The car comes to a standstill in front of the mansion and I gulp as the chauffeur comes round to open the door for me. I watch a man in a butler's suit walk up to me and bows his head slightly.
'Miss Claire, welcome to Wanton Estate. I am Mr Jinks. The Master has not returned from his trip but wishes you a warm welcome,' he says and leads me inside as the chauffeur carries my bags.
'Oh, well that's alright. When might he be back?' I ask and Mr Jinks leads me up the left staircase. We walk through a long hallway and he opens a pair of doors revealing a white themed bedroom with a modern touch.
'Master Dominic will be home in two days, you are free to unpack and make yourself comfortable. Dinner is at eight,' he says and leaves me with my bags on my bed. I walk to the window to look down at the garden below and then the forest not to far from the house.
After unpacking, I see that its five minutes to eight and I start to make my way to the stairs. I reach the bottom to see a lady in a maids uniform waiting for me and she smiles as she sees me.
'Hello, Miss Claire, I'm so glad you came here. The house needs a sweet young lady such as yourself to brighten up the place. I am Greta. You must be hungry after your journey, come,' she titters as she leads me through another double door into a large dining hall and I stare at the grandeur of this room alone. I notice only one place is laid out at the end of the five-metre-long table and Greta motions for me to sit.
'Chef Louis was so excited he may have made too much but leftovers can be put in the fridge,' she says and I frown.
'Could I eat in the kitchen, please? It's a bit lonely out here,' I say softly and she smiles, nodding.
'Of course, darling. That way the household can meet you,' she says and I follow her towards another door that leads to the kitchen. A stout man is chopping chicken breasts and monitoring the other three people, two ladies and a young boy.
'Come now people. We can't let the new miss think we are lazy. We must make only the best chicken carbonara for her,' he says and Greta claps for his attention. He spins around and his eyes widen as he sees me standing next to me.
'AH, belladonna, you are such a skinny thing, we must put some meat on you. You are so tiny and cute,' he says, coming to hug me and the other workers come towards us smiling.
'Hello, I'm Brigit and this is my sister Laura. Luke here is our multi-boy,' the blonde girl says, shaking my hand and introduces her brunette sister and the lanky guy.
'Claire. What's a Multi-boy?' I ask and Luke shakes his head.
'I am basically the assistant to every main worker here. Gardening, kitchen, and stable boy,' he explains and I nod.
'Alright, give her some space. She's probable hungry,' Greta tuts and Louis starts fussing over the food again.
'You cannot rush perfection, Greta. I will not have her having merde on her first night here,' His french accent accentuates the words in a fancy slur which elicits A giggle from me, encouraged by Greta's eye roll which extends to her whole head. They both forget their grievances as I laugh wholeheartedly and great shushes me so that I would eat the plate of food in front of me.
'Your laugh will surely clear the silence in the manor,' Louise says as I eat the deliciously creamy noodle dish he made for me and I give him a sheepish smile with my mouth full. Greta chuckles and they sit with me.
'At least Master Dominic will have someone to come home to at night,' she sighs and I frown at her comment.
'He's in his late twenties, right? Shouldn't he at least have a significant other?' I ask and they shake their heads.
'The master has been a workaholic since he took over that company, but he is still a spring chicken. He will have loads of time to find a lover and have many babies,' Louise says and we laugh at his exaggerated fantasy. I finish my food as I listen to their stories of Dominic's childhood and his mother and sister. I share a bit of my own childhood, reminiscing of how I rode horses through the countryside with my mother and trained the dogs with my father whenever they had spare time.
'There are some lovely horses in the stables out back that Luke would be happy to have help with. We may not have dogs but I'm sure the Master might allow you to have one later on,' Greta says and I smile happily to have something familiar to experience.
'You seem like a little bookworm. You should explore the library tomorrow. It is filled to the brim with different genres. I would take you there myself but tomorrow I will be busy,' Louise says, his french accent makes me smile and I nod, sipping the glass of water that Greta places in front of me.
'Come now, dear, let's get you to bed. There will be enough time tomorrow to explore and talk about hobbies. Louise can talk a donkey's leg off if you don't stop him,' she says and I follow her out of the kitchen, through the large halls towards my room. She stops in front of my door and gives me a kind smile.
'I hope we have made you feel at home, dear. Sweet dreams,child,' She says, patting my head and walking away with a little wave. I watch her go for a second and smile to myself as I walk into my room to get ready for bed. I trace the photo frame of my parents and I at a picnic, the memory rising to the front of my mind as I dress and prepare for sleeping in a new bed.
'Remember, my little spark, we are always near even if we are far,' my father's soothing baritone flutters in my mind and I blink back tears of longing. I slip under the soft quilt that my mother had made before my birth.
'Goodnight, mamma. Goodnight, pappa,' I whisper into the air before closing my eyes and allowing sleepto blanket my mind.