(Please read Author's note at the end! Happy reading!)

I stormed back through the tunnel to the exit closest to my room. As rude as Sebastian was, he had a point. Having girls dressed the way I currently was running around an Earl's estate is not the best thing, especially in this day and age. Although, I would have loved to ruin his reputation by walking out of the door instead of the passageway, making people thinking he was a perv of a man. Hehehe. That would have been hilarious.

When I got back to my room the sun was still shining, although it looked as though sunset would be within the hour. There seemed to be a lot of noise going on outside, and I knew exactly what was going on. To confirm my suspicion, I took a look outside and saw that the servants were almost finished with making the ruined garden into a stone garden. It looked pretty good, even though they didn't have Sebastian helping them with the finished result.

Just out of the tree line, a carriage was coming towards the mansion. I scowled at it, knowing that the man inside it was as slippery as the mud it glided through as it turned onto the driveway. But I know that Sebastian and Ciel are well informed of this fact, and were only putting on this show as a way to make the fool think he'd get what he came for.

And he would get his "just desserts".

I started giggling as I thought that. I muffled my laughter with my sleeve and started towards the door again. Judging by the way I could no longer see the carriage, I assumed it had pulled up around the front and that the Italian man was already on his way to see Ciel. This meant I had about a half-hour to nip down the kitchen to try and scrounge up some food. Hopefully something other than raw meat.

I was about halfway down the hall when I realized I was still dressed severely inappropriately, and if the guest were to come out and see me like this... That would speed up the episode a bit. I quickly raced back to my room and put on the pants I'd stashed away in my dress bag. That should be decent enough. Worst comes to worst, I can probably act like a thief. That should work, right?

Granted, they were a bit too tight for this era, but whatever.

Using the mental map of the library in my head, it was easy to run down the right passages to find the kitchen. Bard was still slicing away at the raw meat, cutting it into the little strips that would make up the "traditional Japanese" dinner.

He wasn't paying attention to me, so I snuck up beside him and waited until he was completely focused, and snagged a couple of bigger pieces that hadn't been sliced down to chopstick size. I walked towards the old stove before realizing I had no idea how to use it. Taking a quick look, I realized that the oven was the main source of heat for the appliance. I found a knob above the oven door and experimentally turned it, and suddenly the oven was practically on fire. I turned it down so the fire was just barely burning, so I could ramp it back up once I'd found everything else I would need to make dinner.

I looked back into the scullery to make sure that Bard was still focused on putting together the weird raw meat bowl, so I wouldn't have to watch my back while I snuck into the large cupboard that seemed to be the pantry. I found a sack of potatoes, and after snooping some more, I finally came across some lemongrass and garlic powder, as well as some salt and pepper.

Bard's voice piped up. "It's all sliced and layered. Ready for me to start filling up the platters with it?"

Sebastian's voice followed. "Yes, that will be fine. Don't forget the silverware, glasses, plates and napkins. I've already set aside what needs to be done with dessert, so just leave that for me. I will oversee the final details during the meal this evening."

I heard a quick, "Yes, Sir!" before hearing footsteps race around the room, then out of it.

Once I heard footsteps receding I deemed it safe to go and snag a skillet. (Because why would they have all the pots and pans with the stove in the kitchen, when they could have it with all the prep things in the scullery?) I stepped out just enough to see into the scullery when my view was interrupted by a black shadow.

Busted. I slowly looked up at his face and grin sheepishly. "Hey Sebastian, how's it going?"

His face shifts from mild anger to somewhere between annoyance and acceptance. "Miss Myra, if you're going to sneak around, do try to wear something a little more appropriate. People may think we are letting the circus come to join our household. Honestly, a woman in trousers..." I glared at him, holding back my argument of why I can wear pants because ugh, not my century, not my rules. Sadly.

"Now, what exactly were you hoping to accomplish down here?" He stared at the little jars in my hand and I noticed just the hint of a crease appear in between his eyebrows. Had I actually managed to confuse him?

I shrugged and answered honestly, "I was going to make dinner for myself. I figured I could take a piece or two of the leftover raw meat and cook it up with these, and maybe try to find some potatoes to go with it. You and the others are busy trying to impress the Italian, so I was trying to make things easier on you I guess."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I said that I would bring you something either before or after we set up the dinner with Mr. Damiano. As you hadn't called for any of the servants, I figured you would want the dinner after the Young Master's had already been served. Seems instead that you have decided to take matters into your own hands." He once again looked down into my hands. "That is a very basic amount of spices. Why don't you let me prepare something for you instead?"

I glared at him. "Just because I can't make anything as extravagant as what you makes for Ciel doesn't mean I can't cook for myself," I huffed, walking around him and into the room.

Hearing him follow me, I huff in frustration. "I hope you aren't planning on chasing me out of the kitchen, cause I'm not leaving." I turned around and stared him down. "No doubt whatever you would make would be something far too weird for me to even consider. Hell, Bardroy burned the beef so your first idea was a Donburi Bowl? I'd rather have a go at things myself."

I walked over to where the pots and pans were and pulled out a pretty regular sized pan. Perfect for roasting potatoes and meat. I turned around and saw Sebastian staring at me curiously. "And here I'd come to understand that women prefer to have things be done for them. You, however, are almost the complete opposite of what most women are, both in mannerism and the vernacular."

I glared at him and stalked over to the prep table. "Are there any clean cutting boards or knives, or do I need to wash any before I start prepping all of this?"

"There are knives in the drawer to your left and I shall retrieve the cutting board. After that, I must continue to see that tonight's plans go smoothly." He opened a cabinet that I hadn't seen and pulled out some china, and from a lower cabinet, he produced the cutting board.

He placed it all next to me and made sure I had all I needed before he finally left the kitchen. As I was washing the potatoes, he stuck his head back into the doorway.

"And please, do try not to burn the kitchen down. It would be a shame to have to change the evening's plans after altering them once already." And with that, the bastard finally left.

Irritated, I shouted after him: "I KNOW HOW TO COOK DAMMIT!"

And so ends chapter 7. Sorry this took so long, and it's probably not what most of you expected. What I was trying to showcase in this chapter was exactly how different the time period is. He assumes that since she's a woman in a rich guys house, she wants to be pampered a bit. Also, because she is a woman, she should have a certain way of speaking. Myra's ability to fend for herself will be referenced throughout the book, so that needed to be in here as well. Sorry for those who didn't like it, but I promise the next chapter will actually advance the plot!