Empty Rooms

After many hours of dusting, the door to the library finally opened. Madam Pytha entered with her nose stuck in the air.

"Not finished," she said.

"I'm sorry Madam, it's a lot of shelves," I said.

"You'll do," she said.

"I-what?" I said.

"Destiny!" she called. Moments later Destiny came running in.

"Yes?" she said.

"Show her to her bed," Madam Pytha said and left the room.

"Does this mean I got the job?" I asked.

Dezzy nodded, "Follow me."

"Did Delilah?" I asked as we left the room.

"Kitchen maid," she said shortly.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"You'll refer to me as Miss Destiny from here on out. Your sleeping chambers will be here," she said as she opened a door and led me in. "You'll share them with Miss Delilah. We have our meals in the servants hall and we always eat after the master and his family, they are our priority. Breakfast is served at sunrise. You'll be expected to meet with Madam Pytha after breakfast in the servants quarters for your tasks starting first thing in the morning. Do not go off exploring the house, many of the rooms are private and forbidden. Stay in your room after hours, find a hobby to do in silence. Dinner will be soon, wash up," she said and began to leave my new room.

"Dezzy!" I called.

"Miss Destiny," she corrected.

"Miss Destiny, have I upset you?" I asked. She ignored my question and closed the door with me in the room.

In just a matter of minutes Delilah entered the room.

"Delilah!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around her. "Are you alright? I was afraid they were going to send you off."

"No! I believe I impressed Madam Morgan with my knowledge of the vegetation in the kitchen. I'll be a kitchen maid! Did you get the housemaid spot?"

I nodded, "Did you happen to see Dezzy?"

"No, I only saw Faith, the sister. Did something happen?"

"She was very nasty to me after she brought me in here. I think I may have upset her."

"I'm not sure. Faith seemed fine. Hey, do you remember that scullery maid?" Delilah asked.

"Yes, what about her?"

"I wonder why we can't speak to her. I wonder who she is, what she's done."

"I'm not sure, but let's get to dinner. I don't want to be late."

Delilah and I freshened up and headed out of our bedroom down a spiral staircase leading to the servants hall. A woman, who I could only assume was Madam Morgan, was stirring a large pot on the stove. She looked just as nasty as Madam Pytha.

"Madam!" Delilah said, acknowledging her new superior. Madam Morgan whipped her head around.

"You must be the other one," she said begrudgingly at me.

"I am, my name is Cassandra," I responded.

"I didn't ask," she said.

Just then a door to the outside swung open and Harry came in looking slightly more disheveled than he had earlier.

"Oh! Supper time? Pardon me for interrupting," He said, tipping his hat, "Oh!" He said again once he noticed us. "I'm assuming you got the gig then!" He said excitedly.

We both nodded.

"Well, how do you like the house? It truly is one of my favorites," he said.

Delilah and I looked at each other.

"Well... the library is beautiful," I said.

"Oh, who has time for books! Is that all you've seen?" he asked. We both nodded.

"Unacceptable! Come with me, let's take a tour!" he said and tried to help us stand up.

"No!" squawked Madam Morgan. Harry's eyes darkened and he walked over to the woman, his voice got very low and dark.

"I out rank you, bugger off you old buzzard," he said and came over to us smiling again. "Come now, ladies!" he said, opening the door leading back to the stairs, we followed him.

When we got to the top of the stairs, that scullery whom we could not speak to was stopped, staring water eyed at Harry. She had her hands clasped and looked as if she was about to cry. She ran up to Harry and grabbed his arm. Delilah and I both gasped in shock. We were told not to speak to anyone of importance, let alone touch them. Harry gently laid his hand on top of hers, as if he were comforting her.

"Not this time," he said.

The girl broke out in a cry and ran down the staircase.

"Lord Auberton," I started.

"Please no, too formal. Call me Harry," he said.

"That's too informal, can we settle on Lord Harry?" I asked.

He gave a small laugh, "Fine, sure."

"Lord...Harry... Who is that girl? We were told we couldn't speak to her."

"Well, Miss Cassandra, the tenured heads of this house feel a need to punish those who do not deserve it, so they will all tell you who you can and cannot speak to. That woman is here because she has no other choice," he said.

"Do you know her well?" Delilah asked.

Harry paused and considered his answer.

"No," he said firmly, "I saw her once in a while, she often utilized my business."

"What's your business?" I asked. Harry turned on a dime and cupped my cheek softly, I blushed.

"Wouldn't you like to know, you nosey Nell." He smiled and walked through a door back into the main house. Delilah shot me a disapproving look.

"Welcome to the grand foyer! This is the entryway where guests are transported into the weird and gothic world of this house's beloved master!"

"Is he here?" Delilah asked.

"No, of course not." Harry laughed and smiled. "Ah! Down this way," he said and led us down the only hall I was familiar with, the one to the library.

