Page 9 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Eight

T he kitchen was a flurry of activity with Shandy shouting orders while Narell and another girl placed food on serving platters. Near the pantry, there was a long table where a few staff members sat waiting for their meal. Mrs. Shulling beckoned to me from her seat, patting the chair next to hers.

“I heard you’ve had quite the day already, Mihrra. How are you getting on?”

I swallowed, unsure of what all she had heard. “Fairly well, I’d say. Is it normally this exciting around here?”

Milner was sitting across from me and he chuckled. “They are when you’re spending your time with Ms. Kezara. She’s a lively one, that lady.”

Narell called out, “Remember the time she had you take her and Henella into town and she disappeared, but she got a ride home with a stranger and left you two there searching for her all night?”

“How could I forget?” Milner rubbed the back of his neck. “It was the last straw for old Henella. She quit the next morning.”

“Good riddance, I say,” Mrs. Shulling said with a sniff. Surprised faces turned to her as if it was an unexpected statement. “ Ms. Blaise deserves to be served by someone kind, not someone so…”

“Stuffy?” Milner offered.

“Proud?” Someone else said.

“Old and boring?” chimed Narell.

Stifling a grin, Mrs. Shulling simply said, “Yes.”

Everyone around the table laughed, and an older man next to Milner leaned forward on his elbows.

“Mihrra, is it? I’m Burress, the gardener.” He smiled with closed lips, then drew even closer, squinting at me. “Looks like you got too much sun today.”

Someone in the room snickered, but I didn’t risk looking to see who for fear it was truly directed at me. I furrowed my brows, but the skin across my forehead was tight, and when I reached my hand up, it stung under my touch.

Burress continued, “We have a plant for that in the greenhouse. You break open the leaf and rub the gel inside on your burn and it will soothe it.”

I ducked my head, though there wasn’t much point in hiding the blush since my skin was already red. “Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you, Burress.”

He bared his crooked teeth in a grin, nodding his head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. Shulling’s hand raise to cover her mouth. He spoke from a place of kindness rather than insensitivity, but I couldn't help wondering if the art of reading social cues was buried beneath his knowledge of plants .

“Burress has helped all of us with various maladies over the years,” Mrs. Shulling provided, smoothing over the awkwardness bubbling inside me.

“Some plants are pure magic, I swear,” Burress stated, beaming from ear to ear.

His smile was infectious, and I felt myself softening again as I said, “I will keep that in mind.”

At that point, the kitchen staff moved out to begin serving the family and a pleasant quiet filled the room. Mrs. Shulling spent the next several minutes obtaining updates from the two men, and soon the kitchen staff returned. Shandy began placing food for the staff on the table and Narell grabbed plates and silverware. The kitchen staff took their seats; food was passed around, including pots of mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and a roasted bird I was not familiar with. The conversation was jovial and they asked several questions about me and what it was like living in Roben, which I was more than happy to answer. The longer the conversation carried on, the more I settled back in my seat, relaxing in the comfortable atmosphere.

Too soon, a bell rang signaling the family was done with their meal and the kitchen staff were needed in the dining room. I assisted Mrs. Shulling with clearing the table and getting started on the dishes.

I glanced over at the aging woman as evening sunlight filtered in from the foggy window above the sink, bathing her in golden rays that set the silver streaks in her hair shimmering. I picked up a plate, scrubbing it as I asked, “How long have you worked here?”

Mrs. Shulling chuckled. “Too long to still be keeping track of the years. I started when Mr. Blaise was just a bright-eyed babe.”

“Do you have any children of your own?”

Her lips briefly pressed together before she said, “No, I was unable to have children. My late husband and I took pride in our work and the people here became our family—like our children. Especially young Mr. and Ms. Blaise.”

I winced at my thoughtless question as I handed her a plate to be dried. “I’m sorry for your loss, and for being so intrusive. It’s none of my business.”

“Oh, no harm done, dear. It’s good for me to talk about him. It will be ten years this summer since his passing, but it keeps the memories alive.” She sighed and peered out the window with an easy smile on her face. “How are you fairing with Ms. Blaise?”

