I've been to Cato's estate before for the gala, but I was too nervous about seducing him to pay attention to the details.

The gardens here are full of life, so extravagant compared to the one's at the Leveque estate. The aroma almost lulls me into a sleep, causing my eyes to fall drowsy with every step we take towards the magnificent Victorian manor.

Cato himself personally escorted both Annie and I to the estate, to which Annie was over the moon about.

"He has better things to do than bring us to the estate, doesn't he?" but her beaming smile contrasts her words. She loves every minute of being near Cato. She's not even phased about his engagement to Gemma.

Cato leaves us to drag our suitcases—one case each that fills both of our possessions. I never owned a lot, and neither did Annie, as we could never afford to have large closets filled with dresses and clothes. We had our few, and we wore them until they were threadbare and fraying at the fringes.

Cato hardly makes it halfway up the pathway towards the manor when an elderly woman rushes out the front door.

"Master Leveque, have you completed your duty at your parents' estate?" she asks eagerly.

"I have," he answers with a charming smile. "Also brought along a few more hands to help you out."

The woman's ancient eyes flicker over to Annie and I. "New handmaidens?"

"Only the best ones."

The old woman nearly pushes Cato aside as she approaches us. Her weathered blue eyes stare up at Annie first. She extends her hand to her.

"You are?" she asks her.

"Annie."

"And you?"

The woman stares at me now, her eyes warm with curiosity. "Maureen."

A smug smile crosses the woman's lips as she glares over her shoulder at the astronaut behind her. "Master Leveque, you know how I feel about the servant girls around here. It's a hands-off policy."

My cheeks instantly ignite into a bashful heat. Does she know about Cato and I, how whenever we find ourselves alone, we find ourselves close? Does she know that our relationship treads into dangerous waters?

Cato only rolls his eyes. "I know, and I won't lay a finger on her."

"This is the same Maureen that you—"

"Yup," he quickly answers. His green eyes shoot enough daggers to stab an army.

The old woman only laughs, then crosses her old arms across her chest. "This is a pleasant surprise then. I'm Clotilde, the overseer of the servants. You'll be under my watch and care. Once we get inside, I'll have some of the other servants come and bring your things to your rooms."

Annie neary sprints inside, energized by the excitement of being inside Cato Leveque's estate. As I step past Clotilde to enter inside, she grabs onto my forearm, standing on her tiptoes to reach my ear.

"Is there a reason that Master Leveque told me to make your designated room in the spare bedroom beside his own?" she whispers.

I blush madly and swallow. "There's nothing between us." A lie. There's certainly something, and we're just trying to repress it.

"If that boy ever tries to lay a finger on you, I am not afraid to give his ass a whooping," she tells me. The words somehow comfort me. Cato did previously describe Clotilde as a grandmother figure for him, and I can now see why.

Clotilde and I catch up with Annie who waits for us inside the estate. Her brows raise in suspicion at our delayed entrance, but Clotilde continues on as if our small little chat never occurred.

My eyes dance up the interior decor of Cato's foyer. I predicted crystal chandeliers and million dollar artwork, much like the Leveque's had. Instead, I find constellations charts; ancient diagrams that go back to the beginning of time.

I step close to one, brushing my fingertips against the glass barricade protecting the chart.

"Master Leveque takes interest in the works of ancient astronomers," Clotilde says when she notices me enticed by the maps. "He tried to teach me something about them once, but I can't remember a smidge of it."

That sounds like something Cato would do. He's so eager to teach and learn.

"This one's Copernicus," I mutter brushing my finger over the map. "He was the first to say that the sun was the center of the universe when everyone thought Earth was."

Clotilde chuckles. "Ah, like I said, I can't remember a smidge of it," she pauses and sets her old weathered hand on my shoulder. "I can see why Master Leveque chose you, my dear. He must be quite smitten with what you know."

If only she knew he's the one that taught me. Nevertheless, this is the same woman who said he would whoop his ass if he tried to touch me.

"I wouldn't worry about Master Leveque though, despite him requesting you sleep in the room next to him. Still, I would take caution when you find yourself alone with him. He's very good with treating the girls with respect around here, but Master Leveque is engaged." I know. She doesn't need to remind me about Gemma. "I wouldn't want him to become too attached to you that it destroys his engagement with Ms. Patton."

