This story took place ten years before "The Golden Compass". Just for explanation, Lana's mother died when she gave birth to her daughter.
"Jono, fast, or we will come too late!" Lana ran down a long hall while she hurried up her dæmon. More than 14 years were gone since Lana's mother died. There was only her father left and he was about to go to an expedition to the North Pole. Lana's father worked and lived in the Royal Artic Institute in London. She was also educated there by him. They had a flat at the north side and a housemaid, called Ms. Raid. She was already 50 years old. Since she was a servant she had a dog-dæmon, a sheep-dog. Jonory was still scared of him. Finally she arrived in the courtyard, where a huge air-ship floated in the air. In front of it was a group of well-dressed men. Lana smiled when she saw her father in the crowd. "Dad," she shouted and ran to him. While she hugged him Jonory rubbed his head against the eagle-dæmon's chest. When her father saw this he furrowed his brow. "That's weird. Normally he's a sparrow at these occasions."
"Dad, I think he had settled."
"He really doesn't change his shape anymore?"
"I told you so. I'm not a child anymore!"
"What a pity!" he said and looked with played sadness to the ground. "Ok, Lana, the air-ship is about to go. It doesn't wait."
"And I really can't come with you?"
"No, Lana, Ms. Raid takes care of you. You stay with her."
An expression of defiance appeared on her face.
"And what do you want to do when I sneak myself aboard?"
"I will find you and then I will throw you over-board by myself and apart from that: you don't have the courage to do this," he said and smiled at her with a father-like smile.
"You're right," she said wearily, "Then, good-bye daddy!"
"Fare well, my big girl."
He hugged her a last time, and then she ran away. She didn't want to see her father floating away.
Lana wandered aimlessly through the deserted halls of the university. Normally she eavesdrops on one of the lecture rooms, when she was bored, but at this time there were no lectures. Many scholars were, like Lana's father, on an expedition or were on vacation. Those, who stayed, either enjoyed their free time or spent time for their work in London, because even the students were absent over the summer. Ms. Raid had sent her away, because she had to clean the flat and she didn't want people around her. Lana was only three days alone with Ms. Raid and she already missed her father. At such occasions like the summer, he always told her from the north and shown her photograms from his journeys. To do this he had borrowed the photogram viewer from the library. When she thought this her feet turned automatically to the library. On the way there she heard a voice from the door next to her. It was the first voice she heard within two hours in the deserted corridors and so she stopped curiously and listened. Apparently there was a group in the room, because there were other voices answering the first one. She could understand the conversation very clearly, but it was only about any scientific project, she didn't get. She wanted to go ahead when she heard the voice of a man saying:
"Did I get it right? The project is taking place in the north?"
"Yes, you did, Mr. Cole," another man's voice answered. The north, maybe this is it what daddy's doing; she thought when she suddenly brought back from her mind to reality by a woman's voice:
"Dr. Julaw, how many children are cut away from their dæmons and didn't die until now?" Lana froze. Cut away from their dæmons? She was hardly able to imagine such a terrible thing. Even when she thought of that she got sick and banished this thought from her mind. Automatically she touched Jonory, who heard the conversation too and rubbed himself against Lana's legs. She couldn't imagine to be separated from her dæmon. Probably she would die. But the woman asked how many children didn't die. Was this possible?
"Until now 15 children died and five survived, but the death rate is decreasing since we are operating with the new technique," said Dr. Julaw. A technique to separate a dæmon from its human? Lana sank with wide open eyes down the wall to the dusty floor. She couldn't move because of horror. A human and its dæmon were inseparable. To cut of somebody's soul was inhuman and barbarous.
"You have to know that this conversation needs to be in secret, gentlemen, otherwise we can stop this project now," the woman said.
"Lana, we stop them," Jonory whispered with an excited voice.
"Psst," Lana said, but it was too late. The door opened and a golden ape and a black panther appeared in the corridor. Lana and Jonory were frozen for a moment and they started to run away, but the panther was faster. After two jumps, she was holding the screeching and fidgeting Jonory in her mouth. Even Lana noticed a sudden pain in her nape and stopped breathing for a moment. The humans of the dæmons appeared in the corridor too. The human of the panther, a man with grey hair, went to Lana and hold her. The human of the monkey was a woman aged middle twenty.
"What shall we do with her?" she asked. Without answering the woman the man pulled Lana in the room where the others were. The woman followed them rashly. Lana thought that she knew this man, but she couldn't remember him. He turned her and held her on her upper arms.
"What have you heard?" he asked with a loud voice and shook her.
His panther had Jonory let go off and he ran as fast as he could to Lana. From his nape ran a small rill of blood.
"I heard nothing. I just walk past. I wanted to go to the library," Lana answered with pain filled voice.
"And what your dæmon say outside?" the woman asked with an unnatural harsh voice.
"He told me some stuff we could do in the library."
"Don't lie to me!" the man shouted to Lana. She ducked her head fearfully.
"I don't lie to you..." She couldn't go on, because the man beat her in her face so that she fell on the floor.
"I did say the truth," she said crying.
