The Sherlock Witch

A New Player in Town

"And you should always let Rosie iron your shirts. Flora is the Iron Lady of this place, but she doesn't do good with shirts. Like she hates them, really".

Abhishek shook his head and turned the page of the ledger he was consulting. The Young Master was sipping his tea and nipping on his favorite butter biscuits. Sitting behind his gold-colored desk, he really seemed like a Master. Rosie was looking at him and he frowned, catching her eyes. "What is it, Rosie? You have been eyeing me in a very strange fashion, lately", he said before sipping his tea again.

She was sitting in the huge sofa, in front of Abhishek, a plateau of biscuits in the tiny table between them. The Young Master seemed to supervise them from his desk. "Strange fashion? Not at all, Master. Just trying to decide if I should bring more biscuits to you. You seem to engulf them all", she said before he started coughing heavily, making Abhishek turn his head to him. "You're okay, Sam? I mean, Young Master".

The Master lifted a hand to him and nodded, before casting a deadly stare at Rosie. He drank his tea, swallowing hard and coughed again to clear his throat. "Yes I am. And no more biscuits, thank you, Rose", he said, accentuating her pet name. Only Abhishek called her that way. "No problem, Sam", she said back, with an angry look.

He threw at her the first thing he saw on his desk and she managed to catch it before it went at her face. She looked at the object and smiled. It was a full-furred rabbit's foot. "Ah. Remember when his dad killed it?", she asked Abhishek, who was still looking at his ledger. "He cried for a full week before accepting this lucky charm". Samuel let out a fake laugh. "I remember YOU crying. You said it was repulsive". She frowned. "And it is. Your father beat me so much that day, I couldn't sit right for a full month", she said before looking at him.

His eyes dropped instantly, unable to stand hers. "And it's still disgusting", she said before dropping the rabbit's foot on the tiny table. "Remind me, why I am here?", she asked Abhishek who looked at her with a smile. "You're the maids' head. I need to do the inventory and only YOU can help me", he said before licking his lips. She saw his gaze linger on her neck and she looked away immediately. "Sure. Everything for the Young Master", she said, smiling.

Samuel looked at Abhishek strangely and then at Rosie. His eyes went back and forth at least a dozen times before he stood up and came sitting next to her. "You need to fix this attitude of yours, Rosie. Seriously. Father will come back soon, and I really don't want to argue with him again", he said, looking serious while grabbing her hand in his. She looked at Abhishek but he was so into the ledger he didn't look at them. She took her hand back and the Master frowned. "I know that, thank you very much. I'm not dumb, you know?". 

Samuel grabbed a pillow behind him and hugged it tight. "Sometimes, I forget you have a brain. Especially since Abhishek's back", he let out and Rosie opened her mouth, shocked. Abhishek smiled, still looking at the book in his lap. "I think Monsieur Jean's illness has spread into your brain. We need to call Doctor Pratt", she said while patting his forehead before he leaped away from her touch. "Anyways, how is he?", Sam asked with a more serious look.

Rosie bite her lips. With Abhishek's return, she had completely forgotten the poor french. "Carine and Deen attend to him everyday. According to them, he seems better, eating on his own now. Are you saying, you haven't visited him ever since?", she asked, astonished. "Ever since I saw... whatever I saw coming from his mouth? Well, yes, Rosie! The man is doomed or cursed or whatever! And I clearly do not want that to touch me!", he said before getting on his feet and heading to the window.

She smiled before the guilt rose inside her. "I'll visit him today. If he's really better, I'll send him back to his usual room", she continued while Abhishek looked at her. "Time to work, Rose. Tell me everything there is inside the Castle. To the simple plate, down to every fork there is", he said, preparing his pen and ready to hear her. She smiled and started counting on her fingers, remembering exactly everything. She was the head Maid after all.