When Charlotte finally made it back to the cellar she was greatly saddened. Saddened and angered. Angry at herself for not being smart enough to figure out that Alastor was the master of the house. Angry for foolishly letting herself fall for someone higher in rank than she was. But she was not only only angry at herself, she was also angry at Rosie.
"Rosie where are you?" She called out once she was alone in the small room. However no one responded to her call. "I know you can hear me! I want to speak to you! Show yourself!"
But the witch-woman did not appear.
"You knew didn't you? You knew all along who he really was and you didn't tell me!" She cried bitterly. "It's not fair! You know we can't be together! It's not possible! Now because of you I'm hopelessly in love with a man that I can never hope to be with! I wish...I wish that I had never met you! Because then I would have never come here and met him and...And end up loving him so much!"
She buried her face into her hands and sobbed. The poor girl believed that everything had just been some cruel joke. That she finally knew the joy of loving and being loved in return again only for it to be snatched away from her by the horrible truth of social status and shame. She cried herself to sleep, certain that she would never see her sweetheart again.
As for Alastor, as soon as dawn broke he went off to search the countryside for the beautiful stranger. He was very desperate and he asked nearly every person he encountered if they had ever seen a young lady with hair like the sun, skin like ivory, and cheeks like apples but to his great disappointment none of them could recall seeing such a woman. After many weeks had passed he decided to return home, thinking that he would never find his darling.
Through the kitchen window Charlotte watched the young master return and it broke her heart to see how sad and discouraged he was. She longed to tell him who she was but alas she feared that he would only love the woman in the shimmering gown. Not the spurned daughter of Lucifer who now cleaned the kitchen. If her own father tossed her aside for being simple then there was no doubt in her mind that Alastor would do the same.
"He'll love again." She told herself as she watched him. "He may long for me now but in time he'll forget me and find someone else."
Charlotte was certain that both she and Alastor would be better off not seeing each other again. After all what could she possibly have to offer someone as rich and refined as him? She had no dowry, no name, nothing. Should she marry him she would only disgrace him. She should just leave him alone to court a woman who was equal to him in wealth and stature.
Unfortunately she failed to realize just how much her absence would hurt him. Alastor had fallen so deeply in love with her that he could not bring himself to do anything anymore. He no longer hunted or worked or danced or played music. He did nothing but stay in his room brooding. Soon he barely had the strength to eat and denied all food being brought to him which made him quite ill.
"Sir please let me in." Husk called from behind the door of his master's bedroom.
"Go away." He replied in a quiet voice of depression.
"Sir you have not eaten in days. You probably can't even move now due to the lack of food. At least try to stomach some gruel."
"What is the point Husk?"
"The point is to keep yourself from wasting away."
"If I cannot see her again then let me waste away." He heard his master sigh. "Perhaps she never existed at all. Maybe she was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. But I'm not sure if I could bear it if that's all she was."
Husk and nearly every member of the household tried to get their master to eat and to regain his appetite for life but it was a futile effort. He was in utter misery, agony, and heartache. Only one person could possibly bring him back to life and she was staying as far away from him as possible. Although to be fair she had yet to know just how unwell he was. But then one afternoon...
"He turned away the gruel again Katie." Niffty said walking into a kitchen with a tray of food that had been untouched.
"Food not up to his majesty's standards?" Katie spat.
"You know that's not true." Niffty said in defense of her good master. "It's because his poor heart is still sick."
"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked having overheard the conversation as she was scrubbing the floors.
"Oh Apple Cheek it is just dreadful." Niffty said. "The young master has become very ill. He's dying for love of that mysterious lady. He won't eat and he's becoming weaker with each passing day. We're beginning to fear the worst."
A knife of guilt plunged itself deep into Charlotte's heart at hearing those words. Was Alastor really missing her to such a degree? Missing her so much that he had decided to stop living? She did not mean to cause him such pain.
"We've never seen him like this." Niffty continued. "He's so weak now and he won't leave his bedroom nor will he let anyone in."
"How long has he been like that?" Charlotte asked.
"Ever since he came back from an unsuccessful search for his lady love. Oh how devastated he was that evening. If I didn't know any better I'd swear that he was dying of a broken heart."
The knife of guilt was just twisted deeper. So deep that it tore right through her heart and into her very soul.
"Can nothing be done for him?"
"All we can do is try to get him to eat." Niffty then turned to Katie. "Katie, Husk has ordered you to try to prepare another meal for him."
"I'm getting really sick of cooking for that ungrateful man only to have him toss it aside." Katie complained. "If you ask me, good riddance if he starves himself to death."
"Shame on you!" Niffty snapped. "You are the one who is truly ungrateful."
"That's right." Husk agreed upon entering the kitchen. "When you came here asking for work, Alastor knew that you were just a good for nothing harlot but he hired you anyway. In my opinion he should have just turned you away."
"Well pardon me for not expressing eternal gratitude to the oh so great master of the house." Katie scoffed. "I just find it irritating that he's all high and mighty when in truth he's no different from the rest of us. He's not so great."
"He's better than you'll ever be." Charlotte spoke up.
Charlotte surprised by her sudden burst of courage. She knew better than to address the cook that way but she just couldn't stop herself. She would not allow one bad word to be said about Alastor. But her courage was slightly diminished when the cook stared at her in an especially vicious way.
"Excuse me but were you talking to me?" She snarled.
"Ye...Yes. I was." Charlotte replied, determined to defend her love no matter how scared she became. "You...You have no right to speak of him that way and furthermore he's no where near the same as you. You're cruel and vindictive. He's gentle and kind and you don't deserve to breathe the same air as him."
"You insolent wench!"
Katie drew back with the intention of striking Charlotte only for her arm to be grabbed by the tight grip of Husk.
"That kind of treatment will not be tolerated in the this house hold." Husk said. "Katie my master can look the other way in terms of insult and gossip but not in abuse. Which is why I do believe he would not object to me dismissing you over this."
"You wouldn't dare dismiss me." Katie bluffed. "If you did that then who else would provide food for your precious master?"
"I would." Charlotte volunteered. "That is...If you would let me Husk."
"You can cook?" Husk asked.
"I am no gourmet but what I can cook will be suitable. I can prepare his meals until you find another cook."
Husk was quite skeptic but he figured that there was no harm in giving her a chance. Also he would have the perfect excuse to finally rid this house of the insufferable woman known as Katie.
"Very well." He told Charlotte. "You can try to cook his dinner for this evening. Nothing much, just make something like soup or stew."
"Yes sir. I will do my best."
He turned to Katie.
"You're dismissed. Now get off this property before I sick the hounds on you."
The mean cook protested but eventually she was forced off the property and never allowed to set foot on it again.