Calumbra 23 - Book 1: The Maid

3 - Blunt Objects

It's been two weeks since Delaware started serving in the Blackwood house and she was enjoying every minute of it. Especially every minute that she felt the presence of Trinidad as he tried to sneak behind her. No matter where she went, she would sense his presence behind her as he spied. Delaware enjoyed the game of ignorance and curiosity and decided that she was going to pan it out as far as she could.

*********************

"Ms. Tate, I don't know if you've noticed, but the young lord has been following you for over three weeks now." Angelica said as Delaware and her prepared tea.
"I know." Delaware said with a smirk. "He's toying with me. He wants to watch me and figure me out. I don't mind it."
"It's strange behavior I say." Angelica said, pouring the tea into a teapot. "It's like he's drawn to you."
"He might be." Delaware said as she looked over her shoulder.
Trinidad's golden eye was, as she suspected, peeking from behind the doorframe.
"Then again, it's the most active I've seen the young lord in a long time. Usually he just sits by the window and watches the woods as they move."
"Does he?"
"Those woods are cursed. Many yells that sound like they're from the beyond come from there. It's a scary place."
"It's full of mutants..." Delaware said softly, looking out the kitchen window to the woods. "Failed alchemical experiments."
Angelica shivered. "The talk of alchemy makes me shiver. That's what witches used."
Delaware frowned. "That's not true. Alchemy is what chemistry is today; everyone just attributes alchemy and witchcraft as something done as one. Alchemy is completely different and had no witches or incantations involved."
"What about alchemical circles or word bounding? Isn't that considered spells?"
"The circles served as measurements of ingredients. They would pour them into the parts of the circle and light it so that it produced a particular thing. And word bonding has to do with the vibration of how the words are said to activate something. It was mostly used in bio-alchemy."
"Transformations of the body... shape shifting."
"No, it's called experimentation without consent. If you're going to talk about something, please get your facts right, Ms. Monroe." Delaware snapped.
She pushed the cart with the tea toward the room where Lord Blackwood was located and left Angelica behind.

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Later that night, Delaware came back from bathing and dropped the towel around her feet. She moved her hair over her shoulder so she could brush it and braid it when she had that feeling of being watched again. She ignored the feeling and kept brushing her hair as she heard the door squeak open a little bit and she knew her stalker had finally come to confront her.
"I know you're there, Little One." She said softly.
She looked over her shoulder as Trinidad looked at her fully and she smiled.
"You can come in. Just don't look at the mirror until I get dressed."
Trinidad closed the door and climbed onto her bed. He swung his legs as he watched her back and she braided her hair. Delaware pulled out her drawer and grabbed her underwear and her sleep garment. She donned them on and finally turned back to her secret stalker.
"May I ask why you're here, Little One?"
He shrugged as Delaware brought the candle over to her bedside table and sat next to Trinidad as he stared up at her with eyes of gold. They were in silence for a while until Trinidad looked behind her at her back.
"Yes?"
"What's those marks on your back?"
"On my back?"
"It says-"
"Don't!" she yelled. "Just... Don't ever say those words." Trinidad nodded and looked around at the garden house. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"I'm not scared of you."
"You aren't?"
"No. Angelica is though... She said you might be a witch."
Delaware frowned and lifted the sheets to get under them.
"It's late, Little One. You should be in bed. And you never answered my question as to why you were watching me a moment ago? Don't you know about personal privacy?"
"You said we could come in whenever we wanted."
"Yes, I did, but that doesn't mean in the middle of the night watching me while I'm naked. Didn't your father ever tell you about the female body and the politeness of it?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Father doesn't talk to us much. We have tutors but they're dumb... You're immortal, right?"
"Does everyone know?"
"Me and Tavit do. I heard you talking to Father about it."
"Ah... because you're a little eavesdropper." Delaware said with a smirk.
Trinidad smiled a little. "Are you?"
"Yes, I am."
"Is that what that tattoo is for?"
"It has something to do with it..."
"Awesome... I've never met someone who was immortal before."
"I hope you haven't. If you have then I'd like to know who they are so I could get in touch with them." She said, looking out at the window.
She was disappointed in the fact that in all her time staying here there hadn't been a single sound of a creature from Werewood Forest at all. There was no howling or screaming or even the sound of trees bashing to the ground from the fighting that usually would have ensued from the mutants inside the forest.
"The forest is usually quiet around August." Trinidad said, crawling across the bed to sit beside her. "Father says even monsters need to hibernate."
"When they were first created they never slept. Always making some sort of noise to keep the night from silence... Your father told me that you don't usually talk much. Is there a reason why?"
Trinidad shrugged, putting his legs under the covers. "Don't like to."
"But you talk to me?"
"You listen." Delaware made a face and Trinidad looked into her purple ones. "Usually when I talk no one bothers to listen."
"I see... Maybe people think you're in mourn for your mother?"
"She died. I understand that..."
"You're a bright lad..."
"Can I sleep with you?"
"I don't see why you'd want to; nothing exciting is going to happen during the night."
"I know." He said as he snuggled under her covers anyway. "Night..."
Delaware watched the boy as he turned over onto his side and in a matter of minutes was in a deep slumber. Delaware got up and went to the phone to dial the number for the servant's quarters.
"B-Blackwood residence." A sleepy voice answered.
"Hello, Sullivan, this is Delaware out at the garden house."
"Oh! Ms. Tate... What can I do you for, ma'am?"
"I was wondering if you could come and get a certain precocious little boy who wandered into my room for the night."
"Young master Trin is there with you?"
"Afraid so."
"I'll be there in a moment. I won't be rude and look or nothing."
"Don't mind me, Sully, I'm the least of your worries. I would just like for him to be in his own bed when the morning comes so there isn't any panic in the morning when he is gone."
"Yes."
The phone disconnected and Delaware looked at the little body that occupied her bed. It had been a long time since she had had any forming relationship with anyone younger than fifteen. She could feel a connection between her and these children and for some reason, they saw her as someone they could trust. I guess that would be called child's intuition. she thought when she heard a soft rap at her door.
She walked over and opened the door, a disheveled Sullivan peaking in and then blushing immensely when he saw Delaware in her sleepwear.
"I apologize, Ms. Tate..." he mumbled, walking past her to the bed.
"Believe me, Sullivan, it's alright. I'm descent enough I think." She said, looking down. "Anyhow, there he is."
Sullivan unwrapped him from the sheets and picked him up. He moaned a little and snuggled into the young man's arms. He smiled at his young lord and turned to Delaware.
"Ms. Tate, may I inquire something of you?"
"Sure... Unless it's to ask if I'm a witch because I'm not."
"Oh! No... I was just going ask if you were an angel."
"An angel?" Delaware laughed. "Why would you ask something like that?"
"You're the only one who's gotten the young lord to speak ever since he was three. I know he spoke to you because he looks more at peace than usual tonight."
Delaware smiled at Sullivan and touched Trinidad's curly hair.
"He has some strange confidence in me that I haven't even realized for myself yet, that's for sure... Who knows, maybe I am..."
Sullivan smiled and led Trinidad back to the house.