I admire the end result of my handiwork gleefully as I scuttle behind my mistress, Louisa.She is of the same age as me, with creamy skin and polished brown hair. Her skirts blowing about most fetchingly. "A rose slowly unfurling" she called herself, a blasphemous statement. A rose would not wail and whine and yowl at the slightest hiccup. I nod obsequiously when she dismisses me to buy tulips as she strikes up a conversation with a young man. I dash off , glad to avoid the tactics my mistress is using to ensnare the man. An ostentatious fluttering of eyelashes, a red tinge on her cheeks which is becoming of a young lady, a white handkerchief fluttering to the ground. An admirable performance.I was glad I didn't have to see it blow by blow this time.
I halt abruptly when I see Ignifex. We have been ignoring each other since the episode. I feel a irresistible tug to go over and smooth out the little blip in our relationship. As I edge nearer I have a good long look at his face.An easy unaffected smile is tugging at his lips, but that smile is not directed at me. No, that smile is for one of the maids of the house I am working for. He is roguishly handsome and he knows it. That lovelorn maid is utterly swept off her feet. Out of my own will, my feet shuffle away slowly. I thought that smile was only reserved for me. I thought wrong. He can flirt all he wants. I don't care.
Seeing my fingers clutching on to her tulips, she greets me with a patronizing smile. That man is a goner. I can see her mind casting about for her next challenge and her eyes lock dead on Ignifex.
His eyes widened as his eyes took me in. I trailed after my Mistress with my head slightly bowed. "Hello, I'm Louisa,how are you?" She eyed him greedily, and she had the gall to bat her eyelashes. She looked like she had gotten something stuck in her eye, I mused to myself. Ignifex was staring right through her, I could feel his eyes transfixed on me. Louisa followed his gaze and her lips twitched. Like she couldn't believe someone so small and plain could attract him. She shoved my back and I stumbled forward into the spotlight. I still could not meet his burning eyes. If I did I might cry or beg him to stop being so mad at me. I might even do both. Horror. "This is my maid." She grinned widely, exposing her glimmering teeth. "She is tolerable, her exemplary service has set the standard for the maids in this household. And I. Appreciate.Her.So.Much." With each syllable I was delivered a slap to my head. At the last syllable, she knocked my hat off. My warm honey melty liquid colored hair unfurled out of it's prison, at last settling at the small of my back. It elicited a gasp from everyone. Its exquisite color and texture dominating everyone's line of visibility.
I peeled away from the crowd, running helter skelter from the throngs of people. I hear familiar footsteps behind me and someone has hugged me from behind. "I shouldn't have pressured you to go to work. I... you have gone through enough." A voice is hovering near my ear. "What about the maid you were flirting with? What about that huh?" The words burst out of me and I am beside myself with anger. He started. "I didn't think you saw that." He says guiltily, I open my mouth to speak and without warning, his hand claps over my mouth. I fold my arms and raise a defiant eyebrow. "I missed you, okay? Your idiotic words, your adorable actions and to top it of; your company. So I tracked down a maid from the family you are working for and got info about you. I wanted to know how were you coping." He beans bemusedly. "I needn't have worried." "You're deplorable!"I punch him. "But I have can't help but fall for you, you jerk."I add silently.
