Avril was stunned. She clearly remembered being on a bus a second ago, going home after a long day at work. Where was she now? She looked around again, meeting the eyes of the four worried women. In front of her was a big mansion with a tower in the left corner. To her left was Emerie looking at her, seeming to wait for a response, and beside her another woman who seemed really young. To her right were the other two women, one was tall and with freckles, the other woman was also tall but with blonde hair and a dignified look. Avril forcefully freed her arms from their grip and passed a hand over her face. Despite their astonished looks, she mumbled that she was okay, just a little dizzy and tried to stand on her own. The four worried women didn’t let her any space to fall and surrounded her, though they seemed hesitant to touch her again. Finally, standing up, she looked around once more. The mansion was elegant and old with greyish yellow stones. It was a four-story manor, wide windows, with wooden and intricate design on the shutters and doors. To the right front was an annex, way more modern with fewer tears and less decaying colors. She then realized the four women were wearing old-fashioned dresses with an apron and their hair was tied up. She looked at herself and saw the same beige dress and apron. Starting to panic, she glanced at her hands. Her painted nails were gone, replaced by her natural ones. Confused, she looked at Emerie with expectations as if she was her only source of comfort in the world.

  “Emerie, what is happening?”

  “I do not understand your question. Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should lie down a bit.” answered Emerie.

  “Where are we now?” Gasped Avril. “ Why are we dressed like this? What’s happening? Is it some kind of prank?”

  She tugged at her clothes, searching for cameras. She couldn’t breathe, feeling like a caged animal. Then she grabbed Emerie with both hands. Emerie widened her eyes neither understanding the familiarity nor this reaction. She was then addressed:

  “We need to go. Come with me. We’ll discuss it after. Come on.”

  Avril seemed panicked and started to move with Emerie at her fingertips. Her only thought was getting her out of this masquerade. Under the confused gazes of the others, she took three hurried steps. But as she looked around she didn’t recognize anything – she was in a foreign countryside with strange people, where could they even go?

  Suddenly a low and commanding female voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts. Everyone froze, even herself.

  “What is happening right now?”

  The Madam had just returned from a walk in the park when she stopped behind the group of women. She looked at them with suspicion and with one hand holding a fan, she fanned herself. To her right a slumped masked person with a costume and high tied up hair waited, ready to pounce. The group turned to face the Madam and bowed down a little to show respect. Avril let go of Emerie’s hand. The atmosphere was tense; nobody dared to breathe aloud as awaiting their sentence.The blond haired woman came in front of the group and took the lead in explaining the situation. She seemed to be the leader of these women.

  “Madam you’ve returned? How was your walk?” the blonde woman gracefully cleared her throat and bowed down again.

  “It was refreshing. Now now, Viviane, can you explain to me why you are all here instead of working?”

  “Naturally Madam. Orane was feeling dizzy. We only helped her stand up and were resuming our activities. “ Her voice shook a little then she bowed again.

  “Is that so?”

  “Of course Madam.” She cleared her throat once more. “ With your permission, may we be excused?”

  After the Madam nodded, Viviane bowed again as she returned to the group. She hardly reached the other tall woman with freckles when she was rudely interrupted:

  “I am going to my quarter. Orane, can you prepare me some tea and bring it to my chamber? I wish to rest.”

  Avril wanted to speak up but Viviane didn’t let her answer, turned abruptly and urgently agreed to it.

  “Of course Madam. I will send Orane soon.”

  The Madam nodded and moved forward. The women stepped back, waited and bowed down until the Madam entered the mansion. After the Madam and her companion were out of sight everyone relaxed, except Viviane who seemed aghast. The atmosphere became breathable again and the tension subsided. Avril looked at Emerie once more with expectations, ready to interrogate her again but Viviane quickly pulled herself together and then instructed:

  “Orane, you come with me, I will show you where you are going to prepare the tea for Madam. The rest of you, resume your chores soon. Madam should not wait.”

  The three other women nodded, scattered and flew right through the doors and to the garden.

  Avril watched as Emerie went out of sight. She wanted to follow her so badly but didn’t want to cause any more trouble - she regretfully let out a sigh, tears building up in her eyes.

  Viviane didn’t waste any more time and went directly to the annex. Avril dared not say anything anymore and just followed suit. The interruption of the Madam sobered her up a little from her panic. She began analyzing her environment and what waited ahead. The logical solution was that she was dreaming, but never her dreams were this complex. They always were about a blurred picture and her crying self in front of it – no background, nobody else. If it was not a dream, it was probably a hallucination. But she could not imagine what caused it. A moment ago she left her work for home, she wasn’t tired or didn’t take any of her pills today. She remembered she was looking at the city night scenery thinking and then she woke up here in pain. As strange as it seemed, she was sure she wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming – because in either case, Emerie had never appeared this clearly before. What was it then? Everything felt real. The terror she and the other women felt when the Madam was here was palpable. She couldn’t explain it but she needed to follow the rules and then act lest some inexplicable consequences would dawn on Emerie or herself and the other women.

