Music Recommendation: Jane Fairfax Plays Mozart Sonata- Amber Anderson
Eve and Miss Rosetta now stood in the hallways of Lady Camille's mansion and the young lady ordered the butler, "Winston, go tell the coachman to pull the carriage to the front. Also take her things and put them in the carriage."
The butler didn't question the young lady's words. He walked to where Eve stood, and stretched his hands forward. "Milady," said the butler to Eve.
With an apprehensive look, Eve handed her things while keeping her umbrella with her.
"I can carry this myself. Thank you," Eve offered a slight bow, and the butler didn't force her. He left the two young women's side to inform the coachman to bring the carriage in front of the mansion.
"Rosetta? Rosetta! Where did you run off to?!" demanded Lady Camille, who walked down the spiral staircase and noticed her niece wasn't alone. When the lady reached the end of the stairs, Eve offered a polite bow, and the woman returned it but hesitantly, "Who is this, Rosetta?"
"This is Genevieve Barlow, Aunt Camille. A friend of mine," Rosetta introduced Eve.
Friends? They had only been acquainted with each other a few minutes ago, and here Miss Rosetta had already pushed them from acquaintance to being friends, thought Eve to herself.
"Really?" Questioned Lady Camille, who looked at Eve. "I didn't know that you had already made a friend here. Well, I suppose I am glad that you have been mingling with people. Though I cannot help but remark that it is odd to have you with such company. No offence to you, Ms. Barlow," she said the last words to Eve.
"None taken," murmured Eve, while she continued to hear the two women speak while they stood in the middle of the hallways. She wanted to leave the mansion without bringing any attention to herself.
Miss Rosetta huffed, "I took your advice and mingled. It isn't my fault that the people here are too busy to interact with me. I think it would be best to not speak about it."
"And you hold them to be responsible?" Questioned Lady Camille, raising her eyebrows. The woman wanted to say more but refrained from talking about it in front of the stranger her niece had brought here. She turned to Eve and asked, "Where do you live, Ms Barlow?"
Miss Rosetta quickly interfered, "She lives in the new province that lies between Woodlock and Hollow Valley."
"I didn't know that the new province has already been established," replied Lady Camille and watched her niece. Eve turned to look at Miss Rosetta, who offered her a smile.
To Lady Camille, who belonged to high society, didn't need to know that Eve didn't belong to their status. Eve's clothes were cheap, and her shoes were worn out.
Lady Camille didn't have to ask to know that her niece lied about where the girl came from. If her brother, were to find out that his daughter had formed any sort of interaction with a lower-class being, he would be more than crossed about it.
"Did you come to visit someone in Skellington, Ms. Barlow?"
"You are asking too many questions, Aunt Camille," Miss Rosetta stopped her aunt, and she turned to Eve and asked, "Would you like to drink something? The weather is hot out there, isn't it?"
"No, I am fine. Thank you for asking," replied Eve, feeling Miss Rosetta's aunt's stare at her. She then replied, "I did come to meet someone here."
"I see…" hummed Lady Camille.
The butler came back and informed, "Miss Rosetta, the carriage is ready."
"Excellent. Aunt Camille, I am going to take a ride in the carriage," Miss Rosetta told her aunt, "Let us go, Eve," pulling Eve's hand to step out of the mansion.
Eve quickly offered a polite bow to Lady Camille, who only offered a short nod. The two young women stepped out of the mansion where the carriage waited at the front. The servants didn't comment, but the butler's eyes quietly moved to the side to look at Lady Camille, who continued to stare at the carriage that disappeared at the end of the street while standing at the door.
Back in the carriage, Eve watched Miss Rosetta stare outside the window. After a few seconds, the lady turned back to look at Eve and smiled. Eve said,
"Miss Hooke, I would like to talk about what happened back in the mansion."
Rosetta turned to look at Eve and noticed the serious expression. She asked, "Is everything alright?"
