A blessing it was to sit among the lot, adding her hands to the deck and work for the shared joy that was to co their way.
By all ans, it was her wedding, but everyone seed so eager, so ready to serve and with big, bright smiles at that.
Arabella had the inkling that most of them weren’t doing it for her but for Silas instead.
They worked under him and his mother for far longer than they’d ever known she existed. Seeing the way their servants practically bent over backwards for them solidified the idea that the Eleazars were a delight to work for.
The young woman felt guilty for ever questioning how kind and giving they were. The doubts that had crept through her the first few days living there were so unfunded... So far away from the mark that she wished to put as much distance between herself and her mories of ever thinking that way about them.
As they sat upon the fresh, majestic carpet of green that was the grass beneath them, Ada introduced Arabella to more of the maids.
There was Cassandra who, according to Ada, nurtured the talent of writing poems at will and on the fly.
Much like Abigail, Cassandra did not command a lot of attention and seed comfortable blending in with the rest, but when Arabella suggested switching status from maid to entertainer, she lit up even more than before.
There was Seraphim who mostly worked on the second floor of the manor which was the reason Arabella only recalled encountering her during the spring equinox for the buffet.
That day, while tying ribbons around rose bouquets, Arabella learned many new, more nas. Three of which wished to try their luck and ask the Lady for a chance to assess their talents.
When it was ti to return to the gardens from lunch and as the young woman walked back towards the twittering of the group, Mr Carlton stood in her way with a ssage to deliver.
"The Master awaits you in the ballroom, my Lady," he bowed slightly.
She asked no questions and simply followed the man to et Silas in the previously ntioned room.
The vampire sat in a cushy chair, facing the mbers of a music orchestra who hastened to get in position.
A second chair had been placed right by Silas, clearly in her attention.
Before speaking, he first ushered at her to take a seat as Mr Carlton went to stand behind and between them.
"I thought we should choose the orchestra that goes for the wedding together," he said.
It was a bit odd to see his cold, unyielding glare after getting to see the llow and warm side of him, but she was quickly reminded they weren’t alone when one of the violinists began tuning his instrunt.
"I agree," she nodded with a smile.
"Also," he made a short pause before continuing, "Since the auction is in less than a month from now, I thought we’d pick an orchestra for that occasion as well while we’re at it," his voice remained steady, void of passion.
"Am I to participate with that as well?" her head tilted very subtly to the side.
"Yes. Since you expressed the wish to be more involved in the auction’s dealings then I believe this is a good start,"
That wasn’t exactly what Arabella ant by "getting involved" but she made no complaints on the matter.
Perhaps it was truly a good way to start without directly throwing herself into the mix.
It was one step below eting the tributes face to face and maybe it was for the better.
The first orchestra went ahead with their demonstration once settled. The whole ti the lody born at their fingertips clung to the air, Silas’ diamonds kept on flickering towards Arabella.
She, on the other hand, had her focus completely snatched by the instrunts’ voices. They married very well, spoke the sa language and followed the lead of the conductor to the last letter.
Seeing how her eyes barely blinked, Silas worried for a mont, but then the music stopped, and her eyelids flickered shut then opened a few tis to recover the moisture lost to the air around them.
"What did you think about this one?" he asked calmly.
"I... It was wonderful but...," she trailed off, staring at the musicians who’d started rearranging themselves in order to play their second piece.
"But what?"
"They were auditioning for the auction with the first piece, am I correct?" Arabella finally turned to look at him.
"Indeed,"
"Right, well, I felt as though sothing was missing or wrong,"
The vampire’s eyebrows furrowed. He’d been in charge of casting orchestras for every auction night that ca in the past decade, but never did he reach such a verdict about one of them. At least, not worded in such a manner.
"What do you think they are missing?" he asked.
"I suppose I’ll figure it out when I find it," she smiled.
The group played their second piece, and it was the sa thing. Arabella had the sa, distant glance in her eyes.
That ti around, when they finished, Silas waited patiently for her to speak and she did, "What did you think of this one? Was it to your liking?" there was an odd expression on her, almost apologetic, as though hoping he’d say no.
"They most certainly are good at their job, but the piece wasn’t necessarily thrilling,"
Their gazes remained intertwined, eyes locked but flickering on each other’s faces from ti to ti as if attempting to read one another.
"Why? What is your verdict?"
"May we pass on this one?" she looked back at the musicians who’d started gathering their things to leave space for the next orchestra.
"We most certainly can," he nodded.
Unlike the previous ti, Silas did not press with questions.
She did not want it. That was all that mattered to him and... He cared very little as to which orchestra played at either occasion. As long as they were good at their job and played appropriate pieces.
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