Burial of hearts the black widow's malice (10 page)

“Yes…
how did you know of that?
”.

“It
is his routine, he tries it with all the new folks in town; sometimes it works,
sometimes like
now
, there are people who know him well enough to ward
him off. If you were wondering, his father is very much alive and he is in on
the scheme they have. I would say it was criminal what they do, but no one
takes any notice; the guards get their bribes and no word is said”.

“Sounds
delightful;
well at least I know one more person to avoid; I will not
fuss over the coin, he did as I asked, so he got his just reward”.

“No
doubt you will see him again. So are you new here? I do not think I recognise
your face and I am quite the memory giant, makes up for my small stature
I
suppose
”.

“Yes,
I only arrived here today. I have managed to rent a room above the slaughterhouse
and I am just coming to grasps with this place; seems a little surreal to be
truthfully
honest”.

“You
will soon become quite accustomed to this place,
quirky
as it may be. If
you are in need of a job, I run a modest maid lodge; we cater for the
upper
classes in society, our most renowned being Hecate”.

Looking
at my cart indirectly, as the wheels creaked in the breeze, I considered his
offer; silent words formulating plans, unforeseen by any other.

“You
say you work for Hecate? What does this job entail?
”.

“We
do, but she is somewhat particular about which members of staff are allowed
within her household, so you would have to begin with another client of ours;
if of course you are willing? You would be undertaking mostly household tasks,
but you may be needed to also prepare food and collect whatsoever the client
requests. May I ask why the spark of interest in Hecate?
”.

“Sorry,
but it is a private matter, something very personal to me. I am rather
interested in the job, when can I begin?
”.

“Fair
enough, I understand. Tomorrow we have a new client ‘Mr Bullwort’ we are in the
process of finalising the bookkeeping, if you could meet me outside the
slaughterhouse at sunrise; please do not be late, he is keen on punctuality and
as a new client we want to make a
worthy
impression”.

Parting
company with Camerine, I lifted the cart, resting it upon my shoulder as I
pulled it back over to the slaughterhouse.

It
took me several journeys to get all the items I had bought back into my room;
the landlord must have thought I was attempting a record for the most annoying
tenant, as I dropped my items, thudding repetitively upon the floorboards.

I
placed my newly bought items in their rightful homes; my garments in the
wardrobe, changing the covers on my bed as well as the curtains and placing the
rug before the bed. On my desk, I rested the new ornaments, moving the books
into the topmost draw. My room for now, looked a little bit more ladylike; no
longer just a dingy, sweaty castoff; now a respectable stronghold of delicate
indulgence.

It
was now evening. I had lit one of the candles, keeping it a safe distance away
from anything flammable. The light from the candle was calming, dulling out the
sound of traders as they shut down for the day. Looking out from my window
(from a safe distance) I could see the moonlit floor of the marketplace,
reflecting upon the water workers had used to clean up. The odd person passed
by, sometimes chased by
cats
, trying to get the left over fish that had
become too mouldy for human consumption; their fur festering with fleas they
had to be batted away, but still persistent, they
never
gave up.

Gradually
closing in, I could hear the shouting of two men arguing over a woman that one
had been won in a bet. They caught the attention of the nearby guards, who
watched eagerly, ready to stop any violent clashes that may occur.

“I
won her, end of.
Now get out of my way
, I want to collect my prize”.

“
No
,
you
cheated
, I saw it; there is no way you could have won; you will not
have my girlfriend as your own”.

“I
think you will find,
I will
”.

The
supposed victor leapt out violently smashing his fist into the other’s face;
knocking him down senseless, only to have himself brutality attacked by the
waiting guards. It was somehow amusing watching the lifeless body of one of
them being dragged away, as the other screamed like as a girl, about to be
punished for not doing her chores.

A
stream of dragonflies flew above the central seats, a man amongst them, sat down
reciting his poetry loudly for all to hear:

“A
smile wished upon the lips of many, brought down only to be adored by one.
Their eyes did meet in a place of serene beauty; paradise drawn out from
within.

Deaf
to their ears, words of evil were spoken. But they held strong, their love had
no tongue for ruin, only a hand in marriage is what they saw. Their bodies
moulded tight with each moment; a closeness that none could depart.

Their
day came, their moment of unity, the matrimony of two as one. Below the
silhouette of eternity, they took their faithful vows, for all that could see.
Objections were offered, but none were taken, now this time they became free.

The
sun bowing down in glory, as our lips did meet; the stars granting their
merciful gaze, as they jumped to the songs of a paradise that governed within.

Seated
we spoke; deep enchanted whispers bled passion that we relished, harnessed by
your splendour and guarded with my grace. Again, no more shall our tread leave
paths from another, truth always shall be given, now the past we have both
forgiven, a chance for rebirth, a chance to start again”.

With
those words spoken, guards again came forth demanding that he stops under the
command of Hecate. He only had the choice to oblige, otherwise facing
consequences that the mind could not bear to think upon. Another voice with
words as beautiful as the tears of joy of a child’s birth, had been quashed by
the fearsome rule of a few.

