Ablaze in Passion 7

Bianca slept restlessly, knowing that this was indeed her last night ever in this Manor. She cried just a little; but only for Lucy. Knowing that she may never see her Best Friend again. She was afraid of where she might be going. What if the new place was worse? She admitted that living with Georgia wasn’t the best but apart from that she had enjoyed every other part of Luxembourge Manor. She was sad that she would never get to go back to her courtyard. She even felt severe rage at what Georgia had done; the lie she had so deviously wove; and for what reason? Would she really have sat back and watched Lucy be punished for something she knew full well she had not done?

Georgia was most definitely an evil person, and Bianca found herself thinking that if Georgia was ever hanging off the end of a cliff and only Bianca was there to help her up, she’d probably step on her fingers to help her fall instead. It was dawn at last; and Bianca sat up as she heard the locks being opened on the other side of the door. She was taken from the room and straight to the front of the Manor, where she was shown inside a carriage. No one saw her off. She guessed Lucy had been forbidden to come and see her. The carriage started rolling forward and Bianca held back her tears. She watched as the Manor shrunk from view before disappearing completely.

"Perhaps it’s just time for a change, maybe it’s my chance for something better,"
She watched out the windows as the surroundings went from dull tracks and dirt roads, to lush open fields of flowers and countryside. The flowers pierced her mind with a quick memory but no sooner had it flashed passed did she forget. The journey was a long one, and Bianca slept through most of it. She woke again as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Peering out through the carriage windows she almost passed out from the feeling of being overwhelmed. It had never crossed her mind that she wouldn’t be going to another Manor; but now she saw where she was to be living, she wondered why she had not thought about it.

The Manor seemed like a cottage compared to what she was looking at now and she felt the urge to yell to the carriage driver that he must have gone to wrong place. But when her carriage door was opened and she stepped out onto solid ground, she knew he hadn’t been mistaken. This was no Manor. She had never seen anything like it before, except maybe in the few books she had ever read which had pictures. Great stone walls rose high up all around her, turning slightly she watched as 2 men closed the giant wooden gates which only moments ago the carriage had come through. She felt like she was standing inside the walls of a Castle, and thinking about the stone towers in front of her there was no other word for it, she had indeed arrived at a Castle. The carriage sprung back to life in front of her and she watched as it disappeared from her view as it trundled away,

Now what? She thought to herself. She remained standing not knowing where she was to go, and wondering if anyone was coming to assist her.
"Might I suggest you go inside?" came a voice from behind her,
Bianca turned to see one of the men who had closed the gates watching her,
"I’m sorry? Were you speaking to me?" she replied politely,
"Well there’s no one else I could ‘ave been talking to besides herself," he replied grinning,
Bianca looked towards the man lying on the ground besides him, who was sound asleep,
"I could a bin speaking’ ta Fergus I spose, but I dona think he’ll be answering’ anytime soon," he said as he too looked towards the bearded man snoring to his left, "But likes I said, maybe you should try going’ inside?"

Bianca turned back to the castle and stared at the giant stone walls, at first it looked as if it was a fairytale; now it seemed as if she was about to enter the devil’s lair.
"Don’t fash yer self lass, it may look like it could swallow you whole, but you should not judge it from it’s outside; Once you see what’s inside you’ll feel likes you’re in a babes crib," he said as if he had been reading her thoughts,
Bianca nodded to him and made her way towards the double door entrance, she hesitated only for a second before she pushed them open. Stepping inside she almost exclaimed aloud just how beautiful it was.

She was standing at the beginning of a long hall, giant pillars lined each side, and each and every one of them was painted and sanded gold. Towards the other end she could see the raised Dias which was where the Lord of this magnificent castle would sit during feasts. The windows were large and had been painted with armorial designs and even the walls she noticed with fascination had been amazingly painted by an artist; god’s angels could be seen everywhere. The torches were even carved and smoothed to perfection before they were slid into place along the walls. A long deep ruby red carpet had been lain straight down the hall to make whoever walked down it feel not like a servant, as Bianca herself was; but like Royalty, as if they themselves had just entered their very own castle. Bianca felt like she had walked into a dream, she had never once thought a place like this could exist, and for the first time she felt happy for being sent away from Luxembourge Manor.

