Chapter 7: Staying the Night

"Another port's construction? Wouldn't that be outright… irrelevant? How would that help, Viscount Clyde? There's already one on the eastern side of Aegan Sea," Count Levi, presumably the smartest of these people, surmised. They are currently gathered at the mead room of the Viscount's manor, discussing the main point of today's prohibitive gathering.

"I agree. I see no benefit in this. I've never been to Balinderry myself," Cyrus also mentioned, convincing the young nobles to take the opposing side. Viscount Clyde chuckled, and it caught everyone's attention. They gazed at him in surprise as he chugged bourbon and stood up.

"I don't think you understand, my Lords. Balinderry, at this point, is a pivotal spot to develop in order to gain the trust of the poorer sector. As we've known, these past few years, more of them have lost their homes, livelihood, and even lives."

Clyde walks across the room and into the elevated platform. He stood high and mighty before them, watching their attentive gazes as they sat in a row of Bergere chairs, waiting for his words.

"The people have been expressing their distaste towards the upper class with the rise of taxation caused by, well, your families." His words hit close to home for the youngsters. Since all of their families basically run this town, it can be said that they're the ones to blame.

In this era, political posts are mainly coined by rich business people. Clyde heaved and looked at Victoria. "Think about it this way. A port, where these poor people can build a market and set sail in safety would surely make them merry. Elections are only a few months away. A bill passing for the public's opinion regarding elections is underway. In no time, your families might end up in bankruptcy. A revolution is only a few days away, ain't it? Sparing a few gold coins for this will certainly help each and every one of you. Especially… you, Baron Cyrus. Just imagine how your beloved father would feel once you pitch such a surprise to him."

The man in question remained silent, looking away as if he was thinking really hard about it.

Cyrus' father, Earl Quasimodo, is the town's mayor. With the decline of Osborn recently, the family has been targeted by malicious hatred. For the next election, Quasimodo has been urging Cyrus to run instead to catch the dissent for their clan. "You'll earn the public trust just before you run. We're aware that the Earl is using you as a catch basin. So, stun him."

"Earning the public trust…" Cyrus blurted. Clenching his teeth, he weighed the choices. As a young man who grew up with a privileged mindset, pleasing the lowborn of Osborn is a crucial step toward his greedy success. "I'll think about it…"

"And you can discuss it by yourselves. I wish you success, but I'm way too important to mingle with them," Lord Henry jeered, clasping his fingers with a sickly smile. "Good luck, though."

"Same goes for me," Count Levi also stated.

Meanwhile, the ladies remained in silence, fanning themselves and twirling their hair. Only Victoria expressed support. "I think it's a great idea. Perhaps, I can also… convince my father. It would be a great bolster for him."

Viscount Clyde smiled at her. "Lovely," he said to them, hiding the excitement he was feeling.

…

Emily hummed to herself, fumbling with her thoughts occupied about how to come back to the present times. 'Do I have to… go into the well or something? Should I swim back?'

She sat alone in the peasant's quarter of the mansion with the other servants brought by the visiting nobles. They were talking loudly, gossiping about the people they worked for, but she isolated herself a table away from them. She's simply not interested, and the way they talked was enough to make her nose bleed. It was too formal to understand even though it was English.

"You seem to be lost in thought," Louis appeared out of nowhere, sitting beside her with a warm smile.

"Oh, hey. I thought you were preparing for your departure?"

"It's done; we'll depart shortly when you all do," he replied matter of factly.

"Wait… now that I think about it, what's his reason? I mean, how can he live without aide if he's a nobleman?" Emily pillared her palm to her face and lounged her elbow to the table.

"I have the same question. It baffles me, but he's an independent man ever since he arrived here three years ago," Louis mindlessly shared.

"Three years ago? He hasn't been living here before?"

"No. He arrived in Osborn three years ago with so much wealth, people wouldn't leave him alone. He became the town's shylock. Rich, poor, everyone turned to him for help, and everyone wasn't turned away," he said with a smile as he looked at her confused face.

"What's a shylock?" Emily asked in cluelessness.

"Oh, uhm… someone who would let you borrow money!"

"So, like a loan shark?" Emily nodded with extended lower lips.

"Eh? What's a loan shark?"

Emily hemmed, realizing that the term probably didn't exist for now. "Oh, it's people who let you borrow money, but with a terrible consequence if you don't pay back," she shared with a giggle. "They beat you up."

