At Your Service

Chapter 3- Welcome

    After a total of three days in the hospital, three of the four people standing in front of the butler stared at Carlisle Women with wide eyes and dropped jaws as he drove the Vandiver's sleek black truck down the drive to stop in front of them. The old man accompanying them simply didn't care and waved to the new butler with warm enthusiasm when he stepped out of the driver's seat to grab the wheelchair and help Anja out of the truck and into that.
The other three servants, though they didn't have the abilities their mistress possessed, could feel there was something off and unsettling about their new coworker the moment he gave them a little grin as he passed them. The four knew nothing about him, only that Glen Vandiver, the previous master and deceased father to Anja, had arranged for Carlisle to replace Damion in the event of an emergency. They also didn't know the reason for this.
    Marjorie already had tears welling up in her eyes when Carlisle opened the door, revealing Anja as he secured his arms around her, holding her as if she weighed nothing to him. The witch's pale cheeks grew as red as a rose with warmth as she caught a glimpse of her servants staring at her with sympathetic, pitying expressions, one of them (Marjorie) already crying. It only got worse from the feeling of Carlisle holding her bridal style before placing her carefully in her wheelchair. The four servants were also left in the dark about the extent of their mistress's injuries, so seeing her legs gone below the knees came as quite a shock.
    "Everyone, this is Carlisle Lomen, our new butler," Solomon announced to the three other servants for Anja, who flashed a tired grin at the old man.
Carlisle gave his usual bow, a hand over his sternum and bending at the waist, with a subtle grin and closed eyes. "It is an honour to be serving with you all," he announced, his velvety voice seeping through all four of the servants. "I am looking forward to gaining experience from each and every one of you." He made direct eye contact with each servant, making all but the old man uncomfortable with his unreasonably dark gaze.
    Solomon was the first one to approach the witch and the butler, first (very carefully) hugging Anja, who slowly hugged back, closing her eyes as she experienced her first hug since before the horrible events which occurred about three days ago. "Welcome home, young lady," he whispered before kissing the top of her head. He was like a grandfather to her. After that, he shook Carlisle's gloved hand after the butler grabbed the large plastic bag from the backseat, which held the forearm crutches, the ointment for the burns, and the body wash she was to use until the stitches were out and the burns healed a bit. Though she wasn't using the crutches right now, Anja was wearing her leg prosthetics under the pair of jeans she was wearing.
Solomon was probably the best out of the four servants at telling how someone is feeling and judging character since he had life experience. He sensed that Anja was faking her happiness and that Carlisle had a dark past and possibly a dark present and future, but he sensed that he was there with good intentions. "Welcome to the Vandiver household, Mr. Lomen!"
    Carlisle's dark eyes glinted like obsidian. "Thank you, Mr. Wyndham," the butler nearly purred.
    Marjorie was the first of the young servants to approach the witch and hug her. She was much shorter than her mistress, but Anja in the wheelchair finally allowed her to wrap her arms around the witch's shoulders. Marjorie McKenneth had strawberry blonde hair tied in short pigtails, big square glasses with clear frames, hazel eyes, and pale, freckled skin. "I am so happy that you have returned back to us, Miss Anja," the maid murmured, her high voice muffled by the sleeve of Anja's jacket. Autumn was well underway and winter was fast approaching. Marjorie stepped back but left her hands on Anja's shoulders, wearing a big, crooked smile. "We've all missed you something terrible!"
    The witch nodded her head and watched as Marjorie stepped aside for Finn. He was a little shorter than the witch, though not as drastically as Marjorie, and had soft blond hair and pale blue eyes, tanned skin from working out in the sun, and a big smile as he enthusiastically walked over and hugged Anja, too. "Welcome back, m'lady," he said, resting his face on the witch's shoulder. She patted his back, wearing a big smile; she liked him a lot, though as nothing more than a friend.
    Huko stepped forward when Finn moved aside. He was taller than Anja but shorter than Solomon and Carlisle, but he appeared more muscular than the other gentlemen. He had cropped black hair, light brown eyes, and pale olive skin. A toothpick jutted out of his mouth and moved when he grinned as he stepped forward and shook Anja's hand. He wasn't a hugger like the rest of the crew. "I've got vegetable stew cookin' for tonight." In Anja's understanding of the chef, this was the equivalent of him telling her that he loved her. Anja smiled wide and nodded as Huko patted her shoulder, more physical affection than he'd ever shown anyone present.
    Anja pulled the notepad and pen she'd received from Carlisle out of her jacket pocket and began scribbling furiously. Everyone was silent as she wrote until she suddenly tore the slip of paper off the notepad and handed it to the butler, who took it gingerly in his long, gloved fingers. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"The mistress wishes to speak to you all, but her voice is still damaged," he read out loud. He read exactly what was on the slip. "She is immeasurably grateful for your patience in waiting to be told what happened the night the mistress and her parents were taken and the details of their death and her medical state. You all will know soon enough, whether that be through inference, the media, or from her mouth. She is aware that her condition will create new challenges and knows that it will affect how things are ran in the house. She asks for more patience as she heals and grows accustomed to this new lifestyle, transitioning from walking, to using a wheelchair, to slowly walking again, and hopes that you will all participate in her journey, as it is one for all of us." He neatly folded the slip in half and slipped it into his breast pocket.
    The servants all smiled, moved by her unspoken speech. "We're all in this together, Miss Anja," Huko agreed with a big grin, the toothpick in his mouth poking upwards.
    "We'll always be right here with ya," Marjorie added. Finn simply nodded enthusiastically.
    "My Lady, the lawyer will be here this afternoon to discuss funeral arrangements and the will," Solomon informed the witch in a calm voice.
    Anja nodded, smiling at all of them signing, "Thank you," in BSL. She wasn't fluent in it, but she knew short, simple phrases that she'd learned as a child in primary school. She began writing again. Instead of having the butler read it out loud, she showed them the note, which read: "Let's go inside. I have some things to do." Carlisle's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the corners of his lips twitched with the ghost of a grin, knowing what she had to do but also excited to go inside and begin his new job.
    With Carlisle pushing her wheelchair, the six headed towards the large mahogany double doors of the Vandiver mansion.