SWNOVELS Chapter Shake Things Up
Viola
When I manage to pry my eyes open, my eye throbs painfully within my skull—it feels swollen and hard as if it’s too big for my head. I try to blink, but nothing happens. My fingers rise to touch my eye on their own, only to encounter hard, swollen flesh. Glancing at my hand, I realize I’m only looking out of one eye—my left is completely swollen shut. Good shot, William, very nice.
My eye struggles to adjust, and I turn my head to look outside. It’s nighttime, suggesting I wasn’t out for very long. I manage to sit myself up, but as soon as I let out a cry of pain, Amber rushes to my side to help me.
“Milady, thank God. I was so worried,” she says, stuffing a pillow behind my back to prop me up. Her voice wavers as she speaks.
Amber continues to fuss over my sheets and pillows. “Thank God you’re all right. Let’s get you comfortable.”
Amber’s eyes finally lock onto my swollen eye. She covers her mouth to stifle her emotions. Sweet and lovely, Amber. She’s a good egg.
Amber takes a breath and steadies herself enough to pour me a glass of water.
“Sophie asked me to get her when you woke up. I’ll go get her,” she says, handing me the glass.
“No, Amber, please let her rest,” I reply hoarsely.
Knowing Sophie, she was here until someone shooed her away for her own sake.
I clear my throat and drink some of the water. After I’ve had my fill, Amber takes the glass, sits on my bed, and holds my hand in hers.
“Amber, what happened?” I ask.
Amber is clearly confused. “You mean, you don’t remember how you were injured? You’ve been asleep for two days.”
Two days of my life spent sleeping? Wonderful.
“Oh, I remember what happened, but not how I got here,” I inform her.
“Well, I found you unconscious in the library and sent for Doctor Gibbons. He says you might—” Amber covers her mouth again as she starts to tear up.
“Your eye, he doesn’t know if it will still be working once the swelling goes down,” she says between sobs.
I pat her hand. “Please don’t cry for me, Amber; it won’t help the situation one bit.”
Amber takes a breath and tries to compose herself. “Yes, milady.”
“Has my husband been to see me?” I already know the answer to that question, but I can’t help but add another sting to my already injured everything.
Amber shakes her head. “Lord Spencer left early yesterday morning.”
Well, that’s good news. No beast about means freedom to explore certain areas of the house and maybe visit a certain red-eyed Daemon.
“Where did he go?” I ask.
Amber looks away in thought. “I’m not sure. I overheard him talking to Mrs. Norris, but he didn’t give an exact location.”
“Did he say for how long?”
“No, milady,” Amber says, scooting closer to me and lowering her voice. “But his valet packed a rather large trunk, so I imagine at least a week.”
“Good girl,” I say, squeezing her hand.
I’m truly impressed by her sharp deduction skills. Since the day I arrived, Amber has been the only member of the household staff who has made an effort to be kind to me, and I’m determined to repay her for her kindness. I’m not sure how yet, but I’m confident that when the opportunity arises, I’ll know what to do.
“Amber, I need to speak with Mrs. Norris first thing in the morning. I need a set of keys to the house.”
Amber’s eyes widen in horror. “Oh, she won’t like that.”
I smile as wide as my face allows without too much pain. “I know. It’s going to be great fun toying with her. I know I’ve been rather shut down since I got here, but it’s time to show you all exactly who you’re all dealing with.”
Amber squeals excitedly and claps her hands. “How exciting.”
“Now, what did Dr. Gibbons prescribe for the pain I’ll need double of whatever it is right about now.”
Amber helps me take the recommended dose of laudanum that Dr. Gibbons left for me and tells me only to take the recommended amount, saying it’s not safe to take more, no matter how bad the pain might be.
“It’s addictive, milady. Best to follow doctors’ orders,” Amber adds, putting the bottle away.
“Thank you, Amber. Go rest. I imagine it wasn’t very comfortable sitting in that chair all night.”
“Are you sure, milady? I’m happy to stay with you if you like.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Norris will have a ton of work for you to do tomorrow. Get some sleep; I’ll be fine,” I say reassuringly. “I can order you if it makes it easier.”
I would shoot her a wink at this point, but with my eye sealed shut, I’m technically already doing it.
“Very well,” Amber says as she makes her way to the door but stops as if she’s forgotten something. “I also brought up the book you had in the library, Milady.”
As Amber departs, I notice the Vampyre book lying innocuously on my nightstand, which irritates me. Resentfully, I pick it up and bring my lamp closer to start reading.
With every turn of the page, I am drawn into the story of a Daemon called a Vampyre. It’s a tale of love and woe between a witch and a Vampyre. While I’ve read about witches before, the Vampyre is a creature entirely new to me.
I become so engrossed in the story that I don’t even realize the sun has risen until Mrs. Norris bursts into my room, followed by Amber rushing in with my breakfast tray. Sophie enters and begins preparing my clothes for the day, likely to ensure Mrs. Norris doesn’t overexert herself.
“You wanted to speak to me?” Mrs. Norris asks curtly.
“You wanted to speak to me, milady,” I correct her as Amber lays the tray on my bed.
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Norris’s brows furrow, clearly offended by my correction.
I’m not sure what problem she has with me, but from day one, she’s been extremely standoffish.
“Very well, but just this once. In the future, I suggest you watch your tone and address me by my proper title. You are a proud woman, Mrs. Norris, and we must never forget the formalities, even in private conversations,” I remark, shoveling a rather large portion of eggs into my mouth.
