He Strikes at the Hotel

Chapter Twenty Nine

I don't know how long it must of taken me, but my mind finally let go last night and surrendered to sleep's dark grasp. My dreams consisted of letters being thrown at me left, right and centre, all covered in blood. All speaking to me in that same male growl I heard the day of Zachery's arrival. I dreamt of the ball, which began beautifully, but quickly turned into a nightmare full of red and black.

I woke up feeling drained, but the nerves and partial excitement over today made my body quickly catch up to speed. I got out of bed and sulked my way over to the bathroom, whilst delicately taking out the rollers from my hair. I pinned my hair up for work so that the curls didn't droop. I did not go to all of that effort for droopy curls.

Nerissa and I started work early today so that we could finish by nine o'clock, ten at the latest, meaning that we had the whole day to get ready for tonight. This seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, but after last night's events, I really could have done with the extra couple hours in bed. Not to worry about that now though, as I was ready to take out all of my stresses on cleaning, which worked well for my mental health as well as for my job.

With each room I scrubbed to death, I could feel my fear from last night fade. I imagined the negativity was the mess in each room. Once I had defeated the mess and dirt, making each room spotless and tidy, it was like the darkness in my head was being cleaned away as well. This was why I loved my job, as it could always be a positive form of productivity, and I earned my keep from it - so a win-win situation. By the time I had finished my floor, I felt almost calm. It wasn't the normal type of calm you would expect, but more of a numbing calm; something that blankets over the fear, not diminishing it entirely, but being the alkaline to the acidity.

I began to put my stuff away back in the cleaning cupboard on my floor and knew it must be nine o'clock on the dot. I heard the door to my floor fly open, with the pitter-patter of small feet scurrying up the hall towards me, accompanied by Nerissa's little noises of excitement.

"Audrey Rose! Have you finished? I've finished. Shall we start our days preparations now? Have you been to the lobby yet today? It's crazy down there, everyone is doing last minute arrangements for the ball and entry to the ballroom itself has been completely restricted!" Nerissa was standing holding on to the door to the cupboard, shaking it wildly as she spoke.

"Yes I've now finished. Shall we go take a detour through the lobby to get a drink and some breakfast before we start getting ready? We could get a good look at what all the fuss is about..." I said, intentionally tempting her curiosity of the event. I was starving, and Nerissa was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she most likely wouldn't think of eating today unless mentioned by somebody else first. Nerissa nodded along to my suggestion happily, suddenly realising that she too was hungry, and needed the energy for today.

We went through the lobby first so that I could see what Nerissa was talking about. She was right, it was crazy. People were running around everywhere with small additions to the decoration of the hotel, with others hanging up tapestries of exquisite colours and textures all around the lobby itself. They were working very precisely, with concentration painted all over their faces. The organisers seemed to be going from one group of workers to another, barking orders and then doing the same to the reception staff who had obviously been roped into helping. Seeing this made us realise that we needed to move on quickly before we got caught up in the parade as well.

I wonder if any of them knew we were attending this event?

Today, Nerissa didn't want us to do anything. So instead of making our breakfast like we usually would, we snuck into the main kitchen downstairs, which was currently holding the food cart which would be taken into the dining room for the breakfast buffet. We quickly grabbed a croissant each, a couple slices of toast, little pots of jam, butter, and some fruit. We took our stolen prizes and escaped down the hall back to our quarters so we could devour it all, with the pleasure of knowing we didn't have to make it. We were giggling away like we were children who just stole some sweets from a market cart and were running from the stall holder.

Our breakfast was glorious, and we both sat back on our chairs content, smiling at each other without speaking. This was the calm before the storm, so to speak. And now that we had a chance and were sat by ourselves in no real rush, Nerissa brought up what I was hoping she would forget about. But Nerissa never forgets. She just bides her time well before approaching a conversation, which was obvious, because she was blown away with Zachery turning up at my door last night, and the looks she was giving me told me that I was going to get hounded afterwards until I told her everything.

"Are you tired this morning, dear?" Nerissa asked, faking concern appallingly, with her hidden motive screaming through louder than her actual words. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow, playing along with her game.

"No, not at all, dear. Why would you think that?" I asked, faking confusion, which was much more convincing than Nerissa's attempts. She wasn't enjoying the game.

"Well, I thought with having the Duke in your room after I left would mean you didn't get quite as much sleep as I did, and I'm pretty tired this morning." She said with intrigue in her voice, which overpowered the concern she continued to try and show. It was painful to watch her do this, and she knew I could see through it, she just refused to admit it. I decided to end her misery, even though I wanted to see how far she could take her story, and how many different ways she could hint at the same thing.

"Yes, well, Zachery and I have been speaking during his time here. He knows where my room is from us meeting in the kitchen that's near my room, and I presume he saw where I went afterwards. The only time his guards aren't about is when they have retired for the night, so that is when Zachery tends to come by, and unfortunately it is usually late." I said, which was practically the truth, just with some minor details left out, such as we suspect there to be a kidnapper and torturer in the hotel who follows Zachery around and who is now threatening me. As I said, minor details.

"When he tends to come by? So it is a regular occurrence, is it?" Her eyes widened, trying to keep her voice monotone.

"No, well, not regular, no... What I meant was-" I began, before Nerissa cut me off with a squeal and her hands clapping together wildly.

"This is amazing Audrey Rose! Absolutely amazing! Is that why he is your date to the ball? Is that why he always tries to catch your attention when you walk by? He is always giving you little looks, and whenever you aren't looking I always catch him looking at you as he walks by. This is so cute, and incredible, you could be the next Duchess!" Nerissa was nearly in tears while rambling on.

"Nerissa, no. He does not do that. We acknowledge each other, yes. He is pleasant to speak to, but it is nothing more. We just have the same interests." Which is true, I just didn't say disclose what interests they were...

"Well, I see you both looking at each other when it seems no one is looking. Don't close your mind to the possibility, Audrey Rose!" Nerissa chimed. Did he actually look at me when I wasn't aware?

"I am not closing my mind to anything, I am simply being realistic. Let's just see how this ball goes, shall we? It's going to be a fun night for all of us!" I quickly changed the subject, feeling uncomfortable at the new feelings stirring inside of me, trying to claw their way out.

"Sure thing, Duchess." Nerissa accepted defeat, but not without adding her own touch, which is exactly why she emphasised the word Duchess so heavily that the word lingered on her tongue like the hiss of a snake.

Great. Now I am going to be putting on two shows tonight. I better warn Zachery that he has been given the supporting role in the act.