'

For the entirety of that day, Rey was jumpy, certain that she would suddenly encounter Lord Ren and he would somehow know what her sleeping mind had conjured up. It didn't bear thinking about, and yet she couldn't seem to stop. It was galling, and she kept blushing every time her thoughts turned that way.

While she finished the rest of the dining room, she once more wedged the door shut, her gaze constantly drifting to it, nervous that any moment Lord Ren would demand entrance.

Consequently she took twice as long about her tasks, which of course vexed her and it was like a continuous loop of irritation and humiliation which left her utterly bewildered.

"Rey, are you quite well?" Dopheld asked gently as she fiddled with her lunch, too distracted to be hungry.

Even his soft inquiry made her flinch a little and again she felt anger flare in answer. Taking a calming breath, she nodded, "Just a little out of sorts, Dopheld, nothing to be concerned over, but thank you."

He nodded but she could see he didn't believe her, with a small sigh, she stood, "I may just get a little fresh air, please excuse me." She left before he could answer her, her lunch forgotten on the table.

The sunlight was weak, filtering through low grey clouds as Rey took the path she had the first time she'd ventured out.

The wind was sharp but welcome, cooling her cheeks and soothing the irritation that had been simmering in her veins all day.

She was being ridiculous, these sorts of things must happen to people all the time and she'd never come across anyone who behaved so foolishly as herself.

Ullswater was mirror-like today, almost bewitching in the lure to stand and gaze upon its surface for eternity. It made her wonder what she would see if she did, and some pathetic little voice in the back of her mind suggested she would see Lord Ren. She clenched her jaw and resolved not to look too closely as her imagination was clearly intent on misbehaving. Another small part of her mind whispered that it was these sorts of wicked thoughts that meant she was missing church, that all it had taken was some dark eyes and warm arms to threaten her soul… shaking her head at herself, she walked a little farther away from the house.

Later she would ask Dopheld about another church perhaps, she had no desire to go to the one that had slandered Lady Solo and her family, even Lord Ren, despite his strange behavior and rude manners, did not deserve the rumours that surrounded him.

Was that why he was so angry all the time? And the reason the idea of a stranger coming into his home had displeased him so greatly? Rey frowned as she thought, gazing into the distance without really seeing anything; it may be that those played into his conduct, but from Dopheld's perpetually jumpy and nervous demeanor, Rey's arrival had only exacerbated Lord Ren's poor manners.

With a slight shiver, she remembered that she had work to do and standing outside staring fixedly at a lake, no matter how beautiful, would not help her in any way.

It had a least calmed the turmoil inside her though, which was a blessing and she returned to the house feeling much more herself.

'

For now, she devoted herself to cleaning and organising below stairs, just to give her a little break from the worry of seeing Lord Ren, but also as it really did need doing. Men did their best, but there were some things they were blind to and in her experience even the most well meaning of them never did things thoroughly.

Dopheld seemed happy to have more company and she felt able to make some suggestions on food preparation and recipes.

One of her best discoveries was that Varykino had a herb garden. It was a little overgrown and neglected but that meant she was able to cut bundles of herbs and hang them in the kitchen to dry. The scents of rosemary, thyme, mint and sage were comforting and would be useful for widening the depth of flavour in their meals, and she had high hopes for the rest of the herbs once Poe had tended to them and warmer weather arrived to give them a new lease of life.

'

One afternoon, she was once again alone in the kitchen and decided that now would be a good time to make Victoria Sandwiches. The recipe didn't take long to mix together and while they were baking she would still be able to work.

So far, she had finished the scullery, pantry and hall, there was just the laundry room and kitchen to go as she would be leaving Mr Hux's small office alone.

Soon the rich buttery smell of sponge cake was filling the kitchen. Rey was on her knees, scrubbing the floor around the sinks when a throat cleared behind her and she looked up to see Mr Hux.

"Are you perchance baking more of your biscuits?" he asked hopefully.

"Not biscuits, but cake, sir. Shall I bring you a piece when it has cooled?"

Mr Hux's smile was subtle, she had learned, but it was genuine, just the faintest curve to his lips but you could tell as his eyes warmed. Despite him being rather formal, she liked him, and he was a fair man to work under.

"You spoil us, Rey. That would be delightful."

A flush of pleasure made her cheeks pink and she ducked her head in answer, unsure how to reply.

It had been the right decision, to stay at Varykino.

'

"This," announced Poe happily, not seeming to care that his mouth was full, "May be the most wonderful thing I have ever eaten."

Rey blushed and shrugged, "Miss Tico's conserve greatly improved it," she said quite honestly, she had only used it sparingly so there would be enough for another cake, perhaps two more if she were careful.

Dopheld opened his eyes, which had closed as he savoured his first bite, "It' is perfection, Rey, perfection."

"Where is Hux? He was supposed to…"

Rey froze where she sat, the hair on the back of her neck prickling as she watched Poe and Dopheld's faces pale.

"What are you all eating?" Lord Ren's tone changed from brusque and irritated to distractedly curious.

