WALPURGIA ✔️

Chapter 3 - Crossed paths

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"Ready to start the day?", Baldwin lovingly patted my hair and waited for me to fully wake up.

"I think so", Baldwin hadn't let me go to sleep until he had talked some sense into me – about my looks, my behaviour, my new role, myself – and it had helped immensely. "Good", he kissed me several times before he got up. "I'll talk to Anne about the dress." 

"Not butt naked though", I laughed as he really strode down the room. "I threw my pants there", he laughed too, picked them up and laid down on top of me. "Not now, I have duties to fulfil", I joked. 

"In this era, the woman's job is to fulfil her husband's desire, and right now I'm desiring you", he kissed me, waited for my approval to move on. "If I have to", I sighed, staged of course, and wrapped myself around him. 

Anything that let me be around him I would take.

Anything that let me stay in the room, away from the unknown duties, the not so friendly Anne and the new world – or old world?

I just closed my eyes as his lips touched my skin - forget about it for now, Rebecca.

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Charlotte wide-eyed stared at us, then she chided Baldwin for being so thoughtless. "It took me a whole week to make the dress!" "Buy one and it will only take you a few minutes", he pressed a bag into my hand. I looked up. 

"Money. For the market", he winked. "Some fresh air will do you good." "Can I go out like that?" "Of course", Baldwin pressed me one last time against him, then left to do his work. Charlotte eyed me, then pointed to the wardrobe.

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The servants waited for me downstairs in the living room. After greeting me by my title, Madame of the household, Lady Mijeaux, they waited until I sat down and started stepping forward from the highest to the lowest rank.

The land steward, which was Ethan, house steward, which was one of Baldwin's knights and at the moment not present, butler, also Ethan, housekeeper, a young witch stepped forward, the chef, the same one in our time, my lady's maid Charlotte, the first footman who wasn't present, the footman, an elderly demon with two different coloured eyes, the chamber maids, several witches, vampires, demons from young to old and many others.

Luckily, each one of them reported on what they had done and what not, and after good two hours of me writing down every task they had to fulfil, I sent them off to do them. I sighed at my twitching head.

"I hope I named everything", I pressed my hands against my pulsing head, closing my eyes to rest slightly. "The cooks haven't sorted the pantry for weeks now. Neither have they gone shopping. The maid who does the beds is slacking, there was no need to saddle the horse for Sieur, he only goes hunting on the weekends."

My shoulders dropped. "Well ..." "The first footman is out and about, not here to represent the estate's grandeur, Madame." "Can you go and fetch him then?", I interrupted her growing list. "Or you know what? Get me Luc if Baldwin doesn't need him right now." She didn't budge. "Now, Anne."

I pressed my face into my hands. Great start.

"Are you alright, Milady?", a light female voice – painfully familiar – made me freeze for a moment. Wild and yet warm. Safe for as long as you didn't anger her. No way.