Interlude II

"So you've found yourself back here again, have you?" the old man said as he smiled and opened the door for her.

"Just can't resist the pull of knowledge, I suppose." she answered as she entered the old man's cabin once again. 

"Well, you're just in time, since I did make some beef stew. Let me go get some for us real quick before I continue my story." he said as he hobbled over to the kitchen. She didn't notice him limping before. 

"Did something happen, sir?" she asked. "Your leg..."

"Ah, it's an accident, lass. Don't pay it any mind." he replied from the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came back with two bowls of beef stew. "It ain't five-star, but it should at least fill you up." 

The beef stew smelled good, and a few spoonfuls was enough for her to know it was definitely five-star. "How'd you learn to cook like this?" she asked. "Were you a chef before?"

"I was, but that was in me younger years." the old man answered with a chuckle. "Though my mom used to say that cooking was something that ran in the family, and after what I found out, I probably have all the reason to believe it." 

From under his chair, he took out a small, weathered wooden box. The lock was rusty and loose, and he opened it, revealing a letter. "This was from my great-great uncle Basil Romaine, who worked in the Royston household as a cook." he said. "Me eyes ain't as good as it used to be, so if you would kindly read it, that'd be appreciated." 

She narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out the contents of the letter. It said something along the lines of "handsome compensation" and "busy at the kitchen." "Hmm... from what I can understand, he's probably writing home, telling his family about how his life is like in the Royston kitchen." she said. "He said he was being paid very well, but he's usually busy in the kitchen." 

"Aye, he was quite the cook." the old man said. "His brother, my other great-great uncle Emile was one of the servants who cleaned the house and did the errands. Heard they'd been part of the Royston household since they were teenagers but I'm not sure."

"And with them being servants, they might have heard most of the things that took place in the household." she said, to which the old man nodded in response.

"For sure, they did." he answered, taking a swig from his coffee. "Servants are known to always hear and see everything that happens in the household. There was a story that went 'round in my family that my great-great uncles were polar opposites." 

"In what way?"

"Well, Uncle Basil and Uncle Emile both had different perspectives on the Royston household." the old man began. "Uncle Emile worked for them, yes, and he was quite in favor of Dorothy Stein being married into the family, but Uncle Basil seemed to feel otherwise."

"He didn't like Dorothy?"

"According to the stories, yes." he answered. "Basil wasn't a fan of Dorothy when she arrived at the household. Out of the two, he was the more superstitious one, and always believed that newcomers were harbingers of bad luck."

"Not really following that, but okay. So... he didn't serve her or anything like that?"

"No, no. He still served her, as he was the cook of the house. But there was no shortage of complaints, according to some of Uncle Emile's letters."

He took out a small, weathered envelope with the name "Daisy" on the front. He opened it carefully and revealed another letter. The handwriting was neater compared to Basil's. "Here's Emile's letter to Daisy, their sister, my great-great aunt." He handed to her. 

Dearest Daisy,

I hope you are doing well. Working at the Royston household has always been a joy, although there are days I yearn for the simplicity of home, but alas, you know I do this for our family as well.

Master Lucas had passed away all of a sudden. Some say poison, while others say assassination on the grounds of Master Michael's jealousy. Which act did him in, I cannot say, but I am worried about what happened. As of now, Master Michael is poised to take over the family business with Lucas' death. I am elated, but I cannot help but feel something is amiss.

Soon we will also be expecting a visitor, the fiancée of Master Michael. I await to see what happens. I'll write to you again when time permits. 

With love,

Emile

"Emile is a lot more perceptive than even his brother gives him credit for." the old man said. "He knows when things are off, and most of the time, his gut feel isn't wrong."

"So he knows more than what an average servant does?" she asked.

"Not really." he answered. "However, he soon gets to learn that kind of information since other servants don't exactly keep their mouths shut. Here, take a look at this." There was another letter in the box he handed to her. Carefully, she opened it, and it said: 

Dearest Daisy

How fortunate am I to be able to write to you again. As always, working in the Royston household is quite a chore but nothing I cannot manage. Unfortunately, a tragedy has struck our town. If I were to believe what the other servants are saying in the kitchen, there was poisoning in the water mill. Several people in the village died after drinking the water that came from there.

To be honest, I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I noticed that Master Michael has been up into the wee hours of the night, looking over paperwork detailing workplace deaths and accidents, and then this disaster with the water mill.

I am safe, and so is Basil, though he's too stubborn to write home, but I'll keep you updated on what's been happening. Do take care of yourself.

With love,

Emile

"Water mill poisoning?" 

"Yes, there was an incident at the old Royston Water Mill, just on the outskirts of town, that the water had been poisoned. Some say it was sabotage from a disgruntled worker but whatever the truth was, no one's ever gonna find out anyway." the old man answered with a shrug. "Well, this definitely hurt the Roystons' reputation, given that well over a hundred people drank and died from that water. Back then, that's a huge number in itself."

"Has anyone ever tried to investigate?" she asked, to which the old man shook his head. 

"Nah." he answered. "Like I said, if you have the coin, you can shut people up. It's possible that the family's paid a generous sum to the town police, and even the police force in the neighboring towns, to not look into the matter. That's why the news of the poisoning had been limited to this town only. You try to look for it, there's a lot of cover-ups, from employee sabotage, to natural bacterial growth. I ain't no scientist, but I also have a feelin' foul play is involved."

"Do you think the water mill is accessible? I may as well take a look." she said. "Sadly not, missy. Town police kept it closed, and the structure itself is highly unstable because of time. Wouldn't want you getting buried along with its secrets." 

He offered her another bowl of stew. "Now, I know I shouldn't be pokin' in other people's business but riddle me this, why are you lookin' for the Roystons?" 

"Their story holds quite the intrigue in the city." she replied. "And if we get more information on them, we can update history! Though of course, it comes at the price of being vilified or vindicated."