Finding Him

7l Blindness

As she made her way inside, her body became aware of the warmth emanating from the fireplace. It washed over her body, but did very little to ease her nervousness.

There was no one in the room, she realized as her eyes swept the length of it once more. The white carpet sprawled by the foot of the bed, made her wonder how the maids managed to keep it clean. There was a matching white sofa very close to the fireplace, a dresser and a wardrobe by the wall.

Perhaps she had imagined the voice requesting her to enter. Still, she was unable to stop herself from going further into the room, eyes continuing to scan it in awe. It was nearly spotless with white walls that made it seem even cleaner.

Reaching the bed, she ran her palm across the white sheets, breathing in softly as she reveled in the smoothness of the fabric.

"You're here."

Jumping back with a loud yelp, her hands flew to her chest. She turned around sharply, eyelids growing and mouth falling open as she searched frantically for the source of the voice. It took a while, but she finally caught sight of Daniel standing before an open door that she hadn't noticed when she first came in.

Shaking her head, she watched him step away from the door and make his way to the white sofa. He placed himself on it.

"Where have you been?" His voice was calm, surprising her, but doing nothing to ease her fear of being fired or scolded.

She watched as he picked up a book and held it before him. He was clothed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, unlike the formal attire of a tailored suit she had seen him in. His brows were slightly pulled together, eyes focused on the book in his hands.

Turning her attention from him, she stared at the book in his hands. A frown immediately settled on her face and the longer she stood staring, the deeper her frown became.

"Well?" His eyes remain fixed on the pages of the book as he rose a brow.

"Well?" She couldn't think, not when she was staring at something very unlikely, not when he was...

"Then you went to be with the solicitor?"

Stunned, her attention shifted back to him.

"Not only do you appear before me smelling of smoke," He flipped the page, the sound of paper briefly interrupting the sound of her pounding heart. "You leave a bucket in my path, storm out on me while I'm having a meeting and ultimately disregard your duties to be with a lover."

"My Lord has neglected to put me to work. I forgot about the bucket when Berta demanded that I help serve dinner. My lord must forgive a valet who has been sentenced to the kitchen but I most certainly cannot remain trapped in my room until it is deemed fit to summon me." She fought to keep her breathing regulated as she explained herself before a man she couldn't help but despise every single day. "Perhaps it is unkind to accuse me of having a lover especially..."

"Then you weren't with the solicitor?"

She bit down on her lower lip and clasped her hands before her. "Forgive me for neglecting..."

"Ah, you will not answer the question."

Glancing up at him, she was just in time to watch him flip the page. It didn't make sense, she frowned. Was he only pretending to be reading? Why would he do that?

"Am I forbidden from having friends outside the walls of the estate, my lord?"

"You will not answer a question, my question, with one of your own, Dasa." He flipped the page again, causing her to take a step forward.