A Salty Disposition
The dust motes danced lazily in the pink, pre-dawn light that filtered gently into the servant's hall. The others were bustling about and chatting animatedly with one another as they began to immerse themselves into the familiarity of their morning routines. Silverware clanked gently as the hum of conversation filled the room with a white noise, enveloping the hall in the warmth of quaint simplicity.
Malene moved automatically and a little sloppily, as her mind struggled to stay focused on what she was doing. She couldn't seem to rid herself of the animalistic rage and blind fury she played witness to the night before. His partly bared chest, heaving raggedly with every breath, body slumped forward, and muscles coiled tightly like a cobra, sweat cascading down his brow, his hair matted to his moistened forehead, and his eyes dark, dilated, and wild.
Hans had reminded Malene of a starving wolf: rabid, unpredictable, and unhinged. The image sent a chill down her spine causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise.
It took Malene a moment to realize someone had been attempting to get her attention and she rubbed her tired face, forcing herself to focus.
"Huh? What?" She slurred awkwardly as a face slowly came into focus.
Mathilde's usually stern, haute expression had melted to allow mild worry to show through. Once Malene's eyes locked onto hers, the worry made way to annoyance, and she went back to sipping her tea.
"I was asking how your first day as Valet went. Honestly, Malene. Please get your head out of the clouds." Though Mathilde's voice was sharp and chiding, the mirth and warmth in her eyes betrayed her tone. Malene at least had the decency to feel a little sheepish.
"Sorry."
Edith chuckled warmly, and fluttered Malene's napkin in her direction, "By the way Malene, did you realize you have honey halfway to your elbow?"
"What?"
A quick glance told Malene that, much like a poorly designed clock, while she had been moving, she hadn't really been functional. She had overloaded her scone causing the honey to pour down her hand and travel down her arm.
She sighed heavily, taking the offered napkin from Edith, and set to work cleaning up most of the sticky residue before looking over her scone and contemplating whether it was worth it to eat so much honey in one sitting.
After relenting, due to the amount of waste, Malene gently nibbled on her scone receiving disapproving stares from a few attendees.
"By the way, what happened to your cheek?" Edith asked curiously, finishing her pottage.
Malene automatically reached up to touch the newly healing wound there. She rubbed her fingers gently across it as the events of last night once again played across her mind like the nightmares that had plagued her during the night.
"Malene?" Edith probed concernedly, the long pause getting Mathilde's attention as well.
Malene forced herself to lower her hand and returned her attention to her scone. "Nothing. Just an accident while working."
The increasingly familiar sight of Hans' door made her stomach tighten nervously. She shifted the breakfast tray onto one hand in order to smooth down any wrinkles that may have tried to set in her new uniform. The crisp, black wool felt much higher quality than her old uniform and the delicate lace on her apron not only helped to denote her status in the servant hierarchy but made her feel a little like a princess herself. A small smile graced her lips at the thought.
She breathed in deeply before rapping gently on the door. "Your highness?"
No answer.
Malene tried the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. A quick glance around the room told her Hans had been gone for quite some time, though if she had not known better, she would've assumed he had been kidnapped and the room ransacked.
His fit of rage must have ended shortly after Malene's interruption as the room looked quite similar to her last sight of it, though his bedding seemed to have righted itself as the mattress had been returned to the bedframe and his usual cocoon of blankets had been sprawled carelessly across the bed and floor.
She sighed. She could already feel the ache her muscles would be feeling tomorrow morning. She placed the tray on the desk, opened the curtains to allow in the light, removed her pristine white gloves, and set to work.
With the bookcase now righted back in its place by a few valets that begrudgingly assisted before rushing off to complete their own tasks, Malene moved books, clothes, and other such things away from the ink stain that had splattered the door and dripped onto the hardwood flooring. She checked each item in turn to be sure it hadn't been stained and separated them from the items that had been.
She carefully picked up the shards of shattered glass before soaking the floor with hydrogen peroxide, placing a clean cloth on top, and allowing it to sit as she worked on the stains on the wall with small bits of bread, cloth, and clean water. The smaller splatters were easy enough to remove, but the bigger stains put up a fight and took more time. Once done with the walls, she turned her attention back to the floor stain. The cloth had removed most of the stain and hard work cleaned up the rest.
She sighed as she turned her attention to the rest of the disaster. Books were placed back on the shelf, though the broken one had been placed on top of the desk for now so she could address it afterwards. Its cracked spine, severed cover, and loose pages were a fine representation of its owner.
