arms crossed.
“Do not be rude, offer to take their coats.” She smiles at me and motions with her head. “I must apologize. I just purchased him and he has not been broken in yet.”
Not only am I a slave, but I am apparently just an animal to be ‘broken in’ to this woman. It is difficult for me to sit idly by while being degraded, but I do as she asks and hold out my arms for them to lay their coats across.
“Yes Duchess,” I reply with just a hint of a sour tone.
“It is quite all right Duchess. We have had to break in our fair share of servants over the years,” the man responds, while taking off a fur overcoat and putting it over my arm. The woman follows his lead, but says nothing.
They’re both short and a little plump, but have nothing really of interest about their characters, rather they are just more faces that will fade into nothingness in my head when I am out of this predicament.
“Where shall I put these coats, Duchess?” I ask her sullenly.
“Upstairs, the door immediately in front of the stairs is a closet. Now hurry on and return so we can be served our evening meal.” She waves me off and proceeds to lead them to the den area where a fire crackles in the fireplace.
Doing as I am told, I make my way upstairs and hang the coats on hooks inside a very roomy closet. When I find my way back downstairs Duchess Tamiell immediately addresses me.
“Servant, some wine for my guests and me,” the Duchess commands. “Evalyn knows where to find it.”
I head to the kitchen door, but when I slide it open the Duchess stops me again.
“I think you forgot something,” she laughs snidely.
“Yes Duchess?” I hesitate a little while turning to her.
“Yes Duchess is right. Remember to address me properly when spoken to.” She laughs with her guests.
Entering the kitchen, the smell of delicious food hits me and my stomach gurgles heavily. There is a small black kettle and iron frying pan on the top of the wood stove. Evalyn is moving back and forth quickly from the counter on the right wall, taking chopped vegetables and throwing them into the pot, then proceeds to flip what looks like small round slabs of beef in the pan. I close the door behind me and address Evalyn.
“Evalyn, I need to know where the wine is.”
“Why? Going to drink your problems away?” she says with a flat tone. I can’t tell if she’s being snide or if she’s just playing.
“The Duchess required me to get her and her guests some wine.”
“Fine glasses are in the top right cupboard by the door, there, and the wine is in the cabinet below where I was chopping.” She keeps her back to me while she pokes the meat with a fork and then stirs what’s in the pot.
I walk over to her side and whisper, “We need to figure out how we’re going to get out of here and back to the house.”
“I’m quite enjoying myself here actually.” She looks at me through the corner of her eye.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I am away from the house. This is quite nice.”
“Being a servant isn’t nice!” I whisper harshly.
I hear the low ringing of my bell and realize that if I don’t get out there soon, Duchess Tamiell will become suspicious and come looking for me. Moving to the cupboard, I take out three short and round wine glasses and proceed to get a bottle of wine from under the counter. Uncorking the dark green bottle, I pour and a dark, red liquid sloshes out of the small bottleneck into each glass. As it settles the aroma of the wine mingles with the smells of the food cooking, causing my stomach to grumble even more. Evalyn takes the bottle from me and puts a little in the kettle and the pan for her cooking.
“This isn’t over, Evalyn. We’ll talk about this later,” I tell her while picking up the glasses, maneuvering their thick stems between fingers so that I can carry two in one hand and one in the other.
Using the hand with only one glass in it, I’m able to grip the door’s handle with my pinky finger and slide it open with only a little difficulty. When I enter the main area again I find that the Duchess and her guests are enjoying a conversation in front of the fireplace. Their laughter is quiet and distinguished and when they look at me carrying the drinks, it becomes a little louder, like I’ve done something socially unacceptable.
“Servant, next time use a tray. You look quite silly carrying those in your hands,” Duchess Tamiell titters, then looks at her guests and shrugs.
“Yes Duchess.” I provide each of them with their drinks and cross my hands in front of my body.
They begin conversing about matters of little interest to me, a family business of some sort. I’m unsure if I should stay or go but they ignore me as if I ceased to exist the moment they obtained their drinks. Shifting my weight nervously, I wait.
I know Evalyn said that she likes being away from the house, but I have a feeling she’s staying here to torture me instead. She wants to make me miserable because she’s always miserable. If the Duchess doesn’t need me, I’ll go have another little chat with Evalyn.
“Duchess, I am going to see if Evalyn needs any assistance,” I tell her, waiting for some snappy remark for speaking without being spoken to.
“Fine, fine. When you come back, bring the bottle of wine and another piece of wood for the fire,” she says, waving me off, not even looking.
This is going to be yet another long month. I can feel it.
