Eric held tightly to Carlotta's hand as the two of them and Grimsby neared the manor house. It had only been a short carriage ride, but long enough for worry to build up inside Eric and bring him close to tears. He knew nothing about this Earl, other than the fact that he always attended the balls at the palace, and spoke often to his Eric's father. But he had never spoken to Eric directly; in fact, Eric didn't even know his name. He switched his gaze to Grimsby who sat opposite him, his eyes wide, silently pleading for some sort of guidance. A moment passed before Grimsby noticed the look Eric was giving him.
"What's wrong Eric" he asked?
"I don't know what to do" admitted Eric, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.
"Well," began Grimsby, "normal rules apply. Any man you meet you should address as 'Sir', and any woman as 'Ma'am'. Speak only when your spoken to, and obey the rules of the house, you'll be told them when we get in." Eric nodded, although he was still unsure about all of this. The idea of staying somewhere that wasn't his own home frightened him. In the palace he knew where everything was, he knew where to find Grimsby and Carlotta and he knew the rooms to stay out of. Here everything was different. He knew none of that, and had no idea on the layout of the house. What if he got lost? He grabbed Carlotta's arm, and turned towards her with frightened eyes.
"Please can you stay with me" he begged?
"Of course I will darling" replied Carlotta, putting her arm around Eric and giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.
The manor house was huge! Not quite as big as the palace, but with a lot more rooms. Iron gates creaked open, before shutting slowly behind the carriage. The feeling was one of imprisonment, as if those gates were the only way in or out. The driveway which they drove along was shaded from the sun by a thick blanket of bare branches, changing the whole atmosphere, and making the air seem colder. Eric cuddled up closer to Carlotta, her body being the only thing providing him with warmth.
When the house itself came into view, by some astounding coincidence, lightning forked across the darkening sky, illuminating the bleak landscape for a second before everything was once again shrouded in darkness. Even at such a young age Eric wasn't afraid of storms, he never had been; but there was something about this one, perhaps combined with the current situation and the recent death of his mother that drove him to tears straight away. Grimsby sighed as Carlotta lifted Eric onto her lap and began uttering calming words in his ear. The advisor could honestly say he felt sorry for Eric. He had been put through so much already, and things showed no sign of getting easier for the young Prince. He had been emotionally drained these past few months, and considering he was only four years old he had coped with it remarkably well. He complained very little and was always well behaved no matter his surroundings or situation.
Another bolt of lightning followed by a ground shaking rumble of thunder interrupted Grimsby from his thoughts and drew a soft sob from Eric's lips. The three of them hardly noticed as the carriage pulled to a stop. The door was opened by an older looking gentleman, who held out a hand to Carlotta. The maid set Eric down, and took it politely, stepping out into the brewing storm.
"Best get inside Ma'am, looks like bad weather" said a younger man, passing her with two of the three trunks. Carlotta turned around and lifted Eric down from the carriage; holding his hand, they two of them and Grimsby followed the butler onto the porch and towards the front doors. She honestly had no idea what to expect, the Earl attended the balls yes, but being only a house maid, Carlotta had never spoken to him, or even seen him for that matter. She prayed that he was kind, perhaps even the exact opposite of David; heavens, that was the last thing Eric needed. Another sudden rumble of thunder, and Eric clutched Carlotta's hand even tighter and let out a quiet whimper.
"Sshhh, don't be scared darling," whispered Carlotta, "it can't-"
"Grimsby!" The maid was interrupted suddenly by a booming voice. Both she and Eric looked up to see what could only be the Earl stood in front of them.
"Wonderful to see you again old friend" he continued, shaking Grimsby firmly by the hand.
"Likewise," replied Grimsby, "and thank you, I don't know what we would've done if-"
"Oh think nothing of it" said the Earl, once again interrupting. He took a step towards Carlotta, whose face was masked with a look of sheer confusion. A deep chuckle rose from his chest, and he held put in hand in greeting. It took Carlotta a second to register the gesture, but quickly took his hand.
