Page 16 of A Rose Among Snakes

Kezara sighed and closed her eyes. “Much better. How have I survived this long without you?”

“Surely your previous maid was helpful as well.” I shifted on my feet, swallowing down my embarrassment as I deflected the compliment.

Kezara’s eyes opened and met my gaze in the mirror, curling her lip. “No, not at all. Henella started as my nanny when I was ten, so she treated me like a child. She was hopeless when it came to beauty, but rather than let her go and hire a new maid, my father had her take on the new role even though she was not cut out for it. She was rough and had the creative abilities of a barnacle. She only knew one style for my hair, which was pinning the sides at the back of my head. I think my scalp is still bleeding from all the pins she shoved into my skull.”

Kezara brought her hand up to the back of her head to show where it hurt, but in doing so, she hit the comb, sending it flying upward into my face. The metal tongs scraped the sunburn on my forehead, a stinging pain following after. I inhaled through myteeth, placing my hand over my hot skin, and stooped to look in the mirror. My forehead and nose were a bright, angry red.

Kezara pulled her hands close to her mouth and spun in her seat to face me.

“Mihrra, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” As she examined my face her eyes widened. “That looks bad, what happened?”

You did,I thought, barely containing my eye roll. “Too much sun, I guess.” I shrugged and went back to combing Kezara’s hair, pretending my face wasn’t throbbing.

Kezara cringed. “Oh, I made you sit in the sun today.” She buried her face in her palms for a moment, then her head shot up and she began rifling through the bottles and jars sitting on her vanity. “I must have something here to help…” she muttered.

“It’s okay, Kezara. I’ve had a sunburn before, I’ll be fine. Besides, Burress told me there is a plant in the greenhouse that treats sunburns. I’ll let him know if I need it.”

Kezara’s shoulders drooped as she stopped going through her lotions and creams and nodded. “I really am sorry. I will be more aware next time, I promise.”

“Next time?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes, of course. We try to meet every week, but his schedule doesn’t always allow it.”

“How do you come up with excuses for your brother every time?”

“Well, I normally try to set it up for when he is traveling for business, so I don’t have to tell him. He is awfully nosy, butI know he means well.” She paused, squirming in her seat. “He practically raised me. Our father was not very attentive, and our mother died when I was two. He can’t help worrying about me, but I can’t help being annoyed by it.”

Laughing, I said, “That’s fair, I guess. I have a similar story, but I had four younger siblings to worry about.”

“Four! Heavens, you’re a saint, Mihrra.”

I set the comb down on the vanity and patted Kezara on the shoulder. “Alright, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, I think that should do it. I will ring for you in the morning once I am up.”

“I’ll be ready for it. Goodnight, Kezara.”

“Goodnight, Mihrra.”

I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and rolling my shoulders. I was exhausted.

Aside from the ticking clock in the foyer, the house was silent as I made my way down to my room. The sun had not yet set, but there were no servants bustling around tidying everything until the last hours of the day. At my previous job, I was not dismissed until my mistress had fallen asleep. I wondered what kind of place this was that everyone turned in so early in the evenings. Were they required to immediately go to their rooms, or were they given the choice to do as they pleased?

I knocked on the door before entering, and from inside, Narell answered,

“You can come in.”

I turned the handle and found Narell sitting on her bed, brushing out her silky, black hair. She greeted me with a smile that turned into wide-eyed astonishment at my appearance.

“Rough first day? You have a pretty bad burn.” She rubbed her own forehead in a sympathetic gesture.

“Oh, I know. It hurts, too.” I plopped down on my bed and laid back on top of the comforter.

“You know there’s a plant in the greenhouse…”

A sharp burst of laughter slipped from my mouth.

“What?” Narell asked, a line forming between her brows.

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