When I re-enter the kitchen, I find Evalyn tasting what looks like soup from the pot on the stove. Apparently finding it lacking, she begins adding spices from a nearby spice rack. Moving to the door on the right wall, I turn the knob and pull it open. The light from the lanterns in the kitchen only slightly illuminates the inside to reveal a room with only a few wood pieces on the left and shelves of food on the right. I only ne
ed the wood, so I grab a single piece, already chopped, and then close the door.
“So when do we get to eat?” I ask Evalyn.
“Later, when her guests are gone. We get whatever is left in the pot.”
“I guess it’s better than Eve’s gruel,” I whisper more to myself than to her while grabbing the bottle of wine and notice it’s empty. “Did you use all of this in the food?”
Evalyn looks at me and smirks deviously, telling me that only some of what I left was used in the food. Shaking my head at her, I obtain another bottle, uncork it and head out to the den once again.
I find the three having a mildly serious conversation based on the looks of their faces and their lower tone voices, but upon seeing the bottle the Duchess’s eyes light up once again. Instead of me refilling it for her she snatches the bottle from me and offers her guests more, then pours some in her own glass, leaving me free to put the wood on the fire.
When I’m done I return to her and wait to see what else she wants, but again she ignores me. Their conversation turns to talk of hosting a party at her house to find her a suitor. I find myself bored nearly to tears.
Why can’t they talk about what I need to hear about, like the slaves or slavers?
I find myself slipping into a daze and think about this time that I’m in.
No one has seemed to recognize me so this likely isn’t my time. But due to the familiarity of it all, I can’t be far off. Perhaps I’m a child right now? Would it be possible to stop the time vortex here and live out my life in at least a familiar setting? It would stick Ami, Agatha and Evalyn here though.
“Servant, go and tell Evalyn that we are ready to eat.” I snap back to reality at Duchess Tamiell’s voice.
“Yes Duchess.”
Entering the kitchen, I’m approached by Evalyn and directed to a tray that has three bowls of the soup. While I take that one, she plates up the steaks on another tray and garnishes them with parsley. When I exit, Evalyn follows behind me and moves swiftly around me to the table, setting the plates out. As I am setting down the bowls directly next to the plates Evalyn corrects me.
“Bowls go on the top right of the plate.”
I shoot her a glance out of the corner of my eye and fix it as she says. The Duchess and her guests make their way from the den to the dining table and seem to stand there waiting for something else. Evalyn frowns at me and shows me by demonstration that I need to pull out the chairs and seat each individual. As Evalyn seats the woman guest I pull out the Duchess’s chair and force a smile. I push the chair in and walk to the man and follow the same procedure.
Evalyn and I are going to have a serious talk tonight.
“Thank you servants. You are dismissed for now,” the Duchess waves us off and begins to eat.
Finally, we have a chance to escape. As Evalyn walks by me I follow behind her, putting my palm in the arch of her back and pushing her along to the kitchen.
First thing’s first, I’m hungry.
When we enter, I shut the door and Evalyn giggles. I find the pot still on the stove with a large ladle sticking out, but no bowls are on the counter.
“Where are the bowls Evalyn?”
“Cupboard next to the wine glasses.”
Despite that it’s purely a vegetable soup the smell that it gives off is mouthwatering. Dishing myself some up I find that I’m moving quickly, as if in a frenzy to eat. It can’t have been more than a few days since I’ve eaten but my body is acting like it has been weeks. When I turn around to ask for a spoon Evalyn has already retrieved one for me. I grab it from her and begin to eat ravenously.
“Thanks,” I do my best to thank her with a full mouth, practically choking on my food and breathing heavily to cool it off. My tongue burns but I don’t care.
Evalyn laughs and proceeds to get her own bowl. We eat in silence, her in a sophisticated manner with taking a spoonful at a time and blowing it off while I take bite after bite of a various vegetables and broth. When I’ve successfully consumed three bowls of the soup I find that my stomach is satisfied. Letting out a sigh to reflect that condition I get a disapproving look from Evalyn.
“What?” I ask.
“Your manners are awful.”
“Right now, I couldn’t care less.” I shrug at her.
“If you have any thoughts of dating my niece, you better straighten up. She may like you now, but if you act like a slob that could change.”
I blush, not sure what to say at this point. She does make a good argument, but the whole idea of dating Ami is still very back and forth in my mind. One minute we’re just good friends and the next we’re on the verge of something more, but I can’t read her well enough to decide when or even if I should make an advance.
“Why, do you think that there is a chance of me courting Ami?” Looking through the corner of my eye, I wait to see what her response is.
