The Wolfe Manor - DISCONTINUED

Chapter T̪̮͕̺̏̌͌̒ë͔͓̱͍͇̞̘́ͩ̿̃̓̾̚n̑̃͋ͩ

Master Wolfe

"Sit down, Baine."

He did and wriggled himself to get comfortable. He wore a look of curiosity. Not to mention conceit.

"I have been meaning to talk to you since Friday..."

He bowed his head, willing for me to go on. I hated how tranquil he looked, how peaceful and unbothered. It sickened me to the core.

"Father used to tell me a disobedient slave ought to be sent to the afterlife and back." I glanced at him, making sure the picture was painted well in his head. Still, he did not reply. "To put it another way, bad behavior and noncompliance are not tolerated in this manor."

Baine smiled. "Ah, yes...you were not satisfied with the cooks last night, I presume?" he clasped his hands together. "Well, no matter. Rest assured I took care of them–"

"I am talking about you, Baine!" I yelled, making him grasp his chair with surprise. "I could not give a damn about the dinner! I could care less!" While I waited for the redness to go away, Baine spoke up. "I may be your assistant, Master Wolfe, but I am not your slave. Even I fooled around when your father was master. He did not reprimand me. He simply...forgot about it." The smile came back.

I swore to myself that I would not get out of hand when I had the discussion with Baine. But he was making that very difficult for me. I had to control myself.

"I am still your master, you fool," I growled, my voice slow. "I do not care about what my father let you do back then. Now things are different. Very different. And you are going to play by my rules." Taking a deep breath, I carried on. "I will give these slaves another chance." I almost choked on my own words. "If they do not do improve by tomorrow," Baine opened his mouth but I held up my hand and stopped any words that were planning on coming out that filthy mouth. "You have my permission to punish them, but you will give them the cookbooks Master Edward gave you when you were young. As for the gardeners and the maids, if they have done everything well...reward them." I was spitting out the words now. This all went against my will. I did not want these stupid servants here any longer. But maybe if Baine saw the absurdity after a while, he will feel the same and change his mind. I would wait a little longer and let him see his foolish mistake.

Baine grinned. I knew my decision would please him. For now.

I spoke to him with a deadly tone, "As for you Baine, no matter how useful the slaves might be, you have disobeyed me by bringing them here. You have managed to convince me yesterday about their utility, but you still get what you deserve."

Baine's smile disappeared and he became silent as if waiting for me to attack. Our eyes locked and we glared at each other for what seemed like ages.

"Do to me what you will, Master Wolfe, but it will still not change my mind."

"I am not meaning to change your mind, Baine," Not now anyway. "But actions have consequences."

I strode to the burning fireplace and carefully removed a stamp that was hanging without burning myself. The initials, "W.M." were engraved in a large cursive font. It was red-hot and I could feel the heat radiating off it. I knew it would do the job I intended.

Turning back to Baine, I found him staring at me, his eyes slit with hostility. I stomped over to him and parted the gray hair covering his large ears. "If you would listen to me, you would not have to feel this pain," I snarled before I pressed the sizzling metal against the skin of his ear.

He yowled and clenched his hands tightly. Exactly what the ass deserves. I pressed the stamp harder into the wrinkled skin and he screamed louder. "Damn you, Wolfe!" he cursed at me, smacking his fist against the armrest of the chair. I smirked. "I never said the punishment was going to be painless, Baine. You knew that well." Baine's feeble hands were starting to shake and his face contorted. I could hear the sound of hot metal maliciously melting away the skin that once was there.

I decided Baine had enough. He had to hear me after all, and it would not be very useful to have a half-deaf assistant. I removed the stamp, leaving him writhing and panting in pain. It left a mark of the initials in a deep red on parts of his ear. Some of the delicate little hair next to it frizzled away and looked uneven.

Baine jumped up from the chair and cupped his hands around his ear. He repeated a dozen expletives over and over again, his eyes shut tight.

"I am done with you, Baine," I said, feeling satisfied. "You may leave." Baine fled the room–but not without another insult–and headed downstairs.

I placed the stamp on the hearth and left the room, proceeding to the stairway. When I looked up I was surprised to see an elderly woman waiting for me at the top. I winced. "Master Wolfe?" she called down with a tiny voice. I hope she has not witnessed Baine's punishment. I quickened my pace and soon reached the top.

"Addams," I greeted, bowing my head with respect. Constance had long gray hair that fell behind her back like a sheet, she was very skinny and fragile underneath her baby-blue frock, but her face was aging gracefully, with sharp facial features that showed more prominently when she was a young woman, and her brown eyes were still lively.  But now, her eyes were full of worry and she clasped her hands eagerly. "Master Wolfe, I need to talk to you."

"Of course, Constance," I replied, removing my eyes from the ground. Constance was Baine's wife, the last person in the manor I held regard for. Ever since Baine had been appointed deputy by my father, he was given permission to marry her, who, back then, was one of the slaves. They married at a late age and therefore had no children together, but when I was little, she would care for me when my mother could not. She was kind and caring, the absolute opposite of her husband. If I had to bet my money, Baine forced her to marry him. Or maybe she was desperate, looking for a lover at such an old age.

Constance led me down the hall and after a while, to a small, empty room at the end. After she closed the door and turned on the light, she fumbled her hands, agitated. "Did you want this?"

I knew what she meant. I weighed my options of keeping my opinion to myself or telling her. If she did want this, I did not want to spoil it. Picking the former, I asked her, "Did you?"

She shook her head before the question was finished. "I don't know what Baine was thinking when he brought those slaves here. We have been perfectly fine ever since..." she trailed off and looked at the ground when I did not answer. "Master Wolfe, I am sorry, but Baine made a mistake."

"He has made plenty of mistakes before. Why does this surprise you, Addams?" I asked her with a snarky tone.

She looked at me, her eyes disappointed. "I can understand if you chose to have them serve us, Master Wolfe. I respect your choice regardless."

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "I apologize, Constance," a more sympathetic voice answered. "I am going to give these slaves a chance. If they can prove themselves, they can stay. If they do not, Baine will have to take them back."

Constance looked unsure. "I don't know..."

"It will be fine.  I can promise you, however, that it will never happen again. I punished Baine. Hopefully for the last time."

"You didn't hurt him too badly?" she gasped.

She was making me feel guilty now. "Of course not!" I lied. "Do you agree that he should have been punished?"

Constance looked down and did not answer. I took that as a yes. "Thank you for letting us talk, Master Wolfe," she said quickly and remotely. She bowed her head and left the room without another word.

I dreaded to see her reaction when she saw the deep red scars on Baine.