New meeting with the Count (3)
– Doesn’t it look too pretentious? – Joely looked at herself appraisingly in the mirror, expressing dissatisfaction, and then turned her gaze to the many dresses laid out on the bed.
Johnny turned away out of habit. Despite the fact that the mirror was half blocked by a screen, he could not even allow himself to look in that direction. Meanwhile, Alicia's light laughter was heard as she handed the mistress a new dress.
– You are slim, so it will look good on you. A fluffy hem with lace will highlight your beauty better than something tight.
- Hmm. Do you think so? – Joely thoughtfully picked up the dress and held it to herself, examining her reflection. Alicia smiled as she continued to shower her with compliments.
Joely looked down. Alicia immediately bent down, picked up a nearby pair of shoes, the same color as the dress, and placed them at Joely’s feet.
Пока Джоэли примеряла туфли и осматривала себя, я придвинулась ближе и пристально наблюдала за Алисией. The sister’s gaze was good-natured, and the smile never left her face, but I wouldn’t know what was hidden behind this pretense.
- She's too arrogant! Why is she giving orders left and right, although she is not even the owner of this place? – Alicia was indignant.
- Nothing can be done. We are, after all, just servants.
Whoever this Joely is, the fact that she is a noblewoman cannot be changed. Giving orders to servants like us was more than a natural action on her part.
- What scum! When I become the mistress of this estate, the first thing I will do is drive her away.
But look at her now. She smiles and pretends that she is working tirelessly. Joely waved her hand, and Alicia, with unusual speed for her, approached and brought a new dress. I have never seen her so energetic.
Joely took special care in choosing her outfit for the evening. Even with some unusual caution. She fiddled with the dresses for a while before her choice settled on one of them.
“Hmm,” Joely was still overcome by doubts, but, fortunately, she stops changing clothes, takes one last look at the mirror and sinks into a chair. Alicia instantly appears next to her with a box of hair jewelry.
- Nanny, can you help with this? – said Joely, anticipating Alicia's intentions.
- Yes, Lady Joely.
Alicia acquiesced, allowing the nanny to take over. She came up to us and was now standing next to us.
“Hypocrite,” I whispered so that only Alicia could hear.
- Just a little trick.
– What do you mean by this?
- You won't understand.
-...
– To achieve something, you need to prepare the ground. Simple bows and kind words are nothing if I can get what I want. Be quiet and watch.
- Why don't you quit this business? I'm afraid you'll get into trouble.
“Didn’t you say that you would run away?” If so, then you should hurry up.
Before I could lose my temper, Joely clapped her hands, throwing away the jewelry and pointing to another. Alicia quickly responded to the silent demand and found herself next to the mistress with a new piece of jewelry. I don’t even know what to call it, but Alicia is determined to achieve what she wants.
Robert fell asleep, exhausted from the long wait. I lowered my small body, using my knees as a makeshift pillow. In his hand, as always, he clutched a wooden horse. I supported the hand holding the toy and patted his back soothingly.
“Well, I think that’ll do,” Joely decided.
Then a knock was heard. As Joely made her decision, someone opened the door and walked inside. My eyes darted in that direction, but quickly dropped down. Johnny bowed hastily.
Vincent, dressed in a tailcoat, appeared in the room.
“Vincent, you’re already here,” Joely stated.
-Are you ready?
- Not yet. Wait a little. Oh, the screen can be removed.
The nanny began to dismantle the fence that blocked the doorway. Johnny, who had been staring at the wall all this time, moved to help. I began to quickly consider whether I should join when Vincent sat down next to me. My whole body tensed.
- Give it up. All that is required is to comply with the formalities,” said Vincent.
– You should always look beautiful. You never know who and where you will meet.
-You're worrying too much.
A relaxed atmosphere reigned. Their playful exchange suggested a close relationship between the interlocutors. But what happened between them?
My thoughts were in chaos, and I stopped thinking. My heart beat anxiously, my head dropped, my muscles tensed. The hand holding Robert shook. The fear that Vincent would recognize me intensified.
But all my fears were not justified: Vincent did not even deign to look at me. The screen disappeared, and Joely appeared before us, dressed in the dress she had chosen.
When Johnny was finished with the screen, he stood next to Vincent. The blue dress embroidered with precious stones, along with the shoes and jewelry, made Joeli incredibly beautiful. The girl seemed to radiate light.
Joely twirled in place, and the hem of her dress shimmered like waves in time with her movements. Emerald eyes immediately turned to her.
– What do you think? – Joely asked smilingly, attracting attention to herself.
- It suits you.
- Eh, you are so stingy with compliments.
-Then don't ask.
What he heard caused Gioeli obvious dissatisfaction. Vincent remained cool about what was happening, so she decided to find another dress. It looks like the wait may drag on indefinitely.
When Joely picked up the new dress, Nanny and Alicia seemed to tense up. Meanwhile, Vincent remained calm, he rested his elbow on the arm of the sofa, resting his chin on his palm.
No matter what happened, this man's face remained unwavering. Was Robert really following Vincent's example?
