“See you later Pedro.” Rosabelle replied in return.
When it was just Chip, Miranda and herself, Miranda turned to Chip and said, “Davis said you can help him groom the horse and feed the dogs this morning.”
Chip broke out into a wide smile. He was about to turn and flee away when Miranda sternly said, “After helping Davis at the kennel, you are to come back straight over here so I can watch you finish your reading. You hear?”
“Yes, Mama!” He yelled out excitedly as he half skipped and walked then decided to run out of the kitchen instead. Rosabelle could not help smiling at the youthful exuberance.
Shaking her head, Miranda sighed,"That boy may be the last of me but he sure knows how to warm everyone's hearts."
Rosabelle nodded in agreement, gathering the dirty bowls and utensils and heading straight for the washroom. Miranda was about to take over but Rosabelle gave her a stern look, "Hush, let me earn my keep, Miranda. You've done a lot already. Let me do the dishes. That is why I’m here."
Miranda gave a nod and proceeded to plan for lunch. Rosabelle in the meantime, busied herself with the bucket load of dirty dishes, thinking about her family. She hoped Isabelle remembered to feed the chickens before she started on Papa's breakfast. And to weed the garden, she added. She shook herself out of her reverie and concentrated at the task at hand. Isabelle was a grown lady not a child. She would eventually know what to do.
After doing the dishes, Miranda directed her to the garden where Pedro was waiting for her.
"We have lunch at noon back here. Just come back here anytime if you need a drink of water or to rest, whichever comes first.” Miranda gave her a wink and turned to wash some vegetables in the sink.
Rosabelle looked up into the sky. The day was starting to be a beautiful day. The castle was deep in the forest but there was enough light from the sun. She rounded the corner to the far side where she saw Pedro working on the vegetable patch. She was impressed on the variety of plants around. Her own garden back home was incomparable to this. There was a cabbage patch, corn, beans, potatoes and leeks. Another row were tomatoes and carrots. Pedro was a master gardener!
He heard her approach and beckoned her to his side, "Rosabelle, come over here."
She walked over to his side and crouched low beside him. He was pulling weeds and making space for the new shoots springing from the ground. She followed suit not minding that her hands will get dirty. She was used to this tending her own garden at home.
"What plant is this, Pedro? I have never seen these before." She asked as she pulled on some weeds around the plant.
"Asparagus. It came from the east and I was able to cultivate them over here. Miranda makes the best soup with these." Pedro's eyes twinkled.
"Hmm." She nodded and continued weeding the other areas, imagining how the asparagus make a wonderful soup.
Pedro droned on where things were like the water bucket and the well for their water source. He pointed at the tool shed for their garden tools and where they kept their soil enhancers. His tone became serious when he said,"Do not go beyond the rose patch over there. He will not be happy. We would not want to upset him."
She knew 'him' meant their lord and master. She nodded her understanding and continued with the gardening. Pedro then showed her to make a new bed for the new seedlings. They worked almost through the lunch hour that Miranda had to send Chip over with their lunches when it was overdue.
Pedro called a break and they washed up at the well. They sat on one of the benches under an apple tree. She took her time eating her lunch as she stared at the view of the castle. It was a lovely keep, well kept but lonely. Like the master, she thought. The castle was well hidden in the forest and there were servants but so few of them for a vast property such as this. She was about to inquire about that when Pedro interrupted her thoughts.
“Should you ask about the castle, I am forbidden to talk about it," came from Pedro reading her thoughts. He saw the myriad of emotions running through her face.
Rosabelle gave him a look and discerned the loyalty radiating from his features. She will have to learn the intricacies and secrets of this castle from somewhere else.
"Tell me then how you became a master gardener instead. You have the green thumb, as they say."
