she’d had no contact with her daughter.
‘Arianne always liked to be independent,’ said
the taller man still smiling.
‘This is my youngest son, Andrew, and my other
son, Emil.’
I curtsied again feeling quite silly. The elder
fair-haired Emil only briefly nodded to me before returning his gaze to the
window.
‘Well, if I might say so,’ said Andrew, ‘it is
a pleasure to have you here as a housemaid. Arianne says glowing things about
you. Mother can be a bit of a bully sometimes. We cannot pay you much but I’m
sure you will find the food and bed adequate enough and you will have half a
day off for your leisure.’ He smiled widely then, and I shivered for there was
no warmth in it. ‘You can go now.’
He rang a small bell and Danika returned to
collect me. As I left the room I turned to notice something else that greatly
disturbed me. The hard face of Lady Köszegi had softened and she had what
seemed to be a pleading expression towards her younger son. The smile on
Andrew’s face had gone and there was nothing but contempt as he looked down
upon his mother.
We returned along the hallways and I heard no
more music. Danika showed me through the rooms. I was to dust and clean daily,
and make the beds. She showed me the laundry where I would wash the linen. I
was also required to peel the vegetables and skin the rabbits. Only the last
task did not appeal but everything else I could live with and felt very
thankful to have another roof over my head. I was also relieved to learn that
Baron Köszegi was away on important business and would not be back for weeks.
On opening one of the bedrooms we found the
little musician sitting on her bed. Danika apologised for the intrusion.
‘That’s quite alright,’ she said solemnly. She
stepped towards me and held out her hand. ‘I’m Evaline but most call me Evie.’
I touched her hand and it felt like a lightning
bolt had split me in two. Several images rushed into my head. I saw Evie pushed
against a wall and the room seemed to spin and alter in shape and colour, light
to dark, then night to day, then a flash of something so dark I could not put
words to it. Evie was suffocating, a hand over her mouth, but the image was
wrong somehow. It was only a flash and too great for me to deal with or make
sense of at the time.
When I let go of her hand I felt a release and
the room seemed back to normal. My hands were shaking and Danika had noticed my
dazed state. She nudged me to address the girl.
‘I’m Lilah. It is a pleasure to meet you.’ The
child, who was perhaps eleven, lowered her eyes.
‘You have another sister too.’
Danika pressed her shoulder in my back.
‘I did,’ she said. ‘But she died. She would
have been eighteen now. She had the fevers…’ Her voice trailed away.
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘I never met my oldest sister – Arianne.’
‘Well you look just like her. Just as
beautiful.’
‘Oh,’ she said wistfully. ‘I have not heard
that. We do not have any drawings of her.’ She looked away then and we took
that to be a dismissal. We curtsied to leave.
‘Will you come and visit me sometime and tell
me about my sister.’
‘Yes,’ I said. Though I wasn’t sure if that was
permitted and by the look on Danika’s face it did not look likely.
As we left to head down to the galley I had to
ask: ‘Why are there no portraits of Arianne?’ I had already seen sketches of
the family at various ages all along the hallways on the second floor.
‘Baron Köszegi had them all burnt.’
‘Why?’
Danika stopped me suddenly. She looked around
cautiously before hissing at me under her breath. ‘The first thing you must
learn if you are going to work in this household is that you ask no questions,
and you see nothing. Do you understand me?’
I nodded unsure of what exactly I was agreeing
to. ‘If you don’t you will be out on your heels with nothing but your life, and
that’s only if the Lady and Baron are feeling
‘Arianne always liked to be independent,’ said
the taller man still smiling.
‘This is my youngest son, Andrew, and my other
son, Emil.’
I curtsied again feeling quite silly. The elder
fair-haired Emil only briefly nodded to me before returning his gaze to the
window.
‘Well, if I might say so,’ said Andrew, ‘it is
a pleasure to have you here as a housemaid. Arianne says glowing things about
you. Mother can be a bit of a bully sometimes. We cannot pay you much but I’m
sure you will find the food and bed adequate enough and you will have half a
day off for your leisure.’ He smiled widely then, and I shivered for there was
no warmth in it. ‘You can go now.’
He rang a small bell and Danika returned to
collect me. As I left the room I turned to notice something else that greatly
disturbed me. The hard face of Lady Köszegi had softened and she had what
seemed to be a pleading expression towards her younger son. The smile on
Andrew’s face had gone and there was nothing but contempt as he looked down
upon his mother.
We returned along the hallways and I heard no
more music. Danika showed me through the rooms. I was to dust and clean daily,
and make the beds. She showed me the laundry where I would wash the linen. I
was also required to peel the vegetables and skin the rabbits. Only the last
task did not appeal but everything else I could live with and felt very
thankful to have another roof over my head. I was also relieved to learn that
Baron Köszegi was away on important business and would not be back for weeks.
On opening one of the bedrooms we found the
little musician sitting on her bed. Danika apologised for the intrusion.
‘That’s quite alright,’ she said solemnly. She
stepped towards me and held out her hand. ‘I’m Evaline but most call me Evie.’
I touched her hand and it felt like a lightning
bolt had split me in two. Several images rushed into my head. I saw Evie pushed
against a wall and the room seemed to spin and alter in shape and colour, light
to dark, then night to day, then a flash of something so dark I could not put
words to it. Evie was suffocating, a hand over her mouth, but the image was
wrong somehow. It was only a flash and too great for me to deal with or make
sense of at the time.
When I let go of her hand I felt a release and
the room seemed back to normal. My hands were shaking and Danika had noticed my
dazed state. She nudged me to address the girl.
‘I’m Lilah. It is a pleasure to meet you.’ The
child, who was perhaps eleven, lowered her eyes.
‘You have another sister too.’
Danika pressed her shoulder in my back.
‘I did,’ she said. ‘But she died. She would
have been eighteen now. She had the fevers…’ Her voice trailed away.
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘I never met my oldest sister – Arianne.’
‘Well you look just like her. Just as
beautiful.’
‘Oh,’ she said wistfully. ‘I have not heard
that. We do not have any drawings of her.’ She looked away then and we took
that to be a dismissal. We curtsied to leave.
‘Will you come and visit me sometime and tell
me about my sister.’
‘Yes,’ I said. Though I wasn’t sure if that was
permitted and by the look on Danika’s face it did not look likely.
As we left to head down to the galley I had to
ask: ‘Why are there no portraits of Arianne?’ I had already seen sketches of
the family at various ages all along the hallways on the second floor.
‘Baron Köszegi had them all burnt.’
‘Why?’
Danika stopped me suddenly. She looked around
cautiously before hissing at me under her breath. ‘The first thing you must
learn if you are going to work in this household is that you ask no questions,
and you see nothing. Do you understand me?’
I nodded unsure of what exactly I was agreeing
to. ‘If you don’t you will be out on your heels with nothing but your life, and
that’s only if the Lady and Baron are feeling
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