Reasons for Silence

Flowers for the Lobby

Chapter Seven ~ Serefina

            The next day Kobe asked me to do a peculiar thing.

            “Ah, Serefina, there you are,” he said briskly walking toward me from across the hallway.

            I bowed my head in acknowledgement.

            “I want you to arrange the flowers in the entryway,” he said smoothly.

            My eyes widened involuntarily and a blush crept onto my face. Kobe knew just as well as anyone did that arranging flowers was something that the wives of a manor did. I had to shake my head to keep from losing my composure.

            “Sir,” I said, finally finding the words to speak, “there are no flowers out in the entryway.”

            “Well, no, not now. That’s why you need to go out to the garden and find some.” Kobe said simply.

            “But, Sir -,” I protested.

            “Is there a problem?” he said taking a step closer to me so that I could experience his full height. After a shaky intake of breath I looked around quickly and after I saw two young serving women I thought it best to make as little of the situation as possible.

            “No Sir,” I said through gritted teeth – which he seemed to enjoy -, “is there anything in particular that you would like me to pick?”

            He simply shook his head and started back down the hallway in the direction from which he came.

            “Take your time,” he said over his shoulder.

            I glared daggers at his back as he walked away. Whether he was trying to humiliate me or mock me I could not be sure.

            So, after hesitantly venturing into the kitchen to find a basket – after which much gossip ensued - I made my way out to the gardens.

            Until that point I had not spent much time in the gardens but they were lovely.

            My goal was to spend as little time as possible picking the flowers, so as to enlighten as few people as possible of Kobe’s latest orders for me.

            I didn’t pay much attention to the kinds of flowers that I picked or what color they were for that matter, I simply looked at the plants and if I saw a flower I plucked it from the earth unceremoniously.

            There were others out in the gardens, some weeding, some planting, some repairing the pathways, but they were all servers or slaves. So when they saw me they began to whisper.

            I didn’t see how I could possibly be so fascinating, but apparently I was. I was the center of attention and I knew that not one person was saying a good thing about me – which I would have been fine with if only Kobe hadn’t decided to add insult to my injury.

            As soon as I felt I had gathered enough flowers I ran back inside, entering through the front door – a door that was mainly used by guests but only because it was more convenient for workers to use their own doors.

            I saw the table upon entering – it was completely bare, something that I hadn’t noticed before. Then I realized that I would need some sort of vase. Which meant that I would have to go back into the kitchen. I ran a hand over my face and braced myself for what was to come.