The moment Michael came home this evening, there was something different in his home. Later, during dinner, he finds out why, Coco had taken in a stray, not really surprising for his cousin, she does that a lot at her own home. But she seems to also expect him to just accept the additional staff in his own house, he hasn't met the girl yet, but Coco told him that she was a seamstress's niece, she continued to talk and talk about the girl being wonderful, frankly, he didn't care much about it, as long as she does her job and stayed out of his way then there was no problem.
Coco called her stray in the dining room waiting in the next room to be introduced. Michael looked the girl up and down, she was small and thin, she had brown hair and eyes, there was something off about her he thought, something familiar, but he swears to himself that he has never seen the girl before. So he just made a face of indifference while his cousin keeps on talking.
Michael stood from his chair, he couldn't stand his blabbering cousin anymore. The two was startled when he stood and left. Before he closed the door of the dining room he heard the two talking.
"Told you he's rude", Coco had exclaimed.
Michael scoffed at his cousin but he heard Mallory's response. "I think you were talking too much" and the two laughed.
Ms. Cordelia was passing by and she asked Michael of what he thinks of the new girl.
"She was alright, looks competent enough", He stopped and raised his eyebrow at the head maid then continued, "You're the head maid, shouldn't you be telling me what you think of her?".
Cordelia only smiled at the young baron, "Well, Zoe said Mallory was eager to learn from her, she asked questions when she did not understand something, she seemed diligent enough, but we'll have to wait and see when she really starts working."
Michael continued walking back to his room while they continued their conversation, "I see, is there anything else?".
Cordelia's response was just a simple shook of her head. As soon as they reached Michael's room, the head maid had one more thing to ask of Michael, "Will you take your nightly swim tonight?".
To which Michael responded with a slight nod.
Cordelia replied, "Then I'll prepare your things for you", then took a bow of respect of the young baron and left his side.
"Thank you Ms. Cordelia", Michael added before she turns the corner of the hallway.
There was a voice, a song, she hears it, it's calling to her. Mallory stood from her bed and followed the song, she's heard it before, so long ago, she thinks. She followed the song outside the manor and onto the cliff-side, there were stairs leading down to the seaside, she carefully follows the song until she comes across a cave at the bottom of the stairs. However, as soon as she enters the cave, the song stopped.
The inside of the cave was quite dark with only the moon shining outside for light, as she looked around the cave, she sees a pile of clothing above a sort of box or table. At first glance, it looks like it belonged to a man, as she picks it up, she heard a splash behind her, Mallory turns and saw a white seal emerged from the sea and was about to enter the cave, it moved so strangely she thought, not like a seal should, it reminded her of her seal friend from her favorite spot. As it came closer inside the cave, a bright light came from it, the beautiful white seal turned into a man, it turned into the baron. In her shock, she just stood there, speechless while staring at the man in a coat.
Michael forgot to be cautious, he has always been cautious before he tries to transforms back to his human form, he knows how humans can be when they encounter something they know nothing about, they are cruel creatures. All he could do was to stare at the new girl standing inside the cave with his clothes in her hands. She hasn't screamed yet, that was good. However, he noticed the girl averting her eyes from him, when the night breeze blew, he then just realized that he was halfway from removing his coat and he has nothing underneath it. He quickly closed the coat and turned around.
Michael sighed and suddenly spoke, "Hand me my clothes girl".
This startled Mallory back to reality and she looked down at her hands still holding onto the baron's clothes.
"Its Mallory", she said, her voice a bit shaky as she walked closer to the Baron.
Michael held up his hand to his side and Mallory handed him his clothes. He then fully removed his coat and out of embarrassment, Mallory quickly looked up and turned around.
After a few minutes, the rustling of clothes stopped and Mallory took a chance and glanced back. Michael stood there fully clothed and cuffing his sleeves, much to her relief. He picked up the discarded coat and settled it to where his 'human clothes' were before.
"Come with me", the baron ordered the new girl. Their walk back to the manor was filled with only silence.
The baron only stopped from his tracks when he opened the room to his study, he stood inside waiting for her to come in and as soon as she was inside, he closed the door and gestured for her to sit in one of the chairs.
"I'll cut to the chase", Michael started as he walked to his chair behind the large work table full of papers and books, "From what Coco have blabbered about you earlier, you ran away from your home due to your guardians abusing you, I will not be inclined to return you to them if you do not ever talk about what you saw tonight".
Mallory looked at the baron's beautiful blue eyes piercing through her own and she knew right away that he was not bluffing, out of panic, she quickly agreed to the baron's proposal.
Out of curiosity, Michael asked the girl what was she doing in the cave. Mallory then looked away from the baron's gaze, she didn't really know how to explain that, but she knew if she wanted to stay here she will need to be truthful to him.