"Maybe she does say the truth," another young man said. Lana recognized the voice of Mr. Cole.
"Of course she is lying!" the grey-haired man shouted and hit her ribs with his boot. She cried of pain and lay on the floor heavily breathing.
"How do you want to force to girl to say us what she knows?" the woman asked the man. At once Lana remembered who he was. He was the highest president of the Magisterium. When she saw this she was confused. What is he doing here? Instead of answering the woman he asked Lana: "Does your dæmon change his shape?" She was confused. He didn't ask her name, but he asked her if her dæmon can change his shape. She shook her head silently.
"She's too old," the woman said, "We can't separate her from her dæmon." Lana was horrified and relieved in equal shares. Jonory could stay with her. She put out her hand and he rubbed his head on her arm. Without wanting it she had to smile.
"Actually we can separate her from her dæmon, but she would die," Mr. Cole suggested. Obviously the others knew what to do. His dæmon, a sea-eagle, darted himself at Jonory and hold him on the ground. Lana was so scared that she couldn't move. What are they doing with me? A moment later she knew it, because the old man from the Magisterium lifted her from the ground and pulled her in one corner of the room. Because of the distance she felt the connection between her and her dæmon, what was stretching slowly and painfully. When the man pushed her on the wall with his hand, the eagle started to pull the small cat to the opposite corner of the room. Lana felt the connection stronger and stronger and the pain in her chest increased.
"You just have to tell us what you know. Then your dæmon can come back to you," the man, who hold her, said. The eagle pulled Jonory further away from Lana and the man pushed her stronger and stronger against the wall. After a few seconds the pain was so big that Lana could stand it.
"I'm telling you, but let Jono go!" she said. She could hardly speak because of love and pain.
"Say it to us!" The eagle pushed her talons deeper in Jonory's chest. He yelped and Lana cried of pain.
"I know about the project." She told them everything she heard. When she finished the man unhanded her and also the eagle put her feet from Jonory. Lana sank down the wall on the floor and with long jumps her dæmon came to her and jumped in her arms. With the last of her strength she pressed Jonory against her chest. When they finally were together again, Lana felt the world turning black.
At command of the old man, Mr. Cole lifted the unconscious Lana, brought her in a side room and laid her between brooms and cleaning buckets on the floor. His eagle carried the also unconscious cat behind him. When he came back, the others were deep in a conversation.
"Does anyone know how this girl is?" the woman asked.
"I've seen the girl once before," a scholar caught the speaker's eye, "Perhaps she's the daughter of one of the scholars who works here."
"The father has an eagle-dæmon," Mr. Cole said.
"How do you know?" the woman asked him.
"I've seen it when this cat has fought against my Melia. He had had more respect than he had against the panther of your lordship."
"Is there any scholar who has an eagle-dæmon?" the president of the Magisterium asked.
"Actually, there is only one and he's on an expedition to the North Pole," the woman answered.
"We still don't know what we should do with this girl," one of the scholars said, "We can't kill her."
After a long break another scholar raised his voice: "I have an idea. How would it be if Mrs. Coulter takes care of this girl? She has enough money and space to educate her."
"Why should I do this?" Mrs. Coulter asked, "I don't have time for half grown-up girl." The president of the Magisterium cleared his throat.
"I think this is a wonderful idea," he said.
"I won't do this, even if your lordship doesn't like it."
"Don't ever dissent me. You will do whatever I want you to do." Contritely Mrs. Coulter sat back in her chair what she had left while she was speaking.
"Gentlemen, I think this conversation is over. You can go. I want you, Mrs. Coulter, to stay here until the girl woke up. From this moment you take care of her. Have a good evening."
"You too, my lord." He turned and left the room with his dæmon on his heels.
Mrs. Coulter sat at the table the chin resting in her hand and thinking. What should she do? Her first thought was to leave the girl somewhere under a bridge with her destiny. But this was impossible, because if her husband or the man from the Magisterium hears something from that, they would kill her. She was thinking intensive until her dæmon hopped on the table and sat on her hands.
"I know a solution. We could send her to a boarding house or we make her working at home as a maid. We just have to persuade the father that his daughter need education and we offer him to pay for everything. That's easy." Mrs. Coulter smiled and fondled him behind his ears. He closed his eyes of joy for a moment. Then he sprang from the table while Mrs. Coulter got up and walked to the broom chamber.
Lana noticed somebody hitting her cheek gently. She opened her eyes and saw the fuzzy shape of a face. She twinkled a few times and the face became sharper. When she saw the sinister woman with the monkey-dæmon she was wide awake. Horrified she crawled backwards until she reached the wall behind her.
"I see you're awake," she said and without expecting an answer, she continued, "You actually know, that we can't let you go back to your father unsupervised. Since that, I'm supposed to supervise your education from now on. I don't know what to do with you now, but I know that this building is not good for your behavior. I will take you away from here." Lana was dumbfounded. She starred at the woman.
"What do you want to do?"
"Oh, you will see. Come on." Lana tried to stand, but her legs were like jelly and she nearly bumped into a shelf. "Hurry up," Mrs. Coulter said impatiently and grabbed Lana under her shoulder to help her standing. It was really hard for her leg to hold her weight, but in the end she made it. "Do you can walk?" Lana tried to make step and she felt the sense returning into her legs.
