"Mr. Weston!"I quickly pulled away from him, clutching my dress to my body. He looked just as shocked as I did. His eyes were filled with concern."What's wrong? Did the zipper pinch you?" He asked. “Here, let me look.”I took another step back as he moved towards me. This confused him even more. I suppose I was glad that Arthur was this confused by what was going on though. It meant he really had no idea what he’d just done. There was some comfort in knowing that he was just as oblivious as he seemed.I cleared my throat and tried to answer him, but it mostly came out as gibberish. “No, I-I’m fine. I just- I-I... I mean, you-”

Exhaustion forced me into a fitful sleep, but I didn’t get much rest from it. I never really slept for long, and it felt like forever before I could convince my body to sleep again. After a while, I gave up entirely. I didn't know what time it was now, but I could tell it was still dark. My first thought was of Arthur.Did he sleep somewhere else in the mansion? Had he even gone to bed yet? Thomas said it was okay to let him sleep where he collapsed, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to make sure he was comfortable. If nothing else, I should at least make sure he had a blanket and a pillow.I dragged myself from the bed and went to the closet. I fumbled around in the dim moonlight for a while until I found what I was looking for. An extra blanket and pillow. They weren't as high quality as the ones on the bed, but they would be good enough for one night

His grip was tight on my wrist, but even if my hand was free, I would have been too stunned to move. This kiss was different from the way Jack kissed me. This was rough, demanding. I was scared.His body suddenly pulled away from me. I looked up to see Thomas dragging him forcefully by the collar. I didn’t think old Thomas could be that strong. He pulled Mr. Weston over to a nearby chair and shoved him into it. Mr. Weston rubbed his throat and coughed a bit."Christ, Tommy!" He shouted."Not a word," Thomas said sharply.I’d never heard Thomas sound so cold before. He crossed his arms and glared down at “Victor” with a malice I never thought him capable of. Gran

I sat at the table for a while, staring down at the keys. After what felt like forever, I finally picked them up and turned them over in my hand. They shone faintly in the morning light.How long had Thomas been debating about giving these to me? When was the moment he finally thought I was trustworthy enough to handle them? I could understand why he was so hesitant. After all, just look at my background. Poor finances, an unstable job history over a mile long, absolutely no previous experience with caretaking. He really must have been at his most desperate when he hired me. I certainly wouldn’t have hired me. Not with a track record like that. Especially if it was to take care of someone I loved.I remembered the soft way Thomas spoke when he looked into the garden a moment ago. Yes, Thomas definitely l

Again, silence slowly filled the space between us. He sat with his arms crossed, glaring at the ground. I did the same, only looking up occasionally to see if he’d moved at all. He never did."Ms. Walton?" A voice crackled from across the room.There is a god! I jumped up and ran over to the intercom, happy to have something to fill the silence in the air."Yes, chef?""Lunch will be ready soon.""Thank you, we'll be down in a minute.”I highly doubted we’d be any more talkative at lunch than we were now, but at least there I’d have something to do besides just staring of