Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 13: Midnight Snack

Finally the dinner was over and it was not as bad as Cain had imagined. He had wished that Jay had lingered long enough to meet Marco, but the two seemed destined to not be in the same room at the same time. As soon as one appeared the other dispersed, only to return much later on and pretend that no time had passed at all. Never the less, weaving that tale about an affianced bride did liven up the evening much to his mothers distress.

Cain chuckled. In the end he hadn't even required his valet to save him with a mysterious excuse. It was all fairly pleasant, if a tad tedious. In Roma the dancing and parties had carried on till the wee hours of the morning and although this one was not particularly long it was definitely not as rambunctious. Consequently Cain was a little tired, his muscles a touch sore and considering dinner ended hours prior to scotch and port, he found himself somewhat hungry.

He walked through the old halls he had played in as a child and remembered tearing through them with Nanny in tow. My, how times had changed. His solid leather soles hit the Persian rugs where a child's muddy footprints once ran, and he shook the feeling that his father was watching him from the large portraits lining the walls... watching and judging. He quickly paced through to the lower stairs, unbuttoning his cuffs as he did so. Somewhere along the evening of scotch and gambling he had lost his waist coat and now as he removed his cravat, it was sure to follow the same path. Cain's stomach grumbled- where was a servant when one needed one? No doubt they were all abed considering they were to be up again before the crack of dawn. So Cain simply navigated the pitch black hallways with pieced together memories from childhood. He supposed he could have gotten a candle and matches but then that would assume he would know where to find those implements. No,  that would require calling for a servant which would nullify his mid-night trip to the kitchens, and that was unacceptable.

Although he knew most of the staff were fast asleep he did  hold out some hope that his interesting little maid Verushka was still about.  She was absolutely stunning. He could not understand why every man in the entire dining hall did not want to leap up and take her in their arms. Maybe they did? Maybe they had better control than he did- because dinner was remarkably uncomfortable. There she stood, no doubt doing her job- and all he could think about was undressing her....slowly. When their hands touched he felt such a spark, such a tingling beneath the skin  that he wanted to do it again. Never in his long years had he fantasised about holding another females hand for God's sake- but here he was in a stupor over some maid. A maid, who he should keep in mind had no reaction to his touch whatsoever, and yet as he attempted to seduce her over some olives he did notice a shortness to her breath.  He toyed with the idea that she was actually interested in him...affected by him, and yet even if she was, what was that to him? He had no intention of bedding the lass. His mother would have more of a fit if she found out that he was dallying with the household staff than if he announced another false engagement.  No, clearly slipping between his maids sheets was out of the question.  And while he was on a roll chastising himself- perhaps he should stop referring to the gorgeous, glowing virgin as his maid.

Cain carefully made his way down the servants stairs to the kitchens since there were none for the family's use. He even astonished himself that he remembered which creaky wooden planks to avoid, although some new creaks and groans had developed over the years. Eventually he turned the latch of the large timber door , pushed on the bronze ring handles and crept into the darkened room. Unfortunately no one was about. It was chilly, but he supposed he should have expected that- it was hardly common practice to light fires for the staff as they worked. But maybe it should be. He once knew his way around this kitchen very well, but with his mother given free rein in his absence she had found it necessary to buy every new appliance that had breached the market. When Cain finally managed to locate the ice box and pulled out some chilled milk and slices of cold meat he was beginning to look rather favourably on his mothers purchases.  As silent and stealth like as he could manage- and he'd liked to think that was very stealthy, he procured a glass and some utensils. Finding that the warmest spot in the room was closer to the oven he pushed his plate to the end of the table and was about to take a seat on a rickety three pronged stool when he heard a noise to his left.