章 24: Dropping the facade- Part 2

Vivian looked at him before walking towards the chair with slow steps. Occupying the empty seat next to him, she played with her nails worried if she had done something wrong. The servants who worked here were sometimes called to the study room alone when they were out of line or slacked during their work hour. Peeking a small glance at him under her lashes, she saw him staring ahead of him with his jaw set firmly before he opened his mouth to talk to her.

"How long has it been since Mr Jerome began visiting the mansion?" with one hand behind him on the desk he leaned back.

"More than a year."

"Hmm," he nodded his head. So it was after he had started his work and had asked her to not send him letters. If he hadn't asked her to do so he would have come to know the number of men trying to woo his Bambi. His jaw ticked in irritation, "And how acquainted are you with him?" Frankly, all these years he had only learnt to direct his anger somewhere while keeping a leash on his emotions. He had meant to behave well with the facade of showing a sweet man but Leonard could hardly hold it together.

Vivian looked at him slightly taken aback by his question. Why was he interested in Mr Jerome?

"Answer my question, Vivian," his voice seemed patient but his eyes told otherwise. It demanded answers and these were the rare instances when she felt intimidated by him.

"He mostly spoke about work and nothing more," she answered him truthfully.

"What else?"

"Else?"

"Yes," he nudged her to speak, "How about receiving treats or gifts from him?" She shook her head, "That's good to hear. I don't want you chatting with him from here on."

"Why not?" came Vivian's question.

"Your job is to look after the mansion and not waste your time in talking to him when there are jobs you need to complete. Not just Jerome but anyone for the fact. I will have a word with Paul later so that he looks after the guests. After all, he is the footman of the mansion. Is that clear?"

"Yes, master Leonard," Vivian frankly didn't understand why he was forbidding her from going and greeting any guest who came at the mansion. Did he not trust her in keeping the guests' company thinking she would tarnish their reputation?

"Good and another thing. Why have you been calling me master Leonard?" he leaned forward this time so that he could have a better look at her.

"Because you're the master of the mansion?" Vivian asked unsurely as he tapped his finger on the wooden desk, "No?" she asked meekly.

"Let me rephrase the question. Why have you been calling me master Leonard instead of Leo?" she saw him push himself up from the desk and turned her chair around with not much effort. Bending down in front of her, he tried unbuckling her shoe to which she pulled away quickly.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I need to see something. You haven't answered my question yet," he reminded her, stretching his hand to grab one of her feet by her ankle. The lone action had her heart beating in her little chest. Her mind racing for words to speak, to reply but she found none as he unbuckled her shoe. Even during the small visits to the mansion when he was away, he was always like this. A little pushy, overbearing and sometimes irrational with his actions. When she had turned twelve, he had climbed a tree and wanted her to climb the tree too. Her refusal to do it had gained her his silent treatment for the next few visits.

"Last year Mr Cahrmichael reprimanded me as I addressed you as Leo. He told a servant should address the owner rightly," she remembered the day she got scolded and with her even Paul had been scolded for not grooming the servants the way they were expected to be groomed. Mr Carmichael and his brother had done more than scolding that day. The words were spoken by Mr Carmichael's brother, Sullivan Carmichael had been hurtful and degrading. It was then she had realized the gap between their status.

"I am sorry you had to hear that. My father grew up with his traditions but I haven't, not around you at least," he offered her a smile which was filled with warmth, "Well, he isn't here at the moment so I don't see why you have to use the honorifics," she felt him remove her sock from her feet. He raised her feet so that he could inspect the sole, running his thumb which tickled her, he placed it down to undo her other shoe.

Vivian having no clue what he was up to, let him do what he pleased so that she would get over with it quickly so that her heart could settle down and not fail due to over functioning.

Leonard's hand which was around Vivian's ankle felt the warm skin on her dainty legs. Though something deep down clawed at wanting to touch her more under his seeking hands, he let go of her feet once he was done inspecting to see if there was any mark left behind. He reminded himself to wait a little more. A little more until the time was right.

His eyes trailed up to her face which looked innocent and pure. Her black eyes held a question in them which never appeared on her lips. Her strawberry blonde hair was plated which now rested on the side of her shoulder. Standing up, he jammed his hands in his trouser pockets.

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章 25: Dropping the facade- Part 3

"Master Leonard, will yo- Why are your feet bare Vivi?!" Paul who had come to see Leonard found Vivian sitting on the chair while the young master stood in front of her, "Please go out and wear them."

"It is my fault that she's barefoot. Sit here and wear them," he instructed the last line for her to listen to. Not meeting either men's eyes, Vivian picked her socks quickly, "What did you need Paul?"

