Persephone's Angel

Thinking Of You

Chapter Four: Thinking Of You

--* At five o'clock, before the sun could rise, I rose and rubbed my eyes. I had gone back to sleep after finding the note, and I dreamt...well, I dreamt of the figure I saw, near the chandelier, the man I figured that was the one doing all these nice things for me. I dreamt he stood in my bedroom, not doing anything in particular, just, watching me.

When I woke I was too groggy to react to the dream, to find it creepy or alarming, I simply yawned and stretched, feeling an extreme urge to fall back into bed and sleep until noon.

But, I did not have that luxury.

I was a servant.

The floor in my bedroom was freezing and I shivered as my bare feet met it, I grasped a blanket from off of my bed and wrapped it around me, hoping to shield myself from the cold of the cellars. Out of my bedroom I walked, to find several lit candles in the kitchen and around the dining table. My dishes from the night before were sitting neatly on the shiny, black counter top, already washed. The plates were already washed! But, I did not wash them!

The figure behind the chandelier did...I knew he did!

I smiled and stepped up to the dining table to see a hot breakfast of eggs, sausage, a croissant, and two vines of plump, green grapes. I smiled once more and sat down in a chair before the dish, the eggs and sausage were still steaming and the croissant's butter still melted over the top of it, this was made not very long ago.

After my wonderful (and warm) breakfast, I placed the dishes in the sink and procured a piece of paper from my desk, taking up a pen and writing a short note to whomever was doing this:

'Thank you, so much, for everything. You're the nicest person I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with.'

I read over the note a time or two, did I write too much? Was this seen as 'flirting'? I sighed, I had no other paper, so there was no rewriting it. folded the paper over and placed it on a small, wooden table before the plush couch in the living area, satisfied, I walked back to my bedroom and closed the door, hiding behind my dressing screen whilst I readied myself for the day ahead.

--* That day, as I was grooming a prized horse, Firmin came in and cleared his throat; holding a handkerchief over his nose. "Yes, monsieur?" I asked turning to him, still holding the brush; the horse turned and nudged my arm, as if telling me to begin again. I smiled and patted the horse's nose.

"Did you, or did you not tamper with La Carlotta's throat spray in any way?" Asked he, his question took me by surprise, he was suspecting me of doing that?

"I did not, monsieur, I swear" I answered, Firmin glared at me for a moment, then he shook his head and sighed behind his handkerchief.

"You were the last one seen with it" said he, I shook my head.

"No, monsieur, it is true, I held the bottle for maybe five moments; then, La Carlotta told me to groom her dog, and so that is what I did. I put the spray beside her and picked up the brush and then brushed her bichon." I replied, Firmin shook his head again, it was obvious he wanted me to admit to the 'crime' but there wasn't a way I would do that...not now...not ever.

"Perseph--"

"No, monsieur, I did not do it! You know I didn't! Why do you keep pushing me? You know I'm good to my word" I said, looking at him innocently.

"No, no I don't, Persephone" Firmin growled in a hushed tone "We only see each other maybe once a year, for Christmas. Not even that, I don't know what you're like, I don't know what you fancy, I don't know your skills, I don't know you!" He hissed, hesitantly raising his voice above a whisper. Firmin turned from me and rubbed his face.