"Yes, I can. My father isn't here at the moment and I don't have any opportunity to communicate with him."
"I know, but you have a housemaid. By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Lana and this is Jonory," she said and pointed on her dæmon.
"I am Mrs. Coulter." She stood up and walked to the door, "Come on. I don't have time forever." Lana went automatically to the door. When she saw the room after the door she felt the rest of the pain from her nape injury and with the light pain her pride returned.
"Why should I go with you?" she asked defiantly, "Why should I do this? You want to take me from my father anyway."
"Why should you go with me? Why should you obey me?" Mrs. Coulter turned slowly and saw at Lana with an authoritative look. "You are seriously asking me why you should obey me." With a touch of new risen courage Lana said: "Yeah, exactly. Why should I obey you?"
Mrs. Coulter went with slow and dangerous steps to Lana until she was right in front of her and overtopped her with more than a head.
"Well, Lana, I think you have to obey me!" With these words she laid her hand on top of Lana's head, held her hair in the back of the head and pulled her head in the nape. Although she watched the ceiling, she saw her dæmon snarling somebody. She saw the somebody a moment later. It was the golden monkey of Mrs. Coulter, who darted himself at Jonory and pushed his claws in the injured nape of the cat. The pain was so big again, that she nearly blacked out again. She cried out loud of pain, but Mrs. Coulter had laid her other hand on Lana's mouth to choke her cries. Instead of this they could hear the small cat yelping loudly. The monkey put his claws out of Jonory's nape and also Mrs. Coulter took the hand from Lana's mouth.
"Will you obey me now, Lana?" Mrs. Coulter asked. Lana turned her head as far as she could away from Mrs. Coulter, when a single tear rolled over her cheek.
"I think this is a yes," she said and pulled Lana still on her hair to the door. When they reached the door Mrs. Coulter took her hand from Lana's hair and stepped through. Lana didn't follow immediately she grabbed her at her nape what let her pain rise again and pulled her through the door. She pushed her a few feet along the corridor, her hand at her upper back, every time ready to push her long and sharp fingernail in Lana's nape. She walked through the familiar halls, scared stiff, until they came to the flat of Lana in the north of the college. Mrs. Coulter nocked a few times on the door. They heard two people rising from their seats. Two? More fear raised in Lana. Ms. Raid opened the door and looked at Mrs. Coulter and Lana with tear-dimmed eyes.
"Lana, something horrible happened. Your father...but fist come in," she said and pulled Lana in the flat. Only now she noticed Mrs. Coulter.
"May I ask why you are here, Mrs. Coulter?"
"I have caught Lana doing something forbidden, but bring your news first. I think they're not good." Ms. Raid let Mrs. Coulter enter the flat. There was a scholar in a black suit sitting on the sofa. When Mrs. Coulter had seated herself, Ms. Raid turned to Lana again:
"Well, Lana, your father... Lana, he was attacked by a group of Tartans recently after he arrived in the north. He's dead!" Lana almost lost her mind. She stood standing for a moment, but then she collapsed in an armchair crying. She felt somebody gently getting her out of the chair, through the flat and in her bed. She didn't know how long she had been crying and shouting silently in her pillow, but after a while her eyes became heavy and she sank in a dreamless sleep.
She woke up when somebody shook her shoulder.
"Lana, get up, I have to talk to you." She looked down at her she noticed that she wasn't wearing her dress anymore, but a nightshirt. Bright sunlight came through the thin curtains of her window. It already had to be the next morning. She got up slowly and began to dress and groom herself. She tried to think as little as she could and paid more attention on each button of her blouse than it would be necessary. When she was finally finished she scuffled lazily into the kitchen where Ms. Raid had prepared a sandwich for her.
"Lana, wake up," she said and sat at the across the table on a stool, "Mrs. Coulter told me yesterday what you have done. What were you thinking?" Lana shrugged her shoulders. In this moment she didn't care about anything.
"Mrs. Coulter said that you can work at her house. As a servant! I think this is the only way to teach you respect to adults." Lana really wanted to tell her the truth about what she had heard, but first Ms. Raid wouldn't believe her and second Mrs. Coulter would kill her probably.
"You gonna be fetched by another servant of Mr. and Mrs. Coulter tomorrow." At these words Lana looked terrified up from her sandwich.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, tomorrow. And you don't need to pack your stuff. Mrs. Coulter said she has clothes and stuff for you. She's damp good to you." Lana got left the table without a word, put her plate in the sink and ran out of the flat. At this time the library was still closed, but Lana knew where to find the second key and sneaked herself secretly into the deserted hall. She walked purposefully to the shelf with her favorite books, took one and walked to a cozy armchair far away from the library entry. This was her medicine. Whenever she was upset, she came here to read. When she was reading, she found herself in other worlds. As ever it worked at this day. The hours were passing, until the sun was high at the sky and shining through the high windows of the library. Lana looked up from her book and heard someone entering at the other side of the library. The librarian. She tried to act like someone who has every right to be hours before the librarian in the library and to read his books without asking. The old man saw her and came to her. She noticed him when he was standing in front of her.
