Page 15 of A Rose Among Snakes

Everyone around the table laughed, and an older man next to Milner leaned forward on his elbows.

“Mihrra, is it? I’m Burress, the gardener.” He smiled with closed lips, then drew even closer, squinting at me. “Looks like you got too much sun today.”

Someone in the room snickered, but I didn’t risk looking to see who for fear it was truly directed at me. I furrowed my brows, but the skin across my forehead was tight, and when I reached my hand up, it stung under my touch.

Burress continued, “We have a plant for that in the greenhouse. You break open the leaf and rub the gel inside on your burn and it will soothe it.”

I ducked my head, though there wasn’t much point in hiding the blush since my skin was already red. “Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you, Burress.”

He bared his crooked teeth in a grin, nodding his head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. Shulling’s hand raise to cover her mouth. He spoke from a place of kindness rather than insensitivity, but I couldn't help wondering if the art of reading social cues was buried beneath his knowledge of plants.

“Burress has helped all of us with various maladies over the years,” Mrs. Shulling provided, smoothing over the awkwardness bubbling inside me.

“Some plants are pure magic, I swear,” Burress stated, beaming from ear to ear.

His smile was infectious, and I felt myself softening again as I said, “I will keep that in mind.”

At that point, the kitchen staff moved out to begin serving the family and a pleasant quiet filled the room. Mrs. Shulling spent the next several minutes obtaining updates from the two men, and soon the kitchen staff returned. Shandy began placing food for the staff on the table and Narell grabbed plates and silverware. The kitchen staff took their seats; food was passed around, including pots of mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and a roasted bird I was not familiar with. The conversation was jovial and they asked several questions about me and what it was like living in Roben, which I was more than happy to answer. The longer the conversation carried on, the more I settled back in my seat, relaxing in the comfortable atmosphere.

Too soon, a bell rang signaling the family was done with their meal and the kitchen staff were needed in the dining room. I assisted Mrs. Shulling with clearing the table and getting started on the dishes.

I glanced over at the aging woman as evening sunlight filtered in from the foggy window above the sink, bathing her in golden rays that set the silver streaks in her hair shimmering. I picked up a plate, scrubbing it as I asked, “How long have you workedhere?”

Mrs. Shulling chuckled. “Too long to still be keeping track of the years. I started when Mr. Blaise was just a bright-eyed babe.”

“Do you have any children of your own?”

Her lips briefly pressed together before she said, “No, I was unable to have children. My late husband and I took pride in our work and the people here became our family—like our children. Especially young Mr. and Ms. Blaise.”

I winced at my thoughtless question as I handed her a plate to be dried. “I’m sorry for your loss, and for being so intrusive. It’s none of my business.”

“Oh, no harm done, dear. It’s good for me to talk about him. It will be ten years this summer since his passing, but it keeps the memories alive.” She sighed and peered out the window with an easy smile on her face. “How are you fairing with Ms. Blaise?”

I picked up another plate to scrub, dunking it in the water. “She seems to like me, so I believe we’re off to a nice start.”

“I had a feeling you two would get along.” Mrs. Shulling took the clean plate from me.

We worked in comfortable silence for another minute, while I mulled over the question that had been nagging at me. Chewing on my lip, I decided to ask, “Mrs. Shulling, why did you hire me?” When the older woman raised a brow in question, I added, “I mean, I’m very grateful you did! I only wondered if there were more qualified people?”

“On paper, yes, there were more qualified candidates. However, I could sense your loyalty and honesty almost immediately. There is a calm to your presence that makes you seem trustworthy,Mihrra, and that’s the sort of presence Ms. Blaise needs in her life.” She paused her drying and looked at me, a twinkle in her eyes. “And unlike other applicants, you never asked a single question about Mr. Blaise, so I knew you weren’t applying only for a chance to be closer to him.”

I laughed with her but darted my gaze away from her face. At least I wasn’t the only woman affected by his looks. Though, a glimmer of pride swelled in my chest at her compliment. “Thank you, Mrs. Shulling. I’m happy you decided to take a chance on me.”

Mrs. Shulling clucked her tongue. “I am not a gambling woman, dear. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

The bell on the wall rang again, and I saw it was the one for Kezara’s room.

“Sorry to leave you, but duty calls,” I said, drying my hands on a towel.

Mrs. Shulling stepped into my place. “Hop to it then. We are glad to have you here, Mihrra. You fit in well. I’ll be retiring to my room after I finish this, but I will see you in the morning. Have a good night.”

“I’m glad to be here. Goodnight, Mrs. Shulling.”

Admittedly, I was a little sad to not be greeted by the giant hound again as I entered Kezara’s room. She sat at the vanityalone, already out of her gown and in her night clothes, but her hair was a tangled mess.

“Mihrra, you are too skilled. I can’t find all the pins, can you help?”

“Of course!” I said, hurrying forward. “Here, let me.” I took the brush out of Kezara’s hands and set it on the vanity, using my fingers instead to rake through the brunette curls and remove the hidden pins. The style fell and I grabbed a comb to undo the damage, forgoing the brush that would only create more frizz.

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