Chapter Three: Suggestion
The hot August days slipped by lazily as Regan settled into the household routine. She found that she liked working here rather than the Ministry. As long as she and Natalie got their work done by the end of the day and served dinner on time, they were never bothered. Lucius didn't offer Regan a second glance after the first night. Although, when he did call out for her, he would always call her Ms. Westwood whereas other maids would always be referred to by their first name. Nobody was quite sure why he did it, but there was hardly a need to question his actions. As long as he didn't pull her hair again, Regan didn't care what he called her…as long as it wasn't derogatory or insulting.
It was just another night in early September when Lucius spoke to Regan again. She was standing in her usual spot next to Natalie as Mr. Harvey went from person to person to pour more wine into their glasses. When he reached Lucius, the middle aged man seemed entranced by the red wine flickering slightly in the crystal glass.
"Ms. Westwood," he suddenly said. Regan stepped forward, her hands crossed in front of her.
"Yes sir?"
"After you have finished clearing after dinner, come to my private study; I wish to have a word with you." Regan stiffened, clenching her hands until her knuckles were white.
"Alone, sir?" She asked, her tone expressing an uneasiness about the situation. Lucius chuckled as Mr. Harvey stepped back into line.
"Private would imply that we would be alone, wouldn't it?" His eyes flicked over to the nervous girl and mentally cursed when she wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Do as you're told, Ms. Westwood." Regan quickly nodded, stepping back in line next to Natalie. The two girls exchanged quick glances, but said nothing as the family finished dinner and began to disperse from the table. Lucius's eyes lingered on Regan as he left the room, making her neck hot and making her want to ignore his request.
"What does he want?" Regan asked quietly as she and Natalie walked down to the kitchen with the dirty dishes from dinner.
"I don't know," Natalie said quietly. "He's never behaved like this before." Regan mentally rolled her eyes. It was getting harder to believe Natalie every time she said that. Lucius Malfoy was clearly a devious man and this behavior was not something new for him.
The pair left the dishes with the kitchen staff, heading back to the main level of the house. Without needing to be asked, Natalie showed Regan to Lucius's private study on the second floor. Natalie bid her a quick goodbye before rushing away, the light clicking of her shoes echoing against the walls. Regan waited until she could no longer hear her footsteps before gently knocking on the door.
"Come in," Lucius drawled from behind the doors.
Regan took in a quick breath to perk herself up before entering the study. The only light in the room came from the lamp on his desk, so it was difficult to make out what the walls of the room looked like. She could only see Lucius sitting at his large desk that was shockingly clean. A large bay window sat behind him, the moonlight pouring in and making his bright blond hair look translucent against his skin.
"So good of you to join me so quickly." He said as she slowly walked towards his desk. "Please, take a seat." He motioned to the chair that had been placed closely to his desk. Regan did as she was told, crossing her hands in her lap. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No thank you, sir." She politely declined. Regan wanted to run out of the room when Lucius gave her an odd smirk, but she forced herself to stay.
"I received your work file this week and finally gave it a good look this morning. It appears that you're far too over qualified for the job of a maid." Regan felt her heart jump and her stomach clench.
Oh God, was he going to fire her?
"Sir, I can assure you that I-."
"I have decided," Lucius said, cutting her off, "that instead of just a maid, you will work as my personal servant." The thought puttered around Regan's head as she tried to formulate some sort of response.
"Your…personal servant?"
"Yes, you will help me with matters of business, do any secretarial work, attend meetings with me, and so on." The odd smirk once again appeared on his face. "You will be with me all day, every day from the time that I get up until I go to sleep." Regan stared at him, trying not to run from the room.
"I'm afraid I must decline, sir. There must be somebody more qualified than-."
"I am not giving you a choice, Ms. Westwood." He told her sternly. "You will either become my personal servant or you will leave my home immediately." Regan bit her lower lip, feeling her heart pound in her chest.
What choice did she have?
She couldn't go back and work for the Ministry; she had gotten too used to sleeping in her own bed without somebody sleeping on top of her and below her. And they would probably be around people, so he would probably never abuse her like he had when she had first arrived.
"You start on Monday," Lucius told her once he saw her face relax as if she had mentally accepted the offer. "Mrs. Harvey will take you Saturday to buy appropriate clothing. On Sunday, you will be moved into the bedroom adjoining mine."
"Can't I stay with Natalie?" She asked. Lucius chuckled, slowly standing from his chair.
"I am glad that you have found a friend in Natalie, but your new position requires you to be near me at all times."
As he walked around his desk, he turned off his lamp, leaving the pair of them in the bright moonlight. Regan shifted uncomfortably in her seat as he slowly walked behind her and placed his large hands on her shrinking shoulders.