"What are you doing here, Lana?" he asked with a voice of certain grown-up who gave to defy a naughty child.
"I'm reading," she said shortly.
"How did you come in here? The door was locked!" With a guilty face and without any word she pulled the key out of her pocket and laid it on the table in front of her. The librarian took it and looked at Lana with his old and clever eyes. "Lana, child, what should I do with you that you start learning not to break rules?"
"You don't need to worry about this anymore. I'm leaving tomorrow." The librarian understood her sad face and didn't ask. When he finally disappeared behind his counter, Lana took her book again and continued reading. The sun outside the window went further until it started to vanish behind the trees of the garden. When Lana noticed this she laid her book back in the shelf and left the library. She didn't want to go back in the flat, but she had to. Furthermore she had nothing to eat the entire day and she was very hungry. When she came in the kitchen she saw that Ms. Raid had prepared a plate with smashed potatoes, peas and a piece of backed fish on the kitchen table. And she loves me, Lana thought. Backed fish was her favorite dish. Ms. Raid herself wasn't there. Perhaps she went to the near food store to do some shopping. Lana was glad of this because she definitely wasn't in the mood to argue with her and so she preferred to hide in her room. She was pretty sure that this was the last night in her own room. When she though this, she nearly lost her courage. Her eyes were tired from all the reading and so she undressed herself and went to bed. She felt slowly asleep, Jonory pressed against her chest.
The next morning she woke up early. A weak and grey ray went through the curtains in her room. She tried to go to sleep again, but the concept of the following kept her awake. At length she went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. Her eyes were still a bit swollen, her hair wasn't washed or groomed and there was red and sore skin at her mouth and her nose, because of all her crying. She tried to wash the dirt with water and soap from her face, but it took her a very long time. When she was combing and styling her hair, Ms. Raid came to her to find her.
"There you are," she said and took the comb out of her hand, "If you hurry up a bit, you will have some time for breakfast. Somebody will pick you up in an hour and you have to dress yourself." Finally Ms. Raid was happy with her hairstyle. She left the bathroom and came back a few minutes later with one of Lana's best dresses in her arm. She didn't pay much attention on beauty so this dress didn't look very different to her normal dresses. But it was cleaner. Ms. Raid left the bathroom again the give Lana space to get dressed. A few minutes later she came into the kitchen and Ms. Raid was already waiting for her. At this day she had prepared a bowl of cornflakes. Lana loved them, but Ms. Raid opined that cornflakes are noting for people like Lana or her father. She didn't care about this, because she hated the high society and all the rules and all the luxury. When she thought this, she felt the coming events less terrible. The minutes went on and Lana kissed her coffee cup from time to time, while she watched the tabletop lost in thoughts. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Ms. Raid got up like a scalded cat and went to the door. Lana heard voices and then Ms. Raid came back.
"Lana, he's here. Fare well, child!" She brought her to the door and hugged her tightly. She waved her for goodbye and the sheep-dog licked Jonory love full over the head. Lana followed the man to the exit of the college. She felt, that she left her old life behind her and she tried not to be scared of it.
The anbaric chaise rolled bouncy over the stony street in one of the southern neighborhoods of London. The elderly man, who got her, dressed in a black suit sat at the other side of the chaise. His wolf-like dog-dæmon held Jonory in her mouth. Over the whole journey even Lana felt the small pain in her nape. She was scared of the man, but she didn't say anything. Only Jonory was still miaouing abjectly. The chaise rolled around a corner and finally the dog let Jonory go and the small cat jumped quickly in Lana's lap. Then the man began to talk with an authoritarian voice:
"Before we will enter the house of Mr. and Mrs. Coulter there are some points you need to know. If you speak with the masteries, you will call them Lord and Lady Coulter. If you are impolite, you get in trouble with me. You aren't grown as a servant, so you don't have a dog-dæmon. When we arrive, you will wash yourself and your dæmon. That's only good for you. Lady Coulter knows you, so she will decide where you gonna work. We will go straight to her, if she has time. Afterwards you will get your uniform. You are 14; anyway you will get adult clothes. Perhaps they will be too big for you. You will correct them tonight, if you need it. There is a sewing kit you can use. Do you can sew?" She nodded scared.
"Well, we are there. Get out!" His dog snarled at Jonory shortly and dangerously. The cat jumped at fast as he could out of the chaise while Lana followed him with almost the same speed, because she felt the same fear as her dæmon. For one moment she stood still, impressed of the glory and the beauty of the house, which cut itself in three parts. But before she could watch it properly, Jonory's fear of the dog pushed her on. She wanted to go to the huge gull-wing door, but she heard an angry noise behind her and she turned. The man stood a few meters away from her on the stairs and waved at her. She slowly went to him and when she reached him, he grabbed her arm rudely.
"You never will use the main-entrance. That is only for the masteries and their guests." He pointed to a narrow wooden-door at the bottom of the stairs.
