Chapter 12

12

Ella

We'd just caught up with the others when footsteps clattered on the floor behind me.

I turned, and pain exploded across my cheek as Lorayna backhanded me. I staggered under the force of the blow, which was more powerful than any my stepmother had ever given me—probably stronger than the town blacksmith could deliver himself.

"You silver-haired harlot," the chamberlain hissed, her voice low and full of venom.

The butler's face went white, and the rest of the staff backed away.

"Get on with you lot!" Lorayna snapped.

Cara lingered as the others hurried away, but I shook my head, and she reluctantly followed.

I pressed my hand to my throbbing cheek, my vision dancing. Still too shocked to feel anything but surprise, I curtsied. "I don't know what I did wrong, your ladyship, but I apologize."

She gave me a withering scowl. "Apparently, it wasn't enough for the prince to hire you. Now he's assigned you to work for me."

The blood rushed from my face.

No. Not her. Anyone but her.

She shook her head. "Only the Fates know why he did this to me. An undeserved punishment? A cruel joke?"

My mind raced. My time in the castle was on the precipice of disaster. The bloodsucker would do everything in her power to make my life miserable unless I could start working my way into her good graces. My life probably depended on it, along with any chance of finding Belle.

Thankfully, I had a decade of experience placating a harsh woman. I kept my gaze lowered dutifully. "I'm honored to work for you, Lady Lorayna. The prince must have seen how busy you were with your duties in the castle. Clearly, a lady of your standing deserves additional help."

Her stance softened—almost imperceptibly, but it was there.

"Perhaps he's finally recognizing my value, but don't get any ideas about your station. You're not replacing my handmaids. You'll do any task they or I assign. You'll work yourself to the bone to atone for the spectacle you've made of my authority today."

"Yes, your ladyship."

"Then follow me. I don't have time to waste."

Lorayna marched me to her quarters in a tower at the end of the western wing, and my breath stilled when I stepped inside. I knew that the immortals in the castle lived lavishly, but her chambers were beyond anything I'd imagined.

Her sitting room had a towering ceiling like a church with huge stained glass windows, gray stone walls, and silver decoration that gave the space a cold, wintry feel. Just a fraction of the wealth on display could let Lower Town feast like kings for a year.

My gaze landed on a life-sized marble statue that depicted a kneeling man worshiping a goddess who'd clearly been modeled on Lorayna. Both were stark naked, and I quickly turned away. I'd seen village boys swimming naked in the river before, but the statue left nothing to the imagination, and his adoration of her had left him as excited as a stallion.

"You'll begin work immediately," Lorayna said without sparing me a glance. "There's a pile of laundry in my suite that needs washing. Use hot water on everything but my dresses, obviously, which should be washed in cool rose water. And so help the gods, if you forget any of these orders, I will lash you until your back is bare."

Got it. Don't shrink the bloodsucker's clothes.

She crossed her arms. "After you've finished the laundry, mop the floors, and it's been ages since the windows have been scrubbed. I expect to see rays of sunshine coming through when you're finished."

Right, because immortals loved to bask in the sun.

It was a lot of work if she expected it done in a day. Worry crept over my shoulders. "Anything else I should know?"

She pursed her lips, then snapped her thumb and third finger. "Yes. I need you to unclog my bathtub. My sister used it yesterday, and her wretched hair gets everywhere."

Was she kidding? "I understand."

She made a disdainful sound, then glided over to the entrance. She paused with her hand on the door, looking back at me with a ruthlessly cold expression. "If I find one thing missing, or anything out of place, I will hunt down every member of your family and spike their heads in front of the castle— understood ?"

The blood rushed from my face. "I would never think of taking anything from you, my lady."

Her lip pulled up. "Of course you wouldn't."

With that, she pulled the door shut, and I let out a deep breath. Stay positive. Focus on why you're here.

I might be working for a madwoman, but I was safely in the castle and one step closer to finding Belle. And since Lorayna was the prince's chamberlain, perhaps there was some piece of information here that the resistance could use.

"What do you say we have a look around?" I said to Pip as I set my handbag down and opened the top.

The little rat climbed out and sat up, clearly as awed as I was.

"Watch for cats," I cautioned.

He gave me a look that seemed to say, I don't think I'm the one who's first in line to get bitten around here , then darted under a settee to explore its potential for crumbs.

I wandered into Lorayna's bedroom and ran my fingers over the silky sheets and heavy comforter. I'd never imagined anything could be so soft. She'd strewn dirty clothes over the floor, so I gathered them and put them in a hamper to wash later. Crafted from the smoothest cottons, silks, and linen, each piece was like a work of art. I couldn't believe she'd just left them lying about like a filthy stoat.

Her bathroom was larger than our dining room, with a huge claw-foot tub and a spout emerging from the wall above it, along with a couple of knobs. Curious, I turned one. Water came gushing out of the pipe, and I stared, slack-jawed, as it began to steam after just a few moments.