"Oh! But Viscount Clyde is nowhere near that!" Louis laughed haughtily. "He doesn't punish those who take a long time to pay. Actually, there are times that he won't even let them settle. That's why he's loved in this town. Sadly, it seems like he'd leave soon. Perhaps, he'll come back to the capital to be with his family. I'm not certain. No one really knows where he came from."

"That's interesting. I bet he's a cool master for you to say such nice things." Emily's eyes glimmered. She felt the sincerity in the words of the person she was talking to. Still, it got her wondering why Clyde seemed hateful towards her.

"Well, my job here is kind of easy. Don't tell anyone about this, but I actually never work unless we have a visitor."

"What? Then, what does the Viscount eat?"

"I have no idea. He's always away, and even when he's here, he never ordered me to cook or serve him anything. I haven't even seen him eat real food except for a few occasions. He ate very little, though."

Emily scoffed in amusement. "Maybe he's on a diet," she jested, making Louis laugh.

They talked for a while, and by the time they were done, one of the manor's servants came announcing that the meeting had come to an end and the nobles would be departing shortly.

Emily stood up along with the other servants, bid farewell to Louis, and headed outside to prepare the carriage. It was a good thing that the rain had stopped, but it would definitely be a stormy dawn, seeing the greyish clouds enveloping the horizon. The downpour is just foreplay; the perilous weather has entered the county of Glasgow. From afar, occasional thunders could be heard, and it made Emily worry.

Her plans might fail if the well overflowed.

Later on, she waited by the porch along with the other servants. They stood in a clean line with their heads held down as the riches began to prep themselves for their journey. They bid goodbye to each other with sophisticated laughter, new schemes, and a public junction.

They then head out to the dark abyss of the night, one by one. As the night deepened, however, one servant remained standing by the gigantic porch, clueless, baffled, and at a freaking loss.

"Where the heck is that insufferable bitch?" Emily murmured with crossed brows when the door opened.

"Are you Lady Victoria's servant?" a man in a red suit appeared through the hall. His face was covered with his hat, blowing past his eyes. Only his mustache could be seen. Emily nodded her head at the mysterious man. "Y—yes."

"She'll be spending the night here. I advise you to sleep in the dungeon below. Follow me," he said with a straight face.

Emily gaped. 'Why would she choose to spend the night here? Fuck! How about me? Damn, rich people from the past suck more than rich people now. Bill Gates would've asked how I'm doing. Tch!'

Besides, Ruth clearly stated that they needed to be home before midnight, or else, Lord Frank would end up killing a sheep.

Nonetheless, it's not like Emily had a choice. She followed the man with a heavy heart, still thinking about how she could escape this predicament. She has always been a skeptical person, leaning more on reality rather than fantasy, but things that have happened to her are too far of a stretch to consider fantasy fictitious.

Right now, all she can ever think of is going back to her time using that well.

Emily and the man went downstairs and were greeted by an old, bricked alleyway. It was vastly different from the interior upstairs. The walls seemed rather sturdy, but it's obviously lost in time. The narrow and spiral staircase reminded her of scenes that she had only seen in historical documentaries. From where she's standing, she can barely see anything because the only source of light she has is a lamp in her hands and the torch the man in front of her is holding.

As they stepped two levels underground, she saw two doors. One is significantly bigger and is situated at the end of the hall. Meanwhile, they stopped in front of the other rusty metal door. "This is the room; here's the key. Sleep soundly," the man said in nonchalance.

"I'll try, thanks." Emily bid her gratitude, but the man still hasn't left. She even sensed the doubtful look he had behind his hat.

"Is there a problem?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow and a rugged tone.

Then, the man sighed. "Make sure you lock the door and do not ever go outside," he said in a stern voice before asking, "What's your name?"

Emily threw her head sideways. It didn't help her beating heart that she had just planned to escape tonight to find the well.

"My name is Agatha. I have a boyfriend," she answered, turned her back, and opened the door. Then, she stepped inside and closed it right to his face, eventually flipping the bird. "I'll go out whenever I want."

She then held the lamp high and turned a heel to see the room, her lips concurrently forming a straight line.

"Now, this… is definitely a dungeon!"

She eyed the tattered room with one single bed and a rod erected in the middle. Electricity and lights weren't much popular in this era, so the lamp she was given was a big help in letting her navigate.