Aster Vow
Awkward Introduction
“Welcome Sir West to the estate of Trancy.” A tall bespectacled man greeted them as they stepped away from the carriage. He made stately bow. “I am Claude Faustus head butler to the Earl.”
“I thank you for your Lord’s hospitality,” her husband replied. Meena was awe struck. The outer court of the mansion was gigantic and the manor itself was the size of a palace. The dazzling stone fountains in front of the home glistened with ripples of crystal clear water and the smell of roses in full bloom wafted in her nose. Everything about the place registered as prestige and high class to her social status meter. Outwardly the lady gaped, but inwardly a shady smile of greed and cunning had formed. ‘Woah, this place must be loaded!’
“This is my darling wife Meena West,” the confident man added. “Huh?” she awkwardly blurted out when she heard her name. She had been too preoccupied with the surveying splendor and trying to estimate the value of the estate to take notice of the other party. ”Yes Im…,” the dark hair woman stuttered when she finally beheld the servant. A rosy blush suddenly formed on her cheeks. The butler was handsome and suave. In fact he seemed to radiate an aura of allure and command. His hair was wind swept yet finely groomed and his eyes were the same color as her previous master, Prince Soma; but something about them seemed dangerous. ‘Surely a man with his presence couldn’t be a lowly butler?’
“Dearest?” Harold said puzzled at his wife sudden speechlessness. “Meena West! That is who I am, yes,” she stated sounding like a surprised solider answering her platoon leaders’s command. A bit of nervous laughter accompanied her smile but she felt like a complete moron. The tall servant bowed again, “Welcome Madame West.” To which she humbly nodded.
“The Earl will see you inside, if you would please follow me,” he gestured to the door. A small troupe of pages with identical faces were standing next to him. They made a courteous bow and so took the carriage around back. A cold shiver ran across Meena’s back as she followed the butler. With Claude leading the way the business man and his foreign wife entered the Trancy Estate.