Pedro gratefully replied, "Ah, but it was not always green. It was brown before but I learned from the best." And he proceeded to tell stories of how he developed his skill with plants, telling jokes about his baby attempts to emulate his master in gardening which made Rosabelle laughed so hard. Rosabelle listened on, mesmerized at the stories the old gardener was telling. Later, she could feel her hair standing at the back of her neck. It felt like someone was watching her. She turned her head to one of the bush roses but saw no one there. When lunch was over, they went back to their newly made garden soil bed. At around mid afternoon, Pedro gave her leave to go back to help Miranda in the kitchen.
She quickly washed up and went back to the kitchens. She donned one of the aprons hanging to cover her skirt and proceeded to the table where Miranda was sitting, peeling onions. Chip was in the corner, writing on a tablet. His face was scrunched in concentration and Rosabelle guessed he was doing arithmetics.
"How can I help you Miranda?"
Miranda gave her a smile, "How's your first day, sweetie?"
"Pedro has been wonderful. He is a good teacher."
"That he is," Miranda replied. She asked Rosabelle to continue peeling the onions while she checked on their dinner. Rosabelle quietly complied. Miranda did a quick check on Chip before attending to what she was cooking at the stove.
As Rosabelle continued on with the onions, she can't help but wonder about the mystery surrounding the vast castle. Why was their master wearing a white mask? She glanced at Miranda. She seemed content. What was the secret among the servants? She could sense a palpable fear but there was also steadfast loyalty. Her thoughts ran back to her own family. How were they faring? She hoped Isabelle was able to cope with the household chores. And Papa... well, he had Isabelle. And she hoped Isabelle was not having any troubles with Gaston. Her resolve strengthened. She will go through with this...for her family. And this life was not too bad, she thought. She had kind people teaching her and that she was grateful. And even though there were questions surrounding this place, she was not afraid.
5
On week one of her stay at the castle, she approached Jenkins after breakfast.
"Jenkins, if you would be so kind to procure for me some writing paper, pen and ink? I would like to write to my family. They would worry and wonder if I had arrived safely."
"Of course, Miss Rosabelle." He still did not want to break protocol and call her by her first name only. Rosabelle gave up correcting him. He was a stickler of rules and the head manservant of the castle. He told her in his curt voice that he will leave the writing materials on the kitchen table in the afternoon after her work was done. And true enough when she came in to do her afternoon chores, there was the pile of paper, pen and ink waiting for her. She thanked him when she saw him next at dinner and all he did was acknowledge her with a short nod. No smile or anything extra, she thought to herself, not that she expecting much. That night she started writing to her sister and father. It was brief and concise. She did not want to add anything that might worry her family. Besides, there was really nothing much to say. Everyone, especially Miranda was so kind to her. Save for the master of this castle, she was never mistreated. She folded her letter and closed the envelope, sealing it with wax. And after addressing it properly, she prepared for bed. As she closed her eyes, she reminded herself to ask Miranda how mail was being sent from here. Tomorrow, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.
Rosabelle had her daily task at a routine. She would wake up and prepare for breakfast. There would be a knock and Chip would be there to escort her to the kitchens. Chip, she believed, enjoyed this moment with her, when he would ask her a lot of questions. She did not mind really. All he knew
was the life at the castle and he had lived it enclosed in its shelter for all his tender years of ten. He was adorable and his inquisitiveness always reminded her about Isabelle. He would ask her what her life was before and she would answer him. His questions would go on and on until they reach the kitchens and Miranda would shush him and they would all have breakfast. After helping Miranda with the dishes and cleaning the kitchen table, she would proceed to the gardens where Pedro was starting his morning routine of cleaning weeds and checking for bugs and worms. She would help alongside him, listening to his instructions as to how to get the most out of each plant. She would notice him leave her side to tend to something beyond the rose patch but she could not see what he was doing. She was curious but she respected his warning and stayed put.
After her time with Pedro, she would then help Miranda with dinner. She enjoyed the tea time with Miranda while they wait for dinner to set. It was with surprising discovery that she had a knack for sketching. Miranda had given her some charcoal pencils and sketching pads when she saw Rosabelle had some spare time in the afternoon. She used to do diagrams in her family home but never sketching real people. She was astounded in her ability to capture a person's likeness. Her first sketch was of Chip, biting on his pencil as he was concentrating on his problem solving. This she gave to Miranda who was so delighted at the life-like still picture.