"This is the library, it holds some really boring novels and some pretty interesting secrets. Ha! Just joking, it's all boring," he said and closed the doors. We moved on around a corner and the hall opened into one of the most beautiful rooms I had ever seen.

"This is the ballroom. This is where we would host parties if we had any," He said, sadly.

"No parties?" I asked. "Isn't that one of the things these homes are known for? Hosting fabulous events?" I asked.

"Anywhere but here. As I stated, no one visits here. No one really comes to this house." The ballroom was two stories, one wall had a giant two sided marble staircase and the other was fully glass looking out across what may have once been a beautiful garden. There were empty vases where flowers and decor should be sitting which made the room feel very empty.

"How many people does this room hold?" Delilah asked.

"Easily one, maybe two hundred guests. Or hundreds of empty souls," he said with a dark smile.

"Those double doors there lead out onto the back terrace, but it's not the safest place at night anymore," he said.

"Oh?" I asked.

"They say it's haunted," he said purposely trying to startle us.

"Oh come now, ghosts?" Delilah said and laughed.

We exited the room and went back to the foyer.

"Now, before we head into the next floor, just please stay close and don't touch things you shouldn't. Lastly, please don't go exploring this place alone. You never know what you might find," he said and we started up the stairs.

The walls on the second floor were beautifully patterned in black and silver. There were paintings of what looked like scenes from ancient Greece. We turned left and came across a room with two open double doors. Inside was what looked like a gentleman's club.

"This is where his Lordship entertains his brothers when they visit. This is also where you will catch me sneaking whiskey from the bar," Harry said.

The next room was a big, black door with stars carved into it.

"This the bedchamber for the Master's most trusted and treasured friend, the Lady Helena," he said, "even though I always thought I would be the Master's most trusted and treasured friend."

The next door was a red door with a strange box pattern engraved in it.

"This is the bedchamber for the oldest son of the Dowager Countess, Theo," he said.

"Is he not here either?" Delilah asked.

"He stays here more often than not, he travels for his work and tends to be gone for long periods of time."

"Oh, " she said.

We stopped in front of another room a little further down, this one had a purple door with a swirled pattern on it.

"This room belongs to the youngest son of the Do-Oh!" he said and stopped as the purple door opened.

"Would you shut your yap. I could hear you down the hall," the man standing in the doorway said. He looked sick, his eyes were sunken in and dark brown, his skin was very yellow. He wore a white nightgown and his dark hair was a mess.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here!" Harry said, "Ladies, this is Hans, the Dowager Countess's youngest son. Hans, these are the two new maid staff, Cassandra and Delilah."

"And which one have you taken a liking to?" Hans asked Harry.

Harry put a hand to his chest, "Why Hans! I'm not sure I understand what you mean!"

"Of course not," Hans said and slammed his door closed.

"Don't mind him, he's always a bit of a snot," Harry said.

"Whose room is that?" Delilah asked, pointing at the two large, black double doors at the end of the hall.

"That is the Dowager Countess's bedchambers. Before you ask, she is always here. She never leaves the mansion," Harry said in soft tones.

"I think Madam Pytha said Dezzy serves the countess?" I asked.

"Yes, All three of them do."

"Three?" Delilah asked.

"They're triplets. Destiny, Faith and Hope. They are the personal handmaids for the Dowager Countess. They are the only ones who go in or out of that room." He put a hand on my shoulder and began to turn us away. "Come now, she gives me the creeps," he said as we went back down the hall.

"Is Dezzy normally...temperamental?" I asked.

"She is normally the most tolerable of her sisters, when she is not around her sisters. They poison her with their negativity," he said. We walked all the way down to the opposite end of the hall.

The right side of the second floor had a very large dining room with huge chandeliers. Across from it was a very large bath hall. We headed down the hall to a more narrow hallway with 3 more doors. The first door we stopped at was a pretty cherry wood with flowers engraved on it.

"This is typically a guest room." Harry opened the door. Inside was a large bed with red drapery around its large 4 corners. The room was very elegant and very dainty, almost like it was designed for a woman.

"How beautiful. If this is the guest room, I can't imagine what the other's look like," I said.

"They're quite extravagant," he said.

"Those double doors at the end of the hall lead to the Master's wing, they're normally locked when he is away. Come now, it's getting late," he said and turned to leave the hall.

"Lord Harry?" I paused. "What about that door?" I asked, pointing to a large, black door with a large lock on it.

"Never go in that room, Cassandra. Pretend like you don't even see the door," he said and pulled me away from the hall.

That was the first night I would be spending in my new room with my best friend in this new large house. I was so anxious and so excited that I could barely sleep. I laid there for a long time before I fell asleep. It was almost like a voice sang me to sleep, it was very calming.