The clothes were gathered in front of the wardrobe, folded, then as best as she could, placed back into categories. She eventually came across the clothes Hans had been wearing the previous night. The shirt was still missing several buttons, though some held on barely by their strings. The shirt had a deep red stain on the front and with a quick sniff, Malene had determined it was not blood, rather wine. She placed it, along with the rest of the outfit, with the book on the desk.
With the floor finally cleared off, Malene was able to address the bedding, which lifted her mood considerably, as making beds was something she had grown to love doing. It always seemed to make the room feel complete.
She tossed out the old ash in the fireplace, being careful to make sure she didn't track ash anywhere, cleaned the accessories, wiped down the mantel, swept the room, and scrubbed the floor on her hands and knees with a stiff-bristled brush and a bar of soap before finally finishing.
The fresh air that flowed into the room from the open windows put Malene completely at ease. She stood there a moment and breathed in deeply, enjoying the quiet calm. The energy from a clean room was something that she always found enjoyable about her work.
After a moment, she made her way to the attached bathroom and spent significantly less time cleaning as she wiped everything down with a mixture of lemon juice and white vinegar.
She made her way back to the room and over to the desk, frowning slightly at the state of the book as she picked it up along with the separated cover which read: The Man of Feeling by Henry MacKenzie.
Malene wiped a bead of sweat from her brow with her handkerchief and returned it to her pocket. Her back was already sore from all the extra intensive cleaning that she had to do; she stretched a bit.
"You're still here."
The voice was quiet and flat, but despite being startled by it, Malene could hear notes of mild surprise in his voice.
"I was just leaving, your highness." She replied curtly as the unmistakable stench of sweat and manure accosted her nostrils. She suppressed the urge to wrinkle her nose and instead assumed, what she hoped was a dignified air, and added, "Shall I draw your bath, Your Highness?"
"Yes." Hans responded simply as he set to work removing his work clothes.
Malene could feel her face grow hot as she moved past him and into the bathroom. She began filling the tub and briefly scanned the various bottles, jars, and bars of soaps, perfumes, and other additives, before settling on Borox and leaving well-enough alone.
Hans emerged behind her just as she turned the water off. Malene felt her face heat up again as she ignored his presence and moved to the basin to strop his straight razor on the leather strap, learning from her past mistakes. She had seen her father and brothers do it countless times. How hard could it be?
She held the razor in her hand for a moment as the sounds of Hans entering the bath echoed the room. Just finish this and you can leave, she thought to herself. She picked up the leather strip fastened to the wall and carefully began dragging the razor the length of the strap but had no sooner shifted the blade, before slicing a wide ridge in the strap.
"Oops."
At that exact moment, Hans doused his head with the pitcher to rinse the soap from it. Malene was grateful that he had missed her lack of judgement. Though progress was slow, and she had managed to nick the strap a few more times, she finished sharpening the blade and just prayed Hans wouldn't tear her to shreds when he finally saw what she had done to the strap.
"Do you need anything else, your highness?" Malene asked, risking a glance in his direction. Hans stared dejectedly into the filmy water.
"No, you may go."
Malene managed a quick curtsey before she made her way back to the room and over to the desk, picking up the damaged book, the clothes for mending, and the long-since cold breakfast tray, and headed for the door.
She stopped briefly by the laundry room, dropping off the clothes with an apologetic smile at the laundry maids before continuing to her room to drop off the book.
Down in the kitchens, the smell of salmon croquettes and sweetbreads a la creme made Malene's mouth water. She inhaled deeply, appreciating the savory scents surrounding her.
Mr. Wiggins looked up upon hearing her enter. "Miss Mogensen, perfect timing. A word if I may?"
Malene nodded and followed Mr. Wiggins back into the hall. His tired eyes and the dark circles under them held the telltale signs of a restless night and his usual pleasant smile had been replaced with a thin, solemn line. After ensuring they were alone, Mr. Wiggins spoke.
"I realize, Miss Mogensen, that I have not fully explained your new situation as valet to you, let alone all its intricacies. Under normal circumstances, the person taking over as valet would already have some knowledge of a gentleman's needs, and he would be a gentleman himself, therefore being intimate with necessities and tasks for the day to day. As a result, I place the fault of last night's fiasco strictly on my shoulders."
Malene opened her mouth to deny his statement, but Mr. Wiggins held up his hand to silence her.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time in my life I find myself at such a grievous fault, so allow me to apologize on the matter."
Malene simply nodded her head, unsure what to say.
