Niklaus smiled slightly and pated Andraya's hand.
"Thank you. I should...I should let you get some rest now; you're practically asleep. I'll leave the pitcher here next to the bed, so if you wake, it will be here for you." He let go of her hand and set the pitcher on the bedside table before practically bolting from the room. Andraya gave his retreating back a slightly amused glance. It was apparent her acceptance had thrown him.
She settled down into the pillow and was soon asleep.
The next morning Andraya work to the healer removing the IV from her arm. He looked up from his work as she twitched and smiled at her. "Good Morning, My lady."
Andraya blinked sleepily, "Good Morning?" she questioned, not quite awake.
"I am the healer. You can call me Healer, everyone does. You're mostly healed. The blisters and sunburn were severe, but you were lucky, and there should be no scarring. I believe that to be more luck than any treatment I provided. You are going to start peeling soon, nothing to do for that, but let nature run its course, but I have provided a medicated soap that should help with the rest of the healing process. It would be best if you used it twice daily and with lukewarm water. You are half-starved, I will discuss a meal plan with Cook as soon as I am done here. It'll be a lot of light, bland foods at first. You should drink as much as you can. I see you are enjoying Mrs. Williams's special fruit juice. It is a perfect drink for you, very hydrating, and has a high nutrition level." he moved to the end of the bed.
"Now, let's get this catheter removed, and I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to your rest." the healer moved further down the side of the bed and waited for her nod of permission before completing his tasks and leaving the room with a quick bow. Andraya had no issue going back to sleep.
A short time later, she was woken up by a firm but polite knock on her bedroom door.
"Yes?" she called out, sitting up and looking towards the door. The door opened to reveal the same woman who'd brought the drinks the night before.
"Good Morning, my Lady. My name is Mrs. Williams. I thought you might be ready for a refresh on that pitcher, and if you'd like a chat?" She said, coming forward with a new tray that had two full pitchers, one of water and one of the juice, that was quickly becoming the only thing Andraya wanted to drink. She noticed as Mrs. Williams came closer that there was also a thick folder on the tray.
"Ah, ok. Sure." Andraya said slowly.
Mrs. Williams set the tray on the table; it only took her a moment to switch everything out. "May I sit, My Lady?"
"Oh, umm, yes, of course," Andraya said, not used to someone asking her permission to sit.
Mrs. Williams took the same seat Niklaus had sat in the night before. "If it meets with your approval, I thought this might be a good time to get you acquainted with the senior household staff and if you are up to it, picking your Lady's maid."
Andraya stared at Mrs. Williams, lost, "Ok, that sounds good."
Mrs. Williams gave Andraya a quick smile, "I'll start with myself. I'm the housekeeper. My job is to supervise the maids, cook, and so forth, and my husband is the butler and is in charge of the footmen, valets, etc. Then we have Mr. and Mrs. Peters, who are in charge of the gardens. Cook is in charge of the kitchen, kitchen gardens, and staff. The head of security is Mrs. Jacobs. Those are the senior staff members. We used to have a stable master and stable hands, but his Lordship hasn't left the estate in quite a few years, and he closed the stables."
"That is a lot of people." Andraya offered as Mrs. Williams paused to see how Andraya was handling all the information.
"This is a huge house, though much of it has been closed for many years." Mrs. Williams replied, pulling the folder to her. "Now, there is the matter of your lady's maid. A lady's maid is in charge of anything you might need, such as helping with setting out your clothing, managing the maids that clean your quarters, and so forth." Mrs. Williams paused at the look on Andraya's face.
"My Lady, I know that this is a lot, and it is very different from anything you may be used to, but you are now Lord Niklaus's daughter. He is a very powerful man. It is expected that you have people to do things for you. A household such as this is a major employer for any area. If you refuse the service, you will be putting people out of work."
Andraya sighed, well when she put it that way. She nodded and then held her hand out for the folder. Once she'd selected one of the senior maids to be promoted to her lady's maid, she wanted to sleep for a week.
"We are almost done, My lady." Mrs. Williams said, noticing that Andraya was starting to flag. "We have just one last thing, do you want to select your bodyguards or do you want to leave that to Mr. Jacobs."
Andraya sighed, " I don't know anything about that. Mr. Jacobs can select whatever or whoever. I don't know why I'd even need bodyguards."
"A wise decision. I'm sure his Lordship will help to handpick your protection, and I'm sure it will bring him peace of mind."
Mrs. Williams stood and gathered up the paperwork and dirty dishes. "I'll leave you to rest, my lady."
"Thank you," Andraya said and was asleep almost as soon as the door closed.
A few hours later, Andraya was wondering how she managed to get herself into these messes. She had looked down and realized that the bed was high off the ground. She was short. It made her dizzy so she rolled over and started wiggling her way off the side of the bed, her feet stretching and reaching for the floor.
The door opened when she figured she was about halfway to the floor. She turned her head to look at the door and saw Abigail the woman she'd selected to be her lady's maid standing in the doorway.
"My Lady?" Abigail queried as she moved into the room.
"Yes," Andraya replied and kept wiggling and stretching towards the floor.
"May I ask what you are doing?"
"Trying to find the floor. I was going to slide off front ways but looking down made me dizzy. Was this bed made for giants or mammoths?" Andraya gave one final wiggle and felt her feet touch the floor. She held onto the edge of the bed. Her legs were a little weak.
"You should still be resting, My Lady," Abigail said looking at her mistress, who really was quite small and at the moment delicate looking.
"I would love to still be resting Abby but I need two things and they happen to be in another room."
It took a moment to realize what Andraya was talking about, "Ah, I see. Allow me to be of assistance."