Royal Pain in the Ass (3 page)

“Oh, I
’
m sorry, I
’
m holding you up.
”  I felt bad. 
I knew what it was like to be behind at work.
  “
Nevermind, sorry.
”

“It
’
s alright.
 
How about I show you to your room?
”

“
That would be cool.
”

Gwen laughed as she led me through the servants
’
quarters to the hallway my room was on.
  “
I tell you what, I
’
ll be finished with the laundry at ten, I
’
ll come back and show you around if you want.
  I
’
ll come and do your bedding last.
”

“
That would be amazing.
”

Gwen laughed.
  “
Alright, well I have to get back to work.
 
You should try to get some sleep.
  I
’
ll see you around.
”

I went back in my room and pulled myself into bed.
 
I checked my phone again and it was now almost four am here in England.
 
I cuddled into the sheets and felt sleep pull me under.

I awoke to a soft rapping on the door.
  “Miss Benn? 
Are you awake?
  It
’
s time to wake up.
 
Breakfast is served at seven o
’
clock sharp.”

“
Are you serious?
” I groaned. 
I did not do well on three hours of sleep.
 
The last thing I wanted was to get out of my nice warm nest of blankets.

“I
’
m afraid so, Miss Benn.”

“
What time is it?
”

“
Six thirty.
”

Scratch that, two and a half hours.
  “
Can you come in here?
”

The door cracked open and a small, fragile looking woman entered.
 
She was pretty in an understated kind of way. She didn't look much older than me. She had her ginger hair tied back in a braid and was wearing a uniform almost identical to Gwen
’
s except hers came with an apron.
  “Yes, Miss Benn?”

“
Is there somewhere I can take a shower?
”

“
Of course, the door to your right is your washroom.
”

I hadn
’
t even realized there was a door there.
  “
Oh, thanks.
” 

“
Is there anything else?
”

“
Not really.
 
Oh, what was your name?
”

“Me?”

“Yeah,”

“
I am Laurel.
”
She replied blinking her brilliant green eyes at me from behind her black, wire rimmed glasses.

“It
’
s a pleasure.
”
I dragged my butt out of bed and offered her my hand.

She shook it looking at me like I
’
d sprouted an extra head.
  “
The pleasure is all mine.
” 
I wasn
’
t sure why she looked so bewildered.

“
Thanks, I
’
m going to get a shower, but I have a small request.
”

“
Yes, my lady?
”

“
When I
’
m finished can someone show me where the dining room is?
”
I asked hopeful.
 
The last thing I wanted was to miss food.

Laurel smiled.
  “
Of course.
 
I can wait for you if you like.
”

“
That would be amazing!
”
I hugged her and she stiffened up.
  “Thanks, it
’
ll only take me ten minutes!
”  

I ran to my luggage and pulled out my bag of toiletries and ran into the bathroom.
 
I looked around.
 
It was huge!
 
You could fit at least seven people in the black marble tub and a gold stand alone shower was tucked in the corner behind it
. 
The floors were the same carved black marble with little veins of gold running through it as the tub.
 
The walls were a cream color with hints of gold in it.
 
I was in heaven.
 
I brushed my teeth as I turned the water on
. 
Next to

I giggled to myself as I let myself fall into the warmth of the water.
 
It was positively delightful.
   
I washed quickly and grabbed one of the huge fluffy red towels monogrammed with an E.
 
I dried and realized I
’
d left my clothes in the room.
 
I wrapped my hair in a towel and wrapped one around my body, I didn
’
t want to drip water all over the plush carpet.
 
I snuck back into my room and found it surprisingly empty.
 
I wondered where Laurel had gone as I went to my suit case and pulled out a pair of jeans, one of the few without any tears or rips in them, and a plain black t-shirt.
 
I had a funny feeling that what I
’
d packed wasn
’
t what this family was used to seeing.
 

I shrugged and decided that it didn
’
t matter. 
I ran a brush through my still drying hair.
 
If I left it to its own freewill, it would usually make pretty waves and I was feeling especially lazy today.
 
