A Mad Man's Clause

7| The Unconditional

"You should get cleaned up. Breakfast will be served soon." With strides as graceful as a swan in flight, Marge strutted down the hall, the leaving the other woman to her own devices. 

Exhaling a very heavy breath, Mai trudged to her room. What she had feared would happen had but not quite as she expected. The once forgotten need to empty her bladder returned with a vengeance, causing her to dash hurriedly into the bathroom to rid her of the discomfort.

Freshly cleaned and slightly optimistic, Mai ambled down into the lobby with Eoghan's coat bundled up in her arms. The aroma of baked goods wafted through the entire space. Her stomach grumbled in sweet pleasure at the impending feast. Surreptitiously, she followed the smell of food past the columns holding the top floor of the manor, the hushed tone of voices becoming clearer the closer she got. Through the open doorway, she caught sight of the unfamiliar frame of a woman with her back turned to her.

"... never knew there was another... Oh, hi!" a cheery voice called out from the side of the room, drawing her eyes towards its young owner. A bright rose tinted the woman's cheeks. Four pairs of eyes now matched her gaze, one with unmerited shock and the other with curiosity.

"Hi!" she imitated, well aware of the awkward atmosphere that had settled. "I'm sorry for intruding."

"Oh, not at all! Please come inside." Rosy cheeked woman touted, her accent rich and pleasant. She moved away from the breakfast tray she was hovering over and closed the space between them. "I'm Claire and that is..." Gesturing towards the first woman, "Selene!"

Her lips curved into a smile, "I'm Mai. It is a pleasure meeting you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Jensen!" Clicking heels punctuated the accompanying silence, six pairs of eyes moved to the figure approaching. Marge came to a stop beside Mai.

"I see you've met Claire and Selene." Mai nodded. Turning to the elderly woman still standing over the stove, she asked "Is the table set up?"

"Yes." Selene spoke for the first time, slightly surprising Mai. For such a mousy woman, she had a rich deep voice. 

"Come! I will introduce the rest of the workers after breakfast." Marge made ready to leave but paused, her eyes flitting to the coat in Mai's hands, "What is that?"

Mai suddenly remembered one of the reasons she had come down, "I wanted to wash this."

"Let me help you with that, Mrs. Jensen." Claire offered, taking the coat from Mai. The two women made their way towards the dining hall. A decent array of food laid on the grand table. Marge moved to the head of the table and gestured to the next seat on the right for Mai to sit. It only took a moment for Mai to realise that the table was set for two.

"Mr. Je... Henry won't be joining us." she voiced out her observation.

"No, he won't." Marge confirmed. She picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea. Mai opted instead for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The hall settled into silence, permeated occasionally by the clanking noise of glass meeting ceramic. "How well do you know Henry, Mai?" The question came out as a jest. Like a taunt for knowing something Mai didn't.

She lifted her eyes to find the woman watching her intently over the rim of her raised teacup. Mockery spilled over, flooding her in its wake. Henry had said that she didn't know the entire details of their arrangement. But Marge wasn't a fool and neither was Mai. She didn't owe anyone any explanation especially about her relationship -or rather the semi version of it- with Henry. "Enough to marry him." replied she. A victorious grin damn near broke out across her face at the flummoxed expression that briefly flashed on Marge's face. That was her first win in the many battle of wits to come. Silence, as heavy as a boulder, settled in the hall afterwards.