  As she walked, she realized that the previous voice had spoken about a Duchess, it was probably this frightening Madam. It did seem that the voice was right, she didn’t appear to be like a patient person. As Avril walked, she tried hard to remember the other content the voice talked about. It said that she had fifteen days to clear the story and she had to find some kind of shelter where peace is the law. What does it even mean? Is clearing the story some kind of game? What was her role in all this? And especially why was Emerie here safe and sound? All these questions were left unanswered as they entered the annex.

  The aroma of grilled flesh assaulted her nose, she retched. Inside was a grand kitchen with two people preparing some dishes. What were these two people doing? When she turned her head, she saw a piglet roasting on the fire. The skin was brown and it seemed really burned. Yet the two people didn’t care about it. Avril retched uncontrollably again, tried to swallow back her disgust and continued to follow Viviane who was heading to their right. She silently led the way to one of the two doors situated in the back of the kitchen. She entered the right one. The two women pushed the door and were finally in a big cellar. Pieces of meat were hanging from the ceiling, and a lot of shelves contained fruits and vegetables. It was pretty cold and only one tiny window lit the whole room. Fortunately the previous smell didn’t linger in here. On the floor were sacks and sacks of potatoes, coffee, leaves of tea and some more vegetables. Viviane suddenly spoke breaking the silence :

  “Do not make Madam wait, she hates it. Go ahead, everything you need is here.”

  She then clicked her heels and turned to leave. Wanting to inquire, Avril tentatively asked in a hurry :

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Wait…um… Can you show me… how to please Madam, um… please? I’m afraid I can’t do it right.”

  Viviane arched her brow, confusion written all over her face.

  “Were you not a maid to a… Sir before? I remembered you talked about it at supper yesterday. ”

  Avril breathed calmly and analyzed the information. Just as the voice said, Orane arrived yesterday, so Viviane didn’t seem to know a lot about her. At the very least Avril knew now that Orane served a man before. With this little insight she decided to take a gamble:

  “Sir was my… distant uncle. He was good to me and I didn’t learn a lot from him.” She faked her embarrassment by scratching her head.

  Avril looked at Viviane trying to see if her lies were believed. Viviane’s eyes scrutinized her seemingly seeing through. She couldn’t understand how someone as clueless as Orane was sent here. As the red on her face faded a little, Viviane composed herself again and sighed:

  “How did you end up here? Madam hates novices.”

  “I.. I learn things fast.”

  Viviane sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose exasperatedly. After calming herself the atmosphere turned grave again. She then approached Avril menacingly and let her recoil to a corner. Avril stopped breathing and closed her eyes, thinking she was going to be hit. As she hit the wall bracing for a blow, a finger poked her forehead.

  “Listen to me. All of this is not trivial matters for anyone here. You saw how frightening she looked? That’s because she is frightening. Every mistake you make reflects us. Will you take responsibility if one of us is severely punished because of your idiocy? Will you? If not, you have two choices - either leave right now, or pull yourself together and do your job properly ? Am I clear enough?” Viviane emphasized every word as she lowered her finger now clutching lightly Avril’s left shoulder.

  At this moment, Avril glanced lightly at the hand which was holding her. Viviane’s hand was refined and lightly callused probably due to her work. As she moved her gaze from the hand she saw something under the sleeves. Some deep and purple scars were faintly visible. Suddenly Avril had a bad premonition.

  “What happened to your arm? Are you injured?” she asked as she reached it.

  The next second, Viviane retracted her hand and covered her arm. She seemed flustered as all colors faded from her face. A grave look landed on Avril’s face, like an unnameable secret was discovered.

  “That’s… nothing. Do not worry about it.”

  She then tugged at her sleeves hiding the mystery. Suddenly Avril realized that she had misjudged the situation. She choked a little. Showing both her hands for sincerity she realized this whole play didn’t seem to be a joke, it seemed rather serious. Was it the so-called consequences the voice talked about? Judging from the look on Viviane’s face, something was definitely wrong in this mansion. The terror she felt as she faced the Duchess suddenly made perfect sense.

  Then she bowed a little.

  “I’m sorry. I will try harder, I swear. Please teach me the right way, I’ll do my best.”

  “You don’t understand.. I.. I can’t..I..”

  Viviane’s face paled; she was on the verge of tears. Then the next second she regained her composure, focused her gaze and said:

  “We lost enough time. I will do it this time, you will give it to Madam.”