"Furthermore, as there is simply no one available to show you how to do things, I have made a list of your duties for you, along with a list of books I believe you will find useful." Mr. Wiggins held out an envelope and Malene took it from him, fumbling for a moment to open it and unfold the letter detailing her new duties. She skimmed through it for a moment, her brows knitting together in slight overwhelm, but she chose to say nothing on the matter and put the letter away.
"Finally, her majesty, the queen mother, seems to believe Prince Hans may require additional supervision and seeing as you are his valet, that duty will fall to you."
"Supervision?" Malene inquired, obvious confusion coating her words.
Mr. Wiggins did not elaborate, but simply added, "just keep an eye on him."
Malene opened Prince Hans' door holding the midday meal in her hands. She was taken off guard a little to see him sitting at his desk instead of petulantly burrowed in his blankets as he had taken to doing the last couple of days. She carefully approached, not wanting to startle him as he was working on something and muttering quietly to himself. He didn't even glance at her as she placed his tray down. She peered over his shoulder to get a better look at what he was doing. A large, important-looking document as well as a new, opened ink well sat in front of him.
Malene could hear a few choice curses coming from Hans as he struggled to write. He grasped his writing hand tightly and hissed. It was only then that Malene noticed that his hand was crudely bandaged up. Did he hurt himself during his rampage yesterday?
"Are you okay, Sire?"
Hans turned to scowl at the valet, "It's none of your business."
Malene frowned slightly at his words, "At least allow me to re-bandage this properly." She moved to grab his hand, but he jerked it away from her.
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"
Malene couldn't help the anger rising in her. While she managed to keep her expression neutral, her tone betrayed her entirely. "Very well, your highness."
She walked into the bathroom to clean up the tub and pick up the used towels before heading back into the room to leave.
"Damnit!" Hans cursed loudly throwing the pen down on his desk, making it splatter ink on the parchment.
Malene made quick strides over to him to see what the matter was. Hans was clutching his hand, clearly in pain.
"Here, you write." He thrusted the pen into her hands, not giving her a chance to reply before getting out of his seat and gesturing for her to sit. Malene hesitantly did so, her stomach tightening into knots as a feeling of discomfort, dread, and slight embarrassment rose in her, making her feel slightly nauseous.
Hans began pacing around, gathering his thoughts and verbiage for this important document.
"The two high contracting parties agree that any favor, exemption, privilege or immunity whatever, in matters of commerce or navigation, which either of them has actually granted, or may hereafter grant, to the citizens or subjects of any other government, nation or state, shall extend, in identity of cases and circumstances, to the citizens of the other contracting party, gratuitously. If the concession in favor of that other government, nation, or state, shall have been Gratuitous; or, in return for an equivalent compensation, if the concession shall have been conditional."
Malene stared at Hans' in wide-eyed horror. Hans, noticing a distinct lack of scratching from the pen turned to look at Malene and approached the desk. He scowled as he noticed that nothing that he said was written down.
"The two high contracting par-" He began again more slowly this time, but was cut off by Malene glancing at him nervously, "What?"
"Sorry." She said quietly, immediately beginning to write, though much more slowly than Hans would have liked. He began the dictation over again, speaking a little more slowly and with a significant amount of annoyance.
After a moment, the quill came to a stop and Malene shifted uncomfortably, turning to look at Hans.
"H-how do you spell 'gratuitously'?"
"What do you mean 'how do you spell 'gratuitously'?" Hans asked, clearly exasperated, "Sound it out."
She turned back to the parchment and stared at it, chewing on the inside of her mouth, before bringing the quill back onto it. "G… R… A…"
"Oh, for the love of God!" Hans growled in irritation before making his way back towards the desk. "Can't you do anything without having your hand held every step of the way?" He instantly froze as he caught sight of the parchment.
"…You have got to be kidding me." He clenched his jaw and a tic jumped just under his eye as he attempted to constrain his urge to yell at her. "Are you a child? Look at this uneven chicken scratch! It looks terrible!"
Malene gripped the quill hard and glared angrily at the parchment in front of her, the quill hovering inches above.
"I am going to have to start over again with this document and it is all your fault! I can't believe my competent valet was changed to this moronic, un-educated, ridiculous philistine!" Hans ripped the quill from her hands, "-just- I'll do it."
Hans pulled the chair out roughly from the desk, making Malene get up. Her blood was boiling at this point.
"You're dismissed."
Without a response, Malene strode out of the room, making sure to drop off the towels to be washed, before heading directly to her room. She flopped on her bed roughly, grabbed her pillow, and screamed into it, making her throat mildly hoarse.
Later that afternoon, Malene and Hans were sat in the servants' dining room, piles of tarnished silverware sat in front of them. As was now part of Malene's ever growing tasks, she was required to assist Hans with the new chores he received. Her arms were still sore from shoveling out the ruins left behind from Hurricane Hans as she worked through her pile of silverware.