"You will use this one. And never ever let catch yourself outside when the masteries are expecting guests. Come on, go down from the stairs and enter the house. Oh, by the way. When you are talking with me, you call me Sir Conrad. To be sure I'm a servant, but this is no reason not to pay me respect! Did you get me?" Lana nodded. The man had let her go finally, but his dog was holding Jonory in her mouth again. Together they went through the door. The room behind it was rarely furnished. It was a narrow way. Perhaps it was half a meter wider than the door. There were some coats hanging on the wall. The man pushed Lana urgently to a door at the end. She went through and found herself in a staircase. Silently she walked after the man, who had skipped her already, up the stairs. They came in a luxuriously furnished room. The man told her to stay there. He himself went one of the adjacent rooms. Lana was alone in the room. She didn't have the courage to sit on one of the armchairs with the colorful silk, so she kept standing and looked at the paintings on the wall. Most of them showed portraits of very important looking men. Another one showed Mrs. Coulter with her dæmon. When she thought of the golden monkey she shivered and when Jonory felt her fear, he came to her and rubbed his head against her leg how he often does.
Suddenly the door opened and Mrs. Coulter entered the room, followed by Sir Conrad. The golden monkey hopped towards Jonory, but he receded a few feet and laid himself between Lana's feet on the fluffy carpet. Mrs. Coulter came to her and smiled.
"I see you taught your dæmon respect finally." Lana made a gawky curtsey and said:
"Good morning, Lady Coulter."
"Well, I think Sir Conrad told you that I have to decide where you are working. One of our old parlor maids quit her job and we have space for you." Jonory and the golden monkey had a silent starring contest. Jonory pushed himself harder against the floor, leaned his ears against his head and spat low-voiced at the monkey, but Mrs. Coulter heard it. She gave her a fast slap in the face.
"I will never ever need to hear, that your dæmon spit my dæmon or another person's one's in this house."
"I'm really sorry, Lady Coulter, it won't happen again."
"Well, I will tell you what you have to do while you're here. You will help the other parlor maids making the beds and you will serve. Your new clothes are already brought in your room. And make sure, you get rid of the things you are wearing at the moment. I want you wearing only clothes I allow. By the way you are our youngest servant. I think you would be wasted working in the kitchen. Furthermore dog-dæmons are getting out of style, but perhaps it will hold on a few decades. A cat-dæmon is something brand-new." With these words Mrs. Coulter bent herself to Lana and fondled the ridge of her nose. She felt like a little child.
"Sir Conrad will bring you to your room. I will see you tonight for dinner." She went through the door out. Lana watched it for a moment. What a weird person. Sir Conrad looked at her impatiently and made her following him. They went about a dozen hallways along until they reached a white-painted wooden door.
"This is the women area. Just look for the room of the parlor maids. They're all labeled. You will find everything you need." In the meantime Lana had realized that she could only survive here, when she was polite and didn't attract much attention.
"Yes, Sir Conrad," she said and Jonory hid as well as he could behind Lana's legs. Sir Conrad turned and went away. She took a deep breath and entered the room.
It was a long corridor with many doors branching away. Each door was labeled with different signs. There were cooks, laundresses and even stable girls. Finally she saw the door with the label 'parlor maids'. She opened it carefully and went through. It was a pretty room she was standing in. There were huge windows almost from the floor to the high ceiling. Between each window was a bed. These were metal tube beds, but with comfortable-looking beddings. On the very left bed was pile of clothes and a towel. She looked at the clothes. A long black dress – she won't have any problems wearing this –, a few aprons, a nightshirt, underwear, stockings and shoes and something looking a bit like a shapeless piece of cloth. She didn't even want to know what this was. When she looked at the towel she remembered that she was supposed to take a shower. She took it and some clothes, left the room a tried to find the bathroom. After a short time she entered it and looked around. It was white-tiled room, like many other servant bathrooms. A row of separated toilets on opposite of a row of basins and, for Lana's shame, communal showers. Fortunately nobody was there so Lana undressed herself and stood under one of the showers. The water was hot and she enjoyed it to let the water washing away the dirt from the last few days. When she had finished, she rubbed herself dry with the new towel and put on the new and unfamiliar clothes. They fitted very well, apart from the fact, that the dress had much space in the breast and hips area. When she re-entered her bedroom, there was one of the other parlor maids sitting on the bed in the middle and reading. From the first moment Lana found her winsome. Lana closed the door and the strange girl look up from her book.
"Hi, you must be Lana. I'm told to wait here for you. I'm Margaret and this is Cillaf." She pointed on a snow-white terrier, which jumped from the bed and snuffled curiously at Jonory.
"You already know my name and this is Jono, actually Jonory." Lana liked the girl. She had red and extremely curly hair and was maybe only a few years older than Lana. Perhaps 18 or 19.
"Why do you have no dog-dæmon, or is he still changing his shape?"
"No, he doesn't. I don't have a dog-dæmon, because I didn't grow up as a servant, but this is a complicated story."
