Chapter Text
Upon hearing the news that they’d hired a new servant, Kate had to pretend she was fine with it.
After all, why shouldn’t she be? She’d finally have human company, one that was about to go through the same kind of suffering she had under the hands of this godforsaken family. Rustie was a delight to be around, sure, but he never had to run around day and night to serve her eccentric masters. Nor could he give her words of comfort or simply respond to her in any way except for meows and purrs.
She should’ve been ecstatic. She told herself to be, but she couldn’t. All she felt on the night before was dread. A new servant hired specifically for the family reunion, where they had to face not just her master but also his pesky siblings. The younger sister just had a baby so it should be coming here, too. Kate couldn’t say she had experience with children, so unfortunately she wouldn’t be of much help.
That poor servant, how naive of them to choose the Vanderboom family. They must’ve applied after only seeing the pay, not even bother seeking out the wise words of the ones who came before. Had no one told them about the disappearing servants in this household? Why else would she be here all alone, exhausting herself with chores while her employer locked himself in his room doing who-knows-what? Once again she wondered how she’d managed to last this long, a question that lingered for a mere minute before she told herself to sleep it off.
She chose to ignore that question, just like how she’d ignored all the anomalies that had been occurring in this hell of a house. Maybe that was why she’d been spared while her dear brother was taken; he had a soul far too curious for his own good, dug so deep that there was nothing left to bury in his own grave. It made her wonder if every servant before him had been like that, too.
But in spite of all the grief it’d caused, she stayed. She stayed because there was no one else to take care of the house. She stayed because, despite all the trouble he caused her, Mr. Aldous genuinely needed her. She was too kind. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him alone, nor the thought of him finding another unfortunate soul to place all his burden upon. She stayed out of duty and loyalty, but to whom? The house? Her master? Her brother? By this point she couldn’t tell.
At least for now, she would stay for the servant. She’d make sure to provide them the help she never had when she first got herself in this mess.
— — — — —
Kate woke up earlier than usual. With the additional task of greeting the new hire, she had to start her errands before the sun rose. Considering the torture this new servant would have to go through for the next three days, the least she could do was make this house a welcoming place.
Once done, she waited patiently at the hallway, by the side table of which the employment contract lay on top. She glided her fingers along the black-feathered quill, calming down her nerves at the clattering of horseshoe, the grumbles of the coachman, and finally the creaking of floorboards that led to a click at the door lock.
Good. So that meant the servant already knew the workings of this household.
From the door came a young man around her age, small and unassuming against the ivory-colored entrance. Another average-built, fair-skinned man with his dark hair tied into a ponytail, not unlike the other servants before him. His hazel eyes were a standout, however - golden hues shining in the sunlight yet devoid of passion, just like how hers were drained of all life. Maybe his previous employment hadn’t been quite so perfect, either.
Whatever it was, it should all be behind him now. The moment he stepped foot here, nothing else mattered except for the Vanderbooms. And so with the greeting script replayed in her mind, she said:
“You must be the new servant. Glad you are here, we have a long day ahead of us.”
She then raised the crow-feathered quill from her apron and continued: “Could you please sign the contract first?”
The servant nodded wordlessly before taking the quill and walking towards the table. Obedient, she thought, Mr. Aldous might like him.
Once the servant finished signing his life away, she handed him the servant notebook as well as his first ever task: preparing breakfast for their master. He accepted both without question like a good servant he was, not even once prying her with silly inquiries like why milk was left out in Rustie’s litter box and not in the kitchen. He moved around like a ghost, footsteps light as a feather. Kate had to make sure he’d gone inside Mr. Aldous’ bedroom to take a peek at his employment contract, trying her best yet failing to decipher his name from the signature. Maybe it didn’t matter what his name was, for he’d only be here for at most three days. Maybe it was best that she ignored him too.
To her surprise, the servant returned to report for duty. He… did not look any worse for wear, save for the brownish-red spot on his sleeve that she hoped wasn’t blood.
“Oh, you’re still here,” she said, half wanting to see if he caught on to the implications. “I guess Mr. Aldous is pleased with you.”
The servant nodded, though not before giving his stained sleeve a brief glance. Again, she hoped that wasn’t blood.
“The guests are arriving soon. Mrs. Alexandra and Mr. William are quite demanding, so make sure you gave them everything they ask for.” She then lowered her voice and leaned in closer, “You don’t want to get on their wrong side.”
The servant, once again, nodded without a word. Kate resisted the urge to make him respond.
“Now, help me clean the floors then get back to me,” she sighed, seeing no further point in trying to give out a warning. The servant, obedient as usual, silently left.
So much for a companion, she thought. Her mind began to wander as she continued mopping the floor, drifting to the thoughts of her upcoming guests. The notion of getting close to those people made her nauseous, her stomach twisted at the mere idea of interacting with them.
