Bambi and the Duke

Tears glistened down the cheeks as glassy eyes looked into Leonard's red ones. When Paul was sentenced to death after the two trials that took place in the court of council's, he knew that the news had shattered Vivian because of the closeness the girl and his housekeeper shared. And now that she had seen him hang to death she looked utterly devastated.

"My carriage is parked on the next street. Let's go back home," his voice was void of emotions which held no sympathy for what just took place.

Vivian looked taken aback for a second before she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Her head felt muddled up. She wanted to scream at the people who had hanged Paul and the rest of the family. Scream at the councilmen, the Lord and Leonard for not looking further at the matter of the housekeeper's innocence. And though she wanted to scream her heart out in pain that had been caused by the loss of lives, due to the inability of her unable to save them her lips were tightly shut close.

It was as if both Leonard and Vivian were playing a game of chess among themselves, losing people by turns who were important and close to them. If it really was true, the question was who would be the last one to stand alone.

When Leonard started walking, heading towards the carriage he didn't turn back to see her or the execution that was still in procession. Was this how the vampires lived without any compassion for the dead or the humans? Truth was that as much as Vivian had been close to Paul, in years of the time the man had become Leonard's family too. Leonard was never the one to express his emotions openly, to admit that even though the man was found guilty for killing his beloved family, somewhere deep down his mind felt unsettled.

Vivian followed Leonard to the carriage but with a good distance, unlike all the other time where she often stayed close by him unconsciously. Their way to the mansion was quietest among all the time they had shared. Going back to her room so that she could pick the apron she had left there, she got back to the work with Jan not saying anything about her absence in the mansion.

As strict as the new housekeeper was, Jan was well aware of the circumstances of the Carmichael mansion before he was sent to work for Duke Carmichael. Most of the servants had hoped for their old housekeeper to be rescued and saved but Jan being a lowly vampire knew there was no saving when it came to the betrayal of trust in the vampire world, especially not when it concerned a pureblooded vampire.

With the death of Paul and his family members, an example was set to every servant who resided in Bonelake to not cross lines with their owners. With the passing days, things had turned even more difficult creating an evident gap between the master and the servants of the high society of vampires.

Vivian pulled the black sheets of the expansive bed, throwing it on the ground and beginning to dust the bed. Taking the fresh covers that laid on the table, she began spreading it evenly, pulling and tucking it the black covers. After changing the covers of the pillows, she took the clothes that were in the bath and inside the room making her way through the hallways she caught sight of the Lord, Leonard's cousin Rhys and another man who had come to the mansion.

She bowed her head at all the three pureblooded vampires. She hadn't planned to stay there to talk and greet them as it was something Jan was supposed to do. In that kept in mind, she tried to make a quick dash out of there but Lord Nicholas spoke to her,

"Good afternoon, Ms Vivian."

"Good afternoon, milord," Vivian greeted him, her lips tight due to the circumstances he had last found her in. It didn't help that he had that unnerving smile playing on his lips right now.

"Might you know where Leonard is? It appears that he isn't in the mansion right now," how did he find that out when he had only entered through the main doors of the mansion, thought Vivian to herself.

"Forgive me, milord. I do not know."

"How unfortunate. Hmm, will you be going to market today or tomorrow?" Lord Nicholas asked with a dull humour which caught the other two men's attention. Vivian gulped hearing this, "Make sure you don't wander too far away from the market, not all parts of the market are safe."

"Yes. I shall keep that in mind," she bowed her head again.

"Have women gone missing again from the town?" the other man asked Lord Nicholas who had been looking down at Vivian, shifting his gaze he nodded his head.

"There have been reports being sent to the council lately on young women being abducted. Leonard has been working on it but unfortunately, no trail has been found," answered Rhys to the man's question.

"About the slave establishment?" the man's dull red eyes continued his question.

"None were added there. It has been clean," Leonard's cousin answered not adding anything more in front of the maid who stood right now. Things like these were confidential and he didn't understand why the Lord would go ahead to speak in front of her.

Vivian wanted nothing but to be excused but the Lord kept her around, keeping her thereby making up conversations. She wondered where Leonard was so that she could dash out of the uncomfortable men. Lord Nicholas was a good man but his words sometimes made her uncomfortable. And when it came to Leonard's cousin, Rhys it was a different case. The man hardly spoke anything to the people around him, speaking to a lowly human maid like herself even when they were children was something he had refrained from. Then there was the other man whom she had seen a few times but hardly knew anything about him. All in all, it was a difficult company to be with and all she wanted was to go take a break from her work, after all, she had been up early in the morning to begin her chores.

As if God had heard her plea, the housekeeper appeared, "Master Nicholas," Jan came from the other side of the hallway, "Master Rhys, master Timothy," the housekeeper bowed his head.

"So this is where you sent him," murmured the man named Timothy, "I was wondering if you killed him and put him in the lake," Nicholas chuckled and the housekeeper smiled.

"I think he's considerably a decent house employee, especially if I haven't received any complaints from Leo on it," complimented the lord.

"Thank you, milord. Master Leonard has gone to visit the grave and should be back soon. Would you like to take a seat in the drawing room while I prepare something to drink?" Jan asked politely.

Leonard's cousin didn't wait and instead began walking towards the drawing room. As Jan went to escort the guests, Lord Nicholas fell behind, not moving from where he stood so that he could talk to Vivian.

"Vivian darling, you should be careful of your actions," spoke the Lord to her in a soft tone so that the others who had gone to the drawing room couldn't hear what he was talking. Seeing that the human didn't understand what he was saying, he said, "You might be special to Leonard but that doesn't mean you test the limits of it by unlocking a prisoner who was put by him there."

Her mouth and her throat suddenly felt dry hearing this. The Lord knew of what she had done.

"Don't fret, dear, the matter has been put to rest now. Before the boy could escape, I proposed him with two paths. One which would save him and the other which would save you. Lucky for you he picked to save you," Vivian felt her heart sink at the information. Thomas had saved her from the action she had caused, "But I hope to see you not repeat something like that again. It would upset Leo to a very great deal if he found out what you did and I wouldn't be this nice the next time," he smiled before joining the other two men in the drawing room.