Chapter 14:
The Duke’s Son Shows Appreciation for the Maid
THE LINDSAY FAMILY CARRIAGE trundled along, pulling out of their driveway as Claudia set off for the grand cathedral. Virgil watched from the front entrance of their estate. His heart throbbed with an indescribable pain. He stared after his younger sister until her carriage disappeared completely, and even then, he hesitated to return to their manor.
This feels like a rehearsal.
It wouldn’t be long before Claudia moved into the royal castle. How much longer did he have with her, here at their family estate? He was feeling more sentimental than usual, perhaps because he hadn’t been able to hug his own sister thanks to the purification prohibition.
A wintry breeze caressed his cheek. He combed back his disheveled bangs, at which point he finally noticed he wasn’t alone. “Helen, you must be freezing.”
“Please don’t worry about me,” she said.
“No, it’s my fault for getting lost in thought. Come, let us go inside.”
Helen wasn’t the only one who had lingered with him; the other servants were still standing there too. Lilith had wanted to attend but unfortunately had fallen ill. It was for the best that she hadn’t come out in this chill.
Once they were all back inside and the door was firmly shut behind them, blocking out the cold, Virgil relaxed.
If I’m going to do it, I should probably do it now.
While the other servants were returning to their posts, he flagged Helen down. They moved to the fireplace closest to the front entrance. He only had a little time until he had to set out for the royal castle to join his father.
“I would like you to have this,” he said, producing something from his pocket. The parcel was wrapped in the same paper used for his gift to Claudia before she left, but the ribbon was a different color.
Knowing Helen, he suspected she would refuse him outright. He preempted her by adding, “It matches the one I gave Dee. I think she would be happy if you wore it too.”
Using Claudia as an excuse was a bit unfair, he realized, but he was being genuine.
“When the gemstone was fully processed, we were left with two perfect stones,” he explained. Normally, he would have picked the better of the two, but it was impossible to choose between them. “I studied them side by side and thought of you and Dee. You two are inseparable, after all. I already gave Dee hers.”
Virgil had heard that Claudia gave Helen gifts regularly to express her appreciation. He hadn’t initially intended to give Helen a present; rather, he’d wanted a matching pair for himself and Claudia. Yet when he laid eyes on the Lindsay Blue stones, he changed his mind.
Previously, Virgil had consulted Kiel about feeling alienated in his own home. It was a bit embarrassing, in retrospect, but Virgil had found it easy to confide in the boy detective. Ironic, since he usually thought of Kiel as needing his protection, what with the boy’s terrible luck. Kiel had advised Virgil to speak with Helen to resolve his concerns. That was partly why, when he saw the two gemstones, he felt compelled to convey his appreciation for her.
Before Helen’s arrival, it was Martha who looked after Claudia. That was a given, as she’d been their governess since before his mother’s passing. She was more of a teacher than a friend to Claudia. What his sister really needed was someone her age with whom she could be herself, and Helen had given her the space to do so. He could never support Claudia the way Helen had, hence his gratitude. Although he’d been a bit suspicious of her when she first came to their estate, he held no such misgivings now.
“Dee won’t be able to wear jewelry while she’s staying at the grand cathedral, but she can keep it with her. Having a matching bracelet should help encourage you in her absence,” said Virgil.
There were times when he felt Claudia was closer to Helen than she was to him. The two women needed each other. If he could support them both, nothing would make him happier.
Helen stared at him, wide-eyed, perhaps caught off guard by how passionately he’d pitched his gift. “I’m awfully undeserving of this, but I will take good care of it.”
“Good,” he grunted. The tension left his face, and his lips tugged up at the corners. He hadn’t realized until then how nervous he’d been. It struck him as strange; why, he was only giving her a gift.
His gaze fell to her flushed cheeks. His hand stretched toward her, fingers brushing her skin. He wasn’t sure why he did that. Maybe it was just because she was within reach.
“I’m sorry. You must have felt so cold outside.”
“N-no!” Helen stammered. “It’s not the cold, I… No, it’s nothing! Excuse me!” She dipped her head and scurried away.
As she turned her back toward him, Virgil’s eyes caught on the stray hairs that fell free from her neatly combed bun. Then his attention moved to her pale, slender neck. There was nothing special about any of it—or at least, there shouldn’t have been—so why did it feel like everything about Helen was more vivid, more captivating? His heart thrummed, and he pressed a hand over it. He’d never felt like this before.
The moment he stopped to reflect on what he’d done, all the blood drained from his face. “Oh, dash it! Did I upset her by touching her without her consent?”
Claudia had impressed upon him the importance of respecting a lady’s personal space. Many women targeted him for his status and unscrupulously sidled up to him, so he was always careful to maintain his distance to discourage such overtures. Helen was always calm and composed. Her being so flustered as she rushed away could only be because of him, right?
Maybe she was more terrified than disgusted.
Virgil was a tall man, with considerable muscle thanks to his morning training with the knights. He also had an intimidating face, with naturally narrow eyes that gave him a perpetual glare. The reason people referred to him as the Ice Scion was his aloof expression. He was aware of how much he scared people.
Next time I see her, I’ll have to apologize.
✦ ✦ ✦
With the lingering image of Helen rushing away in the back of his mind, Virgil climbed the stairs to prepare for his trip.