Forget-Me-Not

Matchmaker

The Mistress had cloistered herself in her room since they had gotten back from The Library. When Lucy had asked her if she wanted dinner, she had told Lucy to take the day off with the maids and relax. Lucy sighed with impatience. The Mistress was a hard person to understand. Why was she pulling away all of a sudden? Did she think that Lucy would decide to go with Orion and become his queen? No, Lucy knew that The Mistress was smarter than that, so what was the real reason?

"Lucy!" Orion called out and smiled at her. "Mary and Ally told me that you had the day off. Would you accompany me to the garden? We never got to finish our conversation."

The Mistress' attitude likely had nothing to do with Orion, but Lucy still felt bitter as she tried to figure a way out of this one.

"Well, I still have things that I need to do around the house, so it'll probably be a while," Lucy replied and walked around him.

"I could help. What do you need to do?"

"Grocery shopping for one. A few of the necessary items expired. I think I'll go ahead and take inventory, so I can go ahead and get the things we need for the next week. It's not really a two-person job."

"I could go with you to the store," Orion offered.

"That won't be necessary..." Lucy started before a thought crept into her mind. "But I suppose that if you and Emily could help me out things would go faster. She's more knowledgeable than you are about these kinds of things, so I wouldn't have to worry about it not getting done right."

Orion's face brightened, and he ran off to find Emily. Lucy sighed and grabbed a notepad. A small smirk formed on her face as she went to the kitchen to begin taking inventory. This wasn't a new idea. Setting Orion up with Emily had been something that Lucy had begun thinking about a long time ago. Mary had a boyfriend already, and Ally didn't swing that way. Also Lucy figured that Emily had the common sense to be a decent match for Orion. He was kind, but he often got swept up in whatever nonsense he could think of.

"You were looking for me?" Emily asked from the doorway.

"Yes, I was wondering that if I gave you a list you and Orion could go to the store and get some things that we need. I know that you're not on duty and that this isn't one of your regular duties, but..."

"Yeah, I'll do it. I live here too, don't I? And you shouldn't be the only one prepping. Plus Orion can do all of the heavy lifting."

Lucy gave Emily a genuine smile and replied, "Thanks. That'd really help."

"And I can take the Mustang?" Emily asked hopefully.

"Should be fine. Just let me finish the list and I'll get the keys."

"Okay," Emily replied with more excitement than Lucy had heard from her before. "Oh and we need rice. It's almost out."

Lucy nodded and added rice to the list. After she made sure to check the supplies and back stock, she grabbed the keys from a drawer and found Orion and Emily chatting in the foyer. A good sign, she thought as she handed Emily the keys and some cash.

"There's more than enough for the groceries, and go ahead and get yourselves something to eat for lunch as well. Orion hasn't been to any of the local places. It's a thank you gift from me. For helping out."

They were reluctant to take the money, but Lucy talked them into it. She still had other things to do that had been neglected in the days that they were gone. She waved as Emily pulled the car out of the driveway. A small smile formed on her face as she leisurely walked back into the kitchen. Silverware still had to be polished, and the table cloth in the dining room needed to be washed. Making a mental list of the things that would need to be done tomorrow, Lucy meandered through the house.

"Did Emily just drive off with Orion?" Mary asked from the doorway.

"In the Mustang?" Ally added, appearing in the doorway behind Mary.

"Yes. They're going to get groceries. We need a few things here and there."

They gave each other a special look. Lucy couldn't figure out its meaning, and it annoyed her.

"I need to finish up some things as well, so goodbye," Lucy said with a fake smile and started to walk to the door.

"He likes you, did you know?" Ally blurted out, and Mary looked at her in shock. "What, Mary? It's not that hard to see. He's always asking about you. What you like and such. If you don't do something, Emily might steal him away."

Lucy stopped herself from smiling genuinely and answered, "Is that so? Well, I'd better look out. Anyway were you two volunteering to help with the silverware? If you're really that bored, I can give you something to do."

Both stuttered excuses before leaving Lucy to finish her work. Hearing the door close behind them, Lucy left out a small laugh. If only it was that simple to steal someone's heart. She walked to the hallway to look at The Mistress' door. It was unusual for her to go silent for this long. The Mistress would normally be shouting for Lucy by now.

Does it really matter? Lucy had one more place to go as part of their contract. What did it matter if The Mistress didn't need or want her around anymore? Her heart ached as she thought of the place where she had wanted to go the most. She would have to play it cool though; she was so close. All she needed was one more place, and she'd never have to see any of these people again. Not the irritating Mary. Not the nosy Ally. Not the judgmental Emily nor the ever-present Orion. Not... The Mistress.

Lucy sighed at her own stupidity and got to planning. Now was not the time for feelings. There was work to be done.