I picked up another plate to scrub, dunking it in the water. “She seems to like me, so I believe we’re off to a nice start.”

“I had a feeling you two would get along.” Mrs. Shulling took the clean plate from me.

We worked in comfortable silence for another minute, while I mulled over the question that had been nagging at me. Chewing on my lip, I decided to ask, “Mrs. Shulling, why did you hire me?” When the older woman raised a brow in question, I added, “I mean, I’m very grateful you did! I only wondered if there were more qualified people?”

“On paper, yes, there were more qualified candidates. However, I could sense your loyalty and honesty almost immediately. There is a calm to your presence that makes you seem trustworthy, Mihrra, and that’s the sort of presence Ms. Blaise needs in her life.” She paused her drying and looked at me, a twinkle in her eyes. “And unlike other applicants, you never asked a single question about Mr. Blaise, so I knew you weren’t applying only for a chance to be closer to him.”

I laughed with her but darted my gaze away from her face. At least I wasn’t the only woman affected by his looks. Though, a glimmer of pride swelled in my chest at her compliment. “Thank you, Mrs. Shulling. I’m happy you decided to take a chance on me.”

Mrs. Shulling clucked her tongue. “I am not a gambling woman, dear. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

The bell on the wall rang again, and I saw it was the one for Kezara’s room.

“Sorry to leave you, but duty calls,” I said, drying my hands on a towel.

Mrs. Shulling stepped into my place. “Hop to it then. We are glad to have you here, Mihrra. You fit in well. I’ll be retiring to my room after I finish this, but I will see you in the morning. Have a good night.”

“I’m glad to be here. Goodnight, Mrs. Shulling.”

Admittedly, I was a little sad to not be greeted by the giant hound again as I entered Kezara’s room. She sat at the vanity alone, already out of her gown and in her night clothes, but her hair was a tangled mess.

“Mihrra, you are too skilled. I can’t find all the pins, can you help?”

“Of course!” I said, hurrying forward. “Here, let me.” I took the brush out of Kezara’s hands and set it on the vanity, using my fingers instead to rake through the brunette curls and remove the hidden pins. The style fell and I grabbed a comb to undo the damage, forgoing the brush that would only create more frizz.

Kezara sighed and closed her eyes. “Much better. How have I survived this long without you?”

“Surely your previous maid was helpful as well.” I shifted on my feet, swallowing down my embarrassment as I deflected the compliment.

Kezara’s eyes opened and met my gaze in the mirror, curling her lip. “No, not at all. Henella started as my nanny when I was ten, so she treated me like a child. She was hopeless when it came to beauty, but rather than let her go and hire a new maid, my father had her take on the new role even though she was not cut out for it. She was rough and had the creative abilities of a barnacle. She only knew one style for my hair, which was pinning the sides at the back of my head. I think my scalp is still bleeding from all the pins she shoved into my skull.”

Kezara brought her hand up to the back of her head to show where it hurt, but in doing so, she hit the comb, sending it flying upward into my face. The metal tongs scraped the sunburn on my forehead, a stinging pain following after. I inhaled through my teeth, placing my hand over my hot skin, and stooped to look in the mirror. My forehead and nose were a bright, angry red.

Kezara pulled her hands close to her mouth and spun in her seat to face me.

“Mihrra, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” As she examined my face her eyes widened. “That looks bad, what happened?”

You did, I thought, barely containing my eye roll. “Too much sun, I guess.” I shrugged and went back to combing Kezara’s hair, pretending my face wasn’t throbbing.

Kezara cringed. “Oh, I made you sit in the sun today.” She buried her face in her palms for a moment, then her head shot up and she began rifling through the bottles and jars sitting on her vanity. “I must have something here to help…” she muttered.

“It’s okay, Kezara. I’ve had a sunburn before, I’ll be fine. Besides, Burress told me there is a plant in the greenhouse that treats sunburns. I’ll let him know if I need it.”

