"I will be up after dinner." He said, staring at her curves. She bowed and nearly ran out of the room, almost forgetting that she wasn't wearing shoes. She had done it. She became too familiar with the lord of the house, and now he was going to teach her a lesson, she thought.
He was not angry; he was concerned. He thought she was still in pain and lying because she was timid. The bath, some food, and rest would have her right as rain. In the silence, he got back to work and still thought about how he startled her. He felt guilty, but at least he read through the entire document. He called a law adviser asking for him to read it as well, in case the wording was slippery. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Western Lord, it was that he wanted to ensure he had the best trade available with them.
She ran, and bumped into a maid and guard who were talking. "Watch it slave!" Growled the woman. She was thin, had short dark black hair and eyes, and held a look of disgust that could turn milk sour.
Samira held her head down and apologized, but the maid was not done. She had seen her at Master's party but not at any other time, for she was a seamstress. She didn't typically leave the outer courtyard area where her small shop was, but today she needed silver thread from the storeroom. "What is a slave doing in my dress?! She screeched. She remembered that she had sewn that dress. The slave probably stole it to try to escape.
"She stole that dress from the Lady!" She exclaimed, yanking Samira and slamming her into his muscled chest.
The guard looked surprised, but he grabbed her by her arm roughly. "I will give you to Lady Thetas, and she'll probably have you thrown into the Cells, slave." He growled angrily.
"No, the master gave me this to ware!" She tried pleading her case, but it fell on deaf ears.
"If the Lord wished to dress you thus, he would have freed you of those shackles, and probably claimed you so we would know of you." He said with a scoff. She began to shed tears and sniffle as quietly as she could, because he was right. She had had the smallest amount of kindness thrown her way, only for it to get taken.
She didn't say anything, but she was deathly afraid of what would happen to her, wincing in pain from his iron grip. What if Lady Thetas didn't know about her dress being worn? There were severe punishments for stealing, no matter what noble house one would serve, free or not. Even the path that led to the cousin of the master was intimidating, as she had no idea where she was in the vast estate. It was almost as if she lived in another building.
There were many servants about, as it was time for the Lord's meeting with his generals, who also lived in the castle with their families. They didn't say anything, but those that knew the master's secret felt as if their theory of Samira being just a toy for the master was correct. She was off to the cells, or the dungeon, maybe even publicly punished. No one interfered, and the guard marched until he turned to the Lady's chambers.
He soon slowed his pace, and there was a pause before he lightly tapped on her private study. Lady Beatrix motioned for them to enter, and Samira saw the lavish study. Should she not had been in trouble, she would have been amazed. The lady was reading a book, a pastime only available for nobles, while drinking a small cup of coffee with cream and sugar.
"My Lady," He shoved Samira hard enough that she fell on her hands and knees before the girl that was almost the same age as her. "This one was caught stealing your dress. So I brought her to you, to punish her as you see fit." He said sternly.
"What are you talking about? I lent that dress-By the Ten what have you done?!" She yelled getting up and seeing her bruise on her arm already forming when she rolled up the sleeve of the dress. The guard looked afraid now, he knew he had made a mistake listening to the seamstress, but no one would hear any of that now.
"My lady I didn���t-" she cut him off swiftly.
"Out!" She screamed, causing her personal handmaids to come to her. "Are you ok? Of course, you aren't, draw a bath." She commanded without looking at any of her maids. They didn't need further instruction; they ran water while another went to get towels and food.
Beatrix was involved in something she knew would incur the wrath of a Thetas. Someone had messed with his future woman. As long as she remembered, and from what she could gather, the Head of Thetas only really ever had one wife, except her father. He didn't have a wife. She didn't know what this girl meant to him, but she was pretty, enough to be a noble she thought.
Samira still silently cried, because he almost broke her arm, and when they took off the dress, the red mark had gotten slightly darker. Lady Thetas pursed her lips, muttering something incoherently. She was placed in the tub, and given something for pain while they washed her hair. "You really are pretty." She mumbled. ��What's your name, Slave." Said the Lady curiously.
"Samira, Mistress." She said quietly. Her sniffles were replaced with dread. She was still in hot water with not one but both resident nobles within the castle. She was surely getting at least lashes for this. She wouldn't be wrong if she were anyone else. She was gently flicked on the forehead, and the Lady snickered.
"I am no mistress, just call me Beatrix," She said with a smile.
This was much too familiar. Samira didn't want to make her angry by protesting, she had already been dragged across the entire castle, but she could only nod to the request. She was dried with soft fluffy towels and Beatrix had given her 3 other dresses and 3 nightgowns. They were all winter weather-ready, long sleaved dresses. They were thick and plain, but she would be warm.
One was a courtly emerald green with gold trim, one was a deep velvet red, and the last was a mustard yellow color. She had given her all the dresses that were given as gifts, or she didn't like, so she didn't care if she didn't get them back, because they had been sitting in the closet for only the Ten knew. The same went for the nightgowns. She had bought them, but didn't like that they were layered and almost see-through.
She also gave her 2 pairs of slippers, one pair for outdoor, and another for indoor. Beatrix had the chest delivered to her cousin's side of the castle and let her wear the mustard colored dress, as it had a nice V line, and complimented her curls.
Lord Thetas felt something was wrong, but he shrugged it off, thinking that it was because she was away from him, that he wanted her back. There was a possibility to do so, except he knew with her in his bedroom, for now, she would distract him. That's what he told himself. General Blackwell had told him of today's news, but it wasn't very important. There was a skirmish with farmers on the border in protest of the wiping out of their nearest large city. There was also an issue of missing grain from the storehouse. It was only 3 bags, enough for it to be theft, or a mistake in counting.
The attending servant sweated, seeing the master with such a serious face and dark eyes. He had done this the day before, but he wished that the woman was here. Where was she? He didn't see her scrubbing the halls, it was the usual crew. Then it dawned on him; she was probably dead. There was the gossip of a slave in a nice dress being dragged across the castle. He looked at his master questioningly, before looking at the open door… what would be the chances he could make it out of the castle before someone caught him? Would they care if he quit in such a way?
There was a light tap on his shoulder, by none other than the master himself. "Your fear is…. distracting. Leave." He commanded with the dark gray eyes of a raging thunderstorm. He didn't have to be told twice. The servant ran out of the dining area with so much haste, he could be mistaken for a wild animal. It actually made Lord Thetas chuckle, if only that man knew that his running and fear excited his master.
To him, he looked like prey. Easy prey. He was weak to show his back to a man who would kill him, and reveal his secret to someone who already knew.