A Good Evil

Royalty

Lily stretched sleepily in the enormous bed.

She remembered that Sam Coleman had brought her here, a man she knew absolutely nothing about. He had helped her in the night when the terrible migraine returned. Lily blushed at the memory; his hands had been gentle and his arms firm.

Cautiously she drew back the heavy duvet, swinging her legs out of bed. Making her way across the ancient wooden floorboards, Lily stood in front of an antique mirror. She wore men's drawstring pyjama bottoms with the pant legs rolled up. Her arms and shoulders floated in a terry housecoat with too-long sleeves. Realization dawned; David hadn't packed her pyjamas when he hastily assembled her belongings. Sam had been resourceful and had dressed her in something from his closet.

Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute!

Did Sam strip her naked!?

Oh god!

"Good morning, my dear!" A chubby woman suddenly bustled into the room with a bright, friendly smile. She tossed open the heavy damask curtains covering large gothic windows. Fresh sunlight beamed in, casting away the gloom. "You didn't have any pyjamas, so I had to improvise!"

Lily sighed internally with relief, pasting on a gracious smile. "Oh! These are so comfy! Thank you!"

The woman regarded Lily with concern. "Your poor little face. Sam was wise to bring you here." She gestured to a fan-back chair. "Take a seat, dear."

"I'm okay..." Lily began, but the woman had already rushed from the room, returning a few minutes later with a warm water basin.

"Please, Lily." She guided her into the chair. "It won't take long."

Dabbing at Lily's cuts with a soft cloth, the woman carefully cleansed the wounds, finishing her work with a few swabs of ointment.

"This will prevent scars and numb the pain." She affirmed. "It's an old family recipe."

The green ointment smelled like juniper and coriander; Lily found the scent decidedly pleasant.

"You don't have to do all this," Lily replied with slight embarrassment. "It's not that bad..."

"Tsk tsk!" She clicked her tongue. "When was the last time someone cared for you?"

Lily shrugged; she honestly couldn't remember.

"That's what I thought. You've been through quite a difficult spell. A bit of mothering will do you a world of good." The woman gently brushed the snarls out of Lily's hair, gathering it into a bun. "Oh! My name is Cyndra, by the way. I manage Mr. Colman's northern estate."

"His northern-Estate?" Lily's mouth dropped open. "How rich is Mr. Colman?"

"I can't discuss my employer's finances." Cyndra asserted with a wink.

"Okay, level with me, Cyndra." Lily half-joked. " Is Sam some kind of prince?"Because--wow. This house is like a castle."

"Ahahahah..." Cyndra chuckled nervously. "Well, sort ofI certainly consider him royalty."

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Cyndra shooed Lily from the bedroom and sent her out searching for breakfast.

Cautiously making her way up the hall, Lily soon realized Sam's house was like a labyrinth. Built with thick, imposing stone, the walls were intricately trimmed with gothic wood carving in solid oak with ebony accents.

From her extensive art education, Lily knew the exotic veneers were costly. She was perplexed by the variety of architectural styles and carvings. It was the finest craftsmanship she'd ever seen.