Rae Varnya
“Welcome back, my lady,” said the gatekeeper. The man opened the gates to Manor Varnya, and bowed to Rae Varnya. “Mistress, as you requested, the guest wing has been prepared, and your other requests seen to as well.”
Rae Varnya nodded to the servant. “Ring the bell for a footman, I have a few more requests tonight.”
“As you wish, mistress.”
The group had taken two carriages up to the manor, traveling slowly at no more than a walk. It was well past tenth toll by the time they arrived, and the coachman had to yell to wake the sleeping gatekeeper. A shameful necessity – as the coaches moved forth to the manor's door, Rae decided would have to speak to her house steward about hiring a replacement gatekeeper, if the current one slept so early.
Rae stepped out of the carriage, and watched as the others disembarked. Dirty, tired, and badly dressed. Perhaps the late hour was a good thing – none of her neighbors would be watching her welcome such disreputable characters to her manor.
Except, of course, for Mr. Jack Sunder. She watched him as he stepped down from his carriage, and helped that girl down. There was something about him. Even with mud on his suit, and wearied expression upon his face... there was something there. An elegance, a sensibility above and beyond the others. He was born as a noble, he must have been.
Varnya heard the doors open behind her. “Welcome back to Manor Varnya , ladies and gentlemen. I am Dorbus, first footman of Manor Varnya. As guests of the Lady, and of Varnya Manor, I bid you to make yourself welcome, and feel free to ask for anything you might desire. We have make the guest wing ready for your stay.”
Rae turned to the man, who bowed to her. “All the guests require their clothing and gear to be cleaned, and have the house maids prepare two baths, one for Mr. Sunder, and another for his associate Lore.”
“Yes, mistress.” The man waved a servant boy over, and gave him instructions. The boy sped off to alert the maids.
Another footman had arrived, this one summoned by the gatekeeper's bell. “What do you desire, my lady?”
“This girl is recovering from a severe injury. Please carry her to her room, where a bath shall have been prepared. Be sure that the maids assist her with her cleaning.”
Varnya turned to her guests. “Please ask Dorbus as to any or all requests you may have concerning your stay here. I will be in my study if you require of me.” Curtsying to her guests, she excused herself and made for the butler's quarters. There were a few more orders to be given.
Lorelei
Lore reveled as one of the housemaids emptied a bucket of clean, hot water over her head. There had bit of a confusion upon her arrival at the guest bathing room, as the maids had expected her to know certain things she did not know, but they had thought to summon the head chambermaid, who turned out to be very understanding as to Lore's lack of cultured upbringing.
“Please raise your arms,” intoned the head chambermaid. Lore glanced at her, and the older woman smiled and nodded back.
Lore raised her arms, which left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. She stood and watched as the other two maids—oblivious to her discomfort—darted in, and began to clean the years of dirt and grime off of her body. As a child growing up in the city, Lore know that bathing was for rich women, but she associated it mostly with whores, and had given little fantasy to the idea of bathing, particularly bathing as a rich woman would.
The soaps were scented, and Lore closed her eyes and savored the scent. So this was how rich women like Rae smelled so good...
This thought broken Lore from her reverie, and she opened her eyes and frowned. The head chambermaid frowned in response.
“Is something the matter, mistress?”
“No, nothing.” Lore brought her arms back down, and another bucket of hot water was emptied upon her head. What were Rae's ideas about this all? Why was she being so kind? There had to be a reason for all of this.
There was a knock on the door, and in came three housemaids, each carrying two buckets of hot water.
“Please step out of the tub, we would like to exchange the water.”
Lore looked down at the muddy water she was standing in. Did she have all that dirt on her skin this whole time? Lore raised a foot to step outside of the bath, but was suddenly struck by a bout of dizziness. Quickly squatting down in the water, she grabbed onto the side of the tub to steady herself.
“Mistress?”
“Sorry about that. Um... could you help me out of the bath? I'm not feeling very well.”
“Of course,” said the head chambermaid, as if this were the most normal request ever made. The woman nodded at the other maids, who took Lore's arms, and helped her step out. The tub was tipped over and emptied down a drain, then the two maids helped Lore back into the tub.
Once back within the tub, another bucket of hot water was pored over Lore, and the two maids set to cleaning the young woman's legs. Lore was not terribly comfortable with this, but didn't feel like giving the maids more trouble than she already had. One of them still had marks from her reaction to their initial attempt to undress her.
Now that she thought about it, the maids were probably not thrilled to be washing a lady of such low status. They were commoners, same as herself, and yet while they had achieved gainful employment in a noble family, she herself—a common street girl—was the guest, and they were serving her. A trace of a grin played across Lore's lips. Oh, how the capricious wheels of fate turned...
Another bucket of hot water was emptied over Lore's head, and she set to enjoying the moment.
Jack Sunder
Jack sat on the side of his bed, staring at himself in the dressing-mirror. After bathing himself, he had changed into a set of lavender silk pajamas provided by Rae's servants. Jack slid one of his hands down his leg, feeling the softness and smoothness of the fabric. It brought back memories and heartaches.
“Who are you, Jack?” he asked. “Just when I thought I had you figured out, too.”
Reaching over to the side, he took his old, beaten-up hat off the table, and twirled it on a finger. The rest of his clothes were off elsewhere, probably waiting to be laundered in the morning. Jack stopped his hand, and the hat swung around for two more revolutions before coming to a rest on his finger. He put it on.
