In a four poster, king size bed, a young lady lay sleeping, her mid-length auburn hair sprawled across the pillow like a bright shadow skimming across the horizon. She slept in peace, her eyes relaxed in their closed state while her mind created blissful, enchanting dreams. That is until she was abruptly awoken by a ray of sunlight on her face.
"Mistress, it's time to wake up."
Opening her eyes, Sophia was just barely able to catch a glimpse of the silhouette of a man walking across the room, away from the drapes he had just drawn. Understanding the importance of her attendance to her very busy schedule, Sophia sat up in her bed and stretched her arms out, doing her best to wake herself. Turning to the direction of the man, her butler, now standing at the foot of her bed with a rolling cart at his side, she gave him a small nod, indicating she was awake and ready for their daily routine.
"For today's morning tea I have prepared a cup of Yorkshire Gold. I have also used the Chinese porcelain tea set as I know it's your favorite," he said, smiling all the while.
Sophia yawned as she placed her legs over the side of the bed. "You've emphasized my favorite items and such before Victor. Are such things that bad?"
Victor placed the teapot down and walked over towards Sophia, bringing the cup of tea with him, his smile faded. "Yes, quite possibly. You should know that consistency can be dangerous. It reflects patterns, and the last thing we want a predator to do is find an opportunity."
Sophia couldn't help but chuckle at that remark. "Calling humans predators now, eh? Last I checked there's a predator I always have protecting me," she said, her eyes half open, grinning at him.
He did not hesitate to grin with her. "Indeed."
Sophia looked at Victor head on. She sometimes forgot how the sparkle in his eyes hid the glint of hunger and desire. Similar to how her own radiant smile always hid the hate and lust for justice within her heart. Sophia's smile wavered.
"Mistress, is everything alright?" he asked, concern spreading across his face.
Giving herself a small shake so as to give herself the necessary mental rebound, she glanced back at Victor politely taking the cup of tea from his outstretched arm. She slowly sipped the tea, its rich and bold flavors helping to wake her whilst satisfying her taste buds.
"I'm fine Victor. Why don't I get ready, and we can address my schedule for the day?"
Victor smiled. "Very well my young mistress." He then proceeded to inform her of the breakfast options. "For this morning, I will have Sylvester prepare for you a tray of belgian waffles with chocolate syrup and our homemade whipped cream. I shall ask him to accompany that with a glass of fresh lemonade. As for a side dish, I can ask him to arrange a small fruit salad or blood sausages. Which would you prefer?"
"I'll take the fruit salad."
"Understood. I shall call up Rebecca to help with your clothing situation shortly. Is there anything else you require in the meantime?"
"I think I should be fine." she said, thinking absentmindedly, "But I will need to know the details of my schedule before breakfast."
"Very well my Lady," Victor said, smiling as he turned to leave the room.
As he went into the hallway, Victor began walking back towards the manor's main kitchen. In order to do so, he needed to go to the end of the main hallway, down the main staircase, and into the service hall. As he walked down the main hallway and descended the main staircase, Victor glanced at each of the portraits lined on the walls of the manor. He smiled as he saw several portraits of Sophia, either in elaborate garments at fancy gatherings or in more simple, yet still beautiful, professional dresses. When he approached the head of the main staircase though, he stopped, for the portrait that hung here always captivated him.
The family photo of the LaFontaine estate.
In it was Sophia standing alongside her husband, the Marquis LaFontaine and their twin children, a young boy and girl. A small smile threatened to creep onto his face, but he resisted the urge. He'd learned such a response would be considered inappropriate.
Appearances matter. Keep going and pay any respects you can when you get the chance.
Victor continued walking, focusing instead on the task at hand, Sophia's day plan. Once he got to the door of the kitchen, he opened it and stepped inside. As he did, he was greeted by the flawless white tiles on the walls, ceiling, and floor. It was contrasted by the silver shine of the stove, oven, and tabletops as well as the metallic surfaces of the pots, pans, and other various cooking utensils lined on the walls and cabinets. Victor also found a delightful aroma drifting through the air which appeared to be emanating from the iron waffle presses propped up in the middle of the room. And of course he could not miss the man tending to these presses in his white chef's uniform as he hummed a tune which Victor assumed was an old sea shanty.
The chef, Sylvester Corbin, was a fit man of French descent. Standing tall at 5'10" and being only twenty eight years old, it was surprising how much presence this man commanded despite his relaxed attitude. As for his work, he was quite the cook, able to whip up fabulous meals and courses with hardly any effort to which he even impressed Victor a bit. And yet, one thing about this picturesque kitchen scene was very, very wrong.
"Sylvester!" Victor barked, loudly.
At this, Sylvester jumped, nearly falling over. He quickly tried to compose himself and flashed Victor a nervous smile. "Victor, the waffles are almost ready!"