Poe swallowed thickly and he stood, Rey followed suit though didn't turn around and Dophled almost knocked his chair over as he did the same.

"We were just having a cup of tea," Poe offered nervously, brushing crumbs from his trousers "I think Mr Hux is in his office, if you'd like to return upstairs I will go and fetch him for you, my Ren."

Rey could feel colour travelling up her chest and neck, soaking into her face and finally her ears. It was his voice. She had to refrain from childishly shoving her fingers in her ears as she tried to think of anything but her dream. It was ridiculous that just his voice could disturb her composure so thoroughly. It's only because you weren't expecting him, she thought, but when did she ever expect him? The man seemed to have a habit of appearing from nowhere - despite his size he was somehow able to stalk as stealthily as a cat. It was unnerving.

"I'll be in the library."

His voice had gone lower and she could almost feel it inside her, though how that was possible she didn't know.

When Dopheld sagged back into his seat, she knew Lord Ren must have left and followed copied him while Poe left to alert Mr Hux.

"He never comes down here," Dopheld muttered before downing the remaining tea in his cup and shakily pouring himself another, "Never."

After a sip from her own cup to wet her dry lips, she answered, "Well, he did today. I hope it doesn't set a precedent."

"I reckon he smelled the cake," Poe said as he returned to the kitchen, ignoring Rey and Dopheld as they both jumped and glared at him, "I could smell it in the hall so he must be able to…" he trailed off and suddenly looked uncomfortable, though Rey couldn't for the life of her understand why.

'

They had all returned to work when Mr Hux came back downstairs and rather apologetically requested a piece of cake to take up with Lord Ren's tea.

Although the conserve had been a gift to Rey personally, the other ingredients were from the kitchen and pantry so she couldn't very well refuse, she did however cut him a small slice.

'

Rather sadly, the trip to Aira Force had to be cancelled due to heavy rain, April had arrived in full force and it would be beyond foolish to venture out unless strictly necessary. Despite that, Poe was dispatched to the butcher anyway, it appeared nothing stood in the way of Lord Ren having meat for his dinner.

When she wondered aloud if it were normal for the rich to eat so much red meat, Dopheld had shrugged nervously and suggested Lord Ren needed to keep his strength up, before looking guilty and hurrying away.

His strength up for what? He was already a large man, was that because of his rich diet or why he needed it? Rey wondered why a member of the upper class needed to be so strongly built when they didn't need to be, it was curious and strange, but then so was Lord Ren.

'

Once below stairs was up to her standards, Rey reluctantly returned upstairs. By now, the memories of that dream had become less of a distraction, but had not disappeared completely.

At least now she would not be in his way, for now it was time for her to tackle the rooms that had been closed up, the drawing room, morning room and parlour. Admittedly these rooms were unlikely to be used as Lord Ren didn't seem to have visitors, but a good clean would not hurt anything and Rey wanted them to be ready just in case Lady Solo or Lord Skywalker decided to come and stay.

Soon she would need to put on a brave face and tend to the foyer and entrance hall, but for now she left them as they were as they weren't in a truly bad condition.

'

While part of her missed Dopheld's company, she enjoyed the alone time, humming to herself as she turned the silent, dust shrouded, tomb-like rooms into spaces to live in again.

The drawing room came first and took much longer than previous rooms. It was a large space and had a lot more furniture, ornaments and paintings, than the rooms currently used by Lord Ren.

Each time Rey removed a dust sheet she discovered something new and beautiful, but the best thing, the thing that made her gasp in awe, was an intricately decorated pianoforte. It was stained almost black and inlaid with satinwood, ebony, tortoiseshell and mother of pearl in flowing, sinuous foliage and flowers and she knew after a good polish that it would be even more beautiful. It was almost a crime that it had been covered over and just forgotten.

Of course she knew little about pianos, but anyone would be able to judge it a masterpiece just by looking at it. Although she knew Lord Ren disapproved of her employment and didn't want her here, she hoped Mr Hux would be allowed to have someone come and tune it, even if it wouldn't be played.

The drawing room was in a pleasing palette of soft blues, cream and gold and once she had drawn the curtains she found that it afforded the best view of Ullswater than the other rooms downstairs.

'

It was two weeks before she felt that it was presentable. She had had help from Mr Hux with cleaning the chandeliers and Poe and Dopheld had assisted with the beating of the rugs and curtains. Now, in her humble opinion, it looked fit for a queen, or at least fit for Lady Solo.

As she was gathering her things to leave, she turned and found Lord Ren in the centre of the room as his eyes took everything in.

His expression was strangely blank, as if he were far away lost in memory. She couldn't tell if he knew she was there, so as silently as she could, she tiptoed around the room towards the door.

"You have worked hard."

He wasn't lost then or she hadn't been as quiet as she had hoped but his voice was soft and distant.

Bobbing a curtsey, she murmured, "Thank you, Lord Ren."

Rey paused for a moment, but he said no more and she quickly made her exit. Something about it unsettled her, the quiet tone of his deep voice and his habitual expression of anger changed to stillness, almost melancholic.