“Well, I can’t expect an oaf like you to understand a woman so I’ll explain it to you instead. She likes you, whether you know it or not.” She crosses her arms and frowns.
“Okay,” I turn to her and give her my full attention. “What about the complications of that kind of situation? We’re stuck time-traveling together and I’ve only been here a few months. Would it be wise to enter into a formal relationship so soon after knowing one another?”
“A valid point, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and I’m afraid that hers is set on you. Whether it’s infatuation because you’re the only man in her life or because she has actual feelings for you is yet to be revealed, but make no mistake a woman’s feelings are on the line.”
“I’m not sure that it would be prudent to try until we find a way to stop the curse on the house. While it’s easy to let one’s emotions control them, if it comes down to it, I think that I will have to let her know that.”
“All right ‘Mister Sensibility’. We’ll see just how it goes.” She smirks at me.
“What do you care anyway?” I ask abruptly. “You are the one that cursed them to this life. Just a few months ago you were trying to slap Ami, treating her like she was nothing.”
“I admit, I let my anger get the best of me. I’ve been condemned to this existence just as much as they have and it’s grating.” She gets a little agitated and begins glaring at me.
I let the subject drop, needing to keep her open to the idea of escape. Through the silence that follows between Evalyn and me, I hear the sound of slightly raised voices coming through the wall and then a set of laughter, but even with open wall area I can’t make out what is being said.
“We need to figure a way out of here,” I tell her.
“Why? I’m enjoying this.” She continues eating.
“You’re enjoying it because I’m being treated like a servant and you know the only thing holding me here is you.”
“Exactly. I do this kind of stuff on a daily basis, so staying here is simply to watch you squirm. Ami can take care of herself and Eve.”
“And what about Agatha? You’re holding her hostage too, aren’t you?”
Evalyn’s face turns sour and she gets defensive. “That’s none of your concern.”
“It is of my concern. Agatha is like a mother to me. When you possess her, she’s still there isn’t she?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Isn’t it unfair to her to suppress her? I know why you don’t like me, but what do you have against her? What do you have against them at all?” My mouth gets the better of my best intentions.
She clams up and turns her head away from me but before I can get anything else out of my mouth I hear my bell ring. Despite having every intention of being out of here within another day, I feel that nagging compulsion to at least somewhat repay the woman who ‘purchased’ me. When I stand up and move to the door, I turn and talk at Evalyn’s back.
“Be stubborn Evalyn, but really think about it. It’s been how many years and you’re still holding some grudge?”
I leave her with that thought. W
hile I have no clue what it is that she’s harboring or why she is so angry, I have a feeling that it’s going to drive us all insane eventually. I am amazed that somehow Ami and Agatha have managed to deal with it for as long as they have.
Moving to the dining table I find that Duchess Tamiell and her guests are quite tipsy from the alcohol. All of their cheeks are a deep rosy red. Their plates and glasses are empty and the bottle that was once full is tipped on its side as if it had been sucked dry.
“Servant, come here.” The Duchess waggles her finger in a beckoning manner to me, and then giggles. A shiver falls over my spine as I get a bad feeling.
“Yes, Duchess?” I slowly move over to the side of her chair.
To my surprise she reaches up and runs her hand across the muscles of my right arm. Jerking away, appalled, I realize what she’s doing. While I’m not sure I believed Evalyn at first, she must have actually told the Duchess I had prowess in bed to get her to purchase me. So beyond getting physical labor done around the domain, to her I’m a plaything.
I have to find a way out of this!
“D-Duchess, do you require more wine?” I stammer a little.
She looks at me, smirking. I can’t tell what she’s thinking but by the almost strained look on her face I appear to have given her a serious question to ponder. Taking a moment before answering, she rubs her cheeks and looks across the room at the fire for a moment.
“No, our guests will be leaving shortly. Please clean up the dishes.”
“Yes, Duchess,” I breathe a sigh of relief.
While her mind has been distracted for the moment, there is no doubt that the longer we stay here the more possibility there is of finding myself in an even more awkward position than I am now.
It doesn’t take long to clean up the dishes. I bring them all to Evalyn for washing and then return with a cloth to clean off the table. While I’m doing this Duchess Tamiell and her guests have returned to the fireplace, standing in front of it this time.
“Servant, when you have finished with that, please retrieve our guests’ coats.”
“Yes, Duchess.”
Considering the labor around here is what I would be doing for Ami and Agatha at home, this isn’t terrible, but much like with Eve, I will have to do everything in my power to avoid being bedded by some strange woman. My only option is to anger her when it comes to that.
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