Garden of May

Mr. Wyatt rose from the maid with a feeling of satisfaction. It was a rare, pleasurable rut. How long had it been since he had felt only pure gratification, without that lukewarm sense of alien intrusion?

He let out a deep sigh. The pleasure from a young, firm woman’s body was constant, but the inevitable difficulties one faced in life were aging him. They were mostly matters of money.

But at least for the time being, he might be free from those worries. That hope brought him a new vitality. Pulling up his trousers, he stuck a cigar in his mouth and picked up the wallet nearby. After a moment’s consideration, he pulled out five five-pound notes and handed them to the maid.

“Here.”

The maid, who had been expressionlessly tidying her crumpled skirt, took the money with both hands. He was pleased to see her eyes widen slightly in surprise. It was just the way a man’s generosity swelled when there was a chance of a large sum of money coming in.

“…Why are you so generous, all of a sudden?”

“If I give it, just take it with pleasure.”

He snapped the words out impatiently and lit his cigar. Out of all the women he had been with throughout his life, this maid was the best, but her plain, un-sensual face was always a flaw. After all, men were always dependent on the woman.

Mr. Wyatt exhaled a puff of cigar smoke and picked up the whiskey bottle on the console. The half-empty liquor was harsh, like unrefined moonshine, and high in proof—perfect for getting drunk. Slaking his parched throat with the drink, he asked suddenly, as if remembering something.

“What about Vanessa?”

“She went to bed early last night, saying she wasn’t feeling well.”

“How is she doing these days?”

“She’s doing well.”

Mr. Wyatt frowned.

“Nothing more to tell? You’ve been giving me the same answer lately.”

“She’s simply not one to require much tending. She rarely makes demands.”

The maid still held the banknotes in her hand. The way she scanned her uniform suggested she was figuring out where to tuck them away so she wouldn’t lose them while working. There were a few light-fingered servants at Gloucester Castle.

As long as they didn’t touch the master’s property, Mr. Wyatt generally left them alone. It was a necessary evil for employing cheap labor.

“Nothing new?”

He emptied the whiskey bottle, watching the maid’s expression. He observed her carefully for that peculiar shift in expression typical of those who lied or concealed a secret. The maid was silent for a brief moment.

“Nothing, not particularly.”

Mr. Wyatt let out a deep sigh.

“I hate lies.”

“It’s not a lie.”

He quietly looked at the maid’s frightened face. Then, he raised his hand and patted her cheek, tuck, tuck.

“You b***h. You took money, didn’t you? As payment to keep quiet.”

“I didn’t…”

“No? Then where exactly did she meet the Duke?”

“T-The Duke?”

“It seems you’ve been quite negligent in your duties.”

He snatched the banknotes back from the maid’s hand, only returning three of them. The maid’s lips trembled with humiliation, but this time she quickly slipped the money between her stockings. Under her lifted skirt, he could see the garter-belted thigh. And the bodily fluids he had carelessly spilled, which had already dried.

“…”

That sight oddly reignited his lust. A vigor surged through him, as if he were back in his twenties when the sight of a woman alone would make his blood boil. Noticing his changed mood belatedly, the maid scurried away, but he was a step faster.

“…I really need to go downstairs now. They asked me to help prepare breakfast…”

“You do that too?”

“We’re short-handed.”

“There’s plenty of time. And despite being short-handed, I pay generously, don’t I?”

Mr. Wyatt let out a dry laugh at his own words. It sounded a bit ridiculous, but it wasn’t entirely untrue. What he paid them each month was half the wage of a ‘proper’ servant, but for scoundrels, strumpets, and cutpurses like them, even that was excessive.

When had they ever touched this kind of money? When had they ever worked in a castle like this? The maid seemed to hesitate for a moment, then weakly lowered her arms.