Comforting Darkness

Chapter 55: The Tutor, Brighton

Mr. Crofford smoothed out his vest and buttoned his jacket while standing outside the hotel he was running; Heavenly Passage was its new name and he thought it so fitting, since the... services it provided helped the guests to relax and find the peace they needed to gain a passage to heaven... quite literally. He smirked to himself pleased but then collected himself seeing the carriage approaching, bringing a Mrs. Sophia Jones, a new guest, who sounded quite interesting. A young widow with no other family ties was perfect.

The carriage stopped right in front of him and with a gentlemanly smile plastered on his lips, ran to open the door and offer a hand to the woman that came out. She stepped down quite graciously, allowing her burgundy skirts to swirl around her legs, but let out a tiny, elegant gasp, as her extremely puffy sleeves - too early to be conceived by most of the era's fashion designers - were caught at the carriage's opening, forcing the woman to turn her torso sideways to release them.

Crofford met two blue eyes surrounded by golden blond curls, once she lifted her head and revealed her sun kissed face under the huge burgundy hat, perfectly protecting her from the rays of sun. That contradiction struck him a little odd; if she had the habit of wearing such huge hats, should she not be paler? On the other hand, she looked so healthy, so who cared about anything else? Simply perfect.

"My lady, I am Mr. Crofford, manager of this establishment. I am honoured to have you as our guest. We will do our best to make your stay here unforgettable." He said, with the smile widening as he leaned down and gently kissed the gloved hand.

"Oh, Mr. Crofford, I am sure you and your personnel always exceed everyone's expectations." Mrs. Jones said with a smile; her accent perfectly British.

"You are so kind, my lady." He said, offering her his arm and she took it with pleasure. They entered the hotel together and then Crofford signalled one of the bellboys to come closer. "Wilfred, go and unload Mrs. Jones luggage from the carriage and follow us to suite four forty-six. And be quick about it!" He finished a little harshly, as the raven-haired tall man bowed and left to do his task. Crofford smiled to Mrs. Jones. "Forgive me, my lady, but he is new here and new employees always need a little reprimanding until they get used to the work. It is training."

"I fully understand you, Mr. Crofford." She nodded with a troubled look, as she obviously remembered the times she had to train her maids and butlers.

Crofford led her to the front desk, where she would sign the guestbook and fill any necessary papers. That took a while and surprisingly enough, the bellboy was ready, loaded with all her luggage and hatboxes, waiting for her and Mr. Crofford by the lift. They soon joined him and entered the relatively spacey chamber; the doors opened and closed on their own, impressing the woman a lot.

"Oh yes! The hotel I would manage should have the latest technology in everything, so it goes without saying that I demanded for the lift to be replaced, despite how new is this addition to the doors." He said proudly, but then turned strict eyes to the lift operator, a slip of a boy struggling to move the heavy metallic lever that would move the chamber. "Freddie, I have seriously started doubting my decision to give you this chance, after showing you cannot do anything else. Wilfred, do not help him again! He must learn to do it on his own... if he wants to remain with us." He finished, raising his hand to stop Wilfred, who had already let some hatboxes on the floor and extended a hand ready to help the boy push the lever.

"Oh please, Mr. Crofford, do not be so hard on the boy... for my sake." The woman smiled at the man and flapped her eyelashes charmingly. "I am sure Freddie wants to be good to his job, he just needs a little time. He is so small and... cute. Please, keep him close, Mr. Crofford." Her voice was so sweet and small, like that of a purring cat's.