Mrs. Norris straightens up, waiting patiently as I purposefully take my time chewing my food.
“Now, Mrs. Norris, I will require a set of keys to the house. I’d like you to make it a priority today to have someone go into town and get a set made for me,” I say, shoveling another mouthful of food and observing Mrs. Norris turn an amusing shade of pink.
“I don’t think the Master—” she begins, but I cut her off.
“It’s not your job to think, Mrs. Norris. Your duty is to serve this household, and in my husband’s absence, I am your employer. You may not like it, and I may not have the power to dismiss you, but I do possess enough influence outside these walls to tarnish your name and reputation. As an unmarried woman of a certain age, finding a new position wouldn’t be easy, particularly if any unsavory details were to surface.”
I give her a meaningful look to ensure she understands the weight of my words. Judging by her expression, she’s contemplating her options.
“Upon arriving here, I intended to befriend you, Mrs. Norris. You are the heart and center of this house, and it’s in our best interest to be on amicable terms. I’m uncertain as to what I have done to offend you, but here we stand, seemingly at odds for reasons unknown to me. The ball is in your court, Mrs. Norris.”
Taking a sip of tea, I observe Mrs. Norris deep in thought. She straightens her posture even further before reaching a decision.
“I have a set of keys that belonged to,” Mrs. Norris hesitates, “well, I have an extra set. I’ll have Serena bring them up shortly.”
Mrs. Norris makes her way to the door. As she grips the handle, she appears conflicted and pauses in thought.
“I apologize, milady,” she adds before exiting the room and gently closing the door behind her.
I hear Sophie snicker to herself from the other side of the room. “I knew you were in there somewhere, little tiger.”
Sophie lowers her voice. “It’s about time you put that bitch in her place,” she says in French, only for me to understand.
I glance at Amber, who stands there with her mouth wide open.
“Close your mouth, Amber, or you’ll catch a fly,” I remark, and her mouth snaps shut, though the surprise is still evident on her face.
Amber finally meets my gaze. As she moves to sit on my bed as she usually does, she catches herself and stands. “Apologies, milady.”
“Sit down, Amber. Nothing between us changes, I hope,” I say, patting the bed, and she lets out a relieved breath before sitting back down.
“Now, Amber, this may seem like an odd question, but do we butcher our own livestock here, or do we buy it in town?” I ask as I continue to eat my breakfast in bed.
“Oh, neither. Farmer Madsen, one of the Master’s tenants, provides us with meat as part of his monthly payments,” Amber says matter-of-factly.
“And how do you know this?” I ask her as I attempt to raise an eyebrow, but one is swollen into place, and the other simply refuses to move.
Amber clears her throat and looks down, trying to hide her blush as she speaks in a hushed tone. “Farmer Madsen has a son who makes the deliveries each week.”
“Ooh, handsome farmer boy? Yes, please, tell me more.” I push the tray away and focus all my attention on Amber as she tells me all about her farmer boy.
For the next half an hour, I get to escape my life and immerse myself in Amber’s. It turns out the highlight of her week is when John, Farmer Madsen’s son, delivers meat every Friday. While her duties mainly lie in the upper levels of the manor, Amber always finds a way to catch a glimpse of her dream man.
For a split second, I want to caution her to be careful what she wishes for that she doesn’t truly know the man behind the box of meat but I can’t allow my own experiences to tarnish her fantasies. The last thing I should do is sow seeds of doubt in Amber’s mind and shatter her idea of love. Whatever challenges lie ahead for her are hers to face and overcome.
Our conversation is interrupted when Serena arrives with a set of house keys for me. With that, Serena and Amber both depart to attend to their usual chores.
I examine each house key one by one as Sophie dresses me. There are at least twenty keys, each of varying shapes and sizes. Unbeknownst to me, I start humming to myself as if celebrating a hard-won victory in the ongoing battle that is my life. I catch Sophie watching me in the mirror.
She smiles warmly at me. “I hope you’ll eventually share whatever is going on. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here to listen.”
“I know, Sophie,” I reply, and she gives my shoulder a reassuring pat. “And I will, once I’ve sorted out my mind. It’s time to shift gears, Sophie; I’ve been stuck in neutral for far too long.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Sophie says as she adjusts the placement of the pendant around my neck. It used to belong to my mother and is all I have left of hers.
“It means I need you to cover for me,” I say, trying to suppress a mischievous smile, but Sophie sees right through me.
Sophie responds with a colorful string of French expletives and calls me a troublemaker before leaving me to my scheming.
I tie the keys to the belt of my simple house dress, grab my Vampyre book, and head outside to stroll through the gardens. Despite my throbbing head and my eyes practically burning out of my sockets in the bright light of the sun, I’ve given myself a task I must achieve today—after three days asleep, I’ve lost enough time as it is, and with William gone, I must take advantage of whatever liberty I might have.
I vividly recall the stained glass windows in the grand room where the Daemon was imprisoned. For whatever reason, maybe just to confirm that I say what I saw, I’m determined to locate those windows from the outside.
All I need to do is locate the library and follow them to the adjoining rooms in an attempt to pinpoint Mr. Daemon’s location from the exterior.
When night falls, I plan to try every single key on this ring to unlock that door. I’m not entirely sure why, but something in my gut urges me to see him again—the pull he has on me defies all logic.
There’s no turning back for me—he is the reason I’m here, and I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. It’s as clear to me as the bruise on my face.