Mr. William, in particular, was an unpleasant drunkard. His whole body radiated the smell of smoke and alcohol, never once failing to make her want to throw up. And that was not mentioning the state of his room: one time he got so inebriated that he relieved himself all over the floor, leaving her to clean up the whole mess all while being forced to hear his nonsensical rants about his brother. Mr. Aldous might have been a condescending man, but at least he had the grace to not humiliate her like that.
But he was still nothing compared to Mrs. Alexandra. Genuinely, she would rather serve Mr. William for ten extra days than be in the same room with that woman. She treated the maid with disdain, not even once looking at her with any expression other than a scowl. She loved giving her servants chores then proceed to ruin whatever progress they were making, all for her twisted pleasure of seeing people beneath her suffer. She was pure evil incarnated, a plague that sickened anyone she came across. A parasite who fed on her dear brother’s life.
Yes, she was quite aware of what had gone on between him and the dreadful woman. He was young and dashing, poetic and dreamy like one of those leading men in her favorite novels. He tended to catch the attention of the ladies around him and Mrs. Alexandra was seemingly no exception. She’d given him tasks that should’ve been done by another female servant: bathing her, dressing her up, helping her exercise. Like the current servant he’d obeyed, but unlike that one he had come to question everything he’d been forced to do.
There had been one night where she returned to her servant room to find her brother crying. He’d sobbed quietly enough to not alert any other occupants in the house, yet painful enough to ache her heart. She remembered coming to his side and wiped his tears with her handkerchief, patting his back gently as his breathing calmed down. He’d told her how much Mrs. Alexandra’s chores had been upsetting for him yet he’d also refused to elaborate what exactly they were. “I’m ashamed of myself,” he’d said, to which his beloved sister had no answer to. So instead, she…
She…
She’d convinced him to keep going. “One more day and you’ll be free,” she’d said. There had been so much money they both could’ve earned in one more day, she couldn’t let it slip away from their fingers. She’d told him that she’d be the one to prepare his resignation letter and in the meantime he could just continue on with his work. She had, oh so foolishly, believed that it was a good plan.
“Are you not leaving with me, sister?”
“I will be fine here,” she’d reassured.
Kate had woken up the next morning to see her brother talking with Mrs. Alexandra. She’d chosen to ignore the conversation, never once thought that it would’ve been the last time she saw him alive.
Mind buried in her deepest thoughts and guilt, her eyes drifted from the mop to the servant staring at her. She flinched and nearly dropped the handle, while the young man didn’t do so much as blink.
“H- How long have you been standing there?”
His hazel eyes darted to the nearby clock then back to her, implying something she couldn’t make out.
“Why are you even-” then she remembered what she’d said, “right, I did tell you to come back to me. Apologies.” She handed him a feather duster as well as the next task: “Now, dust the paintings.”
He took the item with grace then quietly left. Kate had to wonder if the Vanderbooms had hired a mute servant by mistake.
— — — — —
The rest of the afternoon was quite uneventful. For Kate, at least; she hadn’t been the one to deal with the cockroaches in the garden. The new servant had obeyed her every command and, in true servant fashion, never questioned a single one.
“Light all the candles.” He did.
“Enter the garden.” He did.
“Welcome the guests.” He did.
Kate heard a baby’s cry just as she finished mopping up the last bit of dust, and that was her cue to leave. She retreated back to her servant room, sat herself comfortably on the chair, and silently prayed that the accursed woman would not come through the door. Not before boiling a kettle and set the tea where the servant could easily reach, though; just because she was pushing all the work onto him didn’t mean she wanted him to suffer under Mrs. Alexandra’s impatience.
And much to her relief, it was the servant who entered. She immediately recognized the small stain on the hem of his sleeve as Rustie’s vomit.
“I’d rather not be around that woman,” she said bluntly to his face. “Would you mind serving her tea?”
The servant darted his eyes to the boiling water, then the tea, then back to her. He quickly nodded, which meant that her plan had worked. For once she was grateful for his servant habit of not questioning things.
“Thank you,” she pulled out a container from her apron, “be careful with the sugar.”
He made his way toward her and dug for something of his own from his coat pocket. She looked on curiously as he pulled out a white rose, pristine as though freshly picked from the garden. And much to her surprise, he presented the flower to her.
“F- For me?” she asked, to which the servant responded with a nod. “Oh, thank you.”
She took the flower on his hand, feeling a tingle on her skin as the tips of their fingers touched. She could’ve sworn she saw an upward curl of the servant’s lips, fleeting like his very presence in the room. He took the sugar from her hand without her noticing and quickly took off with all the tea-making equipment, and with the kettle gone it suddenly felt too quiet in here.
