“You’ll be fine,” he says easily. “How’d it go today with Lord Arden?”
Suddenly there’s a lull in conversation. If I was the suspicious type, I’d think everyone wasrealdamn interested in my reply. “It went well,” I say. “Right up until we went to the maze and came across that statue of the eagle—”
“You went to thestatue?” Daniel’s eyes are wide as he stares at me. “Inthe maze?”
Great, is there some unwritten rule—or written rule that I skimmed over—forbidding house staff from going into the maze? “Shit, was I not supposed to?”
There’s a kitchen-wide pause, like everyone’s waiting to see what Daniel will say. “It’s not that,” he says at last, slowly. “Of course you can go in the maze. I’m just surprised Lord Arden…well, allowed it.”
“Enough!” Chef Henriette calls over, from where she’s whisking eggs. “No gossip,mes enfants. You know this.” The kitchen starts getting noisier.
“Is Lord Arden claustrophobic?” I guess in a low voice. Claustrophobia would explain Haughty Hottie’s weird demeanor, although he only turned weird when we came into a morespaciousarea of the maze, so—
“No,” is all Daniel says. “Polish up that silverware, would you?” He nods at a pile of knives and forks on a tray nearby.
“But—”
“And then you can come up to the lounge with me and help serve drinks,” Daniel goes on, ignoring anything I was about to say.
My curiosity is piqued, but now isn’t the time to push. Maybe later, in private, I can get Daniel to spill whatever it was he was about to say.
But later never comes. Dinner service might seem calm and relaxed upstairs—and thankfully, I don’t spill anything tonight—but downstairs is a frenetic hub of activity. I don’t get a chance to corner Daniel at all, and when I’m in the dining room, Haughty Hottie barely even looks at me.
Still, at least he doesn’t flinch when I reach to take away his plates tonight. He’d be well within his rights.
Idonotice Nik watching Lord Arden and then looking at me, a thoughtful wrinkle between his brows, and I wonder if Haughty Hottie has complained about me. Maybe dragging him into that maze was a bad idea. Maybe I should have respected him as a Dominant and let him lead me whereverhewanted to go.
I just forgot myself for a minute, that’s all. I’d heardso muchabout the maze from Ezra—and then the surprise of seeing such a different statue there than the one Ezra had described…
Daniel gives me a small prod as he passes by, and I come back to the present with a jump. Shit. I have to pay attention if I want to make sure things go smoothly tonight. It’s my last night, after all, so I want to leave everyone with a good impression. I’m leaving tomorrow morning. So for the rest of the dinner, I’mperfect. Perfectly attentive. Perfectly silent. Perfectly submissive.
But not for one second does Haughty Hottie even seem to notice my presence.
CHAPTER9
Oliver
After the diners retire for after-dinner drinks, the staff clears up the dining room, and then everyone lines to check their appearance in the one mirror available in the kitchen downstairs. “What’s going on?” I ask Daniel, bewildered, lining up behind him.
“It’s Punishment Night,” he tells me, his eyes sparkling.
“Oh, shit,” I breathe. “Ofcourse.” Nik explained this to me carefully, noting that I could sit out if I preferred, but I’d jumped at the chance. Sunday nights are for punishment.Playpunishment.
Judging by the buzz among the staff, it’s the highlight of the week.
After each staff member checks the mirror, they line up at the other side of the kitchen. Chef Henriette then walks along the line inspecting us with a critical eye, as though we’re meals plated up for service out of her kitchen.
She carries a silver platter along the line. Onto this platter, each staff member drops a very familiar card with a ribbon and tiny pencil attached.
“You all have one, too?” I whisper to Daniel, surprised.
“Of course we do,” he says, just as surprised. “Well, the subs. Didn’t you read the contract?”
“I…skimmed.”
He makes an incredulous face at me. “I’m surprised Nik let you get away with that. But I guess he was desperate.”
“Wow,thanks.”