The occasional worker wandered in, eyeing them as they grabbed a quick lunch before hurrying off. Otherwise, they were left alone to their work.
Malene placed the fork she expertly polished into her steadily growing 'done' pile before picking up a spoon. She glanced over at Hans' pile and saw a much smaller 'done' pile which was crudely polished. She groaned internally as she continued working on her pile.
As she placed her final polished utensil down, her hands twitched and before she could think, she grabbed one of Hans' "finished" knifes to polish it. Hans swiftly grabbed her wrist, startling her and making her drop the knife which clattered on the table.
"Leave it." Hans hissed.
"O-of course, Your Highness…" Hans released her and continued to crudely polish his pile. Malene rubbed her wrist as she awkwardly sat back down waiting for him to finish. She placed her utensils carefully back into the velvet-lined box, then watched as Hans, less carefully, put his into the box.
King Caleb and Queen Evelyn took their seats at the end of the dining table. Queen Evelyn spoke quietly to her kids, straightening up the cravat of her oldest son and speaking to him softly. His younger brothers bickered loudly on her other side and once she had a moment to do so, the queen turned to chastise the boys into humble obedience and quiet.
Deidrich's exhausted-looking wife seemed to be a bit overwhelmed as she sat the 2 oldest kids down and held her crying 3-year-old, trying to calm her down. Deidrich, on the other hand, was listening with amusement to Franz's retelling of the infamous "suckling pig" debacle, laughing boisterously at the punchline.
Rurik gesticulated enthusiastically as he regaled his wife about his most recent excursion for the hundredth time. She nodded to show she was listening as their toddler sat on her knee, toying with her necklace.
Rudi and Runo walked into the dining hall with Luka. Their loud and animated conversation turned a few heads as they barked with laughter.
The moment the queen mother, Alyona, entered the room, the noise quickly fizzled out into the usual silence. She glided effortlessly through the room to her seat near her eldest son, who once again, helped his mother to her seat. She calmly gestured for the children to begin eating and reached for her spoon to start in on her consommé.
The gentle candlelight glinted off her silverware and Alyona paused, holding the spoon up with a critical glare, turning it slowly and examining the polishing job.
"Is something the matter, Mother?" Caleb asked, noticing Alyona has yet to begin eating herself.
"This spoon is filthy." She states calmly.
Caleb gently wipes his mouth with his napkin, takes the utensil from his mother, and inspects it, turning it in the light as she had. Sure enough, a few spots had not been properly polished, and the silver was showing the tarnish from lack of proper care.
"Shall I ask Mr. Wiggins to fetch you a new spoon, Mother?"
The queen mother took the utensil back from Caleb.
"No, darling. I'll handle it. Don't let your supper get cold."
Caleb nodded and reluctantly returned to his meal as Alyona waved Wiggins over.
"Your Majesty?" Wiggins inquired, standing dutifully to her side.
"Tell me, Mr. Wiggins, is this the sort of quality in the pride and care for our finery we tolerate in the Westergaard household?" Her calm and cool demeanor underlying her agitation.
Mr. Wiggins carefully took the offending utensil from the queen mother's fingers and inspected it briefly.
"Of course not, Your Majesty." He concluded.
"Then why is this filth on my dining room table?"
"This will be dealt with immediately and properly. This will not happen again." Mr. Wiggins placed the spoon near the box of clean ones, taking care to keep it segregated, took out another and carefully examined it from one end to the other. Deeming it of an acceptable quality, he placed the new spoon on a clothed tray and presented it to Alyona.
She daintily picked up the presented utensil, turning it about in the candlelight for a moment, before looking back at Mr. Wiggins.
"It had better not."
Though she gently placed another freshly polished fork in its corresponding pile, Malene was furious, muttering angrily under her breath as she took out her frustration on a spoon.
"If he just would have let me help in the first place, I would be downstairs with a cup of tea before bed instead of sitting here alone polishing the silver that could have been done this afternoon."
She set the spoon down and began on another.
"But because of his stubbornness and pride, Mr. Wiggins scolded me for the prince's lack of care and responsibility. Unbelievable." She grumbled.
As she worked through the pile of dirty silver, Malene continued to grumble to herself. She hadn't been punished in years since she grew accustomed to the work of a maid. She knew how to do her job and did it well.