Kate set her eyes upon the rose. Velvety white petals smooth under her thumb, she pondered what his intention was behind the gesture. He didn’t speak a word to her, she did nothing but boss him around. Was he being a gentleman or subtly asking for a favor? With the way he’d presented himself thus far, it could go either way.
But she saw him smile. He had never once smiled as far as she could recall, and quite frankly there was nothing to smile about while working for the Vanderboom family. He smiled at her, small and soft like his golden gaze upon her own. It spoke of no ill will, no hidden intentions rather than to bestow her a nice flower. All signs pointed to her that his gesture was of anything but malice.
Whatever the meaning behind his actions was, it certainly made her smile. Later that day when the whole family was gathering in the living room, she got herself a vase and some water to give the plant a home in her chambers. It livened up the room considerably when placed next to her stack of books.
At some point after the event, Mrs. Alexandra asked her about a missing flower in her bouquet. Kate pretended to know nothing about it.
— — — — —
As soon as she saw the state of the living room following Mr. Aldous’ reunion speech, Kate was glad she hadn’t participated.
Apparently Mr. William came in through the window, drank a whole bottle of champagne, smashed said champagne bottle to the ground before demanding a cigar and somehow eating it whole. All in front of a three-month-old James Vanderboom, who was thankfully asleep most of the time. So pure and innocent, almost undeserving of this chaos of a family. Just the thought of that cigar smoke being anywhere near a baby’s proximity sickened her.
The servant seemed… fine. Though she did sense a hollowness in his eyes, even more than how he usually presented. They looked less unemotional and more... traumatized, she’d say - the kind of distant gaze that one would make after a particularly horrific experience. She guessed that it was from the whole cigar-eating incident.
But at the very least, it ended on time. As the masters retreated back to their respective chambers, it was time for the night watch. With a candlestick on her right hand and a bell on her left, she instructed the servant: “I want you to make a final round to check the hallways. If you notice anything strange, ring the bell. If everything seems normal, blow a candle.”
As usual, the servant nodded and made his way out. Kate had to resist the urge to stick to him, just to make sure he’d look into every single nook and cranny of the house. But as a servant he was to understand his tasks and follow them to the letter, and as a live-in maid with more experience she was to trust that he would do so.
The servant returned and blew out the first candle. That was rather fast.
“Good job, now go make your next round.”
The servant seemed taken aback by her command. She stood her ground and said: “You can never be too sure after a single inspection, can you?”
He looked to the hallway then back to her, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Her lack of further response was apparently enough to make him get on with it. She didn’t need to wait long to hear quick footsteps heading back to her direction, which then turned into the slim figure of the servant with his face now pale as a sheet.
“Well done,” she said, calm against the shaking of his hand as he rang the bell, “check the hallways again.”
The servant looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. She sighed and lightly shook her head, “Strange things happen in this house all the time. You better get used to it.”
He remained unconvinced.
“You’ll be here for only three days, it shouldn’t matter if things make sense or not. Just… get on with it.”
Once again, he looked to the hallway then back to her. And again, he left without saying a word.
The servant ended up going six more rounds before the final candle was blown out. She had to give him encouragements after each trip just so he kept on going, already sensing the way he was becoming increasingly terrified by the strange happenings of this house. Much as it’d been an unpleasant experience for him, she couldn’t help but feel amused. Who knows if she’d ever get to see him this expressive again?
“We are done here,” she said, to which an audible sigh escaped the servant’s mouth. “It’s time to go to bed.”
Now considerably more relaxed, he nodded. She nodded in return then made the turn towards the cabinet, placing the candles and the bell back where they usually were. That signaled the end of an excruciating day, and she couldn’t wait to change out her maid dress and-
“Upstairs.”
She jolted, swiftly whipping her head back to see the servant by the door.
“D- Did you just-”
“Upstairs,” the servant said, pointing upwards, “I saw… a person… in a red cloak and a skull mask.”
Kate blinked. She didn’t know what shocked her more: the strange being or the fact that the servant talked, talked, to her. The servant had a voice and was capable of speech. The servant, quiet since he entered the house, was now telling her that there was a cloaked and masked person upstairs.
She stared at him wide-eyed, providing no answer. Or was he not seeking an answer and was just letting her know? Whichever it was, he bowed to her and left the room, a single word coming out of him this time around:
“Goodnight.”
Back in her chambers, Kate tried not to think too hard about it. It was an exhausting day and she needed her well-deserved rest. Rustie was already fast asleep on the bed beside her own, and she gave him one last rub across his back before changing into her night gown.
She slid into her comfortable sheets and blew out her candle. The sweet aroma of the white rose helped to soothe her, already lulling her into a nice, dreamless sleep within minutes. As she always told herself before bed and after waking up in the morning, she’d ignore everything unusual and move on to another day.
Not even the strange cloaked person, who she’d never seen before, would make her stay up all night tonight.