"Very pleased to meet you" she said, bobbing a quick curtsey.
"And you" replied the Earl shortly, turning his attention to Eric. "And this must be Eric" he said, crouching down to Eric's level and extending his hand for a third time. The young Prince shook it politely although his hand was practically engulfed by the Earl's fist.
"It's nice be finally meet you Eric," he said. "You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you." Eric could hardly find the words that were trapped at the back of his throat.
"Nice to meet you too Sir" he said, his voice shaking almost as much as he was. This drew another hearty laugh from the Earl.
"Call me Tony" he said. Eric nodded, not wanting his voice betraying him again. Tony once again began talking to Grimsby, giving Eric the chance to take in the Earl's appearance. He was a portly man, whose thinning black hair was combed back and switched the focus to his long bristly beard. Despite his large build, his robes hung off of him, making him appear even larger. He was, in all, a jolly man, his green eyes glowing with fun and mischief, and seemed nice enough so far from what Eric could tell. He looked quite a bit older than Eric's own father, but acted of someone so much younger.
"Sir," came a monotonous voice? Tony, Grimsby, Carlotta and Eric all turned around to see the butler stood at the bottom of the stairs. "The bedrooms are ready."
"Excellent," boomed the Earl, "show them up!" The butler gave a low bow and began walking back up the stairs. "I'll see you all at diner" continued Tony, leaving them in the care of the old butler.
"This way" he said, leading the three of them down a long corridor lined with paintings and low burning candles. About half way down the corridor the butler stopped and opened the door to his right.
"Ma'am" he said.
"Thank you" said Carlotta, looking into the room in which she would be sleeping. It was small, but slightly larger than her room in the palace had been. There was a single bed in one corner, with simple white sheets and wooden furniture against the four walls.
Grimsby was shown his room next which was much the same except for the addition of an ensuite bathroom. Eric's room however, was right at the end of the corridor. When in actual fact it was no more than fifteen meters away, to Eric it felt miles and as soon as the butler left he broke down in tears.
"Oh, Eric darling, sshhh" cooed Carlotta, kneeling down and brushing away the newly fallen tears.
"I w-want to b-be n-near you" he sobbed.
"I know darling, but it's not that far away. You can see our rooms from here" she said, noticing as Eric's breathing became shallow and his eyes panicked. But Eric just shook his head.
"I w-want y-y-you" he cried hysterically!
"Okay, darling just calm down," said Carlotta, pulling Eric's shaking body into her arms. "It's okay… it's alright." While Carlotta tried to calm Eric down, there came a faint knock at the door. Grimsby turned around to see a young lady with long, honey coloured hair standing there. Her hazel eyes shone in the same manner as the Earl's, but she looked at lot younger.
"Is everything alright" she asked sweetly?
"Um… I think it's under control, thank you" replied Grimsby, looking towards Carlotta, who was knelt on the floor with Eric sobbing uncontrollably in her arms.
"Oh the poor thing," said the woman, "this must all be quite frightening for him."
"Yes, I imagine it must be," replied Grimsby, studying the woman with curiosity, for she looked to well-dressed to be a maid, but far too young to be the Earl's wife Lady Victoria. "Forgive me if I seem rude but, who are you exactly?" The woman didn't seem at all offended and smiled brightly.
"I'm Catherine," she said, "I believe you've already met my father."
"You're the Earl's daughter?" Catherine nodded, looking past Grimsby to Carlotta who was standing just behind him with Eric in her arms.
"Is he alright" she asked? Carlotta seemed a little startled at the question at first, but soon realised that Catherine was genuinely concerned about Eric.
"He'll be fine," she replied, "it's just been a tough couple of months."
"Of course, my father's told me all about it, he's a very brave little boy," said Catherine, "you must be very proud of him."
"Yes, said Carlotta, smiling as she held Eric, "yes I am."