"Not like that, they aren't!" Victor exclaimed, "Redo them at once! And make a fruit salad for the Lady!"
"No problem at all!" he cried out, making his way to the cellar. "But why do I have to restart the waffles?"
Victor pointed a finger at Sylvester's messy hair. "How many times must I remind you that when you're cooking you must always wear your chef's hat! Otherwise it's just unsanitary!"
Sylvester looked up at his brown hair nearly blocking his blue eyes. "Oh yeah, whoops… I guess I just forgot..."
Victor sighed in frustration. "Honestly, I keep telling you that we could make this a whole lot easier if you just got a haircut more often. Have the food ready as soon as possible."
Victor then turned and walked towards the back end of the kitchen, intending to use the service door to go outside. However, before he could reach the door, a lady with shoulder length blonde hair and violet eyes burst out of the adjacent pantry shouting, "Sylvester! I found the chocolate you asked f-,"
She was stopped mid-sentence by running straight into Victor's chest. Victor was unmoved from the collision however the impact made her let go of the chocolate bar she was holding. She watched in horror as it flew across the room, appearing to be heading towards the waffle presses. Fortunately, another lady with long black hair and dark brown eyes had come into the kitchen, and she shot her arm out to catch the chocolate all whilst hardly looking at it. She was 5'4", was muscularly toned, had a slender waist with hips wider than her shoulders, and had skin almost as pale as marble.
"Thank goodness," she muttered, "That could have been a disaster."
"Rebecca," Victor said, staring down at the girl who had run into him, "How many times must I remind you not to run in the kitchen? It's dangerous."
"Sorry…" Rebecca said, hanging her head. Rebecca stood around 5'8", and her shoulders and hips were roughly the same width. She also wore the same black maid uniform with white frills and edges as Kara, the girl who caught the chocolate. At thirty years old, she was a senior staff member, but she always felt like she couldn't do as good a job as Kara who was only twenty five.
"I really was just trying to help Sylvester!" she exclaimed, trying to explain herself.
Victor sighed and said, "It's fine however I think he has this under control. You, on the other hand, should focus more on your own work. You need to assist the lady in her clothing for the day. I know you love to make her look fashionable."
"Yes sir!" Rebecca bowed her head and then stood up straight, a new twinkle in her eyes.
Victor turned around. "Kara, I need you to begin cleaning the drawing room. Once you've finished that, both of you must work on the evening decor for the dining room and the main hall."
Kara nodded, and turned to leave, Rebecca following right behind her.
As they went into the service hall, Victor opened the door leading to the outside. He took in the bright sun and the beautiful flowers that were trimmed to precision in the bushes lining the sides of the manor. He glanced around among all of the gorgeous gardening and architecture and saw another lady of twenty four years trimming one of the trees. Without hesitating, he walked over to her across the gravel path to talk with her.
"Good morning, Kasumi," he said, smiling.
"Good morning, Victor," she replied, her lips curling into the suggestion of a smile as she climbed down from her ladder, her amber eyes never leaving him. When she reached the ground, she swept some of her pixie cut black hair over to the side and stared at Victor expectantly. As the manor's gardener, she wore dark brown pants and a loose white shirt along with beige gardening gloves and occasional gray knee pads. Despite her only standing at 5'2", she could carry a lot of intensity with her which currently made the situation a bit uncomfortable.
Victor sighed and reminded her of the situation he had discussed with the other servants earlier. "Remember, the trees lined along the driveway must have blue tulips laced throughout them, and you must be ready to greet our guests tonight."
"Very well, Victor. Is that all?" she asked, her expression still unchanging.
"...please remember what we've discussed before. You need to try to show some expression once in a while," Victor stated, rubbing his forehead. "We want our guests to enjoy themselves, but that might be difficult if they feel one of the servants might kill them."
Kasumi nodded, forced a small smile, and turned around to continue her work with the tree trimming. Victor then headed back into the manor. Once he got back inside, Victor walked past the pantry and went up to Sylvester who had stacked the waffles, drizzled them with freshly melted chocolate and whipped cream, and was finishing the fruit salad.
"Nicely done, Sylvester," Victor said.
"Thank you, Victor!" Sylvester puffed out his chest a bit.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Victor said, placing the food onto a silver platter, "I must go to retrieve the Mistress. If you would, set the table in the dining hall and prepare this food in accordance with it."
"Yes sir!" Sylvester exclaimed.
Within a few minutes Victor had left the kitchen and had made his way back up through the manor to Sophia's bedroom door. As he knocked on her door he heard a reply.
"Come in," Sophia called out.
As Victor entered the room he took in the sight before him. Sophia stood in the middle of the room having just come out from behind a changing divider. She wore a simple white blouse with a few frills down her neckline and a plain but thin black skirt that just touched the floor. Her shoes were not visible at the current time, but they were likely simple and inelegant. Her hair was loose and flowing with a light blue ribbon laced at her hairline to keep it out of her face. Her face itself was lightly accented by some makeup, and she wore pearl earrings. Behind her, Rebecca stood at attention, a small bit of pride on her face.