  Then she got into work. Avril followed her and diligently watched her every move. Soon enough the tea fragrance embalmed the room and almost covered the piglet’s smell for a second. Viviane shoved the cup of tea in the hand of Avril and went to fetch a plate. Then she arranged everything to look good enough and sent Avril to the mistress’s quarter.

  “Go to the first floor and then to the left. You knock on the flowery door and wait for a response. When you have the authorization, enter and set the plate on the table in the center of the first room while bowing. Announce which tea. Then bow again and wait for her to send you away. do it like this.”

  Viviane then simulated :

  “A green tea for Madam” and bowed.

  “Now go. Don’t waste anymore time!” She shoved her outside.

  Avril mouthed a thank you, bowed slightly and went outside the kitchen with the plate. She heard a light sigh.

  …

  When she was shoved outside the kitchen, she appeared in a large dining room. A majestic chandelier hangs from the ceiling above a large table with more than thirty seats. Everything looked exquisite with golden linings. The room was lit by huge wooden windows with elegant red curtains hanging on each side. Even though the room was luxurious, it looked abandoned, as nobody had come here in years, but it was neatly kept. In front of Avril past the table was an ark and behind was giant marble stairs. She didn’t waste any more time and took the stairs as she tried her best to stabilize the tea. She was far from the gracefulness of Viviane, but at least it looked decent. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she recited in her head what Viviane just told her. She reached the first floor in no time. Turning to the left she saw a massive wooden door with delicate engravings of flowers. She was about to meet the Duchess alone and it stressed her out. She breathed lightly to prepare herself and enter Orane’s role. Finally she knocked on the door and tilted her head gently. Someone opened it, but Avril was bowed and could only distinguish some brown boots. As it was neither elegant nor clean, they probably belonged to the slumped masked person who was alongside the Duchess. Both stood without moving and without a single noise when a low and unhurried voice rang.

  “Come in.” it resonated.

  Still bowing, Avril entered the huge room. The masked person closed the door behind her with a loud “thump”. She quickly found the table in her range of vision and drew near it.

  “A green tea for Madam.” she mimicked perfectly what Viviane told her.

  She set the tea on the table and waited again, slightly bowed. While she expected to be soon excused, she heard some clinking of tableware and some sound of gently sipping. She waited for what felt like ages accompanied by these two noises which reverberated inside what seemed like a huge room. She didn’t dare move afraid of the consequences.

  “Do you feel better?”

  These words startled Avril who wasn’t prepared to talk much. She hesitated but didn’t dare delay it further. Cold sweat soaked through her beige dress and clang to her back.

  “Thank you for your… concern, I am okay now.” she feverishly answered.

  “The tea is fragrant.” the Duchess said.

  Avril hummed in response. Just the Duchess’s presence was enough to freeze the atmosphere. Her simple sentences each seemed like a threat. The wait continued as the atmosphere grew colder. The masked person appeared silently to her left. She didn’t even hear them approach, it startled her. She clenched her right fist in anxiety and bit her bottom lips lightly. The only impression she had of the masked person was their aggressive gazes. They seemed ready to attack anybody who didn’t follow what their mistress wanted. She tried to pay it no mind, still bowing. Everything felt like a silent confrontation as if the Duchess studied her every move. Avril swallowed with difficulty. The stickiness of her dress was really uncomfortable and the silence grew more oppressive. She exhaled calmly trying to sober her mind. Every rustling fabric and breathing were amplified in this silent room. Avril couldn’t see anything but her and the masked person's shoes which increased her restlessness. Focusing on this strange presence, she couldn’t even hear them breathe.

  “You may go.” the Duchess said abruptly.

  Avril nearly jumped as she exhaled lightly. She nodded and bowed before heading to the door. The masked person appeared to her left silently again and opened the door for her. She glanced at them and saw their terrifying eyes, a chill crawling down her spine. She averted her gaze and didn’t dare take more time. She went out without saying anything. When the door closed she leaned against the cold wall. The surge of coldness relieved her sticky back. She gasped noisily and started thinking, feeling as if hours had passed. Nothing happened yet her body was tense. She rubbed her face and rested her hands on her shoulders, catching her breath. She hadn’t dared misbehave nor had she caught anything useful in this room. She didn’t even see the Duchess clearly, yet her chills had yet to calm down. Some light droplets of sweat were visible on her forehead. Why was she so scared? It didn’t make any sense. It was merely giving some tea to a woman of high standing, no death threats indeed. Yet she was in a deep state of panic, trying to catch her breath. She needed to inquire what was going on in this mansion. Her trembling hand finally steadied as she decided to find Emerie to ask her some questions in private. Maybe before wasn’t a good time but she didn’t know what to do now. Emerie was the only person she knew and could trust. Resolute, she shook off her fear away as she took the stairs down.