To Love A Myth - Book 1: Mr. Higgs and the Maid🎩✔️

2

Merida woke up and stretched her arms, yawning. She looked around in confusion for a second and realized she was in a bed. A real bed. Remembering her stroke of luck the night before, Merida smiled and tried to run her fingers through her curly hair. As usual, she got caught in a curl and practically had to rip her finger off to get it. She went to the window and threw open the curtains and then yelled out.
"Bloody hell! It's already after noon?!"
She went to find her dress she had been wearing but found it wasn't there. She looked around for a moment when she spotted a dress lounging over a small winged back chair. Merida walked over to it and saw a note attached.

Ms. Dunbrough,
I regret to inform you that your previous dress has been killed. It was suffering something fierce so I discarded it and found you another. I do hope it fits you. If not, come find me and I can try to find another that suits your fancy.

H. Northumberly

Merida smiled at the letter and took off her nightclothes to slip into the new dress she had gotten. She frowned because it was very loose on her. She decided it was best to ask Higgs for a better fit dress.
With that out of the way, Merida decided to talk to her new master and ask what she was expected to do and where all the supplies were.

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Higgs sipped on some tea as Merida came into the kitchen
"Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Sir, it's after noon."
"I didn't have the heart to disturb you. You looked like you really needed it."
"I thank ye kindly but ye best not be doin that anymore."
Higgs lifted an eyebrow. "Considering this is my house, I can do what I like. Besides, I'm used to not having anyone here so you not being awake didn't mess up the flow of the house. Come, I made tea."
Merida was really confused but sat next to Higgs on the side of the end of the table as he poured tea into a cup for her.
"I apologize if the tea is a little strong; I'm still getting the hang of it. Sometimes it comes out right and sometimes it doesn't."
"Aye, it's tricky that brew..." she said, taking a small sip. It was strong. "Do ye have cream and sugar?"
"Cream, yes, sugar... not so much. I haven't been able to go to the market in a while. I've had to live with milky tea for a while myself."
"Ye like sugar in ye tea?"
"Lots of it... I guess that could be the first thing on your list. The cupboards are quite bare."
Merida looked around and frowned. "I ken it's none of my business, but why dinnae ye have other servants? It's quite odd for someone of your social standing to be in such a plight."
Higgs rubbed the rim of his tea cup for a second and then looked up at her.
"You seem to still not know about my family and its secret."
"I dinnae ken anything about yer family at all. Yer sister said something about giving you a chance..."
Higgs smiled a little and leaned back in his seat.
"Look, Ms. Dunbrough, there are a lot of things you don't know about me but inevitably you will find out. Fuscia just wants to make sure that I get someone to care for me when these things are found out."
Merida lifted an eyebrow. "That seems suspicious."
"I'm sure it is. I can' t tell you anything because you'll never believe me until you see it. Hopefully you don't ever have to and we can remain as we are. But, that time will come I'm sure. In the mean time, the first thing we need to do is get food for the house and some cleaning supplies. I'm afraid that the brooms and such have been um... detained and since I am piss poor at doing laundry, you'll need lots of suds and a washboard..."
Merida watched the young man for a moment and put her cup down. She grabbed his hands and he looked at her in confusion.
"Mr. Higgs, do ye actually ken what ye want?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Ye look like ye're just throwing things into the air and hoping I'll agree with ye. I'm here to help ye but I dinnae ken what ye really need. Start from the basics... So far, ye need food. What next?"
Higgs pulled his hands from hers and stood up, pacing the kitchen floor.
"More sheets, I suppose... Then again, if you're not going to be staying here more than a month..."
"What?"
"It's nothing..."
"Ye said I willnae be here for more than month. Do ye plan to fire me?"
"It's not like that... I promise." He smiled at her with honesty. "Truly, Ms. Dunbrough... We can save that for later I guess. There really is a lot of washing that needs to be done and I know that we will need a washboard and some suds. We'll need to dust, significantly..."
"Alright then, I can get on with that. But, by the way, this dress is a wee bit big on me in the chest area."
Higgs looked at her and nodded. "Right, you're not as breasty as Gretchen was... I guess we'll have to go and get you some tailor made dresses."
"Oh, no, ye dinnae have to do that. We can just get the ones ye have tapered in. Wait, how many of these dressed do ye got here from Gretchen? Who's Gretchen?"
"She was my last maid and any dress that I ever got her is here. We had a uh... problem."
"She ye lover?"
"No. You'll be surprised to hear that I've never had a lover and I've never had a romp in my entire nineteen years. The first virgin boy of England you could say."
"Ye're not the only one. Ye fancy a rent boy instead?"
"What? No! What are you trying to insinuate? I in fact love women... they just don't like me."
"A looker like ye cannae find a lass to like ye? I find that hard to believe."
"You'd be surprised..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Either way, we have to fix the house up anyway. As you can see it's in a bit of disarray."
"Ye got no cook."
"No... I hope you can cook?"
"I'm afraid I only ken a few dishes."
Higgs smiled. "That's alright, Fuscia usually sends a few dishes up my way."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
"So when would ye like to head to the marketplace with me?"
"What?"
"Ye're coming with me, right?"
"I hadn't planned on it."
"Is this what ye do all day? Ye sit up here and live in this lonely old mansion by yerself? Ye're nineteen years old, Mr. Higgs, dinnae ye have some friends?"
Higgs stared at her in confusion but rubbed his arm a little.
"No... I don't have friends... I haven't been presented to the ton, I don't pursue a rake's passion to sew my wild oats, I don't woo young women with charm and promises I don't intend to keep... I have too many other issues in my way to deal with that sort of thing."
"And what could those issues be? Ye seem able bodied..."
"What does my love life have in concern to your job here as my maid? You are to clean and serve me when I want and how I want. That's your job, Ms. Dunbrough. I didn't ask for a matchmaker or a friend finder. You came to me and asked what I need."
"But that's just the thing, Mr. Higgs, ye keep telling me stuff that ye want but I feel like ye're hiding what ye really need from me."
Higgs set his jaw for a second and breathed in. He gathered himself together better and released the breath.
"Ms. Dunbrough, please just do as I ask, whether it's what I want or need, and don't ask any other questions. If you want me to go with you this time so that I can show you the places to go, then I'll do so but it won't be a common thing."
Merida nodded and finished her tea.