Why did he do the things he did? Jack shook his head. His childhood peers would think him mad if they knew what he was up to these days. Or maybe anyone who knew would think his enterprise madness, even without knowing what he had given up.
And for what? A hard life, moving from city to city? A risk of death every week or two? Watching friends die around him, die for him? But... he wasn't here for the life of adventure.
But what of the girl? What of Lore? No doubt she thought the world of him, but... did he really want her? Could she be Mrs. Sunder someday? Mrs. Sunder, living a life of adventure by his side, a companion on the lone road? Risking death whenever duty called? Could he live with that? Or was the only option to settle down, and give up his life of adventure? Kara didn’t think so, but she didn’t know better.
Jack pulled his hat off of his head, and tossed it across the room, towards his pack and other belongings.
Jack stood up, feeling the delicate touch of the silk on his skin, so strange after years of woolen blankets and sleeping in his clothes. Not entirely unlike the touch of a woman... smooth, loving...
He could sweep her away, off to a life of luxury of which she could barely imagine. It was in his power. But if he did that, could he still look himself in the mirror, knowing that he had given up on his ambitions? Would he be fine settling into a life of decadent luxury?
There was a knock on the door. “The Lady Rae Varnya wishes to speak with you.” It was the voice of one of the footmen.
“The Lady is welcome to enter.”
There was a click, and the footman opened the door, holding it open for the Rae. The Lady stepped into the room with perfect poise, completely within her element. She was wearing a dark red robe with golden embroidery over a lighter red nightgown, both made of fine silk.
“My Lady,” said Sunder, turning to her and bowing.
Rae curtsied in return, then walked across the room to Sunder. Reaching out, she stroked the side of his face with her fingers, letting them trail down his neck, and along the pajamas, on top of his collarbone. Sunder stiffened.
“My Lady?” he asked, stepping backwards.
“You do look better in silk, Jack.” She smiled and stalked forward a step. “There's something that's been bothering me. Something out of place – do you think you might be able to help a lady?”
Sunder swallowed. “What is on your mind?”
“Well, I've been thinking about your group. A manic, possibly insane girl with a perchance for mechanics. A northerner who's really looking for a home she's never seen, but looking in all the wrong places. A washed up ruffian... simple, and simple-minded. A little street girl, plucked away from the unpleasantness of that life, and idolizing her savior...” Rae smiled at Jack. “Do you see a pattern here, perhaps? I don't.”
Sunder began to speak, but she pressed a finger upon his lips. “And yet... it gets stranger still. This odd little band follows a man out of his place, and out of his time. Refined, cultured, knowledgeable...” Sunder tried to step backwards again, but ran into the bed. Rae closed the distance between them, and leaned close to whisper in Sunder's ear. “...Noble.”
Sunder lost his balance and fell backwards onto the bed. “I'm not noble,” he said, sitting up quickly.
Rae slid smoothly down to the bed, and sat beside him. “So you say, Mister Sunder. Or should it really be 'Sir Sunder'? Or is that even your true name? I couldn't find mention of a 'Sunder' family anywhere in my records.”
Sunder inched away from her on the bed. “That's because I'm not noble.”
“You are a nobleman – I can see it in your posture, the way you react to me... and it's all too clear now that you are dressed as you should be. Not dressed as a mere commoner with pretensions, but as a noble exercising his birthright.”
“Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not. What does it mean to you?”
“Mean to me? You've made yourself into a very mysterious man, and I aim to understand you.” She smiled again, the very picture of courtly beauty. “Who are you, Jack?”
Jack leaned on a bedpost and looked over to the mirror again. “Who am I indeed.”
“You don't belong with your band of misfits, Jack. You belong here. This is the life you were born to. You hunger for it, I can see it in you – don't waste who you are with everyday folks.” Rae rose and stood in front of him, between him and the mirror. “You're a magnificent man, Jack Sunder. Join me here.”
“I don't care for your offer. I'm not who you think I am.”
“Then what are you going to do? Sweep that poor, delusional little girl off her feet? She's not for you, my dear Jack. She idolizes you because you pulled her out of a life with no future, because you saved her life and cared for her – probably the first man to ever do so. I pity her, but not so much as I pity you if you mistake that for actual appreciation of who you are.”
Sunder looked away from Rae.
“She cannot appreciate your refinement as I do. Your ways—our ways—they are alien to her. And, in the end, she's a child of a life of want. You and I, we know there is more to life than what you have, and what you don't. But that's not the lesson taught to commoners. She's going to always appreciate what you get her, what you do for her – and not appreciate who you are.”
Rae glided forwards to Sunder. She bent down and rested a delicate hand upon his thigh. Sunder stiffened again. “And how do you feel about her? Does her crude willingness set alight your hunger?” She trailed her fingers up his thigh. “Carnal desire should not be mistaken for love, and yet you struggle with your urges.”
Sunder felt a pleasant shiver go down his spine, and then his face go warm. He gritted his teeth and spoke: “Excuse my rudeness as a guest, my Lady, but at least she is not as inappropriate as you.”
Rae threw her head back and laughed. “My apologies, my dear Sunder. I am not above the influence of flesh myself, as you so rightly point out. But at least between us there can be more than just the desire of flesh.”
Rae stood up and walked towards the door. She knocked on it, and then turned back to Jack as the footman opened the door for her. “Think about about what we have said, Sunder dear. Think about who you are.” Rae made as to leave, then paused and turned back. “And if you do care about little Lore... don't lead her on.”
Next: Chapter 5: The Descent