Chapter 4
After signing the papers I passed them back to Ciel, sliding them along his desk. The young boy glanced at the documents, after seeing my signature he asked a question. "If you have not a clue as to what your name is, how can I be sure that these documents will be legally binding?" With a tilt of my head and a small smile I gazed at my master.
"I have been living by that name before you were born. I promise you that I am Meredith Mathers." And with a quick raise of his eyes he glanced at me before looking back down at the papers, stamping them and filling them away again into his right drawer.
"You may come in now, Sebastian."
With a quiet click of the door, Sebastian entered the room. How I did not realize that he would most likely be listening in on this conversation was careless of me, but then I also remembered that it didn't matter anymore. We are now both servants to the Phantomhive name. With careful steps he walked closer to the desk, he now to the left of me. I could feel Ciel's eye gazing at both of us, and with a calm tone he ordered his butler.
"Please show Miss Mathers to her room and introduce her to the rest of the staff, I entrust you'll make her feel welcome."
"Why yes, my Lord. What type of Butler would I be if I cannot make our new maid feel welcome?"
At this I feel a chill down my spine but I hold my hands together in front of me, accepting my master's wishes. Ciel ignored Sebastian and waved both of us off as he returned to his business, seemingly having enough with us. Once Sebastian made his bow he turned to exit the room, once he stood along the door he turned to look back at me. "Come Meredith." I could hear something in his voice and though I preferred to stay with Ciel, I knew now that I was also under Sebastian's command as he was the head butler and I have not regained my position as the master's personal maid nor head maid as they were on equal grounds with head butler. If I am to remain on my own I will have to prove myself so but until then, I will have to play along. With obedient steps I followed along, hands clasped together I looked to the floor as I passed the butler. Once the doors have been closed behind us, Sebastian gave a smirk.
"It seems you hold some sway over our young master. I assume you will work hard not to lose it?" Asked the raven haired man, a small smirk playing on his lips as he gazed at the woman before him.
The smaller woman's eyes flicked upward, quickly making eye contact with the butler's own piercing gaze before moving to look down the hall, honestly she could find her own way back to the service quarters but she felt cautious around Sebastian, like if she made any sudden movements it would spell out doom.
"I will do my best to honor the Phantomhive name, if that is what you mean." Countered Meredith, her hands remaining clasped together and observing hazel watching the body language of the butler, he stood straight and he was tall, easily giving off the energy of being the dominant one and silently the reinstated maid felt like she could choke on it, this type of intimidation being new to her as she could feel a strange feeling in her stomach, the kind of sensation that she got from jumping off a high place.
There was something incredibly wrong about this butler and carefully Meredith had begun to play her cards close as she realized that he'll be in her life for quite a while.
After their moment of silence and careful studying of one another, Sebastian's closed his eyes and his smile grew wider, his once intimidating aura shrinking as the butler switched masks, now playing the gentleman and extending his arm out for the new maid to link her own with.
Slightly stunned by the sudden change, Meredith wasn't sure to accept the arm but as she looked to catch Sebastian's smile, she decided it would be better if she followed his lead and begrudgingly she parted her tightly clasped hands and linked herself with the tall man, following his steps and receding into herself as she allowed him to take control of their tense situation. After a few moments of silence between them, Meredith snuck another glance at the butler: he did look like someone she knew, what with his fair skin and dark hair but the new maid couldn't place it. Only did she look away when the man began to speak, his voice coming out composed and smooth as he lead her down a corridor, his arm never wavering from their joined hold.
"I trust you remember your duties, as a maid of the Phantomhive household you will be expected to care for the house and to honor your master's wishes. If you are found shirking on your duties, then I shall be forced to evaluate your performance with Lord Phantomhive and reprimands will have to be made. Do you understand, Miss Mathers?" Asked the butler with a serious tone to his voice, now opening a tall door and leading the new maid up a set of stairs, light only being at the top as they both began to climb the dark stairway.
"I certainly do, Mr…"
"Michealis, Sebastian Michealis."