Kezara’s shoulders drooped as she stopped going through her lotions and creams and nodded. “I really am sorry. I will be more aware next time, I promise.”

“Next time?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes, of course. We try to meet every week, but his schedule doesn’t always allow it.”

“How do you come up with excuses for your brother every time?”

“Well, I normally try to set it up for when he is traveling for business, so I don’t have to tell him. He is awfully nosy, but I know he means well.” She paused, squirming in her seat. “He practically raised me. Our father was not very attentive, and our mother died when I was two. He can’t help worrying about me, but I can’t help being annoyed by it.”

Laughing, I said, “That’s fair, I guess. I have a similar story, but I had four younger siblings to worry about.”

“Four! Heavens, you’re a saint, Mihrra.”

I set the comb down on the vanity and patted Kezara on the shoulder. “Alright, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, I think that should do it. I will ring for you in the morning once I am up.”

“I’ll be ready for it. Goodnight, Kezara.”

“Goodnight, Mihrra.”

I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and rolling my shoulders. I was exhausted.

Aside from the ticking clock in the foyer, the house was silent as I made my way down to my room. The sun had not yet set, but there were no servants bustling around tidying everything until the last hours of the day. At my previous job, I was not dismissed until my mistress had fallen asleep. I wondered what kind of place this was that everyone turned in so early in the evenings. Were they required to immediately go to their rooms, or were they given the choice to do as they pleased?

I knocked on the door before entering, and from inside, Narell answered,

“You can come in. ”

I turned the handle and found Narell sitting on her bed, brushing out her silky, black hair. She greeted me with a smile that turned into wide-eyed astonishment at my appearance.

“Rough first day? You have a pretty bad burn.” She rubbed her own forehead in a sympathetic gesture.

“Oh, I know. It hurts, too.” I plopped down on my bed and laid back on top of the comforter.

“You know there’s a plant in the greenhouse…”

A sharp burst of laughter slipped from my mouth.

“What?” Narell asked, a line forming between her brows.

“Alright, I can take a hint.” I sat up. “Where is the greenhouse then?”

“It’s out back, right behind the house. You can’t miss it. I would go with you, but…” she motioned to the night clothes she was dressed in.

“That’s alright, I’m sure I can find it. What does the plant look like? Or will it be obvious?”

Narell shook her head. “No, the greenhouse is fairly big. It will be in the center, though. It’s a green plant with long, thick leaves that stick straight out. You remove one of the leaves, break it open, and put the clear gel on your burn.”

“Are we allowed to just help ourselves to things around here?”

Narell chuckled. “For the most part, yes. Velian seems to prefer an informal environment. Just don’t go into his study. Apparently, a former maid was let go for entering without his permission. ”

Shock had the hair rising on my arms, but it did nothing to quell my curiosity. “Have things always been this… casual?”

“What do you mean?” Narell cocked her head to the side, continuing to brush her hair.

“I was surprised when Velian asked me to call him by his first name, and Kezara, too. At the last house I worked in, the lady had me call her M’lady and the staff kept a more traditional relationship with her. Here it’s alarmingly informal, and well… I guess I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Oh, right. I’ve only been here a year, but I heard it was a very different home when Velshan Blaise was still alive. When Velian inherited the manor and business, he asked to be called by his first name instead of Mr. Blaise. Mrs. Shulling refuses to change, so he gave up on her. It took me a while to adjust, but I don’t interact with him very often, unfortunately.”

“Why do you say ‘unfortunately?’”

Narell blinked rapidly, her lips parting. “Did you see Velian? The hair, the smile, the eyes? Dreamy.” She fanned herself.

Of course, I had. In fact, I was putting tremendous effort into not dwelling on those exact aspects of my employer. I decided to change the subject.

“Are you sure it’s not a problem for me to go into the greenhouse?”

“Positive,” Narell said, nodding. “Milner burns pretty badly sometimes while waiting for Kezara and he helps himself.”

“Alright, I’m going then. I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t feel obligated to wait up for me.” I stood on my aching feet and walked out the door as Narell pulled back her bedsheets.