Allure Of The Night

Music Recommendation: One Last Dance- Kris Bowers

—

If Lady Aubrey didn’t have to send a gift to one of her friends, or if there had been a ribbon to tie the gift, maybe Eugene would have been the one to receive the letter. And if he did receive the letter, perhaps he would have checked the background of the sender’s family. It would have been discussed with Lady Aubrey before the letter would have been discarded, with the thought that it wasn’t safe for Eve to be working for the family.

But with Eugene, who had already stepped inside the house, it had left Eve to receive the mail sent to her like a ray of hope.

Eve opened the letter and read the content inside it—

‘To Miss Genevieve Barlow,

We hope this letter finds you in good health. One of our close acquaintances shared your educational qualification details, and we are pleased to inform you that we would like you to come and apply for the position of governess in our mansion.

The job would require you to work from morning until four in the evening unless told otherwise. You will be receiving one gold coin and two silver coins as your monthly wage. Further details shall be shared once you are approved for the job.

From the Moriarty House.’

The letter had been sent from Skellington town.

For the first time, a family had invited her to come to apply, and it wasn’t the other way round. A wide smile appeared on Eve’s lips, and she walked inside the house.

Eugene, who was ready to go to the market and fetch the ribbon, was stopped by Eve, “Let me go and get it. The weather is bright today.”

While watching the young lady leaving the house, Eugene turned to look at Lady Aubrey and said, “I think Lady Eve is trying to take the rejections positively.”

Lady Aubrey only stared in the direction where Eve had left before she said, “I don’t think being discouraged would do any good. The position of governess will open again in some house again, and we can only hope that when it does, she doesn’t cause any catastrophe.”

“… I think that is hard to avoid when the young miss is involved,” murmured Eugene.

When the following day arrived, Eve woke up early and dressed suitably. She brushed the ends of her golden blonde hair with her comb, which was tied up into a ponytail and took a final look at herself in the small mirror.

“No breaking vases. No pouring tea on someone. No slapping,” Eve told it to herself, hoping she wouldn’t cause any more mishaps. “Today is the day where I shall be offered a job. They will give me the job,” she muttered to herself, trying to manifest positive energy around her.

Leaving the house with the umbrella in her hand, she headed towards the local carriage and sat down.

“Where are you going, Miss?” the coachman inquired, and Eve dropped two shilling in his hand.

“Skellington town,” replied Eve, and the coachman gave her a short nod, slipping the coins into the pocket of his jacket. Not soon, the carriage started to move.

“One more job, Genevieve?” Questioned one of the fellow passengers, a young woman of her same age. But the woman was married to a notable man from the same town, a clerk to one of the Viscounts. And to tell the woman wasn’t proud about it would be an understatement.

“Good morning to you too, Heather,” Eve offered a slight bow to the woman named Heather. “Yes, the last one.”

“Did you not say the same thing the last time we met? As I thought, a woman finding work in this society is hard,” Heather shook her head, giving a look to Eve. “There are still a few decent men in our town, who I am sure would like to marry you. And you should do it before you scare them with another outrageous news of yours,” the woman laughed in the end.

Eve laughed along with Heather and then commented, “I must agree. The men in our town scare easy by listening to such simple things Makes you wonder if they are brave at all.”

There were three women and three men travelling in the carriage. One of the men turned to stare at Eve, and Eve gave him a sheepish smile. But the person turned his gaze to look outside the window.

Heather lightly hit Eve’s arm and said, “Trust me and find a suitable man as soon as possible, instead of looking for a job.” As they were sitting next to each other, the young woman leaned toward her and whispered, “How long are you going to wear those worn out shoes? Especially in clothes that people are tired of looking at. Look at me, I married a man who works for a Viscount and he earns better than most men in our town. It was only last week that he bought me a pearl necklace.”

“It seems like you found a man you wanted. Especially considering you stole the man who was engaged to another woman,” remarked Eve, and the smile on Heather’s lips faltered.

Heather hid her embarrassment with a chuckle and said, “What can I say, my husband found me to be more suitable for him, than Ms. Fleming.”

The passengers in the carriage, who were mildly eavesdropping, looked at the woman for a brief moment, and Heather’s cheeks turned red, which was caused by Eve. In a low voice, she warned,

“You should be careful with your words, Genevieve. You do not want to upset someone whose husband has connections with higher social standing families. One word and you might never be able to work anywhere.”

One of Lady Aubrey’s teaching to Eve was—Unless you are in a higher social position than the other, do not involve yourself in petty fights with the person. Because it will only break the rung of the ladder.