"Ah, thank you. I am honored to be able to return and I will follow my orders dutifully." Announced Meredith as she began to fall a step behind Sebastian, her arm slipping slightly only to be caught quickly and easily as the butler slowed his pace, not allowing the other to slip out of his grasp. As they reached the top of the stairs, Meredith remembered they were in the attic of the house and the smaller hallway before them was plain, with normal sized doors leading into bedrooms for the staff of the house. Instantly Meredith found the door that use to belong to her, except instead of having a small blackboard hanging off the door with her name on it, it was plain. She couldn't help but sneak a glance at it as she was pulled along past it, being lead to a door further down the hall.
"This here shall be your room; I trust you have no bags that need to brought over?" Questioned Sebastian, his arm finally releasing his hold on the maid as he swiftly and ever so easily found the right key to unlock the door. With ease he opened the door, standing aside and beckoning the woman to enter the room. Meredith had a passive look on her face, but matched Sebastian's eye contact as she answered.
"No, I do not. Thank you, Mr. Michealis." With her hands clasped tightly in front of her once again, Meredith entered the room, eyeing the layout. There was a bronze bed and a nightstand and under the small window in the center of the room there laid a plain desk and chair, the only thing adorning it being an oil lamp. To her left, there stood a small armoire, no doubt holding 7 outfits. Three uniforms, two nightgowns, an outdoor uniform meant for travel and a robe to wear. Of course in the two drawers below contained other articles of clothing, the stockings, the slips and all other matter of items needed. As Meredith eyed the contents of the drawer she was surprised to also find a bar of soap and a brush, the necessities of course.
"Please do not hesitate to ask if you need anything, Miss Mathers."
"Oh… No that will be fine, thank you. When can I receive my key?"
"I'd be happy to retrieve a copy for you. Now please, if you would change to your uniform: I shall alert the other staff to your arrival."
And with that Sebastian left, closing the door and steadily his footsteps were fading down the hall. Meredith knew that he'll be back and after ensuring the door was locked, she began to undo her coat.
Easily the former maid laced up her shoes, finding the brown knee length boots a lot more comfortable than the old pinching shoes that she use to wear when working. In fact, thankfully the maid found herself rather comfortable in her uniform, maybe it was the slight alterations or the fact that she found everything fit like a glove, feeling at home once more in the dark blue gown and plain black stockings adorned with the classic white pinafore. After adjusting her pinned up hair behind the uniform hairband, she could hear a knock at her door.
"Miss Mathers, I trust you're fairing all right?" Asked Sebastian, his voice slightly muffled by the door that separated them. Mathers unlocked the door, opening it to see the butler holding out a bronze key before her. She raised out her palm, allowing the man to place the key from his gloved fingers to her palm. And with a small smile of her own, she pocketed the key into the pocket of her pinafore. With a critical eye, Sebastian gave a once over to the veteran maid and after a moment of careful consideration, he raised both of his hands to adjust the hairband in the other's hair. Meredith tensed at the contact, immediately ready to grab the man's wrists if he went anywhere closer to her neck but albeit reluctantly, she put her hands back down at her sides as she watched him adjust her hair.
"Are you usually this attentive?" Asked Meredith, as she took a step back from the butler and eyed him as he put his hands back to himself.
"Just making sure you look the part. It is my job to make sure everything looks the best." He said with that closed eye smile, looking as mischievous as a fox.
Meredith gave a small smile as well, obviously unsure still of this so called head butler but going along with the atmosphere. She was silently grateful when he didn't extend his arm out for her, obviously not wanting any contact with him. Instead she followed him diligently, knowing the path they were going to and realizing that he was leading her to the kitchen: where she will meet the rest of the staff.
The walk along the house was long and quiet, as they had traversed from the top floor to the bottom in a completely different wing. Was it odd for a woman to feel watched the whole way, even though she was behind the man who seemed so off. She wasn't sure what it was but realizing that she's going to be under his command as well as Ciel's, she couldn't help but be tense. As they stood in front of the entrance to the kitchen, Sebastian turned to give another small smile.
"I assure you, the rest of the staff are quite charming."
"Well I would expect no less, during my previous years the house ran like an oiled machine, I'm sure it still does." Said Meredith with a nod.