"Lovely isn’t it?" came a sweet female’s voice to her left,
For the second time that day Bianca spun around to face a stranger. A young girl she guessed aged only 16 was standing there smiling at her. Her smile caused dimples to form in her cheeks, and Bianca couldn’t help but smile back,
"It’s amazing, I have never seen anything like it,"
"It’s a one of a kind that’s why," the girl replied, "The Lord wanted something special for his guests to walk into, wanted whatever was on their minds when they walked in to completely disappear when their eyes fell on the wonders around them," she finished,
"Well he definitely accomplished his goal, I don’t think I have one inkling to what was on my mind before I stepped inside," Bianca replied looking about again,

"I was the same when I first came here," she replied, "My name’s Kobi by the way, how do you do? I always forget my manners, Peggy; she’s the cook; is always telling me off for it," Kobi quickly added grinning wider,
"Pleased to meet you Kobi, my name is Bianca," Bianca replied walking over to shake her hand that Kobi had hastily held out,
"I heard there was a new Lady coming, a strange situation at that too, how does it feel to finally.."
"Kobi you aren’t babbling again are you? The poor girl has been traveling all night, I told you to show her to her room without the added chatter," came another voice,
Bianca turned and saw a short fat women walking out from, she guessed, where Kobi had come from, the Lady reminded her so much of the cook from Luxembourge manor that she had to look twice,

"No Peggy I was just telling her about the hall, we were just about to leave now," Kobi replied rolling her eyes,
"Well then get to it, she looks like she’s about to fall off her feet, sorry dear I'm Peggy the castle cook, I'm sure Kobi has already informed you of who I am,"
"Nice to meet you," Bianca replied.
Kobi quickly ushered Bianca along, they took the grand staircase that was found just beyond the great hall, and then another quick lot of stairs,
"Peggy tries to come across all cross but she’s really a big softy actually," Kobi said as they advanced another set of stairs,
Bianca tried to get a look at the many pictures lining the walls but she didn’t want to lose Kobi in this castle so eventually she gave up, not long after they reached a wooden door with a brass handle,

"This is your chambers, if you have any need of anything just pull the rope by the bed and someone will be up to see you,"
Then Kobi turned on her feet and skipped away,
"Pull a rope?" Bianca said to herself, how many floors was she up anyway, servants usually slept on the lowest floor, had they mixed her up with someone else? She pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room was immaculate, a four poster bed was set center to the room with dark blood red drapes tied to the sides. Pillows were placed comfortably all over the bed to give it that extra decor. There was a seat that had been built into the window which had more of these same pillows arbitrarily placed over it. A fireplace was directly opposite the bed which looked as though it had been recently lit and the flames had died down to a low flicker.

Bianca was stunned beyond belief; this was her room? No one had come back to remove her and correct their mistake and it seemed as though Kobi had known exactly where she was taking her. Bianca did what any other Slave in her position would have done; she threw herself down onto the bed. The soft pillows were even softer then they looked and she sunk deep into the mattress, unlike the ones she was used to at Luxembourge Manor. Sitting up quickly she took of her coat and hung it neatly over the end of the bed, and then she jumped when someone knocked at the door,
"Um, come in?" she said feeling a little odd being the person inside the exquisite room instead of the one knocking,
Kobi entered the room followed by 2 other young girls, both of them carrying a large tub,
"Sorry to bother you Miss Bianca, but we’ve been told to draw you a bath," Kobi said to her as the girl’s placed the tub over by the change screen,

"Really? By who?" Bianca asked,
But Kobi either didn’t hear her or pretended not to as they all began to fill the tub with warm steamy water. Kobi then pulled Bianca to her feet and led her to the change screen, pushing her neatly behind it and waiting for her to get undressed,
"I’ve never actually washed in front of others before," Bianca said from behind the screen as she stood there in the nude.
"Well there’s always a first don’t you think? If you’d like I could turn around whilst you get in the tub?"
"That sounds good," Bianca replied as she peeked out from the side of the screen and watched as Kobi turned; quickly she slipped from behind the screen and slid into the water. The warmth was intense and immediately all her sore muscles began to relax, Kobi had turned around when she heard the water swish as Bianca had sunk into it. She knelt down next to the tub and started to undo the braid that Bianca had twined through her hair the morning she had left Luxembourge Manor. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders and into the water,

"Wow Miss Bianca your hair is ever so long, why do you tie it back so roughly?" Kobi asked as she started to comb it through,
"It was a rule from where I just came from; I wasn’t allowed to have my hair down,"
"Well there is no such rule here Miss Bee, you can wear your hair down if you like,"
Bianca smiled at the nick name that she had just been given,
"Maybe I will,"
Kobi washed Bianca’s hair and then let Bianca wash herself, she turned away again as Bianca got out of the tub and went back behind the screen to change.
"Well Miss Bee, dinner will be in precisely one hour, so you’re free to do as you please until then, there is the Library on the second floor if you like reading," Kobi said as she sailed out through the door. Bianca went to the dressing table that she had found hiding behind the change screen, it had a silver brush and comb and a few bottles of perfume. She followed Kobi’s advice and left her hair down, only pulling back two small pieces on either side and pinning them together at the back, to keep from falling in her face.