Chapter 6

I awoke, the start of a
delightful
new job. Avis, the maid to the
merciless
. I got myself out of my bed. It
was still dark but the light from the candle was sufficient.

I had forgotten the night before
to eat the food I had bought for supper; must have been all the hassle I had
got myself involved in. Still in my nightgown, I walked out from my room and
down to the kitchen.

Fredrom had agreed to allow me to
use the available facilities to prepare food; although in hindsight, it was his
duty as a landlord anyway.

Lighting a stove, I placed the
uncooked hognobbles into a well-used metal pan; the sides of which had corroded
away, so much so that sharp edged holes had formed. The fat from the bacon
began to melt, sizzling away in the pan, as the potatoes cooked, steadily
softening. I rummaged through the available crockery and took out the cleanest
plate available then sliced a small piece of my pie, placing it on the outer
edge.

I was not too keen on cooking
food such as bacon, I often managed to get a burn mark,
or
two
from the fat spitting from the pan and today was no exception.

After the bacon had cooked to a
crunch, I poured the hognobbles onto my plate; the smell of comfort food in the
morning was always a pleasure. I ate them where I had cooked, not needing the
relief of my bed to sit on after a restful night’s sleep.

Discarding my pots, I went back
up to my room and selected a strong black garment; no frills or any other fancy
embellishments were upon it; it was made for working and that is exactly what I
was planning on doing today.

I had a short bath; the time was
ticking down and I needed to ensure I was ready and dressed for maid service.

The clothing was a little on the
tight side, but I kept it on none the less, hoping that through all the work I
was to do today it may perhaps stretch and loosen the material, even if only by
a morsel.

I brushed my hair aback, snapping
off any folded hairs in the process. Today I was going to have a professional
decorum about me, even if I had to snap off every individual hair upon my body.

It was sunrise; I made my way
outside; Camerine was walking over, with seeing me a smile crossed his face; I
had not let him down.

“Good morning Avis, glad to see
you are awake. Now, I will take you to Mr Bullwort’s house, I have already
delivered the tools you may need. Remember to greet him with a smiling face and
always
be polite”.

Walking through the city, we
eventually reached the area reserved solely for
upper class
citizens.
The paths here were patterned; each stone perfectly lining up with the next;
the border of the paths partook in a medley of different mosaics, made by an
artist of the highest stature. There were well cared for plants outside each of
the households; a few persons had even brought their gardeners out in force at
this early hour. The houses themselves were unlike that of the central city;
care had gone into the construction; most made from limestone that seemed to
radiate extravagance in the morning sunrise. The windows were framed with dark
oak wood, free from any unwelcome dust, or the webs of spiders.

Mr Bullwort’s house was further
up the snaking path. It was lavishly decorated. The limestone was broken up by
solid oak beams; the door to the house was rounded atop with a small stain
glass window for decoration. I walked up through the stately gates and looked
at the garden, which had two statues of eagles at either side; the plinths of
which were made of granite. A few lanterns were hanging firmly from the canopy
above, ready to be lit as the night sky drew in.

I knocked upon the door, three
knocks only so as not to seem impatient to the Mr Bullwort. He opened the door;
he was a plump man; some of the buttons on his shirt had popped open revealing a
hairy gut. Humorously he seemed to be wearing a toupée; as he moved it began to
slip in whichever way he leant.

“You must be the new maid?
”.

“Yes Mr Bullwort, that I am; how
may today I help you with your gracious household?
”.

“
Please
, call me Tenro; I
am not interested in all that class nonsense; and whom may you be?
”.

“I am
Avis; glad to hear you are kind hearted, Mr… sorry, Tenro”.

“Thank
you; I am merely a fair person; I was once poor and I worked my way up to what
I am now. I believe anyone can become anything they like,
if
they put in
enough work… and know the right people
of course
. So Avis, today I will
just need you to have a quick clean of my home; the wife, or
dragon
as I
liked to call her recently passed away, leaving me with these new errands.
Everything you need is in the storage room to the rear; if you need me I will
be eating some apple pie that
I
… had to make”.

 Entering
his home, I walked alongside an outstanding stairwell, the railings of which
were a darkened mahogany, with outlines of lions flanked upon either side. The
floor of the lower half of the home, was a simple but elegant white and grey
stone. Even the storage room had a certain grandeur about it; following suit
from the rest of the house.

I
gathered a few cleaning items; a mop, made from the absorbent fruit of the
pelkan flower, some flannels to wipe with and a small pot which was readily
filled from the city spring. Let the onslaught begin.

Passing
through each room I gave them a thorough clean; initially with the flannels,
washing down any surfaces and removing all grease and muck that had gathered
into small colonies. I then collected any rubbish that had been thrown upon the
floor; ensuring I cleansed every nook I could.

The living room was the most
striking of all the rooms in the house. Enormous framed paintings were aback of
this room, with three chandeliers suspended above; the light of the candles
sparkling upon the crystal pieces. There was a large marble fireplace, at least
my height in width; with a golden urn placed atop. A table was in the centre of
the room, it had glass upon the top of it; rarely did I have the privilege to
see something of this class; the first time I had seen a table such as this, I
had thought it was a work of magick, by a
great
wizard.