Chapter 30: Nigel's request
Meanwhile in the village of Soren, unlike Itri, who seemed to be excited and joyous, Samantha was quite relaxed and she carried on with her morning duties as she usually did. "Sammy, I am exhilarated to be visiting the kingdom capital. How do you think it looks? Is it as good as the people who have been there described it be?" Itri's delighted voice fell on Samantha's ears who was preparing the dough for the breakfast. There was still an hour or so for Nigel, Madam's Lily's son, to pick them up.
Before Samantha could give her any reply, Madam Lily entered the kitchen, wiping her wet hands on her apron. The kitchen was bustling with activity. Yet, her eyes searched for Samantha who was at the farther end. Picking up her pace, Lily approached the two girls and heard Itri's animated voice as she questioned her friend.
"Samantha, Itri, may I have a word with you both?" Lily interrupted them and at once, the girls turned to stare at her, wondering what they had done wrong now. Lily rarely called them out to speak, unless if they made a mistake.
Handing the dough to the girl beside her, Samantha washed her hands before she followed Lily, with Itri right on her heels. Silently, the three women left the kitchen, much to Samantha's surprise, and went towards the side door, just beside the kitchen that led to the storeroom.
Stepping in, Lily folded her hands and raised her eyebrows, her stance frightening the girls. "Is everything good, Madam Lily?" Samantha tried to break the silence that was suffocating her in the room. Although the door was not closed completely, she could feel the tension in the air, courtesy of Lily's solemn gaze.
"You tell me, Samantha. Is everything good?" Lily threw her question back to her, stunning the two girls. They blinked at each other, confused by the lady's abnormal behavior. They had already found the situation weird when she had called them out in private rather than reprimanding them in front of everyone, like she usually did.
"I don't understand, Madam Lily." Samantha shook her head, confusion and lost expression taking over her face.
"Did Nigel ask you to accompany him to the kingdom capital today?" Lily came to the topic directly and this time, the girls understood why she had asked to meet them separately. A sigh escaped through Samantha's lips and her shoulders relaxed.
'I had assumed something to have happened.' She smiled lightly, directing her gaze towards the older woman who was waiting for her reply.
"Yes, Madam Lily. Mr. Nigel did ask me to accompany me to the kingdom capital and..."
"And, what did you say?" Lily interrupted her right on time which Samantha did not mind.
"I have not given him any reply. I wanted to take your permission but he beat me to it. He promised he would speak to you." The girl replied and Lily nodded, her thoughts running ashtray as she remembered the scene that had taken place in her house in the morning.
As usual, she was preparing breakfast for her son and her husband when her son, Nigel approached her. "Mother, I wanted to speak to you."
"And, what might you want to speak about?" Lily queried, amused by his sudden change in behavior. This was the first time she was seeing him not meet her in the eye and she narrowed her eyes, wondering what he had in mind.
"Mother, I am going to the kingdom capital today." Nigel started only to stop when he noticed Lily staring at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I know. You have informed me about it before. Is anything the matter?"
"I wanted your permission." Nigel carefully picked his words, not wanting to anger his mother first thing in the morning. Although taking Samantha or any other girl in the Bradford mansion was not wrong, it would be considered impolite and rude if he approached them directly and took them with him, without his mother's permission, who was the matron of the mansion.
"For what?" Lily raised her eyebrows, her curiosity piqued by his sudden approach. Her son would travel back and forth between Soren and the kingdom capital to run errands for the Bradfords. But this was the first time he was asking her permission and it baffled her.
"I want to take someone from the Bradford mansion with me to the capital," Nigel revealed his intentions, and Lily blinked, wondering if she was hearing things. She turned off the stove, the soup she had prepared was boiled perfectly before she concentrated on her son.
"And, who do want to take with you?"
Nigel averted from his mother's scrutinizing gaze and for a second, he wondered if he had done the right thing by approaching his sweet mother. "Samantha, I want to take Samantha with me and also, her friend."
His reply was beyond her expectations and Lily's eyes widened significantly. She had seen her child grow up and knew his behavior better than himself. It did not take long for her to conclude that her son had something for Samantha. Although he had been careful enough to hide it from her, she could sense it clearly. This was the first time he was asking her permission to take a girl who worked at the Bradford mansion out. 'As far as I know, this is the first time he is taking any girl out. Does he like Samantha?'
"Mother?" Nigel tried to break her train her thoughts, seeing her lost gaze.
"Yes?"
"Shall I take her-I mean, them with me?" Lily looked at his hopeful eyes and sighed lightly.
"Come to the Bradford mansion after breakfast. I'll see what I can do."
Although vague, her reply brought a smile to her son's face and he hugged her lightly. "Thank you, Mother. Thank you."
"Madam Lily, Madam Lily," Itri waved her hands in front of the woman seeing her lost in her thoughts and Lily jumped lightly when she felt a pat on her shoulders. "Is everything fine, Madam Lily?"
"Samantha, tell me. Do you want to visit the kingdom capital?" Lily questioned the girl. Her unexpected words surprised the two girls and Itri, at once turned to her friend, pleading her to give an affirmative answer. It was rare for Lily to allow them to choose and Itri did not want to lose this opportunity.
Although Samantha was unwilling to accompany Nigel, she could not ignore her friend's beseeching eyes. She had a hunch that Nigel had feelings for her and she wanted to stay as far away as possible from him. Yet, she also knew that this was an opportunity they might never get again. Stuck in a dilemma, Samantha's choice wavered and she did not know how to overcome the predicament.
Taking one last glance at Itri, she made her decision. "Madam Lily, if you permit me, I would like to visit the kingdom capital this once." Her words made Itri grin in glee, while Lily just nodded curtly.
"In that case, you have my permission."
"Than..."
"But," Lily interrupted the enthusiastic Itri at once.
"Be careful and don't wander around. The capital is not as small as Soren and the people over there are not that accommodating."
"I understand, Madam. Please rest assured, we will take care of ourselves."
Samantha and Itri were about to return to their chores when Lily noticed her hands. "Samantha, I want to speak to you alone. Itri, close the door after you."
The two girls looked at each other and Samantha shrugged lightly, conveying silently that she had no idea why the woman had made her stay. As soon as Itri left them, Lily held the girl's beautiful hands. "Samantha, where are the gloves I gave you? Why did you remove them?"
"That," Samantha furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember where she had placed them. "They are in my cupboard, Madam. I have kitchen chores to do in the morning. It is not convenient to wear them."
"I see. When you leave for the capital, do not forget to wear them. And irrespective of what happens, don't remove them. Do you understand?"
"But..."
"Do you understand?" Lily's voice rose and Samantha was bewildered by the change in her. She could only nod in response and the older's woman's face softened considerably.
"Good, go back to work. I'll meet you later."
Seeing Samantha's back, Lily thought about it. 'I need to find out what she is to keep her safe. I hope I will get my answers at the place I have in mind.'
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Hello everyone,
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