Mad Men (Part 24)

[Continued from here]

After hunting for Stan and talking to her father, the evening had worn on until it was beginning to get dark. With nothing else left to do, Beranwen turned her reluctant feet towards her bed in the attic, and to the small suitcase that sat underneath.

It didn't take long to pack. She had her work clothes, although her apron belonged to the house; she had her nice clothes, but she was already wearing those; she had her nightdress, a hairbrush, some boot polish, and a small purse hidden inside her mattress. She carefully packed these into the case and closed the lid. Her bed, one of three up in the drafty attic of the big house, looked no different after packing. Soon, another girl would be sleeping here, would be hanging her clothes from the stand at the end of the bed, would be curling up in the blanket against the wind that whistled up through the floorboards in winter.

But for now, it was still her bed. With her case back on the floor until morning, Beranwen curled up and closed her eyes. Even the smells of cooking coming up from the kitchens didn't wake her.

"Hey." There was a voice, and a hand on her shoulder. Beranwen rose groggily from sleep.

"Hmm?"

"What's goin' on?" The two scullery girls were sitting on the bed next to hers, looking shocked and excited all at once. "Butler says you're leavin'. You ain't leavin', are ye?"

"Probably. What time is it?"

"Dunno. Midnight? We've only just come up, 'cos lord Quinton had a huge tantrum over dinner, and he made a huge mess."

"What?" That had Beranwen sitting up in a heartbeat. "Why?"

"Guess it's something Master Nereus said, 'cos he was running around after lord Quinton all evening, trying to calm him down."

"Oh..."

"But he ran into the kitchens and threw pans around, and ran out into the garden. Kept calling for Master Win." They both had a knowing look in their eyes. "And that's what you was about today, wasn't it? Bein' a Master? So we asked the butler, and he said you was leaving, and then we thought we ain't seen you this evening, so we came to see if you'd left already. But you haven't."

"Is Quinton alright?"

"Winnie! You can't call him that. He's a Mad Man, and a lord. Can't just go round calling lords by their names."

"Is lord Quinton alright?"

"Guess so. He seemed to calm down after he wore himself out."

"Poor boy..."

"But that's not all of it." They seemed to be getting to the reason for their excitement. "While Nereus was running around after lord Quinton, and we was cleaning up in the dining room, lord Winstanleigh talked to us. Right to us, like we was proper servants."

"Really?" This was unheard of. No lord addressed the back hall staff directly.

"Really. Nearly had a heart attack."

"What did he say?"

"Said if you was still around once we came up, we was to ask you to go see him. He's in his study right now, waiting for ye."

"Lord Winstanleigh wants to see me?" Good gods, she was in trouble now.

"Yeah. Now. So get up, come on. Go off and talk to him, and come back and tell us what he said."

Beranwen was glad she had dozed off still dressed. Brushing the creases out of her skirts, she hurried down the stairs to the ground floor and across the hall to the study.

Outside the door, she paused. Nereus could be on the other side, and he wouldn't appreciate this late night visitor for his lord. On the other hand, she couldn't not go in - lord Winstanleigh himself had sent for her.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't. She thought to herself. Oh well, she was leaving anyway. With her heart in her throat, she knocked politely and pushed the door open.

Lord Winstanleigh sat in his armchair, alone. Beranwen breathed.

"Master Win." He nodded good-naturedly. "Please come in."

"My lord." She gave a curtsey and properly entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"My son has told me the most thrilling story of your adventures today. I wanted to thank you for being his advisor."

"You're very welcome, my lord."

"Come closer, Master Win. I don't fancy shouting this across the room."

Uncertainly, Beranwen walked closer to the armchair. She had never spoken to the lord of the house before, and had never even been alone in a room with him. They said he was a great Mad Man, and that other advisors told tales of his quests to their own lords. All she knew was that he was a distant, kindly-looking figure, and that sometimes, with Nereus fussing around him, he looked like a kitten being groomed against its will by its mother.

He looked rather grand tonight, with the lamplight reflecting on his salt and pepper hair. At a gesture, Beranwen sat herself on a stool by his arm, and waited.

[Part 25]