When the carriage arrived at the manor, the coachman pulled the reins of the two horses to stop away from the entrance. He got down from his seat and pulled open the carriage door. He didn't bother to keep a stool nor offer his hand to the woman who stepped out of the carriage.
Rebecca helped Eve get down from the carriage, and the very next moment, the coachman closed the door with a light thud.
The little girl stared at the large building and the gardens surrounding it. She had never seen anything like this before, and her blue eyes took in everything that she could see from where she stood.
"Come, Eve," her mother gently spoke to her, holding her hand and pulling her away from the front.
The manor's entrance was only for the family members and not for the servants or anyone who belonged to the lower class of the family. Eve's small feet followed her mother, and they entered the manor from the back of the house.
Their path was interrupted by the butler of the house, who was a man in his late fifties. His grey hair was combed to the back, and his stature was of average height. He wore a black uniform along with a disapproving frown on his face.
"Your room has been arranged in the servant's quarters," informed the butler, though he wasn't particularly fond of speaking to the woman sleeping with his Master. His eyes fell on the little girl with the woman, and he instructed, "Follow me."
The other servants didn't speak a word, but their eyes discreetly followed the mother and daughter.
The butler slightly turned back to look over his shoulder and said, "Master has already told me that you will be living here for two days. And during that time, keep in mind to not roam around the corridors of this manor. You shall not step out of the room, unless you are told to. As you know, the manor has frequent visitors and guests. We wouldn't want them finding out about your existence in this place during my mistress's absence."
"I will bear it well in my mind," Rebecca bowed her head to oblige to his words. She then noticed him looking at her daughter. She said, "She will follow it too."
"Good. Because there's no room for any errors here. I wouldn't like my Master's name being tarnished," the butler's words were curt, holding an underlying threat that didn't go unnoticed by the woman.
Once they were brought to their room, the butler left them as he had other important matters to attend to. As expected of a servant's room, it was small and had minimal things like a lantern, a mat and a bedsheet.
An hour later, Rebecca and Eve were summoned by the Master of this manor, where the butler was the one to get them from their room. When they reached the large sitting room, the butler announced,
"They are here, Sire."
Eve, who was looking at the beautiful objects and the clean floor, noticed a buff man standing a few steps away from her and her mother. She clutched on her mother's skirt when her eyes met the man's.
The man had a rough appearance, his jaws holding a stubble and a shadow underneath his eyes. He commented, "Who would even think that you have a daughter this big. Is she really your daughter?"
"She is my daughter," Rebecca's reply was polite, but her eyes were wary. She noticed how the man's thoughts were moving regarding her daughter's future.
Even Eve, clutching onto her mother's skirt, moved closer, almost hiding behind her mother.
"Isn't she lovely," remarked the man. "I am sure she will grow as beautiful as you. She will fetch you a lot of money. And this line of work is the quickest way to make money, don't you agree?" his lips twisted into a smile.
Though Rebecca had agreed to spend two days in this manor in return for money, she was here because she had a debt to this man too. He knew where she lived. Life wasn't easy for the poor, but it was even worse if someone tried to run away from the debt collectors, who were especially rich and had connections.
The townsfolk believed that Rebecca had conceived Eve by sleeping with one of the men she had serviced. And though it had tarnished the remaining respect in their eyes, she took it. It was better for people to believe that lie than they know the truth and tear her daughter from her.
"What is your name, girl?" The man demanded from the little girl.
"Genevieve," came the small voice of Eve.
"Hmm," responded the man, shifting his eyes at the butler, and he ordered, "Take the girl back to the room. I have business with Rebecca," he smirked.
Rebecca turned to Eve, placing her hand on her shoulder. She whispered to her, "I will be back with you later. Go with the butler."
Eve slowly let go of her hold on her mother's skirt, and she followed the butler out of the room. Before the door closed, she turned to look at her mother, who looked at her, while the man in the room walked toward her mother.
