/
A lot of time had already passed. But the attendant was still nowhere to be seen. Rosalynn tried to comfort her lady, saying that there must’ve been some misunderstandings or emergencies that caused his delay.
Just then, a knock sounded from the door. Tom finally came to visit her.
Before Rosalynn could even open her mouth, Deatrice spoke quietly.
“Don’t.”
Don’t say anything.
She didn’t want to hear any words from her mouth. After saying that, Deatrice embroidered again. The maid then watched Deatrice embroidering in silence as the attendant continued rapping his knuckles against their door.
Tom Wilson had only arrived when the sun had already started to turn yellow. As punishment for letting her wait, she left him outside her door for a significant amount of time as well.
Afterwards, Deatrice stood up.
Having looked through the ledger with Lucius before, she had imagined seeing an aged face jotting down all the data that was written there.
But right now, standing in front of her was a young face on the cusp of adulthood. Too young to the point that his immaturity couldn’t even hide his hostility towards her.
Deatrice looked at the boy for a long time, observing him. Her disconcerting gaze caused his blatant hostility to turn into one of embarrassment.
It was too heavy for Tom, who had prepared in his heart the unpleasant words he would say when had finally seen the ‘witch’.
With her dignified-looking empire dress gilded with golden threads and delicate pearls poking out of her wavy dark hair—Deatrice looked more like a youthful maiden still admired by men in social gatherings than a married madam.
Tom closed his eyes. There was a reason why the lord had fallen for her…
“So,” Deatrice turned her head again and continued to embroider. “I heard you’re in charge of finances?”
“Yes, it is true.” Tom answered right away.
Deatrice continued questioning him. “Even after he married me, did my husband tell you to continue with your work?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
“Without even informing me beforehand?”
Tom wasn’t flustered with her words. He had already anticipated everything she had to say. He answered calmly. “Since the master is very busy, he probably did not have time to tell you.”
“How… ridiculous.” At those words, Deatrice’s mood plummeted. Just this morning, Lucius was still talking nonsense about lakes and walks. It didn’t make sense to her that while he had time to say those insignificant words, he didn’t have the mind to inform her of his decisions that prevented her from performing her responsibilities.
“Tell your lord that I need to meet with him.” Deatrice uttered with a firm attitude.
However, Tom could not erase the rebellious spirit that surged within him and responded tartly. “The master is still patrolling the estate and I’m not supposed to interfere with his work. After that, he would have to go to the Knights Templar.”
“Does that mean he doesn’t have time? Even for a short conversation with me?”
Tom smiled, “The issue isn’t that big of a deal. We can settle it without letting him be involved.”
“Not a big deal?”
“Isn’t it? The master thinks that it’s better for you to not bother with needless work. As far as I’m concerned, I have been doing my work properly, and it should continue to be done properly in the future. There’s truly no need for you to intervene.”
“I’m intervening…” Deatrice smirked in disbelief and repeated Tom’s preposterous words.
Rosalynn couldn’t stand his disrespect anymore. She slapped the back of Tom’s hand with a fan and said, “Get down on your knees and apologize to the lady, you rude servant!”
However, such an authoritarian attitude was unbearable for Tom, who had always been able to freely say things to his master with little to no repercussions.
“You’re joking, right?” He spoke to the maid, almost rolling his eyes at her, “You’re the one being rude here. We’re servants of the same rank—direct aides to the masters. So, who are you to order me around?”
“Watch your mouth! Had she been the duke, you would’ve been thrashed and fed to the dogs!”
“Well, we aren’t at the duke’s palace now, are we?” he swiftly retorted.
In the end, their arguments had turned into childish bickering and Deatrice shook her head.
“The two of you, be quiet.”
Rosalynn quickly returned to her quiet posture, sensing the exhausted undertone in her mistress’s words. But even though the attendant kept his mouth shut, the visible pout on his lips signaled that his displeasure still remained.
However…
“Even though I may look unreliable, I am confident that my ability to manage finances is exceptional. Don’t you know that there is a reason why the master entrusted me with this position? It was me who doubled my master’s fortune just recently.”
In the end, Tom couldn’t stand it anymore and poured out his feelings.
“You didn’t care who I was, or even cared to ask who looked after your husband. And just because you think your rights have been violated, you immediately come seeking trouble for the master? If you had truly wanted to contribute to the manor, as the master’s wife, shouldn’t you have already found out about me long ago.”
Never in her life had her attendant behaved so arbitrarily with reckless abandon.
Flabbergasted and displeased, Deatrice bit back.
“You already said it wasn’t a big deal. Why now, are we talking about me having to acknowledge you?”
She couldn’t understand why Lucius would keep such an ill-mannered servant with him.