Lark was appointed to work at the castle. He had not doubted he would be successful. He returned home to give his mother the good news. He would start the next day and he asked her to cut his long hair so that he would look different.
His short hair made him look even younger and without a doubt more handsome. He looked different too, which was primarily what he had intended. He had been employed as a butler and would first be trained before being considered a member of the household but he was a fast learner.
The next morning, he packed his few belongings in a backpack which he slung over his shoulder. He left early and hugged his tearful mother. He might see her once a week on his day off now. The rest of the time he would be at the castle where he would live as an employee.
He set out on the road and arrived at the castle an hour and a half later. He presented himself to the guard at the gate who let him in after confirming he was due to start work.
Lark was shown to his quarters by another boy not much older than him. Lance was also in training but his training was much further along than Lark’s. Lance had blonde hair that was cut short and blue eyes. He was handsome and had a reputation among the young servant girls already as the most eligible bachelor for their standing in the world.
Lance took Lark to the head butler, Gerald. Gerald had grey hair and was stout. As the head butler, he did very little anymore by way of butler duties. He controlled the butlers of the castle and gave orders making sure that everything was taken care of in the castle as far as butlers' duties were concerned.
Gerald had taken an immediate liking to Lark when he had met him the day before. Lark had some trepidation that some of the staff might recognize him but no-one did. Seeing that Lark and Lance got along so well, he told Lance to teach Lark what he knew while he continued his own learning.
The first part of Lark’s training was learning the castle inside out. Lance gave Lark the task of finding things in the castle. Lark had to do this by walking around the castle and mapping it mentally. He found the quarters of the family last.
He had been informed by Lance where the family’s quarters were and which one was Erin’s and which was her parents as well as which were the guest rooms.
Lark left the quarters until last and then first made sure he had understood the location of the guest rooms correctly. Once he had confirmed their location, he proceeded to Erin’s room and knocked softly.
“Come in,” came Erin’s voice from within.
Lark opened the door and entered closing it behind him.
Erin turned and looked at him. She did not recognize him immediately.
“Yes?” she asked as she turned to look at Lark.
“Excuse me, my lady. I am new here and in training. I am learning the layout of the castle and must find the location of every room so I can always get to where I must be quickly.”
“Oh, well as you can see, these are my quarters. I would not think you needed to enter them to confirm that but perhaps you have not been properly briefed.”
“I believe I have been properly briefed my lady,” Lark said. “Forgive me, but I wanted to see the most beautiful maiden in all of the kingdom again.”
“Again?” Erin stood and began to approach cautiously.
“Yes, my lady. I have not been able to forget you since our kiss on the evening of the ball.”
Erin stopped and then drew in a breath sharply as her hands flew to her face. “Oh heavens! Is it you?”
“Yes, forgive me, my lady. I did not mean to intrude or upset…”
Erin moved quickly, closing the distance between them. Her dress rustled as she moved. In the next instant, she had Lark’s face in her hands again and kissed him. He responded returning her kiss and when she finally released him, he finished his sentence, “…you.”
Before she could say anything more there was a knock at the door. Erin’s face became fearful. “Hide. Under the bed. Quick!”
Lark ran and hid under the bed as Erin called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s your father,” came the reply.
“Come in father,” Erin said walking towards the door. Eugene opened the door and stopped just inside Erin’s chambers.
“What is it, father?” Erin asked.
“I wanted to let you know that we will be having another guest this evening. The Ashfords. They wish to talk to me about a union between you and their son. I will require your presence at dinner.”
Lark breathed as slowly and silently as he could under the bed. He knew that Eugene couldn’t hear him but he couldn’t help but feel that every breath he took and let out resounded like a boom over the countryside. He heard Erin sigh, “Daddy, I have told you, I have no interest in an arranged marriage. I want to marry someone I love.”
Eugene replied, his voice sounding terse. “I have been more than lenient with you for a long time now. I have paraded suitor after suitor before you and you have upset or insulted everyone. I am running out of suitors for you. When that happens, I will not be in a position to marry you off at the best deal. Do you know what that means?”
“No father,” Erin replied.
“It means, that whatever union you finally enter into will leave you and all the assets of this estate vulnerable as I will have to make large concessions. Would you like to marry someone who has power over you because that is what will happen if you turn every suitor away? You do not even give them a chance. Why do you not try to be friendly to some of them and get to know them? You can never tell from just one meeting if you will like someone. It takes time. And if you think you are spiting me and resisting just because you don’t like arranged marriages, I’ll have you know that you are not. You are merely spiting yourself.”
