It's one of the maids, she clicks on the light switch blinding my eyes. It burns so I squeeze them shut as her steps glide toward my bed. When I open my eyes she is dead in front of me, a dull gaze cast upon her like a spell.
"My Lady. Victoria are you okay?" She tilts her head with a smile and I gulp shifting deeper under the covers. "I am quite fine you just startled me there, I didn't even see you slip in." She nods, "That was the plan, if you were in slumber I didn't want to awaken you." Her voice sounded dead and straightforward if I weren't primarily used to it, it most certainly would unnerve me.
I clench the lingering letter in my hand, trying to be as discreet as possible. But her eyes continue to tarry like a dark void, the emptiness inside waiting for something to happen as the silence takes over the room for a while.
We wait, and then she speaks again, "Other than the scare are you sure you are alright?" I nod, "Yes I am quite certain.." Her eyes shift to my tense shoulders and then back to my eyes, "You are not hungry? No snack or quick meal perhaps? Grapes? Crab? Or maybe a quick bite of cheese?" The question makes me blink back, the words being similar to me and Charles' conversation in a way.
Why would she mention cheese? Did she know I was downstairs? Did she see me? I take a deep breath trying to calm myself, the grip on my covers becoming tighter and the maid watching my every move carefully.
She bows her head slightly, "Forgive me I am only suggesting Lady.Victoria, you seem quite thin, we just would not want to see you avoiding meals like the last time."
I don't look her in the eyes, my teeth falling to the bottom of my jaw, I almost don't know exactly what to say, "I-I am eating." I'm more quiet than before, the confrontation bringing up unwanted memories that I have to swat like flies.
Her eyes move back to my shoulders then my face, a seamless frown paints across her tan face, "We will see by tomorrow's mealtime, I will be watching closely to make sure you are actually consuming the right nutrients necessary." I look down at my covers wanting to bury myself deep within its sea, never wanting to come out again and being drowned to the cloth underneath. The disturbing sentence of another maid 'checking' on my health always makes me uncomfortable but yet my opinion never really mattered.
The opinion of an ignorant child never mattered to anyone, at least from what I've seen. My eyesight starts to blur and the maid snaps her fingers bringing me back to reality. "Y-Yes?" She puts her hands together, "I was going to say that if you shall inquire about anything else you can let me know. I will be right outside your door."
She looks past me, leaning on the edge of her heel and then falling back down on them, "I shall also make sure that a replacement bell will be put in your room soon so you can ring it in case of need." She steps back slowly drifting her eyelids to me, "I and the other maids will be the only ones you ask for something. No one else, after all, it is our job is it not?"
She wants me to answer but I know she already knows what I will say, after all, it is such an obvious question. "Yes, what you get paid to do is what you come to do." "Exactly My Lady."
I lose my grip on the covers, lifting my eyes up to her it's more so of a dull stare as she tries to compete back with me. "I actually do have something to ask you." "Yes, what is it?" I suck in my breath, "It is pertaining to my Father." "Mr.Acres?" "Yes."
She for once looks away, sucking in her lips with a tongue that becomes dry. Her fingers fiddled upon her dress. "Ah, I see well what would you like to know?" The question was rather ambiguous so I wanted to ask more than intending.
"What was my Father-" I stopped- trying to think about what I would say, my pupils, searching for an answer and coming up with something rather simple.
"What was he like when I was younger or before I was born?" Her face remains unchanged but she does answer the question, "I think Lady. Acres will do its best to answer that for you, after all, she is your mother and wife to Mr.Acres himself. So it will be best to ask her when you see her again."
I tilt my head to the side taking a dramatic exhale, "When will that be exactly?" "Soon" She puts her hands behind her back, "Any more questions?"
I shift one of my hands up to raise one finger, "Just one more, I just wonder, what was my Father yelling about?" "Frustration, he is unnerved and has been 'unwell' moreso 'in the head' as Lady. Acres seem to put it. So he doesn't know entirely what he is saying."
She's lying and even though her voice sounds the same in tone, the answer just doesn't click. I know my Father is not a mule's fool, he knows what he is doing and saying. The words he spits and the way he wants me to agree with his wicked sinned words.
But yet she lies, knowing that the truth is something that I can't have because I am yet again an ignorant child in this material of a building.
But yet even with that, I nod, agreeing to her blot-out lie, "Okay thank you, that is all." She bows one last time. "Okay then, Goodnight Lady.Victoria."
"Goodnight." She turn to leave, switching the light switch off before she left and closing the door behind her. Leaving me and crumbled-up letter.