Is it that obvious of the dangerous emotions brewing between Cato and I? I have no intentions of ruining Cato's reputation because of the feelings, because I know if I do, he'll have to give up the stars. The stars are his first love, not me... or Gemma.

Behind us, Annie seems to be inspecting an old telescope.

"Annie?" Clotilde calls, which startles Annie.

She nearly knocks over the ancient telescope, catching it before it hits the ground. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be breaking Master Leveque's things," Clotilde's lips turn into a straight line.

Clotilde guides us through the rest of the manor. She brought me to the kitchen, where I met the head chef, Georgia. To be honest, I know I'm kind of gonna miss working alongside Augustine back at the Leveque manor.

Next, we enter into the dining room where Cato usually eats. It's large, way too big for just one man, but then Clotilde informed us if it's just Cato here, someone brings his meal to him in his study.

You see, Cato bought his estate when he was twenty-two. He had a bountiful amount of income, and decided to buy the property without even seeing it. For those years, he was gone on expeditions and never came back until recently. In those past few weeks, Clotilde explains that Cato has gotten to know the servants, and that his presence brings so much joy and hope back into his dead empty estate.

We continue to tour the estate, stopping by each room. I attempt to map out the layout in my brain but it's no use. This estate must be five times larger than the Leveque estate, and I'll soon end up with a headache if I bother to comprehend it all.

As we walk down a corridor, another servant appears next to Clotilde. This time, it's a servant boy. "Maureen, Annie, this is Calvin. He is another one of the servants at the estate."

Calvin extends his hand as a black curl falls into his soft velvet green eyes. He must be in his late teens or early twenties, and he appears to be a good labour worker, judging by his build. No wonder Clotilde likes keeping him around.

I shake his hand first, before he turns to Annie who stares back at him with a cute blush on her cheeks. I nudge her shoulder a little, in which she quickly lifts her hand to shake his. It's unusual for Annie to be this quiet, especially around other servants.

Perhaps...

It dawns on me like the flick of a switch, and my eyes widen as I catch her staring at him with drool nearly spilling from her lips.

Clotilde seems to also notice the slightly awkward interaction between the two. "Calvin, why don't you show Annie where she will be staying with the others?" she asks smugly.

Calvin's green eyes never stray away from Annie. "Certainly, madame."

"And Maureen, why don't I let you settle upstairs, hmm?"

I nod my head and follow the headmistress towards my room. It unsettles me that Cato arranged that, once again, I have my own quarters. At the Leveque estate, it made sense. My bedroom had always been mine. When Evelyn found me when I was a child, that room had been my nursery, then transformed into my bedroom as the years passed on.

But Cato should view me as a servant, should he not? I know there are feelings lingering between us, but he said we'd keep things professional.

This is already crossing a line, that same line our hearts crossed so long ago.

My bag of possessions and clothes have already found their way up to the room, just as Clotilde had said, but they look so insignificant compared to Cato's decor in here. The room is triple the size of the one I had back at the Leveque estate, and the bed appears to be the size of a pool. I could swim on those quilts if I wanted too.

Clotilde smiles when she notices my shocked expression. "I can tell you're not used to such luxuries."

"I'm not," I admit. "This is too much for me..."

"Like I said, Master Leveque must be quite smitten with you. The man seems to be more married to the job than to a woman."

"You should warn Gemma about that."

"Speaking of Ms. Patton," Clotilde begins, her voice a little curious, a little suspicious, as if she's prodding at a sleeping bear. "I'm not sure if Cato alerted you about this, but there is an engagement party for him and Ms. Patton in a few evenings. We'll need all the help we can get, so you and Annie won't mind helping out, would you?"

The request feels like a slap to the face, but I keep myself composed.

"That won't be a problem."

"Perfect," she smiles. "Take it easy for the day. Tomorrow, you'll be helping Georgia in the kitchen, hmm?"

I nod my head at the order, and Clotilde quickly retreats.

The moment she leaves, I find myself flopping onto the bed, falling asleep without time to think another thought.

-----

Sorry if this chapter seems forced. It's a boring chapter, I'll admit, but it had to be done. I literally just gave up at the end and rushed through it and said 'heck with this'. Next update coming very soon! (Like, sooner than you think!)

Also, prepare to bring your tomatoes to throw at Gemma for the engagement party.

vote & comment & share & do something nice for yourself today :)