Eve was taken to the room, and the door was pulled so that she stayed there and did not cause any trouble. She sat there alone, staring at the wall while obediently waiting for her mother to get back. Food was provided to the girl on a dented plate, which the servants had overused over the years.
"Mama!" Eve exclaimed, running to her mother and putting her arms around her mother when the woman stepped inside the room.
"You have been a good girl, Eve. Waiting for me patiently," her mother praised her, running her bruised hand on Eve's hair.
"I always wait, mama," said the little girl, fondly looking up at her mother.
Rebecca hugged her daughter, finding the comfort she didn't feel all these hours when she was away from Eve. She bent, kissing the top of her daughter's head.
"Just until tomorrow night, and then we'll go out just as you wanted," she whispered, just so that even if someone was walking past the door, they wouldn't eavesdrop on her. After waiting for two hours, she said to Eve, "I have arranged for your bath, where no one can see you." said Rebecca, and they stepped out of their room.
As it was night, most of the servants had stopped working on the first floor of the manor. Rebecca made sure that no one saw them, tip-toeing carefully with Eve before entering the guest room at the end of the corridor. The woman was quick to pour salts into the bath so that Eve could soak in the tub.
Once wrapped and dressed, the mother and daughter stepped out of the room. They reached the end of the corridor and used the stairs to get down, only to face the butler.
"What do you think you are doing here?" Questioned the butler, his shrewd eyes staring at the insolent woman. "Don't you know that these floors are for the family's guests, and not for a servant, less a woman of the streets to take a stroll?"
Rebecca let out an internal sigh of relief, thankful that the butler hadn't arrived when they were stepping out of the room. Bowing her head, she apologized,
"Forgive me, for I wasn't aware about it."
The butler's eyes narrowed at their backs, and he then turned to look at the stairs from where they had come. He wondered what they were doing up there. Though the woman said she was exploring this side of the manor, he didn't believe it.
His eyes fell on the woman's hand, and he demanded, "What is that you hold in your hand? Did you steal something from the rooms?"
Rebecca's eyes widened at the accusation, and she shook her head, "I didn't steal anything." She hid the jar from which she had poured salt into Eve's bath earlier.
"Show your hands!" Came the firm words of the butler, who wasn't going to let her leave without inspecting her.
Eve's eyes widened on hearing the butler's voice move one octave higher as if to frighten them. She saw her mother stare at the man and then stretch her hand to show the empty jar.
The butler snatched the jar from Rebecca and looked at the jar that looked old. He asked, "What is this?"
"There were biscuits that I had brought from home," replied Rebecca without losing her composure because there was no way one would know what they were up to.
Not convinced, he turned the top of the jar and stuck his nose inside it.
"It smells like salt," he pulled the jar away from his face and handed it back to the woman. "See yourself back to the servant's quarters. We have guests in the manor, and we wouldn't want them to see you both," the butler glared at them.
Rebecca closed the jar and hurried to the servant's quarters, holding Eve's hand.
While her mother was pulling her, she caught sight of something shabby at the top of the stairs, but she couldn't see what it was. When they reached the room, her mother locked the door and let go of her hand. The woman leaned against the door, placing her hand on her chest as if to calm her heart.
The little girl stared at her mother.
Rebecca only hoped that they would be able to leave the manor day after tomorrow without any suspicion being raised about them. She wondered if she should take Eve for the bath at midnight tomorrow, or maybe it would be better to leave the manor in the evening, she thought to herself.
"Mama scared?" Asked Eve, and Rebecca sat on her knees on the floor.
The woman pressed her lips on her child's forehead, "Never." She would not appear weak in front of her daughter, and she would be strong for her daughter's sake. "I am just glad you are safe."
"Me too," came the small voice, and Rebecca smiled.
"Do you know how precious you are, Genevieve?" Asked her mother. "You are mine and your father's sweetest child."
"Papa too?" Asked Eve, and Rebecca nodded.