As much as Eve wanted to reply with ‘Go ahead’, she knew there was no point in arguing with this woman, who liked to play foul.

“My apologies. I didn’t intend to hurt you,” the woman accepted Eve’s apology with her nose up high but half-heartedly. “I meant to say you are an intelligent and beautiful woman, Heather.” A cunning one added Eve with a smile.

“That I am,” replied Heather, “Maybe when I have children, that will be soon, I will hire you to be their governess. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Maybe that would be the day she would quit being governess, thought Eve. During the remaining journey, the women didn’t attempt to speak again to each other, letting each other be.

When Eve stepped down from the carriage, the people sitting in the carriage couldn’t help but take a peek at Skellington town, which appeared far superior to the other towns. She walked slowly and elegantly, without being hasty with her footsteps as it would attract more attention to her than the few people recognising to be the same person who had caused the little commotion in here a few days ago.

The Moriarty mansion was located quite far from where she had gotten down from the carriage. It took Eve more than fifteen minutes by foot before she arrived at the mansion’s entrance gate.

“This place is bigger than I thought,” Eve murmured to herself, slightly daunted by the size of the mansion.

When she had started to read the letter the previous day, she had come to believe it was from a middle-class family. But after finding it came from Skellington town, it made her believe that it was possibly from a ‘poorer’ family compared to the rest of the families in the town. The last eight families she had met were mostly wealthy, but none could compare to what she stood in front of right now.

At the moment, two maids were working outside the mansion, tending to the garden.

She took a deep breath and finally made her way toward the mansion’s entrance.

Before she could walk a few steps more, she noticed the servant in butler’s uniform making his way towards her, and they bowed at each other. The man smiled at her politely. His blonde hair was combed to the side, and he appeared to be a few years older than her.

“Good morning. I am Alfie, the butler of the Moriarty family,” the butler introduced himself, “Miss….?”

“Miss Barlow,” replied Eve, noticing the butler quickly skimming her appearance, but the expression on his face didn’t change. “Genevieve Barlow. I was sent an invitation—” she pulled the letter from her dress pocket “—to come to apply for the job of governess.”

The butler took a look at the letter, reading it before he said, “Let me lead you to Miss Allie’s piano room. Please, follow me.”

As they walked through the expansive corridors inside the mansion, Eve asked the butler, “Will I be speaking to Mrs. Moriarty or Mr…?” her voice trailed, remembering her previous job interview.

The butler took a second before he replied, “Your job will be approved depending on your interaction with Miss Allie. If she likes you, the job is yours to keep, Miss Barlow.”

“The parent’s wouldn’t mind it?” Asked Eve, and the butler smiled.

“Mr. and Mrs. Moriarty are occupied today with work. This way please,” the butler guided the way for her, taking her up the stairs.

The pillars and the ceilings inside the mansion had been intricately carved. There were plenty of candle stands placed near the walls to brighten the place. The more she walked, the more it seemed like a castle than a mansion.

“I hope it wasn’t too hard for you to find your way here to the mansion,” said the butler, and Eve shook her head.

“Not at all. How old is Miss Allie?” Eve thought it was better to know a little about the girl, she would be a governess.

“Miss Allie is nine years old,” answered the butler, and after walking a little more, they finally came to stand in front of a large double door. The butler turned the knob and opened it for her “Miss Alli—” his words were interrupted by the harsh blare of the piano keys pressed together.

A grand piano was placed at the centre of the big room, and a young girl with brunette hair sat on the bench, who didn’t bother to look up and meet their eyes. Eve took a quick look around the room, which held book racks against the wall. It seemed like the study room of the young girl. And then her eyes fell on the mirror on the wall of the other side of the room.

The butler quickly said, “Miss Barlow, why don’t you and Miss Allie spend some time getting to know each other. I will be back in a moment with refreshments.” And like a whirlwind, the butler disappeared behind the door that he closed on his way out, leaving Eve alone with the girl, who didn’t bother to acknowledge her.

Eve was used to being questioned by the parents and discussing their children before meeting them. Even though she had been rejected several times before, she had never felt the air to be this thick.

While Eve contemplated how to approach the little girl, Alfie, the butler, made his way to another room in the mansion. He knocked on the door and, upon permission to enter, stepped inside the room. Bowing his head, he informed,

“Master Vincent, the governess who slapped Mr. Walsh is here.”

“Is she now,” one side of Vincent’s lips curled.