As Dipper strode away from the library, he began to wonder why Preston wanted Pacifica. He assumed it had to do with the overly-jolly round man that was in his study but he quickly shook the thought off. Being a butler allowed him a lot of time to think and ponder over things, especially the goings on of the Northwest's. Dipper meandered the halls on his way back to the doors of Pacifica's room. It was much too boring to stand in an empty hall for all hours of the day. He'd only been a butler for two days, but he expected that there was more to being a butler than following the orders of a stuck up teenager.
His deep brown eyes grazed over the ornaments on the walls. There were portraits, some of the Northwest family, others of Preston and his wife and some of just Pacifica. His gaze settled on a painting that looked recent. Her blond hair was in a tight bun and her bangs were painted just above her eyes. Her eyes were blue with streaks of black and grey. Her mouth was neither a frown nor a smile; the edges of her lips were curved ever so slightly downward but her expression was one of power. Her jaw was set and her stare was fierce, even through a painting, Pacifica exuded power. Dipper managed to tear his eyes away from the portrait and kept walking. Among the family portraits, there were also stuffed deer and bear heads and several antique guns and swords.
Pacifica's door was just to the left at the end of the grand corridor. He assumed his position in front of the grand double doors, rolling his shoulders back and folding his hands neatly behind his back. Dipper released a deep sigh, it was roughly three o'clock and he wasn't done working until Pacifica got her tea at four. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Twenty minutes had passed when Dipper heard the familiar clicking of Pacifica's heels on the hard wood floors of the Northwest Manor. She came marching around the corner, her posture was slumped and her arms were wrapped around herself, like she was cold. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that her blue eyes were not focused and her mouth was in a visible frown.
Although he didn't know what was on the girls mind, he still felt a pang of sorrow for her. He opened the door and before he could stop him, the words left his lips. "Is there something the matter, Miss Northwest?"
Pacifica was visibly taken aback. Dipper gulped, hoping the girl wouldn't scold him for speaking without being addressed. He blinked and suddenly found the girl staring at him. Dipper decided then that the artist that painted her portrait didn't do her any justice. Her eyes were the deepest blue he could've imagined, with pinpricks of green and gold in the iris. Her cheeks were sprayed with the lightest bit of freckles, he imagined that no one could really see them if they weren't this close to her. She was still frowning and her eyebrows were furrowed. She released a breath and her expression relaxed. "There is nothing the matter with me and it isn't your business to know." She spoke, venom laced in her voice.
"My apologies, Miss. Mabel will be here within the hour with your tea."
She gave a curt nod in reply and continued into her room. Dipper let out a sigh when he closed the door. He scolded himself for speaking, he shouldn't have. He could've jeopardized both his and Mabel's job. Money was too tight for him to be speaking out of turn. He never even wanted to work for the Northwest's. He and his sister moved to Oregon to work with their great uncles. But Stanley had plenty of work and didn't need Mabel to manage his General store and their great uncle Stanford was fine on his own running his medicine shop. The idea of working for the Northwest's made his mouth taste like vinegar. He should've been doing something with his hands, not dusting and taking orders. He'd quit if he were able, but both he and Mabel needed the money and he would never abandon his sister.
Mabel rounded the corner, a silver tray with a piping hot cup of tea and a plate of scones. Dipper opened the door for his sister, hoping that she would be done soon, he wanted to lay down. Mabel came back out with an empty tray tucked under her arm and a worn out look on her face. The end of the day had finally arrived. Mabel walked ahead of him, going to take the tray the kitchen, Dipper following close behind.
The sound of Pacifica's door opening stopped him in his tracks. He turned around to see the heiress stepping out into the hall. Dipper briefly made eye contact with her before averting his gaze to the floor. "Yes, Miss Northwest?"
She cleared her throat and spoke. "I am to inform you that we will be housing an important guest for several weeks and for the time being, you and the other one are to be servants to he and I." Dipper felt his ears burn when she referred to Mabel as 'the other one'.
"Of course," he said then went to turn around when Pacifica stopped him. She cleared her throat again. "Anything else, Miss Northwest?"
"N-no, You may go." She sounded like she wanted to say something else, but it wasn't his business to ask. He gave a short bow and carried on down the hall.
As he was walking away from Pacifica's double doors, he could've sworn that he heard someone say "I'm sorry."
So sorry about not updating Thursday, this chapter was kind of rough just because I'm trying to convey Dipper's dislike for the Northwest's. Also college is a pain. Thank you 9 for letting me know that it was a General Store. I feel kinda dumb now but this week has been exhausting.
Thanks for reading.