“Why must I marry Father?”
“Because a union of wealth builds more power and wealth.”
“What about love? Love has more power than anything does it not?”
Eugene coughed and laughed sarcastically.
“Love… love is useless. It has no power in this world. If there must be love then love the wealth and love the power.”
“I can live on my own and wield just as much power as you do when you pass on father.”
“Perhaps, but spinsters garner no respect and are a disgrace to their parents. You will not be a spinster. Enough of this banter. Be ready this evening and be pleasant and polite. I will not ask again.”
With that Eugene turned and left closing the door behind him. Erin moved quickly and locked the door. When she turned, Lark had emerged from under the bed.
Erin hurried over to him. “That was close. What happened to you the night of the party?”
“Your father caught me. He had me taken to the dungeons where he told me never to come back and to stay away from you.”
“Really?” Erin said. “I hoped to see you again that evening.”
“I did too but when your father introduced you to that other man, I thought it best that I should leave. I did not think I would have another opportunity to see you.”
“Well, you were right. I could not have seen you again that evening. Father never told me about catching you.”
“I didn’t think he would,” Lark said.
“How did you get in here then? And how did you get a butler’s uniform? Did you steal it?”
Lark smiled. “I work here now. I’m a butler in training.”
“What? How?” Erin asked smiling with surprise.
“A client of my mother knows someone at the castle. He put in a good word for me and the rest, as they say, is history.”
“That’s great,” Erin smiled. “But aren’t you afraid of being caught?”
“Not really. I don’t think your father will remember my face. I cut my hair though so I do look different. Besides, I am in training for a while so I won’t be doing butler duties until I am considered fully trained.”
Erin smiled. “That is wonderful.”
Lark hesitated a moment and then asked the burning question on his mind. “My lady, may I ask why you kissed me when you saw me?”
“I… um… was it a problem?” Erin asked.
“No, absolutely not. I was just curious…”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
“Who is it?” Erin called.
“Your mother dear,” came the reply. A moment later her mother tried the door. Thankfully she had locked it.
“Meet me in the garden tonight at eleven o'clock. Okay?”
Lark nodded.
“Now get under the bed. Quick!” Erin whispered as she headed to the door.
Lark quickly crawled under the bed again as Erin opened the door. “Mother,” she said.
“Why on earth is this door locked?” her mother asked. Lark realized that her voice sounded much the same as Erin’s, only it was a bit more mature.
“Because some people don’t seem to be able to respect privacy,” Erin said smartly.
Her mother ignored the remark. “I came to fetch you. The tailor is here and he has his newest materials for us to see. Our social calendar is full in the coming weeks so you must choose material for new dresses.”
“Do we have to? Right now?”
“Yes, Erin. Stop being a brat. I’m waiting,” her mother replied asserting her authority.
Erin sighed and followed her mother out of the room.
Lark waited a few minutes until he was sure they were gone and would not be returning before he scrambled from under the bed and left Erin’s room.
Lark found Lance a short while later.“How did it go?” Lance asked.“Great. I think I have a good understanding of the layout of the castle. I walked it a few times so I can remember where what is.”“Good,” Lance replied. “It’s late so I guess you can go back to your quarters and rest. Don’t get too comfortable. I’m just too busy today to supervise you for your next training. You’ll be much busier in the days ahead.”“Well, what is my next training?” Lark asked.“Table setting, serving, pouring wine, where to stand during meals.”“Well, if you want, we can do it tonight in our quarters. It will help me learn quicker and get my training done sooner. Then you won’t have to worry about having time to supervise me during the day when you’re learning yourself.”“That’s a good idea,” Lance agreed. “
Eugene crossed to the window and looked down at the garden. He had a suspicion about Erin. He was sure she had been in the garden with someone but she had told him she was talking to herself when he had asked her.Had she been telling the truth? Was she secretly seeing someone? If she was, it had to be one of the household staff. A servant. He would not let her drag the family’s name through the mud for her childish, immature impulses and crushes.He decided to have her watched even as he thought he saw some movement down in the gardens in the shadows. As his eyes followed the shadow, he saw it separate from the other shadows in the garden and disappear behind the far corner of the castle. She had been with someone. He sighed as he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed.An idea hatched in his mind. He had heard of it a few years before and had discounted it then as just a legend but now it seemed that it would be a most appropriate course
