Chapter 105 - Noble negotiations
Scarlett and the others were still waiting in the drawing room when the butler returned, stopping by the room’s entrance.
“Baroness Hartford,” he said in a mild tone. “Milord still finds himself preoccupied with the duties of his office; however…it would appear milady has returned from her previous ventures and has expressed an interest in meeting with the guests that saw fit to visit her abode.”
Scarlett put down the book she’d been reading and looked up at Leon. “Shall we?” she asked, rising from the couch.
He stood up as well.
Grabbing her [Pouch of Holding], she pushed it into the man’s hands and turned to the others. “I think it best if the rest of you remain here for now. We will return when the talks are concluded.”
“Sounds good to me,” Rosa said. The woman patted the instrument on her lap. “I’m sure we’ll survive by ourselves for a bit, at least. What’s the worst that can happen?”
The butler cleared his throat. “I hope the Miss has not forgotten my earlier words regarding music, and the prohibition of said act. While it is all well and good for those of the common masses to have something to distract them while they squander away their time in their backstreet taverns and the likes, this is a distinguished and respectable household belonging to esteemed members of the city’s nobility. We cannot allow just any minstrel from the street to ply their ‘trade’ here, so to speak. Of course, I do not mean to imply you are one such minstrel. As an associate of Baroness Hartford, I’m sure that you’re a well-experienced lyricist who only employs the most poignant of balladry, but understand that we can only be so careful.”
“But of course,” Rosa replied in a wholly serious tone. The fact that the woman had been playing away on her klert up till a minute earlier—when Fynn had noted the butler’s approach—wasn’t apparent in her expression at all. “What sort of butler would you be if you did not work to ensure that none but the most fantabalous of serenades reach your noble masters’ ears? A humble bard such as I could only dream of performing in a room as exquisite as this. A drawing room, no less.” She shook her head dramatically. “Perhaps, one day. For now, I will have to satisfy with merely having had the exhilarating opportunity of having witnessed this place.”
“Yes… Quite.” The butler looked back at Scarlett. “Come with me, my Lady. Sir Leon.”
Scarlett and Leon followed him out of the room. Neither of them spoke as they moved through the mansion’s carpeted hallways, eventually reaching one of the outer wings, where they stopped in front of a door. The butler turned back to them. “Milady is waiting inside the parlor."
He opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Scarlett passed him by.
The parlor was furnished in a similar style to the drawing room, with fine leather couches and animal pelts spread on the floor. Next to one of the walls was a lit fireplace, with two windows on either side overlooking a small garden. A long oak table stood at the center of the room, with an older lady in a dark dress sitting next to it with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Her greying hair was arranged in a neat bun at the back, and her eyes held a cool bearing as she looked over at Scarlett.