Sleeping Roses

The Rose Garden

"Well, you look just dandy," Jeremy said the next morning, admiring Kilan who was now dressed in his uniform. It was the uniform of the Below Stairs staff, so it wasn't a suit like Jeremy's uniform, but it was still smart. A fitted white shirt, close cut black waistcoat and slim back trousers with black shoes which were soft and comfortable, designed to be walked in all day long

When Kilan had woken up, the third member of the room was already gone so Kilan still hadn't had a chance to meet him.

"His name is Tobias," Jeremy explained when asked, "he's one of Master Luka's personal staff. He's always up at an hour that's stupid even for servants but I suppose when you work for Sebastian you're under more pressure."

"What do you do now that you're not my man?" Kilan asked as Jeremy led him through the halls to the servants dining hall.

"Now that I'm not a personal valet, I work as a sub-valet. So anything that the Masters' personal staff need to get done but needn't complete themselves is passed to me and other sub-valets. There are six personal staff, three to Beldon, and three to Luka. If you meet them and they give you an instruction, follow them quickly and without comment, especially if Sebastian is the one to give the instructions, he's nice enough now but he has a nasty temper."

Voices drifted towards them from behind closed double doors and Jeremy smiled back at Kilan before he took hold of the handles and shoved the doors open to reveal a huge dining hall. There were well over a hundred people in the room already, sat at long wooden tables or queuing along one wall waiting to reaching the large serving hatch that was cut into the wall, revealing the huge kitchens beyond. Everyone was chatting and laughing and that however quickly faded as people noticed Kilan.

Kilan shrank back at the attention. He wasn't used to a hundred pairs of eyes on him when he wasn't telling a tale.

"They're interested because you started out as a guest," Jeremy said, looking back at him.

"Alright, stop staring, it's rude!" someone called from one of the back tables, "Beldon didn't hire him for your entertainment, he's there for the Lords and Ladies of The Season."

"Ah, you're boring, Julius!" someone else shouted and Jeremy pushed Kilan over to queue for breakfast.

"So, we have about half the castle staff here, maybe a little less," he explained, "Meal times are always staggered so the castle is never understaffed. Whether you're a servant of the Upper or Lower Castle, you eat here unless it's stated otherwise. Only certain servants don't have to eat here but they have private chambers Above Stairs."

Kilan bit his lip as he looked at everyone. "I know this is a castle," he said, "and I know it's large and I'm sure the gardens are just as big and all... but don't you feel there are too many servants when there are only two masters and so few guests?"

Jeremy smiled at him. "You're the first new servant that's arrived here in a very, very long time," he explained. "Although life is quiet now for us, we all came from a time when this castle was constantly in use by royalty and nobility and the gentry. That's why there are still so many of us; this is the work we've known for so long, how can we leave? Unless we're fired and our Masters wouldn't do that."

"How long is a long time?" Kilan asked.

"Oh, around a hundred and thirty years," Jeremy said with a grin. Kilan just looked at him then nodded and Jeremy's grin crashed. "Why aren't you shocked?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Because I assumed you were telling the truth."

"I was, so why aren't you surprised. People don't live a hundred and thirty years."