They entered the woods a little over an hour after leaving the castle. Eugene directed the soldiers to follow a specific path until they finally reached a rundown cabin in a clearing. Smoke puffed from the cabin’s chimney and Eugene ordered the riders to halt. He dismounted his horse and called out.“Keller!”Silence reigned in the clearing around them. Then the cabin door opened and a small man stood silhouetted against the light from within. The man’s hair appeared silver in the light from the cabin and hung down the sides of his face. He had a hat that sat askew on his head. It looked ridiculous but he seemed not to notice or care. He left the cabin and stepped out onto the porch.“Eugene? Is it you?” he called in disbelief.“Keller,” Eugene said as he walked forward and climbed the steps up to the porch where he stopped. He offered his hand and Keller took it. They shook hands briefly before Eugene pulle
“So what did the witch say?” Eugene said when Keller at last arrived back at his cabin.“She will see you,” Keller said.“Great. So which way do I go?”“Follow the path,” Keller said. “You can’t miss it. The path leads straight to the cabin.”“You mean that this path only leads to the witch’s place? What are you? The witch’s guardian?”“We have worked together often enough but I am not her guardian. What witch needs a guardian?”Eugene studied Keller looking for signs of deceit but he couldn’t see any.“Very well then,” he said tossing a few coins on the dinner table. “Thank you. If I have success, I shall pay you more.”“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Keller scoffed.“Don’t be so pessimistic Keller. Surely there will be success. She is your friend after all,
Eugene thought of Lark and Erin as he rode into the woods again. He had warned Erin to stay away from the boy and he had warned the boy too. But they believed they were smarter than him. They believed they could sneak behind his back in the gardens late at night and that he was none the wiser.Well, they were about to learn otherwise. She would learn that when he told her to do something she would listen and do as she was told. Erin would understand that he would do the same to anyone else she chose to be with if he did not grant his permission. She would understand her options clearly.He had come with fewer guards this time. There was no danger here he believed. Who was going to try to challenge a witch he wondered to himself?They reached Keller’s cabin and brought their horses to a halt. Eugene dismounted and knocked on the cabin door. He didn’t wait for an answer but opened the door and entered.Keller looked over his shoulder from the fi
Erin and Lark had chosen a room in a secret passage for their date for the evening. Everyone thought they were asleep. Torches burned in sconces in the walls and they sat on blankets Lark had managed to sneak from the laundry room.They snacked on bread, cheese, and wine as they enjoyed themselves.“What would your father do if I asked him for your hand in marriage?” Lark asked.Erin laughed, “You know what he told you before. First, he will inquire how you managed to get into the castle, and then he will have you thrown out or worse, into the dungeons.”“I am being serious,” Lark said.“And so am I,” Erin replied. “What makes you think he will change his mind?”“I don’t know. But if we see him together, perhaps he will understand,” Lark persisted.Erin shook her head. “You do not know my father. We are commoners just like you. But father has worked ha
Lark had a meager portion of food pushed through the bars of his cell the next morning. He had no visitors until just after lunch when Eugene arrived outside his cell. Eugene said nothing initially but only looked at him before he finally entered the cell and locked it behind him. The guard that accompanied him kept the key.Eugene approached slowly. “We meet again,” he said quietly, triumphantly. “What did I tell you?”“I… I’m sorry sir. Please… please… I beg you. Have mercy. Give me the chance to show you how good I can be for your daughter,” Lark said.Eugene lashed out and slapped Lark so hard he stumbled backward and fell on his butt. “Get up!” Eugene said menacingly.Lark stood shakily.“I told you never to return didn’t I?”Lark said nothing.“Didn’t I?” bellowed Eugene as he struck Lark again. Lark stumbled backward i
Erin stared out of the window of her room as her maidens and her mother fussed around her making sure she was perfectly dressed and made up for her wedding.Today was her day. At least that was what her mother and father told said. She didn’t agree. She did not want to be married. It was her fathers’ day. He was getting exactly what he wanted.She did not want to be married but she had no choice. Her father had threatened to cast her out if she did not marry Horton Ashford.When they were finally satisfied that she looked like a bride, they sent word that she was ready.Her father joined them in her chamber a short while later and led her to the chapel that was attached to the castle.Horton Ashford and the guests were all waiting eagerly.Eugene led Erin down the aisle and finally left her before the altar where she stood beside Horton. The priest began the service and Horton and Erin exchanged their vows.Horton kissed E