That night was an unusually difficult one for the Bruce family. The women changed out of their colorful silk dresses, now dressed in black skirts and dark veils, gathering in front of the warm fireplace to grieve.
The Viscount's wife sobbed loudly, clutching her daughter-in-law: "You useless woman! You couldn't even bear a single son for William. I regret letting William marry you as his wife!"
Helena gave a disdainful laugh, replying, "Did you ever care about me, except when it came time to demand dowry money? To be honest, if it weren't for me, your estate would have been burdened with debt by now. Who do you think created the comfort you're living in?"
"What do you mean by that!"
"What do I mean? I'm already a widow and have no children. Why should I stay here? Of course, I'll return to my family with my dowry."
"You! You don't have the right to do this!"
"Right? Oh, I certainly have that right—it's granted by law."
Helena stood up with a slight smile and said to everyone, "It's getting late. Get some rest; we still have a funeral to prepare for in the coming days."
After Helena left the house, the Viscountess cried out, "What a shameless woman, how dare she! She cannot take our wealth! Absolutely not!"
"Calm down, Mother." The third young lady, Katherine, sat beside the Viscountess, gently fanning the frail Viscountess, who was struggling to breathe. Katherine was an extraordinary beauty, and she liked to wear golden wigs, which set off her pale skin and light green eyes. Although she was only sixteen, she already exuded a noble elegance.
The Viscountess cried, "Then what should we do? What do you suggest? We're going to go broke, and without an heir, your father's title will be passed down to some distant relative, and we'll all be thrown out of here!"
Viscount Bruce said, "There's no need for such despair. According to the law, we can marry Katherine to my brother's son, so that our daughter can become the lady of Mormont Manor. He's a wealthy man and should be a suitable match."
"No! Father, no! I refuse to marry that ugly hunchback!" Katherine's older sister, Margaret, jumped up, protesting passionately, "I will choose my own husband!"
Compared to the third young lady, Katherine, the second young lady, Margaret, had a slight edge in appearance, though her temperament was not as calm and composed as Katherine's. She was very proud and often carried an air of arrogance.
Viscount Bruce said, "You want to choose your own husband? If a wealthy, powerful noble is willing to marry you, I'll send you off immediately. But unfortunately, with your rich sister-in-law preparing to leave, I doubt I can even provide a dowry of a thousand pounds. Do you think any noble would still be willing to marry you under these circumstances?"
"Oh! Heavens! Heavens!" Margaret cried out in dismay.
"I'll write a letter immediately to inform him," said the Viscount, "Prepare everything to welcome him."
...
Yesterday, the manor saw the first snowfall of winter.
Deep into the night, I lay in bed, wrapped in the icy air, struggling to sleep. My feet were freezing, unable to find warmth, which reminded me of those long, harsh winters I'd endured in the eastern servants' quarters...
A sudden, urgent voice snapped me out of my deep sleep, summoning me to work: "Prepare the carriage! The master and his guests are going out—ready the horses immediately."
The manor was equipped with an impressive stable, housing dozens of well-bred horses for riding or hunting on the vast plains beyond the estate. A pack of purebred beagle hounds was also carefully raised here, and before I even reached the stables, those little fellows were already barking nonstop.
Several stable hands greeted me, mentioning that it might rain soon and that they needed to inspect the carriages thoroughly.
Unlike the servants working inside the manor, the estate grounds also employed stable hands, gardeners, groundskeepers, and night watchmen. They weren't allowed inside the main house and only received tasks as needed.
Nearby, a row of small wooden cottages housed these lower-ranking servants. These even lower-ranking servants have lower privileges than lowly valets, thus I can occasionally send them out on errands.
"The Viscount's personal valet will have the cloak and umbrella ready, so you don't need to worry," I said.
The old groom asked, "Owen, I heard you went home recently?"
"Yes, it was on the day of Master William's unfortunate accident. Truly tragic," I replied.
"How is your family?" he asked.
"They're all well," I answered.
Joshua asked, "I will be driving the carriage into town in a few days. Do you need me to bring anything back for you?"
"No, my wages all go to my mother, so I don't have anything left over," I replied with a smile.
"Young man, you need to be smart and save some money for yourself. My niece Betty started working at the manor as a kitchen maid today. She's a bit of a clumsy girl. Maybe you could offer her a bit of guidance," Joshua mentioned.
