Sleeping Roses

The Land of Rain

The next day, Kilan was back in the orchard. Along with the same team, the routine was much the same, only this time; the child who had hit him with the apple sent him the lightest throws and squeaked if it looked like he wouldn't catch it. He got very good at catching that day just to ease the worry from the boy's heart.

In the evening before dinner, Kilan was sent on a mission to the Upper Floors. Apparently such tours came with strict rules. One: he was to keep to the side with his head down at all time. Two: he was not to bother to Above Stairs staff. Three: he was to return without lingering as soon as possible. All this according to Miss Rushworth, the Laundry Mistress, a battleaxe of a woman in her middle-ages whom Kilan was not going to disobey unless his life depended on it.

He was to fetch laundry from The Master's bedroom. She didn't state which master it was but that didn't really matter so long as he knew where to go. It was one of the rooms at the front of the castle. He obviously hadn't entered it but he did know where it was. Now, he still was not to enter it, he was to knock at the door, wait for the laundry to be passed to him and then return.

The person who met him at the door was Vanessa, Beldon's personal maid, and she smiled when she saw him.

"Hello Kilan, dear," she said. She glanced over her shoulder and called, "Julius, can you bring the laundry please?" She then turned back to him. "How are you finding work?" she asked, "not too stressful I hope. I wouldn't want your chest to grow any worse."

"No, it's doing fine, Ma'am. Dr. Rowe saw me this morning before breakfast and said things were healing as expected."

"I'm glad to hear that. Be sure not to push yourself too hard though, you need to be in top condition for your travels."

A young man appeared behind her then and she stepped aside to let him pass a bagful of laundry to him. Kilan took it, shifting the weight slightly before nodding his head and turning away.

"Oh, Kilan," Vanessa added, "Would you stop off in the second reading room down on the first floor? I know Beldon left a waistcoat in there and it might as well go into the wash."

"Of course, I'll collect that now," Kilan said and headed off.

He found the waistcoat abandoned on the back of a chair and was just leaving when he heard the entrance hall doors open. He carefully peered over the balcony - wary of any bad-tempered Upper Floor staff, and saw it was Beldon.

He knew Beldon had been out that day, something about his father's business, seemed he had managed to return earlier than expected judging by the conversation between him and the servants that joined him.

Luka appeared at the West Wing stairs a few moments later and came down to meet him, Beldon chatting to him as he shrugged off his coat and gloves. He then reached up and gave Luka a kiss and Kilan almost dropped the laundry and his jaw could have hit the ground as he gaped in shock, before spinning away, his eyes wide.

Wait, wait! That was their relationship?! That?! Two men... like that?! But...well of course he knew of such things, but these were men of court. Of high society.

He drew in a gasp so quickly he almost choked.

What if they were discovered? It would ruin them, their families, everything. Well suddenly their living arrangements made sense... and it was only in a castle like this that it was possible for them to behave in such a manner.

"Kilan, how has your first two days been?"

Kilan almost jumped out of his skin and spun around in fright, nearly hurling the laundry over the balcony in shock, scrambling away from Beldon who had ascended the East Wing stairs without his notice.