While she didn't know his history, if he were unhappy, he had the means to change. How wealthy and landed gentry could be unhappy greatly perplexed her - they wanted for nothing, had never endured any hardship apart from the war and even then they were seldom on the front lines.

Just one sombre expression would not be enough to make her pity Lord Ren, he had cut himself off from his family and the world, if he were lonely it was by choice.

'

Finally the weather became drier and she and Poe were able to spend the afternoon with the Tico sisters. Rey felt a little guilty about leaving Dopheld behind, but with so few staff at Varykino it wasn't possible for them all to have time off together.

She promised herself to make sure her next outing would be with him, though she was fairly sure Rose's vivacity would overwhelm him.

For the first time in a long while, Rey was nervous about her attire. She had never had cause to wear anything other than uniform or the one dress she kept for church; that one was too formal for an outing such as this but the dress she had arrived at Varykino in, while clean and neatly mended, was obviously old.

It seemed unlikely that Rose and Paige would be concerned by Rey's dress if they were happy to be in her company, but it didn't help her feel less nervous.

'

If they noticed that it was a little too short or tight or that a rip had been patched with a slightly different coloured material, they kindly didn't draw attention to it and were as welcoming as they had been when they first met.

As the April skies had veritably drenched the land, the beck that fed the waterfall was vastly swollen and consequently the waterfall itself had been magnified, roaring like thunder as it rushed down the rocky ravine and crested over the rock edge to plummet down a sixty-six drop.

It was an awe-inspiring sight, one that made Rey feel slightly nervous as she gazed in wonder from the stone bridge that had been built over it's crest. She had never considered herself to be afraid of heights, yet here, while the view was exciting, it was dizzying too, and all that water, if one were to fall, even if they could swim, which she could not, she couldn't imagine any way they would survive such raw power.

When they had followed the steep path down the ravine to the base, the sound was indescribable, the very air was moist, as if the violence of the fall had made some of the water lose gravity, defying the natural order of things.

When she was sure none of her companions were looking, she briefly stuck out her tongue, tasting the air like a child, it cold and tasted a little sweet, but she didn't know if that was merely her imagination.

"It is not always this loud!" Rose almost yelled, battling with the rushing water to be heard.

Rey smiled and shrugged for reply, it was a truly novel experience, feeling the sounds as well as hearing them, tasting nature as well as seeing it. It made her feel connected, somehow, and she thought that returning to live in London after being here would be like a death sentence. In London she hadn't really been alive, the smog filled, colourless drudgery of life in the capital held no appeal now, it did not speak to her of home anymore.

Mercifully it stayed dry on their walk back up to Dockray, Paige and Poe were chatting amicably arm in arm as they walked and Rose had slipped hers through Rey's. It surprised her, the sudden familiarity, but it wasn't displeasing.

"I am so glad that Lord Ren hasn't scared you away from Varykino," Rose said casually as they walked, "He is such a stern, arrogant man."

It made Rey a little uncomfortable, to talk about Lord Ren like this, out in the open and with someone who wasn't employed by him. "The other staff are very amiable," she replied in an effort to be diplomatic.

Rose chuckled, "Poe certainly is, we seldom see Mr. Mitaka, and Mr Hux is quite nice but a little stiff in his manner."
"I think Mr Mitaka is rather shy," Rey confided, "So he often gets left behind and stays in the house. He is very sweet when you get to know him."

With a sly look, Rose raised an eyebrow, "Are you by any chance sweet on him?"

Rey gaped at her new friend in shook as her cheeks pinked, then firmly shook her head, "No, no, he is just a good friend. I do not have time or the inclination for romance."

"Not even for Poe? He speaks of you every time we see him now," Rose pressed.

With a small frown, Rey shook her head again, "I do not think he sees me that way, he just likes sweet treats and someone else lightening the burden of work."

"Hmm," Rose hummed a considering noise, then her expression turned conspiratorial, "I think Mr Hux cares for my sister, he lingers when he is served by her at the shop and if he sees her outside it he always waves or stops to ask how she is."

Knowing very little of courtship, Rey simply made a polite sound. Talking, gossiping, about Mr Hux, who was a very respectable man and her superior felt rather wrong.

"What is Lord Ren like?" Rose asked, not seeming to have noted Rey's reticence.

"I see him very little," Rey answered honestly, "And I have little comparison to tell if all of the peerage are of similar disposition or not… Lady Solo and Lord Skywalker were very kind people and I am deeply grateful to them."

Rose nodded, "It's been a long time since either of them stayed here, but they are remembered with fondness," her eyes narrowed, "Well, by those with good sense and decency, anyway."

They left the matter there, going on to more cheerful subjects and Rey relaxed a little.

'

By the time she and Poe arrived home, Rey was shivering, her clothes and hair damp from the mist of the waterfall and her blood chilled by the wind and lack of real sunshine.

Dopheld insisted she sat by the fire with a cup of tea. It made her smile, he really was sweet and she again made a mental note to bring him on an outing, even if it were just the two of them.

'


A/N: Updates are slow as I needed to finish my other fic, From One Spark To The Horizon Wide, before TROS came out, I will be continuing this, have no fear ^_^