To be honest, Meredith was surprised at the sight before her. Back in her day it took at least thrice the amount of people to run the Phantomhive estate and by the looks of it, there is only one other maid. Meredith schooled her face into a polite smile, allowing the butler to introduce her as the newest member of their group and curiously she listened as he beckoned them to introduce themselves. Immediately the blonde boy who she seen earlier today had stepped forward, his smile bright at the thought of another joining the household.
"I'm Finnian! Pleasure to meet you!" he shouted, immediately Meredith knew that he was quite the ecstatic one and her smile grew just a bit, the young boy's joy easily contagious and with a moment of innocence she extended her hand, a moment of whimsy as she relished in being accepted back into a place she considered home. His hand met hers and she noted his firm grip, quite the strength for such a skinny boy. Sebastian took the reign of the introductions, narrating Finnian's position as the gardener of the household. Then down the line, she was acquainted with the other maid. Her shade of red hair was quite pretty but it was unfortunate that she had to cover her eyes with those large glasses. She too extended her hand in excitement and shook mine with uneven movements.
"Sebastian tells us you worked here under the previous Lord Phantomhive, I must say you look so pretty for your age… Uh- I mean… after telling us your previous history… you don't look a day over 20." Meredith couldn't help but inwardly flinch at the 'compliment', she realized that the poor girl means well but is quite clumsy with her choice of words. To be honest, the veteran maid couldn't recall a birthday and instead now running it through her mind a few times; It's been 15 years since she met Vincent and undoubtedly, it's only logical that she was in her thirties. So technically, Miss Mathers was well past the deadline for being an old maid and thankfully due to Sebastian, everyone knew it. At this point into the introductions, Mather's smile was a bit more forced due to her not being so pleased at the fact that she was probably the oldest one here and yet she has no authority like she use to as a maid under Vincent's reign. In fact, she inwardly twitched again when Sebastian had mentioned that Meyrin was to reintroduce her to the home and re-brief her on the duties of a maid, essentially being the older woman's supervisor.
"It'll be so nice to work with you, Meyrin. I'm sure being the only maid in the house must be quite difficult." Mathers said eloquently before turning her attention to the last figure in the room. He had broad shoulders and as Sebastian mentioned that he was their resident, she noted the obvious uniform and before she could extend out her hand, he already had his extended.
"Name's Baldroy, miss. Say… I must agree with Meyrin, after Sebastian told us about you, I was expecting someone entirely different." Quipped the young man as his larger hand enveloped Meredith's, she noted his calloused fingers and steady grip and even as she would like the subject of her age to not be brought up, she let out a chuckle.
"Oh? And what were you expecting?"
Baldroy immediately brought a hand back behind his head as he tried to answer back Mather's question but luckily got cut off by Sebastian.
"Now Miss Mathers, we do have one other staff member here but he is currently taking his afternoon nap. I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting him once he is awake, I trust you have history together." Said the butler, his eyes gazing at his pocket watch before placing it back into his pocket. Now that did catch the maid's interest, who would possibly be working here that she would know, she assumed that anyone who had been here previously had either left in search for other jobs or sadly maybe even burned in the tragic fire. As the maid pondered on those thoughts, she was broken out of it when a ringing filled the room. There her eyes travelled to a bell along the wall, it rang a high pitched tone and like a good butler, Sebastian excused himself and left the room to tend to Ciel.
Leaving the new maid alone to socialize with the three other servants of the household.
If you are still reading this fic up to this point, Thank you! I only ask for reviews, constructive criticism as I know I am not the best writer so any tips on grammar or characters or even plot holes feel free to mention it. I hope to be more consistent in my updates and believe me, it is rather nice and motivating to hear if someone likes my writing. So please, feel free to leave a comment and any suggestions you might have. I do think romance will be added later but if it does, it will be a slow burn as right now it is quite fun to explore the tension between the relationships. To be fair I did only watch the first season of the anime and due to that many characters will not be added as I plan to loosely follow the plot of that storyline. So please, feel free to leave a comment and if there was anything you would like to see explored, feel free to suggest it.
