Page 43 of The Thief
Chapter Eleven
Scarlett sighed in frustration, looking at the vanity and the full glass of water sitting on it.
She had been getting better and then sick again, the pattern continuing for two weeks now, but she was at a point where she was feeling better and very thirsty. She only had one problem: she was weak from her illness and that sapped all the strength from her body, making her unable to stand long enough to get across the room.
Resigned, she rang the small bell on her nightstand, a maid coming in the room to help her.
“How may I help you, My Lady?” she asked, curtsying quickly.
Scarlett picked up her empty glass and pointed to the full glass on the vanity. The maid took the empty glass and placed it down on the vanity, picking up the full one and bringing it to Scarlett.
“Thank you,” she croaked out, bringing a smile to the maid’s face.
“If you need anything at all, My Lady, just let me know. I will be right outside.”
She curtsied and left the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving Scarlett alone once again.
Scarlett sighed and snuggled down into her blankets, desperate for company. Unfortunately, she was devoid of all her usual company. Melody was out on a romantic picnic with Ragan and Alastair was talking to the staff about his parents’ visit. They were coming next week and Alastair wanted to make sure that everything was in perfect order for the previous prince and princess of the castle. Scarlett knew how important this visit was for him and was determined to be as well as she possibly could be.
While Scarlett wished for true happiness for Melody, she wasn’t quite sure how she and Alastair would end. She liked him well enough and while he had been taking very good care of her while she was sick, it didn’t necessarily mean it was made for marriage.
The way he cared for her made her feel special and she had never felt that way before.
When they talked, Scarlett felt that he listened to what she had to say and regarded her as something other than a woman’s opinion that did not matter and should not be taken seriously. When she was with him, she felt like she could be herself and not the cold, unfeeling woman people often thought she was.
Her mother had taught her to keep her emotions inside unless she was around family, but that was not very often. She showed her real emotion around her parents, Aunt Olivia, and Catriona, rarely ever showing any of kind of warmth towards her uncle.
Her uncle had always frightened her and so she had rarely spoken to him.
She sighed. Even though her uncle scared her, he had always taken care of her and her family, and she felt that she should be grateful. She reached out for the bell, giving it a gentle ring.
The same maid from before appeared, a bright smile on her face.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” she asked, coming to sit at her bedside.
“I am all right,” she said. “Just worried is all.”
A soft expression came over her face.
“I am sorry, My Lady. What can I do for you?” she asked, her smile returning.
“I would like to write something please. If you could help me get my writing things, it would be greatly appreciated. I will then need the missive sent out as soon as possible.”
The maid nodded.
“I’ll make sure it is sent out directly. Are your supplies in the sitting room?”
Scarlett nodded and the maid retrieved them for her, helping Scarlett sit up and set up the small tray that brought up earlier.
Once completed, Scarlett folded it and put her seal on it and handed it to the maid, who had taken the chair next to the bed while she waited.
“I am sorry I don’t even know your name,” Scarlett said, getting settled once the maid had removed her supplies.
“My name is Olive, My Lady,” she replied, curtsying.
“Thank you, Olive, for your help today. Would you mind mentioning to the housekeeper Eloise, that I’d like to have an audience with all the maids please? You have all been so wonderful to me, I’d like to know who everyone is.”
A slight blush came to Olive’s face.