"May I call you Regan?" He suddenly asked, making Regan jump. His lips were uncomfortably close to her ear and she could feel his hot breath against her neck.
"Yes, that's fine," she answered in a low whisper. She could almost hear Lucius smirking against her skin as he reached up and slowly began to pull the hair pins from her bun. One by one, Regan felt her carefully crafted bun loosen until her hair hung down her back. Lucius plucked the headband from her head, slowly running his cool fingers through the silky strands.
"Regan, we will have to do something about your hair." Lucius muttered, still playing with her hair.
"I won't change the color." She told him sternly. That made Lucius chuckle again.
"No, we wouldn't want to do away with something so uniquely beautiful." He said. "I merely want to cut it to make you look more presentable. Is that acceptable?" Regan silently nodded, feeling him shift the hair from her back to rest at the side of her neck. A cool breeze suddenly wafted down her back and Regan gasped. She abruptly stood, knocking her chair over as she leaned against his desk with her dress now hanging off her shoulders. Lucius stood straight and stared at her, looking almost intrigued by her panic.
"No need to panic," he told her calmly. "If you do as you're told, it would feel good for you too." Regan paled at his suggestion and fought the urge to cry. Lucius suddenly darted forward to grab her, but Regan ducked out of his grasp and went running from the room. Hot, angry tears stung her cheeks as she ran as fast as her calves could carry her. Her legs were burning as he screamed after her, but she didn't listen as she ran down the service stairs. She pushed past various maids as she burst into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Regan rested against the door, her breath coming out in short puffs.
"Good Lord, are you all right?" Natalie asked as she quickly stood from her desk and rushed to Regan. She wiped her tears away with her thumbs as Regan pulled her dress back up over her shoulders. "What on earth happened up there?" She asked, desperate to hear Regan speak. Regan pushed back her hair, letting out a trembling sigh to try and calm herself.
"I'm fine," she answered, "nothing happened…nothing…" Natalie furrowed her brow together. The lie was obvious, but why would Regan feel the urge to lie to her?
"You can tell me," Natalie assured her. "I won't tell anybody."
"There's nothing to tell." Regan insisted. "I'm going to take a bath, I'll be back shortly." She shrugged past her new friend and grabbed her supplies and a crisp new pair of pajamas. Regan rushed from the room, silently thankful that Natalie didn't follow her. She was equally thankful that when she went to the women's communal bathroom, it was completely empty.
Regan took her time, thoroughly scrubbing her body and trying to forget about the hot breath that was absolutely tormenting her. She scraped her wash cloth across her skin to try and erase the memories that were rushing through her head. She almost found herself near tears, but she violently shook her head. She had to remember the reason why she had taken this job and why she was saving every cent she could.
Somewhere in the world, her parents had to be alive. She hadn't been able to find them after the final battle and once she had finished her education she had gone straight to work for the Ministry. Regan could only hope that they were somewhere safe and even if they weren't alive…at least they weren't in any danger. Whatever the outcome, Regan had to find out what happened to her parents and that would require money. She didn't care how long it took, Regan would find out what happened to them...even if it killed her.
Regan slowly walked back towards her room, feeling calm and refreshed. Her skin was bright pink and hot, but the loose pajamas she wore helped to cool the irritated skin. She slowly opened the door, but stopped in the doorway at what she saw. Natalie was stiffly sitting on her bed, staring at a box that rested innocently on Regan's bed.
"He brought that for you." Natalie said before Regan had a chance to ask. "Didn't say a word…just placed it on your bed and left." Regan shut and locked the door behind her, putting away her things before looking back to the box. It was small, so it couldn't do her any harm…could it? She sat on her bed and pulled the box into her lap, pulling off the slim green ribbon and pulling off the lid. Inside rested her headband and every single one of her hair pins, everything lying underneath a crisp folded note.
"My apologies," Regan muttered after unfolding the note.
"Why is he apologizing?" Natalie asked. Regan folded the note and placed it back in the box before setting it aside on her dresser.
"I don't want to talk about it," Regan told her, climbing under her blankets and turning her back to Natalie to try and encourage the girl to go to bed and drop the issue. It took a moment, but Regan finally heard Natalie shut off the light and climb into bed. Regan clutched her blankets tightly to her chest, closing her eyes and waiting desperately for sleep to come.
Maybe tomorrow, things would be different…she could only hope that things would be different…
...
A/N: Soooo...reviews would be greatly appreciated :)
Dragoon Dave: lol I feel like I'm writing this story just for you...which is something that I'm oddly okay with :)
See you all next week!
