Charlotte grabbed the nearby towel with water droplets sliding the curves of her body and dried herself off while the maid went back to the bedroom. The maid had laid undergarments left by the sink, and Charlotte blushed as she slipped on the black lace set with white bows in the center of the cups and the sides of the underwear. Who picked out the undergarments?
The maid was suspicious, but there were more pressing questions at the moment. The maid was young but seemed old at the same time with her eyes that seemed to have seen too many burdening events.
Her dark brown hair was swept into a tight knot at the base of her head, and her standard maid attire wasn't out of the ordinary. There was something off about the whole mansion which Charlotte didn't realize at first.
Charlotte flipped her hair upside down to shake it out before padding back to the bedroom where the maid helped Charlotte get into the dress. The chill from the breeze racked a shiver through her, and she peered out the doors for a second to realize that they were beyond the city walls.
The young woman's hands were trembling, and Charlotte placed a hand on the maid's trembling fingers that were doing up the buttons of the dress.
"What is wrong?" Charlotte asked.
"It's nothing," the woman brushed her off.
Charlotte grasped the woman's wrist when the woman tried to back off. What was the young woman so afraid of? "What is your name?"
The girl lowered her green gaze. "It is Natalia, miss."
Natalia moved to the vanity where told Charlotte to sit. Charlotte lifted her eyes to see her frightened ones, and Charlotte turned back to face the mirror to stop asking her questions that would scare her since she was in their hands at the moment.
Natalia expertly put makeup on her face which enhanced her large eyes and sharpened her features. The ending was the lush pink lips, and Charlotte sat back, knowing that red lips would have suited the look more.
Her curious mouth ended up opening anyways. "Natalia, how long have you been working here?"
"A-about a year."
"Is that so?" Charlotte murmured. "What occasion calls for such a lavish dress?"
"It is..." Natalia gulped in the air. "Customary to dress for a meeting with the master."
Natalia busily turned back to the vanity to grab the comb, and Charlotte took the brush out of her hands. She wanted to go see Vincent for only a moment, not get all pretty for him. Charlotte ran the comb through her long black locks fast before fluffing it up, deciding that was enough. Natalia shook her head.
"You need to look pretty in the cof..." Natalia's eyes widened in horror, as her sentence trailed off into terrified silence.
"What?" Charlotte asked in bewilderment.
Natalia reached for the headband that was in the box that she was carrying, and the headband was encrusted with sparkling ruby jewels which complimented her dress and eyes. Her hair dried fast, so Charlotte didn't have to worry about damp hair. Natalia placed the accessory on her head and ushered her out, not showing her face.
Sebastian was leaning on the wall next to the doors and straightened when they got out of the room. He placed his hand beneath his chin and nodded.
"You'll do."
Charlotte's jaw dropped from his clipped tone. "Excuse me?"
"Let's go to Vincent's office."
Charlotte closed her mouth and trailed after Sebastian since she didn't need him to change his mind after she called him out for being rude despite her imposing on them. Still, she wasn't going to accept their attitude toward her.
They went down the stairs, and Charlotte noticed that the house was all quiet versus the moment when she first stepped into the mansion which made her start to question their actions.
Sebastian turned to the right after reaching the foyer and into the right wing of the hallway. Many doors were closed and down the end of the hallway that was only lit by candles on each small table stand, and Sebastian pointed to the ominous office door.
She gave him a nod in thanks and whipped her head away to see the glint of satisfaction in Sebastian's gaze, as she stepped into the lion's lair unknowingly. The door shut behind her, and Charlotte twisted back to touch the knob that wouldn't open.
They locked her inside! Charlotte brought a hand to her face. What were they up to? Charlotte looked up at the office to see that Vincent was sitting in the black chair behind the desk with his eyes closed, his breathing signaling that he was asleep.
Her eyes shifted around the room, taking in the two large windows to her left that was the only light source in the dark room. Two sofas were across each other with a glass table in the center, and Charlotte walked around to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Vincent was sleeping so peacefully, she didn't want to wake him, because he likely needed the sleep as much as she.