She had hot running water.

There was no doubt about it now. The castle was magical—and even with the floating fountain and chandeliers, this was the most miraculous thing I'd seen so far. What would it be like to live in a place where you could take a warm bath without having to boil the water first?

I quickly shut it off in case the magic ran out.

The tub drained slowly because of the clog, so I splashed a little water on my face. My skin heated with its glorious warmth. If we'd had a bath like this in our manor, I would have fought Belle every day to use it first.

Magical castle or not, I had work to do. I unplugged the tub, then hunted down the laundry room and washed Lorayna's clothes. After hanging them out to dry during the coming day, I set to work scrubbing the grime off the floors and walls of Lorayna's bathroom. My eyes grew bleary, and my arms throbbed, but eventually, I reached a place of calm in the hypnotic work.

The castle might have been filled with monsters and psychopaths and magic, but hard work was something that I understood. It was familiar and safe, unlike everything else around me.

And I had Pip. I'd worried about bringing him, but it filled my heart with joy to see him scampering about and exploring her rooms.

After countless hours, a bell pealed in the courtyard outside, shattering my sense of peace. I looked up. Dawn. Had I really been working that long? When would I be allowed to stop. Never? Maybe they'd just work me until I dropped dead.

Bloodsuckers .

I got my answer forty minutes later when the door opened. Pip skittered up my sleeve and tucked himself behind my hair as Lorayna entered the room with another girl at her side.

"What are you still doing in my chambers at this time of night?" she hissed. "You're my servant, not my handmaid."

I rose quickly and curtsied. "I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't realize I was dismissed."

She rested her hands on her hips, glaring at me. "Didn't you hear the bells? They mean get out of my space . I need my beauty sleep without little rodents like you scurrying about and making noise." With that, she turned and stormed into her bedroom, muttering, "The girl's either half deaf or half dumb."

Her handmaid ushered me out and gave me directions to the women's residence. "The first set of bells mean dinner, which you probably missed. They'll ring curfew shortly, and it's best not to be caught out, so I'd run if I were you."

I hurried through the winding corridors, finally finding the women's residence as the last of the other servants were scuttling in.

A broad woman with gray hair and a worn ledger scowled at me as I entered. "Who are you? There are no visitors allowed in here."

"Ella," I said, and pulled my token from my bodice, showing it to her. "I work for Lady Lorayna and just started today."

She ran her finger down her list, checked off a name, and then looked back up with a frown. "Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

I glanced down at my mother's dress. It had started the day clean and pressed but was now damp, stained, and halfway to ruin. My stomach knotted. "I was assigned work before the orientation was over, so I missed a lot of things. I don't even know where anything is in this maze."

The gray-haired woman shook her head in annoyance and went to a cupboard on the wall, muttering, "What a couple of buzzards they are, letting you destroy your best clothes." She pulled down several garments, then handed me the stack. "I'm Headmistress Alana, and I run the girls' residence, so you'll report to me at the end of each day. You're required to wear these uniforms in the castle at all times."

"Thank you, Headmistress," I said, flipping through the pile of clothes. A pair of aprons, three simple gray work dresses, a nightgown, and mercifully, a few undergarments.

She produced an old, sketched map of the castle, pointing out the places I would need to go to do my work. In addition to the central wing that held the feasting hall and ballroom, there were two primary residential wings, each augmented by imposing towers for the most powerful members of the court. The western wing, which overlooked the river and rose garden, was reserved for the high lords who lived within the castle grounds, such as Lorayna, her sister Bianca, and the blond rider who'd accosted us in the great hall. In addition to the servants' quarters, the east wing held guest rooms for visitors, as well as the small chambers belonging to courtesans and the castle's blood retainers—the poor souls whose only job was to let the immortals feed from them.

The prince and a handful of other royals lived in the soaring north tower. They had their own staff. "The royal tower is off-limits to our like," Alana emphasized.

She led me to the door on the right, which opened into a chamber with a dozen or so bunk beds. "I've assigned you the top bunk, five down, above loud Annie." She frowned. "I'm sorry about that, but all the other spots were taken earlier by the other new hires."

"I'm just glad to have a place to sleep."

After freshening up in the girls' washroom, I sneaked into my bunk. Loud Annie was already asleep and breathing hard. I quietly slipped Pip out of my bag and placed him on my pillow, then climbed beneath the thin, scratchy sheet. Pip curled up against my neck, a warm comfort in the unfamiliar place.

The shades were drawn, but the rising sunlight still filtered into the room. Because our lords were nocturnal and shunned the light, the household staff worked nights and slept in the day. Dawn would become my dusk, and dusk would become my dawn.

I stared at the ceiling, still unable to believe it. The bloodsuckers had taken my world and turned it on its head.