"Ok, understood. Almost everyone in here has a complicated story. I better not ask. Well, I better tell you how everything works in here. Normally we are cleaning the house and making the beds and so on most of the time. We two have to serve in the evenings. Normally the masteries have their lunch in the college. Lady Coulter doesn't have breakfast and Lord Coulter leaves the house very early in the morning, so he has breakfast with his colleges in the parliament. We're having our meals in the common room down the hallway outside. Maybe you have seen it yet. I think it's the best when we are hanging your stuff in the wardrobe." Margaret got up from her bed and went to a simple wooden wardrobe.
"We are sharing it with each other," she said and opened the door. The same stuff Lana got too was hanging on one side of the wardrobe, the other side was empty.
"Well, yours is the right side. Remember that, or we mix up our stuff." Lana was speechless of this much information. But then she asked the question that lay on her tongue:
"Who is the other parlor maid?"
"Oh, yes of course, you don't know her. Her name is Simone and she's nearly 60 and a bit grumpy. Furthermore she is responsible for the state of our room and I think this her favorite pastime. Be careful with her. She loves it to criticize other people. I hope it's getting better now. Eventually she has to halve her attention on me." She turned laughing and went to Lana's bed to get some clothes."
"Say, are we the youngest here?" Lana asked after a while.
"Almost. There is a kitchen boy, who is 16. His name is Adrian and a dog like his, I've never seen in my life before. It's very hard to describe her. You will see him at the latest tonight." She laid the last piece in Lana's wardrobe and closed it. Then she looked at the big clock above them. It showed half past twelve.
"Time for lunch," Margaret said, "Are you hungry?" Lana, who didn't noticed her empty stomach in this entire tizzy, nodded.
"Fine, if we go in the common room, we won't need the whole uniform, but in the other parts of the house we have to wear everything. I will show you later." With these words she pulled Lana on her arm out of the room. They went along the hallway and entered the large common room. There were a big number of women.
"Well, the cooks also prepare our meals. We don't need to do this," Margaret said and came with Lana to a food counter which was located at the wall without windows. There was woman in her middle ages stirring in a big soup pot. She gave the girls each a bowl with steaming soup and asked:
"Are you new?" Lana nodded and the woman continued "Well then take care that you behave yourself and watch out that Margaret doesn't teach you some nonsense." Margaret laughed loudly and Lana smiled a bit scared.
"That was Sara. She's the chef, but she's very nice. She will only turn grumpy, when you enter the kitchen without permission. So if you are hungry, just ask her. 'The poor girl is still growing'" Margaret rolled amused her eyes. "Mostly she gives some leftovers from the masteries dinner to you. You don't need to starve."
They sat on a table right next to the window and ate the hot soup. When they were finished Margaret brought the dirty dishes to a sink behind the counter and showed Lana how to clean the dishes with water and soap. Jono got on his rear legs and leaned his paws against her thighs to get a better view. Lana rubbed the dishes dry with a towel and put them back in a cupboard.
"Well Lana, we have to start preparing the dining room for the dinner of the masteries. Before that I gonna show you how it works with the uniform," she said while they went back in their room. Margaret opened the door and Lana saw the third parlor maid Simone who was standing in front of one of the three small mirrors and was styling her hair.
"Hello, Simone. This is Lana. She's new." Simone turned and eyed Lana up from the bottom to the top.
"So, you are Lana," she said and watched herself in the mirror again, "I really hope you are a good girl and not such a hyperactive thing like Margaret!" Margaret gave Lana a meaningful glance.
"Well, I show you what to do with your hair," she said and pulled Lana to their wardrobe and passed her a hair brush. Lana started to brush the still a bit wet hair. When her hair was finally not fuzzy anymore Margaret showed her how to tie up her hair with a hair ties.
"Lucky you!" she said when she saw that there was no streak hanging around, "I wish I had such long and smooth hair like you!" While she said this she tried to fix the steaks which were too short to reach the hair tie with about a million hair clips at her head.
"See, we gonna wear this over the hair," she said and pulled the mysterious piece of white cloth out of the wardrobe. Finally Lana noticed what it was. A tiny hood. She looked at Margaret aghast, who pulled the hood from the middle of her head to the small knot at the back of her head.
"I'm not going to wear that!" Margaret laughed again with her light and friendly laugh.
"I said that, too, but you get used to it. And by the way, this is better than getting a good beating from Sir Conrad. Hang on, I'll help you, so you leave a good first impression!" She did the same to Lana what she did to herself und secured everything with needles. When Lana saw herself in the mirror she furrowed her brows. Jonory was sitting at her feet and was laughing loudly, as far as you could judge it on a cat.
"I have to show you how to get your apron right," Margaret said and got two of them from the wardrobe. One she gave Lana, the other she kept for herself. She showed her how to arrange all the ribbons around her waist and shoulders.
"Well, the long aprons are for working and the short ones are for serving."
"There is one thing I still don't understand," Lana said, "Mr. and Mrs. Coulter … eh … I mean the masteries need two people to serve for two people?"
"The masteries normally have guests for dinner. There are five to six people every night. You will see," Margaret said. Behind the two girls they heard the sharp voice of Simone: "Do you two plan to start working or do I have to tell Sir Conrad that you have a severe case of laziness?" Together with her they went down a few corridors until they came to a very elegant dining hall. In the middle of the room there was a long table with a dozen chairs around it.
