“Am I to meet her rightnow?”
“I believe so. If you would like to leave your bag here, I will have someone take it to yourroom.”
“Yes... thank you.” She paused for a beat, and the butler stared at her the whole time. “I am sorry, I do not remember if you have already told me, what is yourname?”
“I have not.” His tone sent ice cold chills up and down her spine. “But that does not matter, you will not need to addressme.”
“What... ever?” There was such a comradery between the staff at her home, why was it so differenthere?
“I cannot imagineso.”
“Where is Victoria?” Iris demanded, starting to feel a boiling sensation to her blood. “I would like to speak with her. She is my... my cousin, afterall.”
Iris cringed as she said that, because she was so sure what this man already knew, but his face refused to give him away. It was almost as if he had been trained in turning his emotionsoff.
“Victoria is busy with her duties, as I am certain you must understand having worked in a position such as this before.” Was that sarcasm? Iris felt like he knew everything by that tone. That hurt. She wanted to start this new life without anyone knowing her. “You may have your family reunion once your jobs aredone.”
“And when will that be?” Iris asked pointlessly, because his back had already beenturned.
With a rapid roll of her eyes, Iris scurried to keep up with him. This nameless butler had long legs which made his strides almost impossible for her to catch up. A small part of Iris believed that he might have been doing this on purpose, but she did not like to wonderwhy.
The rapid pace meant that Iris kept her eyes focused more on the butler's back, rather than the home around her, so of course, she missed out on getting to know her new environment. It was so large that she also knew she would get very lost if she wasn't careful. It was a maze, almost designed to confuse and make people dizzy. Hopefully, it would be the sort of place that Iris would eventually get usedto.
It wasn’t until they stepped into a bedroom that Iris finally drank everything in, and she was surprised with how much beauty she found herself looking at. Gorgeous velvet curtains in a deep red colour, with a large rug to match. A four poster bed with decoration carved into the wood and a wonderful midnight blue throw covering it. A dressing table that put the one that Iris had in her home to shame, and a wardrobe that took up almost one whole length of the wall... stuffed withdresses.
This girl had absolutely everything that a proper lady could need, and by the looks of it, she embraced it too. She wanted to make the best of her title, which meant she deservedit.
Iris hoped again that Daisy would do the same. Not only was she desperate for her friend to be happy so all of this would be worth it, she also wanted her name to remain safe. It was not exactly her name anymore, but Iris still felt protective of it. She did not like the idea of it being taken for granted. Maybe she would never hear of it at all, but it was more likely that she would. The world was not a small place when everyone knew oneanother.
If Daisy hadthislife, then everything would likely beokay.
“Miss Oakley?” All of a sudden, the butler spoke with kindness and professionalism in his voice. Iris had to believe that it was her causing the issue. “Your new handmaiden ishere.”
“Daisy Jones.” Iris stepped forward when it became obvious that she was not about to be introduced. “It is wonderful to meetyou.”
She bobbed into a curtsy, but the girl barely acknowledged her. Instead, she was examining her reflection in the mirror just as Iris used to do when she was athome.
Iris watched her tugging at her dark hair as she stared into her pale turquoise coloured eyes. Her pale skin had makeup brushed over it, and her lips were painted a pinkish colour, but for some reason, she did not lookhappy.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Iris asked awkwardly. Now she understood why the maids worked as handmaidens in her home, there did not seem to be a lot to do. “Would you like me to brush yourhair?”
“I do not know,” Amy shrugged. “I supposeso.”
Iris shot the butler a warning look, and he slunk off like a disgraced snake. His attitude was incredibly annoying, especially as Iris could only speculate where it might have come from, but right now her priority had to be keeping this young lady happy. That was her job, after all. She would deal with him at anothertime.
As Iris dragged the brush through Amy’s hair, she tried to get her talking, figuring that would be the best way to bring her out of her shell a bit around her. She guessed she might beshy.
“So, Amy, like I said it is lovely to meet you. You are a very beautiful young lady; I feel privileged to work withyou.”
"Hmm," came the short reply. Clearly, compliments were not thekey!
“How old areyou?”
“Sixteen.” Again her expression tightened. Iris recognized that look, it was the glare of a girl who had reached the age of marriage far too quickly. That was a subject that she needed to stay awayfrom.
“So, you father is away on business, is henot?”
“My father isdead.”