She drew the people around the castle and of the castle itself. So few people living here in this large structure, she thought. She knew to keep her thoughts to herself as she savored Miranda's friendship. She did not want to jeopardize that.
She was outside in the gardens on one of those lazy afternoons. Chip, who got a break from his studies, was playing with one of the puppies. Both of them with boundless energy. Rosabelle was sketching them their playful banter. The puppy was trying to pull on one of the sticks Chip was holding firmly. Chip was apparently trying to teach the puppy to fetch but the puppy wanted to play a tug of war. Rosabelle chuckled at the scene, her hand moving on the pad, sketching the features.
"Come back here, Bruno!" Chip commanded with his boyish voice.
Rosabelle looked up just in time to see Chip ran after the puppy who was holding the stick in its mouth. They were headed towards the rose patch and beyond, to where they were forbidden to go.
"Chip, come back!" Rosabelle called out, "Stop! Don’t go any further!"
She dropped her sketch pad and pencil on the bench and ran after them. When she rounded the corner, she stopped. Both puppy and boy were held by their scruffs by no other than their lord and master. She could not see his expression but by the way he was standing, she knew he was angry.
"You lost something?" He asked rather sarcastically. He gestured to the boy and puppy he was holding.
"They were just playing, my lord." She gave a hasty awkward curtsy.
"There is a reason why this territory is forbidden. I suggest you play elsewhere." He released both Chip and Bruno who ran back to the house towards the kitchen, leaving Rosabelle to face their master's wrath.
"Chip is just a boy. He was just running after the puppy who clearly did not know where the boundaries are."
"Since you are the adult supervising the boy, I also suggest you keep an eye on him rather than on your daydreaming."
She gasped at him, "I was keeping an eye on him and I was not daydreaming! You insult me, my lord!
"Nevertheless, it was a good thing I was nearby and saved us a near tragedy. Do better next time."
He left her with her mouth gaping at him. She had never been treated so unfairly! She stomped her foot in frustration. She was doing a lot of that lately, she noticed. She was never one who threw a tantrum. She would have to avoid the high and mighty at all cost! She did not think she can stop herself from strangling him! Ooh, how her hands itch to do so! And she would take great pleasure from doing it too!
She made her way back into the castle. Her mood still not improving. She was removing her shawl when she heard someone clearing his throat. She looked up and saw Jenkins. He was standing by the doorway and was trying to make his presence known.
"Pardon me, Miss. I thought perhaps you wanted to send that missive to your family. I may be able to bring it to the mail wagon at the end of the week."
"Thank you, Jenkins. That was thoughtful of you. I will give the letter to you in the morning."
"Very well, Miss Rosabelle. And Miss?" He stopped before turning away to leave, "You have something on your nose." He left then, probably to avoid embarrassing her further.
Rosabelle looked in the mirror in the hallway and to her dismay, she had a smudge of charcoal dirt from her pencil on her nose. She realized then she must have smudged herself when she ran after Chip and the puppy. She looked like one of the chimney sweepers at the end of the day. The high and mighty master must be laughing at her appearance. He did not even have the decency to tell her!
She wring her hands in frustration and just stomped her way up to her room to clean herself up before dinner.
The next morning, she handed her letter to Jenkins. Rosabelle eventually learned that Miranda would head out to the nearest town to purchase common goods like flour, salt and sugar and things they cannot produce in the castle. It would fall every third Saturday of the month. She would be accompanied by one of the other male servants like Jenkins. She would be gone the whole day and be back before sunrise.
It was during this time Rosabelle would be in charge of finishing the cooking in the kitchens. Albeit, her cooking was not as great as Miranda's but no one complained. Or no one else dared because no one wanted to take over at the kitchens. Rosabelle did not mind at all because Miranda was doing a service for her by carrying her letters to the mail wagon. She wrote her sister about their supposed relative who was sick but she did not divulge anything about the curious nature of the castle and its people. That would just worry her father and sister more. She would write about her past times from day to day, keeping it simple and discreet.
