Arabella followed in Ada's tracks, all giddy to finally see the music room. As insignificant and small as the matter might have seemed, it at least had the merit of distracting her from the concerns gnawing at her sanity.
"This way, Miss," Ada chirped, gesturing at Arabella to go in a specific way.
"Will you ever drop the Miss, Ada?" from behind, Arabella sort of leaned to the side in order to be in Ada's peripheral vision.
"Well, …I won't make any promises," the maid sort of chuckled before stopping and turning towards one of the doors in the hallway they'd traversed, "Here we are!"
After twisting the knob, Ada pushed the double doors before them with both hands.
"Oh dear…,"
Mouth agape and starry eyed, Arabella walked inside so very slowly, savoring every second, every inch of that room as every piece of decoration took her breath away.
Not that the room had been furnished diversely from the rest, but the instruments it harbored made all the difference.
Arabella gradually twirled around herself, making little circles in various spots across the vast room to look from the paintings garnishing the walls to the glistening silver decor around the furniture and instruments.
"Did you have a music room back home?" Ada's voice brought the young woman out of her daze.
"Yes," finally looking back at Ada, she smiled, "Only not nearly as big as this one," her eyes drifted away once more.
"Would you…?"
The hesitation in Ada's tone made Arabella's brows furrow a little.
"Yes, what is it, Ada?" she urged the maid to speak up.
"Would you be willing to play something…," Ada's voice died down again as though breaking off mid-sentence, "I mean, I would love to…,"
When Ada's eyes traveled towards the piano, Arabella got the gist of her words, "Of course!"
She darted towards the piano and sat down before lifting the lid off the keyboard, "Is there a piece you desire to hear more than others?"
"Oh… I am afraid I don't know the pieces by title. I've never received any music training or tutoring," Ada looked down at her fingers which she twiddled.
"That's alright,"
Smiling, Arabella turned back towards the instrument, gave the keys a soft brushing with her hand then shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
"My bright star" had always been her go-to piece, the default melody to play when in doubt, and Arabella didn't see the need for it to change.
Eyes closed the whole time; she picked then pressed on those keys with the same amount of care and attention Arabella had always paid when playing the piano.
Even before a mere maid, the young woman gave it her all.
From her mother, Arabella had learned to never put less effort, compromise or lower the standards of her practice based on the person listening.
"Oh!! I remember it!" Ada jumped up and down in her spot right as Arabella hit the last note, "I used to hear it a lot back in Lustris. I just couldn't for the life of me recall the name of the piece!"
"It is called, my bright star," Arabella smiled.
"Oh… You are so talented, Miss," with a dreamy smile on her, Ada swayed her head slowly from left to right, "I could listen to you play all day long,"
Arabella opened her mouth to respond, however, it was a third voice that had blared through the room instead, "If only you had all day long to fool around," Edna stood at the doors, arms crossed and a glare that could melt iron.
"Edna…,"
Ada seemed unsure as to how to respond and so Arabella volunteered for the task, "I am sorry for keeping her. Ada was kind enough to show me the music room. That is all," she offered a smile.
Edna's features twisted further, her eyes solely on Arabella, "Your highness has more free time than one can know what to do with. You may as well find your own way around. We have real work to do, so don't be standing in the way," she barked
"Edna! You can't talk to her like that!" Ada moved and shielded Arabella's figure from Edna.
"Why not?" Edna raised an eyebrow, "We are in Umbraria and here she's no better than a peasant," she put a lot more emphasis on the last word as she spat that sentence.
"Well, the Lady clearly thinks different," looking down, Ada mumbled under her breath.
Though she was loud enough for Edna to hear her, "Don't go thinking she's your friend! Now how pathetic would that be of you, Ada? People like her know who's strings to pull and how to tug at them in order to get what they want. Don't let her fool you!" Edna marked a pause during which her features relaxed a tad, "She'll have no problem tossing you aside like she tossed her own family once she was done with them," she smirked.
"Now, you've gone too far! Take that back!" still in her spot, Ada resembled a vexed but harmless little pup as she made demands, fists clenched.
"Dream on. Now let's go, the head maid's summoned you,"
At those words, Ada's breath hitched in her throat, immediately turning around to offer an apologetic look to Arabella which she returned, nodding in acknowledgement.
And on that note, both maids left the room, leaving Arabella on her own.
Some cruel words those were, but didn't they hold bits of truth in them, at least?
While her father had never been the kind man she always hoped he'd become, Arabella debated whether he deserved to be left behind in such a manner.
After all, Arabella was his last living relative, besides her brother Arthur, who'd long since deserted the family.
And what about Arthur? Did he walk among the living still? If so, then where might have his feet taken him? And was there anything at all that she could have done to protect him?
Her hand instinctively gravitated towards the locket resting on her chest. Arabella grasped it tightly in one hand before loosening her grip around the little piece.
She then brought her second hand over to hold and open the locket, picking the extensively folded piece of paper inside of it.
It couldn't be helped, her features drew a beautiful smile on her, only tainted by the tears welling up in her eyes as they went over the words inked upon the paper for the… Arabella had lost count of how many times she'd read her mother's final letter.
Those were her mother's last words to her and thus she clung to that piece as though her own life depended on it.
Deep down, Arabella wished there were other items, other reminders of her mother than the picture forever engraved in her mind.
Her smile would last but no matter how hard Arabella tried, the scent of her mother escaped her memories and her voice too had started to fade. She cursed herself for leaving home without taking any other keepsake of her mother's away with her.
Then again, did she truly have another alternative than running with nothing but the clothes on her back at the time?
Arabella's gaze then landed on the highly reflective surface of the piano and grimaced a bit. Even her eyes were a reminder of her father… She'd inherited so much from him; it was almost unfair.
After placing the letter back in the locket, Arabella stood off the stool and walked over to one of the huge windows in the room for some fresh air.
Just like her room, the music room seemed to offer a view of the gardens that were so vast that only then did it strike Arabella that she hadn't yet explored every part of it.
There was a pond behind the tallest trees that she only noticed from that angle.
As always, Edgar stood among the greenery. A black pants on and a bizarrely immaculate, white blouse shirt for the kind of work he did.
Tall with extremely desirable features, from his stance and his calm demeanor, Arabella could have mistaken him for an old vampire had she not known him.
Indeed, nothing seemed to phase him, much like Silas or Lady Persephone. The only difference was, with the smile that always reached his eyes, Edgar had a kind outlook and an even kinder voice.
Lucky should be the woman that would earn his heart. At that thought, Arabella's blood rushed up and gathered around her cheeks.
Arabella's hands automatically began fanning her face as the temperature kept on rising in that part of her body despite the cool breeze that blew the curtains back and forth.
The young man was none the wiser. He bent down to dig at the dirt before sprinkling fists full of minuscule seeds then burying them and giving little taps on the ground with his tool for good measure.
Edgar's words from that same morning flashed back in her mind and Arabella clutched at the fabric of her gown in order to move faster across the hallways and out to the garden where she would join Edgar.