Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 42 Part 2- Locked Doors

Mina darted across Mayfair, ducking and weaving through the side alleys until she reached the servants entrance of Bexley House on Grosvenor Square. Dra'gaan had enforced a late night training session despite the chaos of the day, or perhaps because of it. She felt exhaustion weigh down her bones, but she still could not wait to share every morsel of her day with her friends, like they were crumbs of her favourite cake, well, maybe not her favourite. She doubted that she would share that.

Mina was certain her friends wouldn't believe her. After all, she barely believed it herself, but maybe Verushka knew something about the Queen's assassination attempt. She always knew something and just never let on. With panting, ragged breaths she turned the door handle and tripped down the few stone stairs on the other side into the servant's hall. Mina ran quickly through their sleeping quarters, not bothering to check Liara's room. If she knew them well enough, they would be in the pantry as always, whether or not Verushka was now a member of the ton.

Nearing the kitchen Mina heard voices and the shrill cry of a kettle at full boil. She threw open the doors to find her friends sitting at the long wooden table with a fresh tray of butter biscuits between them.

"I knew I'd find you in here!" Mina exclaimed

"Well where else would we be?" Liara remarked sarcastically. "How long do you bloody well take? Verushka has been sitting here for hours and wouldn't tell me a thing until you arrived."

"Really?" Mina's eyebrows shot up and Verushka nodded emphatically.

"Well, good! I'm so glad you are both here, 'cos I have sooo much to tell you," Mina announced.

"Me first!" Verushka piped up. "Trust me, you will want to hear this and I've been dying to tell you both."

"I doubt it will be bigger news than mine," Mina grinned with only a momentary calculating flicker. "Unless, you already know happened?!"

"Well, you can't mean me because I was stuck here cleaning the oven grate, so I don't have much to tell you except that it was filthy. You got anything better, Ver?" Liara questioned as she idly stirred a lump of sugar into her tea.

"I met the Queen." Verushka grinned.

Liara's spoon clanked against the side of her mug. "Ok, you win."

Mina's jaw dropped and she used it as an opportunity to shove food inside her mouth as she pulled up a seat. "Go on then, tell us!" she prompted while chewing several biscuits at once.

Verushka took a big gulp of tea and wove her story with all the magic of a Grimm's Brothers fairy-tale, plenty of blood included. She was not one to forget the excitement found in all the articulate details of an excellently told adventure and so Verushka recalled the entirety of her trip to Bedlam followed by her race to the Secret Service safe house and then to the Queen's rescue. She only omitted Jay's part in the drama and replaced his involvement with that of another Agent. It didn't seem right that she betray her brother's secret. She would have withheld Cain's too but she simply couldn't hold it in. When she was done, half the tray of biscuits was gone and both girls leaned over the table with rapt attention.

"No way!" Liara exclaimed.

"Yes way," Mina nodded emphatically. "That makes so much sense. I should have figured that you would have given yourself a code name like Agent Kat! I was doing some stuff for the runners and picked up your letter at the Shooting Galley and gave it to, um, well, the Captain."

"Wait a minute, the Runners are messengers for the Secret Service Agents?" Verushka broke in flustered.

"Umm, yeaaah..." Mina elongated her vowels as a plausible story presented itself.