"You two clean up this room and I start with the hall way and the front door. Go to work," Simone said, turned around and left. Margaret showed Lana where they kept the cleaning supplies and how to operate the vacuum cleaner. Together they cleaned for almost two hours until every surface was shining. At last Margaret disappeared for a couple of minutes. Lana was a bit worried about where she went, when she came back holding a huge bouquet of flowers in a vase and placed it in the middle of the table.
"It's done," she said and sighed, "Don't worry. We don't have to do this every day. The big cleaning is just once a week, but the table, the chairs and the floor get cleaned every day."
"Then what are we doing now?" Lana asked, "It's only half past three."
"We still have to clean the guest bath room and simply everything what the guests will see. You know Simone is working in the hall way. She can handle that alone, I suppose." They crossed the hall way and entered the guest bath room. Lana had never seen such a luxurious bath room before. There were small lights going around a mirror framed with porcelain. The faucets were golden and the basin was perfectly connected with the washstand. On the window bench there were exotic plants and the toilette was discreetly hidden in a corner. Margaret had brought the cleaning supplies, showed Lana how to clean the mirror and the basin and started cleaning the floor. At last she cleaned the toilette while Lana was watering the plants. When they were finished Margaret got up and straightened her back. They brought the dirty water outside and flushed it down the canalization. The rest of the afternoon they spent outside in the garden between the two flanks, because of the nice weather. The two of them sat there and watched Jonory trying to imitate the short leg walk of Margaret's terrier. Lana's curiosity was awaking slowly and she asked Margaret to tell how she got there.
"Well, I give you the short version. My mom got me the job. My parents are both working in another neighborhood in London. I see them from time to time. I can introduce you to them."
"My parents don't live anymore." Margaret laid her arm around Lana's shoulders and Cillaf barked and wagged his short tail to cheer up Jonory. Lana smiled and asked Margaret: "Do you know when we have to go back in again?" From her position she could see the clock on a near pray house. It showed six o clock.
"We should go in now. You have no idea how long it can take to set the table and I have to show you how to serve," Margaret said and got up. They went back to the dining hall. Unfortunately Simone was already waiting for them, her hands in her hips, and was looking strict on them.
"I'm glad you finally decided to show up, children. Sarah's already chosen on the dishes for tonight and she placed it for you on the counter. I will help you." Together they left the room and entered a small room with a metal counter like the common room. On the counter there was a pile of plates and a bunch of cutlery. They divided the dished and brought it back to the hall. Simone got a piece of paper from her pocket and read out the course order for the dinner. After her instructions Lana and Margaret placed the cutlery around the plates. Lana was now very sure that she really preferred the informal meals with her father or Margaret.
"So, Lana, about serving. Today it's very easy. There will be only four people, so each of us takes two plates," Margaret said, "We start with the soup. Be careful that you don't drop it. After that comes the fish. The plates on the table are for the chicken. We just bring two dishes. The guest will help themselves. After that comes the dessert. The clearing up after the courses works like the setting. I'm responsible for the drinks. You don't need to worry about it. You just disappear in the room with the counter. Just trust me, if you stick to me you'll survive without serious problems." She smiled encouraging and patted Lana's shoulder. Margaret looked at the big clock in the corner.
"It's quarter past seven. The guests will come soon. I suggest we go to the other room until Mrs. Coulter comes and gets us. I can't stay here very long." Lana felt the same way and together they left the hall. Simone was already in the hall way to the main door to help the guests out of their coats. In the room next to the dining hall Lana saw him, Adrian. He was standing behind the counter and was waiting for them. His dæmon was really the most extraordinary dog, Lana had ever seen. She was about half a meter tall and covered with short, curly and brown hair. She wasn't able to lift up her ears completely, which looked very funny. Adrian himself was like Margaret had told her was a 16 year old, tall teenager. He had almost the same hair color like Lana. His hair was mouse brown, while Lana's hair was more likely chocolate colored. He had extremely light eyes, which extremely attracted Lana. She was smiling shyly at him, but Jonory strutted up and down in front of the dog. Adrian was now smiling at Lana, too. A little fire work started in her stomach.
"Hi, I'm Lana," she was hardly able to say. Margaret graciously pretended to be deaf.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Adrian." She didn't know what to say, but she didn't need to, because in this moment she heard a bell from the dining hall and Margaret gestured her to come with her. Mrs. Coulter stood in the dining hall. Both of them curtseyed in front of her.
"You both say here until the guests arrive," she said and left the hall. Margaret smiled at Lana encouraging again. After a while Simone opened the big doors and let four people in. Mrs. Coulter, her husband and an elderly couple. Mr. Coulter was hunky and tall man, maybe a few years older than his wife, with an awe-inspiring tiger-dæmon. Lana had never seen such an awe-inspiring man before and she stepped one step back without realizing it. Margaret and she helped the masteries and the guests to sit around the table. Lana had seen this often and she knew how to do it, but she was sure that it was necessary. When everybody had settled at the table Margaret sent Lana out with a glance. She was very glad about it and she disappeared as quietly as she could.