I didn
’
t usually wear make-up, but I decided to wear some eye liner and shadow, just a little.
 
I didn
’
t like it when it looked like I was wearing make-up, just enough to hint.
 
One of the things my mom used to tell me was when you have to wear make-up to be pretty, you aren
’
t.

I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror.
 
The eye liner always made my grey eyes pop and with a hint of silver on my eyelids I knew how I looked.
 
My black hair was drying into nice waves.
 
I smiled as it decided to cooperate with me today.
 
It was the closest I came to lying low.
 

I didn
’
t know why I felt like I did today.
 
It wasn
’
t like me. 
I usually didn
’
t give a damn about what people thought of me, but somehow I was feeling the slightest bit insecure.
 
This whole situation had thrown me for a loop.
 
After twenty-one years of accepting that my father was not more than an abstract thought, I may have found him, or rather he may have found me.

I opened the door to see Laurel waiting for me.

“
Are you ready, my lady?
”

“
Yeah, were you waiting out here the whole time?
”

“
Yes, you asked me to wait.
”

“
Oh, you could have waited in there with me, I would have hurried more.
  I
’
m sorry.”

Laurel looked at me with the same bewildered look.
  “
There
’
s nothing to be sorry for.
”

“
Um, okay then.
”
I shrugged.
  “
What time is it?
”

“
It is almost seven.
”

“
That
’
s not bad, even for me.
”
I smiled.
 
Getting ready was something I could do in a jiffy if I had to.

Laurel fought back a smile.

“
Why fight a smile?
”

Laurel looked taken aback.
  “Pardon?”

“
If you want to smile, smile.
  Don
’
t fight it.
 
Smiles are precious.
 
Enjoy every one of them.
”

This earned me a small smile.
  “
The dining room is this way.
”

She led me through a maze of corridors and hallways twisting this way and that.
 
Yeah I was definitely lost.
 
She presented me to an archway and at the table James was sitting so was Angelica and another woman who I could only guess was Millie, his wife.
 
She looked like she was in her early thirties, but she had to be older, Angelica was at least sixteen.
 
Probably older, but not based upon the way she acted.
 

“
Good morning,
”
I offered, waving to everyone.
 
They all looked up.
 
James smiled, but Angelica and Millie didn
’
t. 
Millie looked much older when she scowled, I immediately added at least ten years to her.

“
Breakfast is served at seven o
’
clock sharp,
”
Millie scolded.

I pulled my phone out.
  “Sorry I
’m five minutes late.
 
I kind of got lost.
 
This house is a maze.
” 
Millie had honey brown eyes, I
’
d never seen such a warm color look so cold.
  “I
’
m sorry if I offended you.
”

“Don
’
t be silly,
”
James smiled.
 
He shot his wife a warning look.
  “Come, sit, join us.”

“
What are you wearing?
”
Angelica sneered.
 
I looked down.
 

“
Clothes last time I checked.
”

“You
’
d actually go out in public dressed like that?
”

“Yeah,”

Angelica shook her head and looked at me like I was insane
. 

“Anyway,”
I looked around the table, only James was paying attention to me.
 
Millie
’
s shoulders, which had been a graceful arch before she saw me, now held tension in them.
 
I also noticed her jaw was clenched and she seemed downright angry with me.
  “
So, what
’
s for breakfast?”

“
Whatever you like,
”
James smiled.
  “
The cooks here are really phenomenal.
  Eleanor,” 
he called and a plump woman looking to be in her early thirties came in, a warm smile on her face.
 
There was something about her that just screamed
‘Mom
’
at you.
 
She just had this maternal heir about her
.

“
Yes, Master James?
”
she asked.
“
What can I get for you?
”

“
When will my eggs be ready?
”
Angelica growled.

“
They
’
re coming, m
iss
.”
Eleanor smiled.
 
I cocked an eyebrow.
 
If some brat talked to me that way I wouldn
’
t be smiling.
 
Then again, I just met her, maybe she wasn
’
t always this bad.