She finished the silverware, careful to put it back where it and the box belonged before heading into the servant's kitchen to make Hans' evening tea, as it was so late and the kitchen staff had retired for the evening, she had no choice but to make it herself. She filled the kettle with water and lit the wood burning stove before placing the kettle on it. As she waited for the water to heat up, she dug through the cabinets to find the sugar, teapot, and cups to place on the waiting tray before sitting back down at the table.
"Good evening, Malene." Irma smiled, looking much like a venomous snake in a linen nightgown, "You're up late."
"Is there something I can help you with, Irma?"
She strolled in casually, approaching the table, but not sitting, "Nothing in particular."
"I hear that Prince Hans has been quite the royal pain." She tittered at her own joke, "Must be so difficult for you."
"It's been an adjustment, but I've got it."
"Oh really?"
Malene eyed her, "why do you ask?"
"Considering that you were handpicked to be his valet, people may start to wonder if there was anything improper going on behind the scenes, perhaps with Mr. Wiggins, that led to your position? I mean, you can't possibly believe that you actually earned it, do you?"
Malene narrowed her eyes at Irma. "I would never stoop so low. I do my work, just as anyone else does, nothing more. Concerning Mr. Wiggins, he is a professional and a gentleman and would never jeopardize his position for something like that."
"I'm just trying to help." Irma picked up the sugar jar and looked at it thoughtfully, before looking at Malene again, "you wouldn't want to be ruined by a scandal, or worse, ruin your employer's name by such a thing. Accidents happen."
"I appreciate the concern, but it is misplaced. I do not plan to do anything to cause scandal."
Just then, the high-pitched whistle from the kettle went off signaling that the water was ready. Malene got up to take the kettle off the heat and pour the hot liquid into a teapot to steep the tea.
Irma looked back at the sugar jar and placed it back down on the tray, "I would hope not."
Malene grabbed the tea tray, gave Irma a curt nod, and left.
As she made her way to Prince Hans' room, Malene couldn't help but wonder about what Irma had said. Nothing could be worse for her or the royal family than another scandal, especially since the entire staff now knew what had happened in Arrendale.
The topic had become known after the royal dinner and spread, as it does, like wildfire. It was a relief to know that their queen and princess had not been harmed, but it still frightened her to know that there had been an attempt. Seeing Hans' rage for herself, she knew that he was capable of such violent things.
If I do my tasks and keep my head down, I should be ok. Malene approached the door, tired from her long day. She knocked, then entered. Hans was sitting at his desk, dressed down in his sleeping attire. Malene could feel the blush on her face, but approached, nonetheless. She poured his cup, placed it on the small tea plate, and placed it in front of His Highness.
She watched as Hans placed down the book he was reading. He nodded at her, opened the sugar jar, and spooned a few spoonfuls into his cup.
"Will that be all Your Highness?"
He took a sip from the cup. Then immediately spat it back into the cup.
"The hell is this?!" He sputtered, "This is absolutely vile!"
"What do you mean, Sire?"
"It's salty. Did you make this with sea water?" He shoved the cup into Malene's hands. She placed the cup down on the tray.
"Of course not."
"Are you saying that I am wrong? You can't even make a simple cup of tea? What use of you are to me?" Hans snapped, "Just-...You're excused, get out."
Malene curtsied, picked up the tray, and left back to the kitchens.
Malene placed the tray down heavily causing the China to clatter, before plopping down on one of the chairs and resting her head on the cool table. She sighed in frustration. How could she have messed up and grabbed the salt by accident? Why is this so hard? She rubbed the bridge of her nose, forcing the pricks of tears away. I have been exhausted lately... I just need to be more careful.
She sat there for a while, feeling sorry for herself. Eventually her fingers found their way to her ribbon again. She twiddled the ends through her fingers, enjoying the small comfort the silk brought her. I miss you so much...
A lump threatened to form in her throat, Malene cleared her throat of the emotion before getting up. She walked over to the sink, dumped out the tea, rinsed out the pot and cup, and put everything back where she grabbed it from. Then she headed to bed.
A/N I am so sorry for the long, long wait for chapter 3. I've had a rough bit of life lately. Going to school, being emotionally destroyed by girls in my classes, moving around a bunch, and just struggling financially. It has been rough. I'm hopeful to get the story back on track. I don't think I can put down a regular schedule just yet, but I'll do my best to get a couple more chapters out this year. I am so glad that you all are enjoying the story so far. I also hope you like Malene so far. I have so much planned for the story and the characters. I have a whole document of ideas, plot points, various characters (Hans' brothers, Malenes friends and family, various dignitaries, ect). I'm so excited to see where this goes and to have you all on this journey with me. Thank you so much for your patience I deeply appreciate it. :)