Adrian was still standing behind the counter and drinking a glass of water. When he saw her a sip landed on his jacket. Lana found it very sweet and she had to laugh, but it was a friendly laugh. While she was waiting Jonory tried to step on the paws of Adrian's dog, but she kept pulling her paws away from him. Lana didn't dare to speak to him and instead watched her dæmon. From the corner of her eye she could see that Adrian was looking her from time to time. Just a few seconds later they got interrupted by Margaret who swirled hastily into the room and looked puzzled on the counter.
"Adrian, stop dreaming, we need the soup, now," she said and then turned to Lana, "You will serve Lord and Lady Coulter. If you spill something over their lab it'll be not as dangerous as it'd be if you spilled something over the guest's lab." While she said that Adrian had prepared four plates with soup within five seconds and placed them on the counter. Lana was briefly astonished about the speed, but with the "Let's go!" from Margaret she took two plates and carried them as carefully and elegantly as she could to the dining hall. Jonory made himself as small as he could and scurried quickly under a chair to hide himself. The tiger-dæmon of Mr. Coulter eyed Jonory curiously. To her great relief Lana placed the plates in front of the masteries without spilling something. Jonory strutted with a proudly lifted tail out of the hall. The next courses had the same procedure. Lana was intensely glad when she cleared the table after the dessert and helped the guests and masteries out of their chairs together with Margaret.
After that Mrs. Coulter left together with the other woman, while Mr. Coulter vanished in the gentleman's salon with the other man. Women weren't allowed in this room. Therefore the butler was serving them. Lana was really glad about that. The two of them cleared the rest of the table and swiped the surface. Simone entered and waved Lana towards her.
"Lana, Lady Coulter just told me she comes back between eleven and twelve. The porter will open the door for her, but it's your job to help her out of her coat. So don't go to bed now. Understood?" Lana nodded. She wasn't really keen on staying awake, because it had been a really long day for her and she was so tired that she hardly able to keep her eyes open. Therefore she decided to lie down in the common room. She followed the two women silently. In the common room she lay on a sofa and tried to sleep, but she was so nervous that she couldn't close her eyes. It was only half past nine. In a shelf at the wall she found a few books. She was sitting there and reading silently until Jonory poked her and pointed his nose towards the clock on the wall across the room. It was five minutes to eleven. She sighed, put the book back in the shelf and made her way to the main door. Nobody was there. Because of curiosity she stepped through the door and saw the porter standing next to it. She got into a conversation with him to kill the time. He was a very nice man named Reór. He was speaking with a slightly French accent and he had a very elegant dog-dæmon. Lana couldn't determine the race of the dog.
"There she comes;" he said suddenly and pointed towards the light of a carriage, "Get in!" She followed his orders and entered the door again. Some brief moments later she heard steps on the stairs. The porter opened the door and let Mrs. Coulter in. She was wearing a red-brown coat with a fox-fur collar. Jonory had to pull himself together in order not to attack the golden monkey. Lana could feel the rage of her dæmon, but she tried not to show it. She had often watched Ms. Raid helping her father out of his coat and therefore, she knew how to do it. After she had put the coat on a hanger in the wardrobe she turned to Mrs. Coulter.
"Well, I can see the clothes are fitting you. I think that's everything, you can go," she said and eyed her up.
"Thank you, Lady Coulter!" Lana made a courtesy and disappeared quickly.
It was a very warm and clear summer night and therefore Lana wasn't so sure anymore whether she should go to bed or not. At last she decided on going in the garden to catch some fresh air. There she was strolling around for a while until she sat down at the side of a pond and watched the moonlight reflecting itself on the surface. She didn't know how long she was sitting there until she heard something coming through the covert behind her. She turned around and saw the brown dog of Adrian. She was followed by Adrian still wearing his kitchen apron.
"I was sure I'd find you here," he said and sat next to her, "I just had to see you again!" All what she could say was a cawing "Hi". She was just hoping that he could see her red face in the pale moonlight. A soft wind aroused and she wrapped her arms around her chest. Adrian noticed that and laid an arm around her shoulders to warm her up. She would have pushed away every other person, but with Adrian she somehow felt save. She moved a few inches towards him and leaned against his body. He smelled pleasant like food and smoke. They sat there for a while, and then Lana said without even realizing it: "I kinda like you, Adrian!" The words were out before she could stop them. He looked at her and to her relief he was smiling. She looked in his face and could do nothing else than admire his wonderful face.
"I like you, too, Lana. You're the first girl I'm interested in." It felt like as if her guts were dancing around in her stomach. He was interested in her? She was completely stunned. Jonory was caressingly licking the neck of the dog that was lying on her side and she was obviously enjoying it. However, Lana didn't notice anything. Adrian stroked with his free hand from her mouth over her cheek to the back of her neck. She saw only his light and perfect eyes, nothing else. Her fear was gone from one second to the other and she closed her eyes.
When her lips touched his ones, a volcano of joy and luck was exploding in her stomach and chest. It felt like rapture and when their lips disengaged Lana felt happy for the first time after a long time.
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