"I appreciate you for giving me a ride to my home, but you lied about where I come from," Eve pointed out. The issue wasn't the lie but the purpose of the lie. "You should be well aware that a person from Skellington doesn't mingle with a person from Meadow out of leisure."
"Which is why I lied," Miss Rosetta said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Since the time I have been here, apart from my aunt, only you have been kind to me. I would like us to be friends."
Eve couldn't help but stare at the young lady.
When Eve took her time to answer, Miss Rosetta turned a little hurt and said, "It is okay. You do not have to be." The young lady turned to look at the window.
Eve's eyes fell on Miss Rosetta's hands, which now curled into loose fists on her lap. She said,
"How about we start with just being acquaintances and see if we can then move to being friends, Miss Rosetta?" Apart from Noah, whom she had come to know only a few months ago about his status, Eve didn't have another friend from high society. "I don't think your family would be happy to see you with me. People will talk, not in front of you, but behind you about it. And when it happens, you wouldn't like it."
Miss Rosetta's eyebrows furrowed as if trying to understand Eve's words.
Eve knew that even the few nice people from the high-class avoided talking to the middle or lower-class people. It was a matter of their prestige and reputation.
"When your aunt finds out that I am from Meadow and a governess, who—"
"You are a governess?" Miss Rosetta's eyebrows rose in question.
"It is why I visit Skellington, Miss Rosetta," Eve politely smiled at the young lady.
"That means we will get to spend time like this together everyday!" the young miss's eyes sparkled in eagerness.
"No!" Eve was quick to reply, and Miss Rosetta's eyes furrowed. "Miss Rosetta, friendships don't form in an hour. It needs to be built naturally and it happens over time. In days."
"Like how we met today. Pure coincidence," Miss Rosetta nodded in understanding and said, "Then I shall wait for the next coincidence."
Eve hoped Miss Rosetta wouldn't be standing on the balcony daily for that coincidence. So far, she didn't sense any ill intention from the vampiress, but having a vampiress as a friend was not feasible in her case. All it took was a taste of one drop of her blood, and hell would break loose.
The ride back to the town of Meadow wasn't a quiet one, but one that was filled with Lady Rosetta speaking about her mansion, her dress, and how she had been spending time in Skellington.
"Why don't you have a carriage of your own, instead of riding the local carriage?" Miss Rosetta curiously asked Eve.
"We do. But my aunt might need it more than me and I am comfortable using the local carriage to travel between the towns. Have you ever tried riding in a local carriage before, Miss Rosetta?" Inquired Eve, even though she already knew the answer to it. But seeing how it could be presumed to be rude on how she hadn't spoken much and was more on the listening end, she decided to interact with the young lady.
Rosetta's face held horror, and said, "I don't think I could ever do it. I do not know how you manage it."
Eve offered a smile to the young lady and said, "You will enjoy it. It will be an experience to keep when you go back home. How long are you staying with your aunt here?"
"For another three months. Though I would love to stay here longer, I don't think my father would allow me. I am sure he will send someone to fetch me back home if I don't go back," Miss Rosetta frowned as she said this. "He wants me to get married and has asked my aunt to find matches. Just between us, the previous family he chose was a terrible one!"
"I see…" Eve wasn't sure how to comment on it.
When they reached the town of Meadow, Miss Rosetta took a look outside the carriage's window. There was an evident nervousness with the way she looked at the people as if she had never seen a town before.
Reaching the front of the Dawson's house, Eve said to the coachman, "Please stop, right here."
The carriage came to a halt, and Eve stepped down from the carriage. Once all her things were handed to her, the coachman closed the carriage door, from where the wealthy lady peeked her head out to look at Eve.
"I hope you had a wonderful time with me today, Eve. I will tell you the rest of the stories when we meet again," remarked Rosetta, and Eve offered a slight bow.
Soon the coachman drove the carriage away from there, and a sigh escaped from Eve's lips.
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