I glanced sideways at Vincent sitting next to me. The more I focused my attention on him, the more surprised I was. Vincent is right in front of me. He didn't pay any attention to me, so I continued to study him.
There was no fear in his bored face. It reflected only serenity and calm. There was no trace left of that blind man, trembling with fear. The man who hid in his room for fear of getting stabbed in the back is a thing of the past. He was no longer alone.
This is cool. Is it true.
I'm glad things worked out for him.
I looked at Vincent and smiled faintly at my thoughts. But even this joy quickly faded away. A shadow of sadness crossed my face, and I quickly lowered my eyes. Trembling ran through my entire body, my mood became worse and worse.
I pursed my lips, trying to come to my senses. Sighing, I looked up and noticed that Vincent was looking intently at something.
I turned my head and followed his gaze, stumbling upon Alicia standing not far from Joely. Alicia hasn't taken her eyes off Vincent from the moment he got here.
As soon as Alicia realized that Vincent was looking at her, she tried to pretend that she didn't notice it. At the same time, as if by chance, she bowed her head to draw his attention to her pretty face. As she wanted, Vincent could not take his eyes off her for a long time.
Joely gave orders from time to time, and Alicia darted here and there, serving her. All this time, Vincent watched silently. More precisely, he simply did not take his eyes off Alicia, and his pupils moved in accordance with the maid’s every movement.
Why is he looking so intently? Having asked this question, I looked at Vincent again, after which Johnny touched my shoulder. He stood slightly behind me and leaned over, quietly asking:
-Who is this?
I looked at Johnny, wondering who he was talking about. Johnny's eyes pointed in Vincent's direction, and then turned his gaze back to me, silently demanding an answer to the question. Don't tell me he really doesn't know.
- So who? – Johnny pressed.
- The owner of the estate.
- Yes, well? – Now Johnny looked at Vincent with wide eyes. I was confused by the fact that he only found out about it now. Didn't all the servants then gather in front of the mansion to greet the returning master?
“All the servants were recently called to meet him,” I said.
- I know. But then I overslept.
-...
- Will you keep it a secret?
I wasn’t going to tell anyone even without his request. He seemed amused by the situation, and Johnny added that he woke up too early that day, so he dozed off. I calmly promised that I would keep his secret, shaking my head.
At that moment I felt someone else's gaze on me. I quickly turned my head, but didn’t notice anything. Strange. I could swear someone was watching...
- Hey! Why is he looking at Alicia like that? – Johnny was indignant.
- Don't make things up. He looks at Lady Joely.
- No. Look at those sparkling eyes. It's like he's in love.
“Don’t think that everyone is as amorous as you are,” I retorted.
I don’t even want to hear anything about something like love at first sight. I cringed thinking about it.
I wanted to reproach Johnny for the fact that he was talking nonsense and something like this couldn’t happen, and that he thought too much out of jealousy. Johnny quickly sensed my anger and somehow sensed that I was about to say something he wouldn't like at all, so he quickly backed away. I looked away and regained my serious appearance.
- Hey! – a heavy voice rang out.
It was like I was doused with cold water. Johnny looked from me to the master. I reacted later, but also turned my head.
Vincent was still staring at Alicia. He definitely wasn’t calling out to me.
- New maid? – Vincent asked, looking in the same direction. Alicia quickly turned to him, as if this was all she had been waiting for.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Alicia smiled shyly, folding her hands on her stomach and bowing politely. Her long hair was tied back and the curls fell over her shoulders.
- What is your name?
“Alicia,” she answered in a joyful voice. Her eyes shone, her eyelashes fluttered, her scarlet lips spread into a charming smile. Alicia knew how to make an unforgettable impression, so she did not miss the opportunity to use her seduction tactics. “I am Lady Joely’s maid.”
-...
- Mister?
Vincent stared again at the face smiling at him. Alicia's cheeks gradually turned red, as if the gaze was really burning through her. Joely, who was sitting on a chair, turned around slightly and smiled mischievously:
- God, Vincent. You’ll soon burn a hole in her face,” the remark made made Vincent sigh and look away. - Fell in love or what?
Alicia's eyes twinkled at such a frank assumption, but Vincent quickly regained his former detachment, silently letting what was said fall on deaf ears. Joely no longer insisted, and only Alicia remained disappointed.
“Ann,” Joely called. Somewhat belatedly, I raised my eyes in response.
-...Yes!
- Come here. Take care of my hair,” Joely let down her hair, which the nanny had previously worked on, and waved her hand, beckoning her to her. I? Hairstyle? Nanny approached me shyly.
“I will look after the young master,” she assured with a gentle smile, carefully moving Robert onto her lap.
It seemed that now the attention of everyone present was focused on me. The nanny had already placed Robert on her lap, and Joely was waiting for me. Alicia, standing next to her mistress, gave me an irritated look.
I headed towards Joely, but every step was difficult. The back of my head must have been itching because of Johnny's intense attention. But at the same time, I felt Vincent’s gaze.