"You look quite beautiful this morning, my lady," Victor said, bowing before her.
Sophia smiled. "Thank you Victor. I'm glad I am presentable."
"Very good work, Rebecca," Victor stated, glancing in her direction, "At the very least, you never seem to fail in decor or design."
"Have you seen my lady's face and body?" Rebecca beamed with admiration, "She almost makes my job too easy sometimes."
As if on cue, Sophia's cheeks flushed a deep pink, suddenly self-conscious despite the compliment.
"Enough of that or the lady will become as red as her hair," Victor commented, trying to get back to business. He motioned to the door, "Am I to assume you are prepared to proceed to the dining room for this morning's breakfast?"
"Yes," Sophia replied quietly, walking up to him whilst not looking either of her servants in the eye.
As the three of them left the room, Victor turned to Rebecca. "There is still much left to do before tonight. Get to work and help the others make this place presentable. Be ready to help the lady later with her evening outfit as well."
Rebecca straightened herself and exclaimed, "Yes sir!" before scuttling down the hallway.
As they walked down the hall to the dining room, Victor offered Sophia his arm, guiding her along. A polite gesture of courtesy from a man to a woman which she took, her heart pounding from anticipation for tonight. As they walked, Victor proceeded to inform Sophia of the day plan.
"As you know, my lady, Lord Jonah Winchester has requested an audience with you in regards to some of the foreign trade markets in America. He will be arriving an hour before some of the other guests tonight."
"That's right, his brother William recently relocated to America, correct? What was their business again?" Sophia asked.
"Yes, I do believe William and his new wife are building a home in California. I'm sure they'll be sending us some fine wine if we endorse some of their products."
Sophia's eyes narrowed, "Products such as?"
Victor stopped and sighed. "You remember Lord Winchester's family business now I take it?"
"The arms dealers. I remember now," Sophia said, her voice dripping venom. "I will not endorse guns or munitions for profit Victor. We've gone over this."
"We need them one way or another," Victor said matter-of-factly, "and given how the fashion business is a front for us, it shouldn't matter what your business is in the underworld."
Sophia turned to face Victor angrily, "That's just it though! The Winchesters aren't exactly the quietest bunch. If I get too involved with them, my place in certain circles could be exposed!"
"The Winchesters were friends of your husband's family before he died," Victor stated, "No one will suspect your connection to them as much more than friendship or advocacy. History will provide your alibi."
Sophia slumped her shoulders in defeat. She knew Victor was right, but she couldn't help but be cautious. Many would say that her concern was justified.
Victor straightened his tie, regaining his composure and the original direction of conversation. "But anyways, back to business."
"Very well," Sophia said, "What else is on the agenda?"
"The party tonight will prompt the guests to start arriving at six. Feel free to relax until four when Rebecca will help you prepare before the Lord Winchester and the other guests arrive."
"If I recall correctly, tonight's party guests include the board of directors, correct?"
"This party is partially to celebrate your reclamation of your late husband's company, so it made sense, yes."
"It is quite exciting to be considered among some of the most powerful people in all of England."
"My lady, that means you have quite a reputation to uphold."
"Then we should show our guests every single hospitality we can provide to them." She looked up at Victor and smiled. "Isn't that right Victor?"
He returned the smile with his own. "Of course."
As they approached the dining hall, Victor continued to count the guests that would be attending the party.
"...the Count and Countess Cartwright of the uptown theater districts, Dr. John Pemberton of an up and coming beverage company, Mr. Akisame of the silk and spice trades in Tokyo, the Lady Marlin of…"
Sophia was having a hard time concentrating though. She finally had a solid footstep on the path to getting her vengeance. She could practically see the outcome already. One way or another, the ones responsible would become known to her, and she would be free to exact her revenge. She had more resources than ever, and hopefully the party tonight would secure even more.
"My lady?"
Sophia blinked as she became aware of the big double doors of the dining hall right in front of her. She glanced sheepishly at Victor, thinking he'd scold her for allowing herself to trail off like she did.
"Perhaps I'll just write them all down for you later," Victor suggested calmly. He knew there was a lot on her mind.
"Thank you," Sophia sighed in slight relief, "That would help a lot."
Victor wordlessly opened the door swiftly, and Sophia began to walk through it. Her skirt trailed behind her as she turned her head back to him.
"Please make everything perfect for our guests tonight. I want to secure as many connections as I can. I'm sure you know why."
Victor released the door for it to close, raising his right hand over to where his heart should be. He bowed slightly, and as the doors shut behind her, she heard the whisper of his response, eerie as the wind it rode upon.
"Yes, my lady."