Allure Of The Night

A mother's worry

When the carriage arrived at the manor, the coachman pulled the reins of the two horses to stop away from the entrance. He got down from his seat and pulled open the carriage door. He didn't bother to keep a stool nor offer his hand to the woman who stepped out of the carriage.

Rebecca helped Eve get down from the carriage, and the very next moment, the coachman closed the door with a light thud.

The little girl stared at the large building and the gardens surrounding it. She had never seen anything like this before, and her blue eyes took in everything that she could see from where she stood.

"Come, Eve," her mother gently spoke to her, holding her hand and pulling her away from the front.

The manor's entrance was only for the family members and not for the servants or anyone who belonged to the lower class of the family. Eve's small feet followed her mother, and they entered the manor from the back of the house.

Their path was interrupted by the butler of the house, who was a man in his late fifties. His grey hair was combed to the back, and his stature was of average height. He wore a black uniform along with a disapproving frown on his face.

"Your room has been arranged in the servant's quarters," informed the butler, though he wasn't particularly fond of speaking to the woman sleeping with his Master. His eyes fell on the little girl with the woman, and he instructed, "Follow me."

The other servants didn't speak a word, but their eyes discreetly followed the mother and daughter.

The butler slightly turned back to look over his shoulder and said, "Master has already told me that you will be living here for two days. And during that time, keep in mind to not roam around the corridors of this manor. You shall not step out of the room, unless you are told to. As you know, the manor has frequent visitors and guests. We wouldn't want them finding out about your existence in this place during my mistresses absence."

"I will bear it well in my mind," Rebecca bowed her head to oblige to his words. She then noticed him looking at her daughter. She said, "She will follow it too."

"Good. Because there's no room for any errors here. I wouldn't like my Master's name being tarnished," the butler's words were curt, holding an underlying threat that didn't go unnoticed by the woman.

Once they were brought to their room, the butler left them as he had other important matters to attend to. As expected of a servant's room, it was small and had minimal things like a lantern, a mat and a bedsheet.

An hour later, Rebecca and Eve were summoned by the Master of this manor, where the butler was the one to get them from their room. When they reached the large sitting room, the butler announced,

"They are here, Sire."

Eve, who was looking at the beautiful objects and the clean floor, noticed a buff man standing a few steps away from her and her mother. She clutched on her mother's skirt when her eyes met the man's.

The man had a rough appearance, his jaws holding a scruff and a shadow underneath his eyes. He commented, "Who would even think that you have a daughter this big. Is she really your daughter?"

"She is my daughter," Rebecca's reply was polite, but her eyes were wary. She noticed how the man's thoughts were moving regarding her daughter's future.

Even Eve, clutching onto her mother's skirt, moved closer, almost hiding behind her mother.

"Isn't she lovely," remarked the man. "I am sure she will grow as beautiful as you. She will fetch you a lot of money. And this line of work is the quickest way to make money, don't you agree?" his lips twisted into a smile.