"There was a song", Mallory started and the baron raised his eyebrow at her and waited for her to elaborate, "I heard a song, it was something I had heard before, so I followed it to that cave."
Michael closed his eyes and turned away and looked at the window while Mallory waited for him to dismiss her, she knew she had to or she would looked like she was disrespecting him. A couple of more minutes passed until Michael finally dismissed Mallory, but the moment she held onto the door knob, Michael reminded her "Not a word", and the young maid could only nod.
It's been a week since Mallory's stay in the baron's manor, she was adjusting very well with her duties as Coco's personal maid, it wasn't really hard to care for her, the girl pretty much let her enjoy whatever she was doing, like a tea party or games. Coco even asked Mallory to teach her some embroidery, she wants to impress her parents and her betrothed when she goes home.
Mallory was able to get along well with the other people in the house, like Misty, the cook, and Kyle, the coachman, however, she has not been able to get along with Madison, another maid like her and Zoe, she just had a different attitude, unlike the others, but she knew Mallory could get along with her if given enough time.
There were people being annoyingly loud in front of his gates and one of them seems to be his cousin. Michael finally had enough, annoyed from all the noise, he left his paperwork to know what was going on and to make it stop.
What he find is Ms. Cordelia, Kyle, Coco, and Mallory, they were arguing with a couple outside his gates.
"What is going on here", Michael said as loud as he can but still keeping himself dignified.
"I want my niece back", the unknown woman said.
Coco turned to Michael ready to plead to him. "No, Michael, please don't let them take her, they will just hurt her, I know it.
"We have never hurt her, come now girl, stop this nonsense and come home, you have errands to do", the unknown man said.
Michael only looked at them for a couple of minutes before he decided the best course of action.
"How much?", Michael suddenly asked. Everyone was finally silenced.
"What?", was the only response the old woman could say, confused at what the baron was saying.
Michael scoffed, "I know I was very clear when I asked how much, how much do you want me to pay you for her?".
"That is, that's not, she's", the woman was flabbergasted.
Finally losing his patience, Michael spoke again and addressed Cordelia "Fine, Ms. Cordelia if you don't mind, take care of this, you can decide of the price for Mallory."
Michael then turned to the couple, "Please leave and never set foot on my property ever again, whatever business we had with you previously are all done once the payment has been given". The couple could not respond.
Then he addressed Kyle to give him an order. "Kyle, if they do not leave the premises after getting paid please call the authorities". Kyle was only able to nod in agreement.
Lastly, he addressed Coco and Mallory to go to his study so he could talk to them both and the two nodded.
Michael turned on his heels and went back to his study to continue his work.
"Oh cousin, thank you for saving her, I'll tell mother and father about this so we can pay you for Mallory." Was the first thing that Coco said as soon as her and Mallory entered Michael's study, she was so happy that he did not even let the baron talk first.
"I don't need that", Michael then waved his hand to gesture his dismissal of Coco's promise. Then he opened one of his drawers and pulled out an envelope and handed it to his cousin. "Your parents had sent a letter for your return home in two days, everything has been arranged."
Coco took the letter and looked at her cousin and asked, "What about Mallory?".
"Well, I have paid good money for her so she will stay here, go on and prepare for your departure".
Coco was a bit skeptic of Michael's actions, but she had no choice but to take his words to heart. As they were about to exit his study Michael called out to Mallory as he has not dismissed her yet.
Coco was a bit worried for her friend and wanted to stay but she knew that she can't, Michael will kick her out of the study himself if he wanted to.
As soon as Coco left and closed the door. Michael spoke, "I think you know why I bought you from your guardians". Mallory only nodded then he continued, "I've kept my end of the bargain, I do hope you will keep yours". Again, the girl only nodded in agreement then she too was dismissed.
A few minutes after Michael's talk with the two girls, Cordelia entered his study. "Why are you really letting her stay, so much so that you had to buy her, you were quite indifferent before."
Michael sighed and put down his pen, "She's seen me Ms. Cordelia"
"How?"
"I don't know, she was in the cave when I returned, she said she heard a song."
"And you believed her?"
"She didn't seem to be lying and there is something else, something off about her, but also something familiar, I'm still trying to figure it out".
"I trust your decision on keeping her here and I'll also keep watch on her, make sure she doesn't say anything to Lady Coco and the others." Cordelia didn't wait for the baron to dismiss her, she left as soon as their talk was done.
That night, for Michael to think, he decided to take his nightly swim. The coat was again prepared for him atop of a box containing another coat.
Notes:
- If it wasn't obvious, Madison was the tattletale from the previous chapter
- Ms. Meade was suppose to be the head maid, but I needed someone nicer so I changed it to Cordelia.
(This Chapter was published on my AO3 account on 2019-05-15.)