"Yes, your father's too. He loved you very much, before you were even born," replied Rebecca, pushing the baby hairs back on Eve's forehead.
Eve's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked her mother in sorrow, "Why won't he come meet me?"
Rebecca's heart sunk in her chest. She didn't know how to explain to Eve about death. "Your father… he's somewhere far. It is difficult for him to come, but that doesn't mean he loves you less," she assured Eve. "Come, sit here with me."
Picking up Eve, she placed the girl on her lap, who laid her head on her chest.
"Never feel that your father didn't want you. He was looking forward to meeting you. He would talk to you everyday. Telling you how much he loved you. To be brave, to never give up, and to believe in yourself. He loved us a lot, he wouldn't want you sad. Remember what I told you?"
"No tears," replied Eve.
"That's right," answered her mother, putting her arms around her. "Aren't you the most understanding child. Remember that after every night, you have morning to look forward to."
Rebecca sang a lullaby to Eve that quickly put the little girl to sleep.
The next day was no different to the previous day. Where Rebecca was summoned to provide her company to the Master of the manor, while Eve was left in her room. Hours passed, and the little girl continued to wait even after evening passed to night.
Eve's mother turned to look at the clock in one of the rooms. She had tried to leave, but the man had stopped her from leaving the bed.
She requested the man, "I should go now. My daughter might be frightened as she hasn't seen me for such long hours, Sir."
The man took hold of her hair, playing with it, "What's the hurry? It isn't like she's living somewhere else, but under my roof. Don't worry, my butler will make sure to feed her."
But that wasn't what worried her. It was getting late, and she had to take Eve to the bath.
Her chest started to drown in anxiousness with every second that passed by with the thought of her daughter being exposed.
Eve sat in the room, staring at the cracked wall as she waited for her mother to return. Going to the door, she slowly opened the door and put her head out to take a peek at the corridor. But her mother was nowhere in sight.
Though she was used to her mother leaving her for long hours, today, in particular, seemed longer, and her hand clutched the side of her dress. She wanted to step out of the room and look for her mother, but she didn't do it as her mother had told her not to leave the room and go anywhere. To wait for her, and she did just that.
Closing the door, she sat back on the floor. But as minutes passed, her legs started to tingle and ache. She shifted her legs from one side to another in discomfort. She could feel her legs trying to stick to each other, trying to be one.
Suddenly the door burst open, and her mother appeared with her eyes wide.
"Eve!" Rebecca moved to where her daughter was, and she hugged her.
"Mama... my legs feel strange," complained the little girl, and the woman quickly looked at Eve's legs that showed blue and gold scales on her skin.
"Come my child. It is time for your bath," Rebecca picked up Eve in her arms, and she used her other hand to pick up the jar of salt.
There was still time, told the woman to herself.
Leaving the room behind, she walked through the corridors while making sure no one saw them. Climbing up the stairs, she walked past the guest rooms. By the time she reached the end of the corridor, scales started to appear on the lower half of the little girl's body.
Taking a quick look at the other side of the corridor, Rebecca quickly entered the guest room and placed her daughter in the bathtub. She turned the faucet to start the water running, ready to pour the salts into the bath, when she noticed only a few drops of water fell.
Rebecca tapped the head of the faucet, hoping for water to flow out, but all in vain. In slight panic, she rubbed her forehead and said to Eve, "I will be back soon. Don't make any noise until I return, okay?"
And the woman quickly dashed out of the room after making sure there was no one walking in the corridor. Eve stayed there for two minutes before her mother burst through the door to get her.
Her mother picked her up in her arms as Eve couldn't walk in her current state. Leaving the room behind, her mother carried her to another room and placed her in the bathtub, filled with water. Salts were quick to be thrown in the water, but the scales on Eve's legs didn't disappear immediately.
"It might take some time," murmured Rebecca to herself.