Paul turned his gaze from the girl to the young master who wasn't happy with his presence. Internally it made him sigh. When they were both children he had encouraged Vivian to write letters as she seemed sad from the absence of the young Charmichael boy. But they weren't children anymore and that worried him. Mr and Mrs Carmichael might have not noticed or he hoped they didn't because it was quite evident that Leonard Carmichael showed interest on the girl more than an employee would.

"About lunch...The kitchen wanted to know if you would like to have steak, pork or flank of the deer?" How about a fresh cut out of heart from your chest on a clean silver platter, thought Leonard to himself. He took a few good seconds before he replied steak, "Please excuse us."

Vivian was ushered out of the study room by Paul to leave Leonard behind the closed doors. The remaining hours of the day she was asked to help in the kitchen.

Before the hour of dinner arrived, Vivian had finished doing all her chores and had retired to her room early. Settling herself cosy in the sheet of her bed she continued to knit the wool. It took more than a week for Vivian to complete the sweater as the only free time she found was at night. While Vivian sat in her room in front of the candlelight, Leonard sat in the darkness of the glass room staring at the black sky with a bud of cigarette in his hand.

One fine day, Vivian who was out to pluck out the flowers for the vases found Maximilian Gibbs accompanying Leonard inside the mansion. She bowed her head at both of them. Seeing Maximilian smirk at her, she quickly lowered her eyes on the ground. Maximilian's father was a close friend of Mr Carmichael due to which it allowed Leonard and Maximilian to be in each other's company enough to become close friends. Out of all the people she had seen the Carmichael's interact with, she had to say Maximilian was the peculiar one out of all. His hair was dark grey in colour and his eyes strangely were the colour of turquoise even though he was a pureblooded vampire. She had never known vampires to have a colour which wasn't red. But it wasn't just his appearance that made him odd. His turquoise eyes were always curious which made one extremely uncomfortable. The maids always steered clear of him. If he weren't Leonard's friend she would have pegged the man to be suspicious.

Humming a tune just for her to listen to, she plucked the flowers carefully without harming the leaves and branches. Raising a single flower to her face, she leaned forward to smell its fragrance. The scent of it was so lovely that couldn't help but smile. She wondered if she could take these to old Martha who was sick in the bed. Mrs Carmichael as promised had gotten a doctor for the old woman but no medicine sufficed and with hours and days, her health deteriorated.

It wasn't far when the sad news about old Martha death reached the mansion in the morning. Mrs Carmichael had attended the small ceremony without her husband but was attended by her son, Leonard. Paul, his family and Vivian along with few others were present as the priest prayed for the woman's soul to rest in peace in the local town cemetery with the rest of the passed away townsfolk.

Eyes filled with tears Vivian saw three men drop the wooden coffin to the ground. Wiping her eyes and cheek with the kerchief which was wet for a while now, she sniffed under the rain holding an umbrella in her hand. In her lifetime, the only close to a mother figure she had grown up to know was Martha who had taken under her care. The woman had loved her as her own and now that she was gone Vivian didn't know how to fathom the emptiness that was left behind in her heart. She stared at the coffin being buried. People who had come began to leave until she was the only standing there in the rain. She didn't question God why he had taken Martha away because she knew old age was inevitable and to those old people, sickness and death was inevitable. She missed the old woman and the only parent she ever knew or remembered was no more among them.

She stood there for a while looking at the medium sized headstone beneath which the old housekeeper was buried. Someone came to stand next to her and she had to blink away the tears to see it was Leonard who had come back.

Leonard raised his free hand to wipe the trail of tears that streaked down both her cheeks. His hands were cold against her warm cheeks. Her lips pink and the rim of her eyes had turned slightly red due to crying. He didn't utter a word knowing it wouldn't change the loss that was caused but instead he brought his hand around her and let her cry to her heart's content on his chest which she did without holding back. Rubbing her back gently he kept her there until she quietened down.

"Would you like to stay with Grace today?" he asked her gently. Feeling her nod he said, "Let me take you there," and he took her in the carriage he had come in after taking his mother back to the mansion.

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After Leonard had dropped Vivian at Paul's sister's house, he returned back to the Carmichael's mansion. With his shoes slightly wet, he stepped inside the mansion. A maid came over to help him out of his coat.

"Everything settled?" Mrs Carmichael arrived in sight with fresh clothes that had been changed from the ones she had worn half an hour ago.

"Yes, mother," he answered, "Paul said that he would be back at the mansion in two hours of time."

"Is that so," murmured Mrs Carmichael walking down the halls with Leonard, "Human lives are very fragile and delicate. And they live only for a certain amount of time. It is quite sad when the time of a dear one comes to an end," Stopping in the middle of the hall, Mrs Carmichael patted her son's head with affection, "That is one of the reasons why people like us have to be careful when it comes to our emotions. Let me go see what is being cooked in the kitchen. I will see you at dinner," his mother left to walk in another direction.

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