DINNER FOR TWO
1049 Words
The next morning felt different.
Lina woke up to a knock at 8AM sharp. Not Mrs. Hawthorne.
A young maid Lina had never seen before.
"His Grace requests you in the study," the girl said. "And... you're to have breakfast with him."
Lina nearly dropped her brush.
"With him?"
"Yes, miss." The girl curtsied and left.
Lina got ready fast. Plain dress. Hair tied back. No makeup.
She didn't want to look like she was trying.
But she also didn't want to look like she didn't care.
The study smelled like coffee and old books.
The Duke was already seated at a small table by the window.
Not at his big desk. At a table. With two settings.
He looked up when she came in.
He was clean-shaven today. Hair combed. Black shirt, sleeves rolled up.
He looked human. Not like a ghost.
"Sit," he said.
Lina sat. The chair across from him.
A plate was already in front of her. Eggs. Toast. Fruit.
He was eating too. Quietly.
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
Just the sound of forks on plates.
"You read Elena's letter," he said finally. Not a question.
Lina put her fork down. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said. He took a sip of coffee. "She would have liked you."
He looked at her. "She always said I needed someone who wasn't afraid of silence."
Lina didn't know what to say to that.
"My sister," she started. "Her name is Maya. She's 12. She has leukemia."
The Duke nodded. "Mrs. Hawthorne told me."
He cut a piece of toast. "The hospital bills. That's why you came here."
"Yes." Lina's voice was small. "I needed the money fast. This job pays more than anywhere else."
"And the other rules? The warnings?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I was desperate," Lina admitted. "Desperate people don't ask questions."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he pushed a small envelope across the table.
Lina opened it.
Inside was a check. More zeros than she'd ever seen.
"For Maya," he said. "Her treatment. The best doctors."
Lina stared at it. Her hands started shaking.
"I... I can't accept this, Your Grace."
"You can," he said simply. "And you will."
He leaned back. "Consider it an advance. On your salary. For the next 10 years."
Tears were burning Lina's eyes. "Why?"
The Duke looked out the window. The sky was gray.
"Because Elena asked me to be kind to a girl with tired eyes."
He looked back at her. "And because you didn't run when you heard the music."
Lina swallowed. "Thank you." It was all she could say.
They finished breakfast in silence. But it wasn't awkward silence.
It was... comfortable.
After, he handed her a stack of files.
"New job. You’ll help me with correspondence. During the day.
At night, you’re free. But stay out of the East Wing."
Lina nodded. "Yes, sir."
That night, she didn't hear any music.
For the first time in days, she slept.
---
Three days passed like that.
Work in the study. Breakfast together. No music at 3AM.
The manor felt less cold.
On the fourth night, Mrs. Hawthorne cornered her in the hallway.
"You're getting too close, girl," the old woman hissed.
"The last maid who got close to him ended up crying in the East Wing every night."
Lina frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Mrs. Hawthorne snapped. "Just do your job and keep your distance."
She walked away, muttering.
That night at 2:58 AM, Lina was awake anyway.
No music. But she couldn't sleep.
She went downstairs for water.
The study light was on.
She peeked in.
The Duke was there. Alone.
He wasn't working. He was just... sitting.
In front of him on the desk was the locked drawer.
And in his hand, Elena's letter.
He wasn't reading it. He was just holding it.
Like if he let go, she'd disappear again.
Lina stepped back. She shouldn't be here.
But then she heard it.
A soft sound. Like a sigh.
"Who's there?" The Duke's voice was sharp.
Lina stepped in. "It's me, sir. I couldn't sleep."
He didn't look surprised to see her.
He just patted the chair next to him. "Sit."
Lina sat.
For a long time, they didn't talk.
Then he said, "Do you believe in ghosts?"
Lina blinked. "I... I don't know."
"I do now," he said. He held up the letter. "Because of this."
He paused. "The night you heard the music. That was the first time in 3 years I didn't feel alone in this house."
Lina's heart hurt. "I'm sorry for your loss, Your Grace."
"Adrian," he said quietly.
"What?"
"Call me Adrian. When we're like this."
Lina nodded. "Adrian."
He smiled. Just a little. It was the first time she'd seen it.
It didn't reach his eyes. But it was something.
"Walk with me?" he asked.
They walked through the dark halls. No touching. Just walking.
They stopped in front of the East Wing.
The chains were back on the door.
"I used to bring her flowers," he said. "Every week. White lilies.
Her favorite."
Lina didn't say anything.
"I don't bring them anymore," he said. "Because if I do, it means she's really gone."
Lina looked at him. "She's not gone, Adrian. Not if you still hear her."
He looked at her then. Really looked.
"You're very brave, Lina Carter."
"I'm very scared," she whispered back.
"Me too," he said.
They stood there for a minute.
Then the lights in the hallway flickered.
Both of them turned.
At the end of the hall, by the big window, stood a shadow.
Tall. In a white dress. Hair down.
It was gone in a second.
Lina gasped. The Duke grabbed her arm. His grip was tight.
"Did you see that?" he whispered.
Lina nodded. She couldn't speak.
The Duke let go of her. His face was pale.
"Go to your room," he said. "Now."
"But—"
"Now, Lina."
She ran.
Back in her room, she locked the door.
Her heart was pounding.
Was that Elena?
Or was it grief playing tricks?
She looked at the key on her nightstand.
It was warm.
And outside her window,
she swore she heard someone humming.
A lullaby.
End of Chapter 5
- Writer
