A LORD'S WEAKNESS

16. A SHADOW'S PAST

Over the next few days Mariann had worked hard, and her bruises around her neck, hip and shoulder weren't making it easy. She helped Laria and the other servants roll up the hallway carpets to clean them in the Manors court and to hang them to dry.

Mariann tried her best to decrease Laria's work since her pregnancy was doing a number on her friend.

When the carpets had hung to dry they cleaned the hallways, dusted off tables and staircases, went to fetch water, and so forth. There was no end to their work and by the end of the day, all of them fell into their beds in exhaustion.

Alec was in charge of other work since he was still young.

He had clearly found an interest in the horses of the manor and before falling asleep he always told the two women about them until he dazed off into a slumber. Although another would have complained, Mariann was content with her situation.

Listening to Laria's and Alec's even breathing Mariann thought on how she'd not seen the young Lord since they'd arrived. She had not been keeping a lookout for him but she'd found it odd that she hadn't spotted him anywhere.

Hours later Mariann was awoken by a shuffling sound and a dim light. A dark figure stood over her bed looking at her, making her sit up and quietly squeak in panic.

"Quiet down," Dagaric said turning to see if the others had awoken. Still wide-eyed, Mariann needed a minute to recognize the man, being Lord Rowans Bailiff.

Surprisingly the others had not awoken and Dagaric raised his chin to look down on her, before turning quickly, "Follow me."

Mariann slipped out of the fairly warm bed into the cold dark hallways after the man.

Nothing could be heard as the whole castle seemed to rest. It must have been late at night she thought.

Not knowing where Dagaric was taking her, she couldn't help but remember how it had gone badly for her the last time someone came to fetch her, but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice.

Following the short man, they walked through the long seemingly endless hallways of the manor.

Mariann was about to ask him where they were going when he suddenly stopped in his tracks in front of a pair of dark double doors.

The dim light of the man's lantern was enough for Mariann to see that the man furrowed his brows at her as he opened one of the doors of a chamber. He looked at her expectantly, and she took that as a sign to walk through it.

She walked into a massive sleeping chamber, and her eyes immediately fell onto the large riffled bed standing by the outer right wall.

The ceiling was very high making the room seem much larger. To her left, she saw a large fireplace, followed by massive wooden bookshelves.

Across from the bed on the left side was a wooden desk filled with papers and books.

Sitting in the chair by the desk was her Master.

He was looking into a book which he snapped closed once he noticed her presence.

Dagaric had quietly closed the chamber's doors again, leaving Mariann and Rowan alone.