Hearing the name, I paused, realizing it had been a long time since I'd thought of her...
During my time in the kitchen at noon, I noticed a small maid wiping ashes off her face, almost on the verge of tears due to the tough training from the senior cooks. I placed the tray down and walked over, saying gently, "You're old Joshua's niece, aren't you? I'm Owen, here to help guide you. Don't be nervous, and don't worry if you make mistakes—everyone does when they start."
The young girl's face flushed, and she quickly nodded, eyes lowered, nervously clutching her apron.
"Alright, young man, stop bothering my girl." A plump cook rudely pulled Betty out of my line of sight.
Simon came over, winking at me and saying, "You've got quite the charm, haven't you? Did you see that girl just now? I bet if you kept looking at her, she'd be so embarrassed she'd want to bury herself."
I laughed awkwardly. "Don't talk nonsense. She's just really shy."
Simon replied, "If I had a handsome face like yours, I'd never be a lowly valet. By now, I'd probably be some noblewoman's lover."
I ignored him, picked up the tray, and walked out of the kitchen. I didn't argue with him because, once upon a time, I was just as arrogant.
My mother passed down her good looks to me: I have a tall, lean frame, golden curls, a high nose, deep-set eyes, and piercing blue irises. With a chiseled face, I was considered quite handsome by everyone. I remember when I had just turned fourteen, a promiscuous woman in the village tried to seduce me, hoping for a brief affair, even offering me money. I agreed and kissed her among the haystacks, tugging at each other's clothes. But when I saw her plump, spot-covered body, I panicked and ran away. Her skin was covered in clusters of red spots that made me feel sick. Now, at eighteen, I am even more mature and attractive than I was at fourteen, and women like me even more. They always whisper and giggle when I pass by, their eyes following me everywhere. This attention gave me a blind confidence, making me believe that every woman would fall for me...
The head housekeeper, Selena, instructed me to deliver coffee and pastries to the small parlor.
Valets trained in proper etiquette must carry themselves with grace, especially when serving. When holding a tray, you must stand tall, looking straight ahead. The tray is held steady with one hand underneath, while the other hand rests on your lower back. Your steps must be even and measured.
Maintaining elegance and balance isn't easy, and without long practice, most people can't manage it. So when Butler Aaron saw how naturally I mastered it, he praised me as a "born valet."
I couldn't tell him that, in my past life, I had practiced this routine daily, walking back and forth with a book balanced on my head, or standing against the wall for hours at a time.
Today, Mormont Manor had guests.
Miss Judith arrived by carriage from Wickerton with her young daughter Dolores. They were a bit late, as Young Master William's funeral had already concluded.
Miss Judith was sobbing breathlessly, looking deeply saddened.
Of course, whether she was truly as sad as she appeared, we could not know. She styled her hair beautifully, applied exquisite makeup, and adorned herself with lavish jewelry. The only difference from her usual appearance was that she wore a black dress.
At that moment, she was angrily saying to the Viscountess, "That harlot just left like that!"
The Viscountess, fanning herself vigorously, was struggling to breathe due to her tightly bound corset. She spoke in a hurried tone, "As soon as the funeral ended, she got into her family's carriage and left."
"Oh, Mother, you've suffered so much, enduring the rudeness of such a low-class woman. We should never have allowed that merchant's daughter into the family just for the sake of a dowry," Judith said arrogantly.
"Now is not the time to think about that woman," the Viscountess replied softly.
Judith, looking thoughtful, lowered her fan and asked, "Then… will he come?"
"I don't know. We had a terrible relationship back then…" the Viscountess replied, full of worry.
I listened to their conversation attentively, but I had to pretend to be invisible. My job was simply to deliver the food, hand it to the senior valet, and then stand by the wall like a painting, waiting for further instructions.
The senior valet attended to the ladies, pouring tea and serving pastries with attentive care and graceful movements, his footsteps as light as a cat's.
The second young lady, Margaret, was whispering with the valet, Jason, while the third young lady, Katherine, appeared much more dignified. Though she would smile gently at the servants, she never deemed it necessary to say more than a single word to us. I supposed she looked down on people like us, though back then, I was so captivated by her beautiful smile that I failed to see her disdain. I even imagined she was in love with me...