During this time, back in the servant's quarters, the butler walked into the now deserted corridor. He came to stand in front of one room and knocked on the door. His Master had given him money that was supposed to be handed to the woman for pleasing him for the last two days. He knocked again. When there was no response, he pushed the door open to only be greeted at the emptiness.
The butler's eyes narrowed, and he turned his head to look in the direction he had come.
Turning his body, he started to walk, ready to catch the woman and her daughter who were possibly waiting to steal something from this manor.
"Did you see the woman and a little girl here?" The butler questioned one of the servants who was in the hall.
"I didn't," the servant shook his head.
"If you find them, come to me immediately," ordered the butler, but he wasn't going to rest until he found them.
The butler walked up the stairs, and he looked through every room. When he was walking past one of the rooms, he heard a light splashing of water, and his eyebrows furrowed. As he approached, his footsteps were gentle enough not to alert the thieves on the other side of the door.
Carefully, he pushed the door open, craning his neck to look inside the room. The butler was ready to call out the lowly woman, where his parted lips only fell wide open on what he saw in the tub. He saw the little girl's legs shimmer like a jewel.
"I-It can't be!" the butler whispered to himself.
These things had gone extinct years ago, and it had been many years since he had heard of one existing, lest looking at one. His hand clutched the edge of the door, and he quickly left the room to inform his Master about it!
Inside the guest room, the scales on Eve's skin finally disappeared, and she noticed her mother pour some more salts into the bathtub.
"Mama?"
"Yes, my dear?" Responded Rebecca while she moved her hand in the water.
"What colour is your tail?" came Eve's curious question.
Rebecca managed to smile even though she was anxious, "I do not have one." Eve turned sad at her mother's answer, and her mother said, "God made you special, Eve. Very special."
"You are special to me," replied Eve, and at the same time, the little girl's legs returned. Rebecca sighed before leaning in and kissing her daughter's head.
"And you to me. Let me dry you and get back to our room before someone catches us," said Rebecca, helping Eve out and drying her up. She helped Eve wear her clothes.
When she tried to pull the drain stopper, it was stuck. Why wasn't it coming out? She tried to use more force while pulling the chain, but it refused to come out. The water continued to be held in the bathtub with the salts that she had poured. She couldn't leave it like this, because it would be proof that someone was here, and the butler had already caught them yesterday.
At the same time, she didn't want Eve to get into trouble. She didn't mind if it was just her, but not her daughter. She decided to leave the room and come back for it later.
On the way to the servant's quarters, somewhere, Rebecca felt her conscience prick her mind. That she would soon be caught, and the money she had earned for the last two days, it would be denied. At the same time there would be questions of why she was using the guest rooms.
Reaching near the servant's quarters, the woman bent down to level herself with her daughter and said,
"You know where our room is, right? Go there straight and wait for me. I will be there soon."
Little Eve stared at her mother, because she had hoped her mother would stay with her, but she was leaving her again.
Rebecca saw the anxious look in Eve's blue eyes and she hugged her, "I just need to pull the drain stopper from the bathtub and I will tell you a story once I am back." She pulled back, and offered a smile.
And though the woman smiled, there was an uncertainty hanging in the air. She didn't want to leave her daughter alone again. Not at this hour at least. But this was something that had to be done.
"Go now," Rebecca softly urged her daughter. Seeing Eve starting to walk in the corridor towards the room, she tore her gaze away and headed up to the guest room.
Having walked in here just three times in her mother's company, Eve confused her room with another, pushing the doorknob of another servant's room.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Get out of here!" Demanded a male voice, and Eve quickly closed the door, hearing something crash on the other side of the door. She took a couple of steps backwards for her back to hit the wall.
Eve clutched her hand, looking left and right, unsure of where her room was. She waited in the corridor for a couple of minutes before deciding to look for her mother. With the time being close to midnight, most lights had been blown out, leaving only some of the main ones in the hall and corridors.
The servants who walked on the other side didn't notice her, with her being small. When she found the stairs, her little feet climbed it.
"Mama?" Eve called her mother softly.
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