The scale of the Thornwick mansion was slowly revealed to Venya as they walked from the main door through corridors to the reception hall.
Her resolve began to waver.
She would definitely get lost here.
She had the map Talia had drawn folded into a small square and tucked in her pocket.
The map rested beside the carved wooden box containing the problematic golden bracelet.
Rive was lucky not to be here, or he would get an earful.
On the other hand, the mission would be much easier if he were here.
Frankly, if he were here, they’d just give him the trinket and wouldn’t have any fucking mission at all.
Venya was supposed to be slightly behind Talia as she moved elegantly from the ladies’ restroom to the main hall.
But it was difficult to keep up.
There was so much to see that she kept falling behind.
The reception hall was huge and stunning.
The chandeliers cast glittering light across the high, painted ceiling, and enormous porcelain vases stuffed with fresh flowers.
She gaped at the beautifully dressed guests and the fine gilded decorations..
Even the music was perfectly low-key.
“Come on, Sarah,” Talia urged her, and Venya hurried a few steps to catch up with her, trying to move like a maid.
Head down, hands in front of her, and everything.
Sarah.
Venya wondered what had prompted Talia to name her Sarah.
Was it for her protection?
Or was it because of the man they had met in Talia’s father’s study?
The man had looked past Talia and directly at her while kissing Talia’s hand.
What a sleaze.
Venya knew the type.
She’d had firsthand experience with that in college.
Sudden nausea settled in the pit of her stomach.
She’d better not think about that scumbag anymore.
“Sarah, go get me a glass of punch.” Talia dropped her voice.
“Pay attention to those other maids.
Copy them and you should be fine.” Talia pointed to a table where refreshments were served.
In the hall, busy servants with trays full of drinks were gliding here and there, but their attention was on the people sitting at tables.
VIPs, that is.
Must avoid them.
Venya nodded to herself.
Instead, she watched how other maids moved and carried out their duties, noting their short, controlled steps and lowered gazes.
She didn’t need to be perfect, just good enough to pass as a maid to random guests.
At the refreshment table, she was about to ask the servant for a drink, but at the last minute she snapped her mouth shut.
To get the drink, she pointed to the punch bowl, and the servant kindly poured her a glass.
As she walked back to Talia, a lady in a slim-fitting dark-red dress stood out from the rest of the guests.
She was in a group of four people, two men and two women, and she looked stunning.
Every detail of her dress, accessories, and lipstick had been carefully chosen.
Even the man she had latched onto looked appropriate enough, at least from the back.
Wait, what?
This world had lipstick!
She needed to get her hands on one.
But she really missed a proper toothbrush and toothpaste too.
The replacements she had cobbled together somewhat worked.
As Venya was about to pass them, the woman let go of his arm, and he stepped away from the group.
Venya saw his smiling expression turn dark in an instant.
It scared her.
He walked toward the beverage table across the room, shaking his arm as he went.
He was the man with light-blue eyes and warm hands.
What was he doing here?
And why did she care?
She frowned and hurried to Talia.
The faster she walked, the more tightly bodice pressed against her chest.
Then the orchestra stopped playing.
Venya and Talia moved closer to the small dais, on which Lord Thornwick and his older son stood.
As the lord began to speak, Venya could watch the pair closely.
Cassian, Rive’s older brother, looked similar to Rive but was blond.
He was taller, more grown-up, and definitely a high school heartthrob.
Their father, the lord himself, was middle-aged, with a little gray in his sleek dark hair.
He was a handsome, fit man, about ten years older than her.
No, he was about twenty-five years older than her.
He certainly gave off CEO-daddy vibes straight out of a trashy romance novel.
She chuckled.
“Behave.
You’re my maid, remember?” Talia hissed under her breath.
“Actually… now is a good time to slip away.” Talia was right.
Everyone’s attention was on the lord and his son.
No one would notice.
As she was about to move, her heart rate spiked with nerves.
She slowly breathed out, then in, to calm her pulse down.
She looked around for the best route to slip away.
But then the speech ended, everyone applauded, and she lost her momentum.
“I’m delighted to see you here, Miss Summerhay,” a voice said behind them.
It was the magistrate.
Venya stepped aside to give Talia space, who dropped a curtsy and offered her hand to the man.
The girl blushed when the magistrate took her fingers and kissed her knuckles gently.
Like the last time, he looked directly at Venya while doing so.
But when Talia raised her eyes, the man gave Talia his full attention.
Venya tried to hide her frown.
She knew that Talia’s goal in life was to marry well.
But that slimy magistrate was not a good match, and Talia was utterly besotted with him.
If she wasn’t a mute maid called Sarah, she would have slapped the magistrate so hard that his head would spin 360 degrees.
“Sarah, it must be wonderful to attend this kind of event,” he said, waving his hand to indicate the great hall.
Venya curtsied deeply and nodded with a smile.
What else was she supposed to do?
She turned her eyes to Talia, keeping the smile fixed on her face as a signal for Talia to do something.
They should get rid of the man and continue their mission.
Maybe Talia got the hint, or maybe she wanted to get rid of Venya.
Either way, she said, “Sarah, why don’t you go to get my powder case from the carriage?” It was not something they had agreed on beforehand, but it would do.
She just hoped Talia had not completely lost her mind.
Venya needed to have a serious talk with the girl.
She curtsied to Talia and went to the ladies’ restroom.
After she did her business, as she always did when she was nervous, she unfolded the map.
She went over it twice before slipping back out.
The butler was stationed near the main stairs.
He watched and coordinated everything from there like a hawk.
Venya understood quickly that she couldn’t sneak past him.
For this, she needed to talk.
She remembered from the map that the way to the kitchen led in the same direction as the lord’s study.
Then she got an idea.
The butler was most likely used to guests making all kinds of ridiculous requests and sending their maids to deal with them.
“Sir?
My mistress wants a glass of warm milk.” Venya asked, doing her best to imitate the way she had heard servants speak to the butler.
“Can you tell me where the kitchen is?” The butler watched her closely, saying nothing, letting her stew under his stare.
Venya was fully aware that he took note of her and her business there, maybe even wrote it down.
But it only mattered if she was caught.
A moment later, he gave her directions and turned back to whatever he was doing, seemingly forgetting her.
Venya went toward the kitchen, but turned to the corridor leading to the lord’s study.
This part of the mansion was quiet.
Not a soul noticed her.
Until she found the right door, she had to keep checking the map in her hand, probably looking suspicious as hell.
Other than that, everything went smoothly, almost too smoothly.
She folded the map and tucked it into her pocket.
She slowly tried the door handle.
The latch gave a faint click.
She pulled the door, and it opened a crack.
It was not locked.
Heart racing, she peeked into the room through the narrow opening.
No lamps were lit, but the window let in enough light that she could see the room was empty.
She couldn’t believe her luck.
She shut her eyes and said an Ave Maria in her head, even though she was not religious, and entered the room.
The air in the room was stale and dusty, heavy with the scent of old books.
She moved slowly, testing each step and listening for any sound, ready to escape.
Then she noticed two glasses on the desk, one still half-full.
A wet ring still marked the spot where the bottle had stood.
Whoever had been drinking here might come back at any moment.
She needed to be quick and get the fuck out.
Need more Sarah?
Leave me a comment.
;D