There was one Saturday morning, however, when Miranda was about to set on that journey to the nearest town for staples in the pantry when Rusty came in the kitchens, calling for Miranda. Miranda was giving last minute details on the course for lunch and dinner to Rosabelle and stopped midway when the groomsman entered the room.
"What is it, Rusty?"
Rusty explained that Chip was playing in the stables when he fell from one of the ladders. A bale of hay broke his fall but it knocked the boy out for awhile.
Miranda rushed to the stables with Rosabelle following closely behind. Rosabelle could see the news distressed Miranda very much.
Chip was already sitting up in the stables, smiling in his boyish manner, "Hi, Mama!” His hair was a little ruffled from the fall and there was no apparent cut or injury that they can see.
Miranda breathed a sigh of relief but she was still worried. She did scold the young boy who apologized immediately. Rosabelle could sense Miranda did not want to leave her son so soon alone without her.
"Miranda, I could go to the market for you, if you like. Just give me the list you want to purchase. I’m sure I can manage."
The cook replied immediately, relieved that Rosabelle volunteered. "You don't mind, Rosabelle? Rusty can go with you. He knows where I usually buy our things for the castle. Mind you, just buy what you need and do not mingle with the townsfolk. They usually ask a lot of questions about where we reside. The master wants to be discreet as much as possible."
Rosabelle promised not to mingle and she was later given a bag of coins and a long list of supplies needed. She saw Miranda accompany her son to the back of the kitchens where he was supposed to rest for the day. The young boy slumped his shoulders in defeat when he learned he could not continue to play at the stables but then cheered up when Miranda promised him some sugar cookies later on.
Rusty waited for her at the backyard. He had an old wagon rigged and he helped her up the front seat.
"Ready to go, Miss Rosabelle?"
/> "Yes, Rusty."
Rusty flicked on the reins and signaled the horses to start walking forward. The two horses complied and soon they were leaving the castle. Rusty then started describing the place they were headed and who she was supposed to buy from. He repeated what Miranda said and cautioned her about not mingling with the townsfolk.
An hour later they arrived at their destination. It was an open field with a lot of vendors selling their goods. The market was crowded already and Rusty parked their wagon to the side.
"I will be here, waiting, Miss Rosabelle, so have them deliver the goods directly to the wagon."
Rosabelle nodded and proceeded to go from stall to stall, looking for all the supplies she needed. It was like shopping at the mercantile shop, only bigger and more crowded. It took half a day for her to complete the list. The vendors were curious about her since they have never seen her before but Rosabelle just looked elsewhere when she sensed that they wanted to talk to her. There were curious eyes also from the townspeople but Rosabelle just moved from stall to stall like a busy bee.
When she had everything on the list completed, she made her way back to the wagon. Rusty was already strapping their goods and the wagon was full. Rosabelle settled herself at the front and surveyed the farmers' market once more. The field was still full of people, bustling with activity.
"Ready, Miss Rosabelle?"
"Ready, Rusty."
And off they went back to the castle. It was some moments later in their trip that Rosabelle heard the sound of hoofbeats coming from behind them. She glanced backwards and saw some riders at their back, following their trail at a fast pace. They were a far distant away but they were coming in closer. The riders' demeanor and how they were pushing their horses forward looked as if they were chasing their wagon. She heard Rusty mutter under his breath, "Damn, highway robbers! Hold on, Miss!"
He made the horses ran faster, shouting a command. The horses felt their fear of being overtaken and kicked forward with renewed energy. They reached the threshold to the forest and rounded a corner, losing sight of the riders behind them. Then there was silence. Rosabelle looked back again but the riders did not follow. They were not even behind them. Rusty slowed down the horses into a trot and they were headed back to the castle at their own pace.
The White Mask & The Red Rose Page 3
