The Wolf Lord's Mate

Chapter Five

The Lord's home was located on the hill at the top of town, overlooking the bustling streets and rolling hills of the countryside. It was a steep walk up the path, made more difficult by the heavy sack of clothes tossed over my shoulder. Nathaniel had been right–there wasn't much to pack, and only a small chest was waiting to be collected in my apartment, full mainly of only a few books, and the bits and pieces Mother had left me.

Part of me wondered if this was still a good idea, my anxiety nagging at me to turn around and run back to town, and hide myself away. Although, considering the Lord's persistence in hiring me, I had no doubt that he would track me down himself, bothering me until I agreed again.

"Are you Mira?" There was a girl waiting for me on the front steps of the manor. A human, I noted, with a certain degree of surprise. I had assumed the Lord would have mostly filled his staff with other Wolves, thinking humans too clumsy or slow to be adequate for service.

"That would be me," I said, readjusting the sack on my shoulder.

"I'm Isa," She was pretty; her skin dark and smooth, her hair short and curly, ending just below her chin, "The Lord told me to expect you. Do you need a hand with that?"

Isa slid the sack over my shoulder before I could stop her, heaving it over her own shoulder and darting up the steps like it weighed nothing. She flashed me a smile from the doorway, "Are you coming?"

"What exactly do you do here?" I asked, drinking in the front hall of the manor. Ornate wood carvings stretched across the ceiling, the floor a polished marble. An elegant staircase leading up to a second floor, the railing accented with birch boughs and bundles of dried flowers. It was gorgeous, like no home I had ever seen. Not in person, at least.

It was as if I had walked into the finest portrait, and the softest hint of cinnamon and cloves lingered in every square inch. It sent pleasant shivers across my skin, the comforting scent easing my anxiety bit by bit the longer it surrounded me.

"Myself and Samuel–you'll meet him later–are the Lord's housekeepers," Isa chattered as she led us through the hallway, and down a set of steps, "Then there's Patty, she's the cook, and Tom, the gardener. And Tom's son, Marcus, lends a hand wherever it's needed, though he's away right now, until the end of the month."

The light grew dimmer as we ventured farther down into the house to the servant's quarters. They were plainer than the upstairs, but were still well appointed and cozy, the heat of the hearth from the kitchen making the whole area feel warm and homey.

"And there's Captain Leo of course, though he comes and goes. He has his own home just outside of town, but he meets with the Lord so often it makes sense for him to keep a room here." Isa led me past a room filled with a large wooden table, a few mugs and cards strewn across the surface, the door to the kitchens left open and spilling out all manner of delicious scents. A short hallway shot out just after it, and Isa opened the first door, gesturing for me to go inside. Two small beds were tucked inside, made up with white linen sheets and a small chest at the end of each one. The bed on the left had a handmade quilt on the end, and a small vase of daisies on the side table.

"Hope you don't mind sharing?" Isa shrugged the sack off her shoulder, and I took it from her.

"Not at all," I smiled, "It'll be nice to have company." I hadn't shared a space since Mother had passed, and the idea of sleeping with another body in the room brought me a great deal of comfort. And I had no doubt that Isa would be a good roommate, given how tidy she had kept the room.

"Good," Isa grinned, sitting down on her bed, "I had a roommate for awhile, her name was Suzanne, she used to help Patty in the kitchens."

"Did she get hired elsewhere?" I asked, setting my sack on the bed, pulling out bundles of clothes to put into the chest.

"No, she found out she had a mate." I stiffened, glancing over at Isa, but she did not wear the horrified expression I was expecting. Her face was almost dreamy, as if it were a good thing to be claimed by a Wolf, "Now she doesn't have to work at all. That must be nice, mustn't it?"

"I would rather work," I said, pulling out my sewing kit and placing it on the side table, "At least now I have control over my own life. Better than being trapped."

"You wouldn't be trapped though," Isa collapsed onto her back with a sigh, "You'd be in love."

"Attraction doesn't necessarily equal love," I rolled up the empty sack, sticking it under the bed, "Besides, I refuse to let "fate" command me just as much as I refuse to let some male command me."

"I don't know," Isa mused, glancing over at me with a glint in her eye, "Depends on who's doing the commanding." Another grin split across her face, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Is that where the Lord wants me to work?" I peered back out into the hall, gesturing to the large wooden table. It was more than enough space, at least twice the size of my workbench at home, and plenty of room to light lanterns and candles so that I could work at night.

"No," I glanced back at Isa, who sat up with a stretch, "There's a work room for you upstairs."

"Upstairs?" Surely Nathaniel didn't wouldn't want a servant working in his primary quarters?

"Oh yes," Isa sighed, "We were working on getting it ready for you all night. It was a guest room before, so we had to get everything moved out."

"But I thought–" I shook my head, somewhat confused. Hadn't Nathaniel said that he already had the space for a seamstress? "When the Lord and I spoke, he mentioned that he had employed a tailor before? A few summers ago?" Isa's brow furrowed, and she shook her head.

"That must have been a lot longer than a few summers ago. In the time I've worked here, the Lord has never kept a tailor or a seamstress employed on his staff." Isa cocked her head at me, a soft smile on her lips, "He must think very highly of you."

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