The Perfect Servant

Chapter 3

Nora lead me around the giant manor, showing off each room, explaining where the servants were and weren't allowed to be besides cleaning, and what rooms I should avoid if I want to stay away from the more predatory guests.

She showed me to the servants quarters, and it was surprisingly nice. Like the exterior of the house, the rooms were updated. The servants quarters took up an entire hallway, with certain staff members getting their own rooms, and the regular servants sharing rooms based on gender. Since I was a new servant, I would share the large room with the other female servants.

The room had about a dozen beds in it, but didn't feel squished or cramped. The room was large, about half the size of a regular ballroom. Each servant had their own space to them, a bedside table, a chest for clothes, and of course a bed. The beds were simple enough with metal rungs and frames, and light gray sheets and pillows. Upon each bedside table was a lamp that gave just enough dim lighting to hopefully not wake up the others if one had to get up at night.

Nora lead me to a bed near the back of the room, one that was emptier than the rest.

"This will be your bed. The head maid comes in at six A.M. to wake us up. You are expected to be dressed and ready by 6:20. Across the hall are the bathrooms and wash basins. You'll probably have to wait a few minutes to get in every morning, unless you wake up earlier than the others. At 6:30 we have breakfast together in the servant's dining room. By 7 we are expected to be doing our chores for the day. We have Lunch at 11:30, and dinner at 8." Nora glanced at me, smiling and asked if I had any questions.

"What if we finish our tasks early for the day?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't happen often. Even with all of us, there's a lot of ground to cover and clean. If you end up finishing your chores early, you would report to the head maid. She would either allow you free time for the day, or give you other chores to take care of." She explained.

"What do most of the servants do in their free time?" I asked.

"Most of us stick together and try to stay out of the vampires ways. Master Aravos and Master Alexandre aren't particularly cruel or demanding, but the manor often has guests and many of these guests aren't so kind. Usually the fear of Master Aravos keeps people in line, but there have been incidents." She frowned at the thought, seemingly reliving some bad memory. "We usually play games like chess together, or read or spend time in the gardens. Sometimes we are allowed to go into town, if given permission. We have to wear our rings though,"

"Rings?" I echoed curiously. She perked up, smiling.

"Ah! Well, we all have our slave earring, but Master Aravos likes to ensure we aren't accidentally picked up by auction houses or killed by other vampires, so we have a signet ring from the Master. All those who see the ring will know not to harm us. We only ever wear them when we go out though."

Interesting.

"Are there any other questions?" She asked politely. I shook my head.

"No, thank you." She nodded, bowing her head.

"Then the head maid would like to speak with you." Nora lead me out of the servants quarters, down to the end of the hall to a closed door. She knocked twice, which was followed by a gruff 'enter'. Nora opened the door, and motioned for me to step in. I walked into the room, surprised to see another, though much smaller, office.

I was also surprised to see a vampire.

Most vampires didn't do 'lowly' jobs like housekeeping. Generally, they are aristocrats, and even if they aren't, their makers are. Vampires usually stayed under the care of their maker for fifty to one hundred years before they are deemed non-volatile. While in the care of their maker, they weren't aristocrats, but they weren't servants either. They were somewhere in-between, kind of like stewards or ladies in waiting.