23rd December, 2014
Juniper Lodge was quiet in the mornings. Despite having an over-active ten-year-old in the place, it was rare for the inhabitants to be up before half past seven, and so they never saw Lisbeth enter the house at six and begin preparing the day for them. Lila was certain that Lis was magical, always able to prepare food at a moment's notice, no matter what was requested, and even Brynne had to admit that the packed lunches had definitely improved since Lis took them over. During the holiday, there was no need for packed lunches, however, and so Lis was slowly but surely tackling the tougher jobs in the early hour before the house woke up. This morning she was scrubbing at the inside of the oven while the coffee brewed, the scent disguising the smell of the chemicals that were scouring six months of food grime from the metallic interior.
The hot cocoa that had been promised the night before had never taken place, as Edward had fallen asleep in the midst of a chapter of Harry Potter, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. It was there he remained all night, settled in his niece's bed. Someone - most likely his sister - had taken the book from his hands and the shoes from his feet, pulled a blanket up over him and kissed his cheek to wish him a good night, unwilling to wake him from such a much-needed and peaceful sleep. It was the smell of coffee that had woken him at last and stirred him from his sleep. For a moment, he forgot where he was, groggy and disoriented, before remembering what he'd been doing before he'd fallen asleep. It wasn't long before he was creeping down the stairs, shoes in hand, hoping not to wake anyone to see who was making coffee in the kitchen.
Of course, Lis wasn't immediately visible from the doorway, down as she was on her knees, head and shoulders inside the oven, and of course, the sound of the brush against the metal walls of the oven made certain she couldn't hear a thing, either, oblivious to the approach of the Mr. Granger she had been briefly introduced to the night before.
Thankfully, he'd made a brief stop at the bathroom to make himself at least halfway presentable, though there wasn't much he could do about the tangle of curls on his head. He was still wearing the sweater and jeans he'd arrived in the night before, but left his shoes near his bags for later. "Hullo?" he inquired quietly, so as not to wake the entire household. It was still dark out, with night just turning to morning - far too early for Lila or Brynne just yet, but he was used to early hours such as these.
The quiet call came just as Lis paused in her scrubbing, and she jumped in surprise, clonking the back of her head off the top of the oven in her haste to stand up. "Oh! Mr. Granger ....I did not disturb you?" she asked hopefully, still worried even after three years with the Grangers that she was going to lose her job over something so trivial.
He winced when he heard her clunk her head against the metal of the oven and he automatically reached for her to make sure she was all right, gentle fingers searching the back of her head for a lump. He was a medic, after all, and it was mostly second nature. "Are you all right' I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Drawing her own hand away, she tensed a little as his more experienced fingers searched for a lump on the back of her head, a little startled to find how lovely felt to have her hair sifting through his fingers as he did. She bit down on that feeling quickly; fancying one of her employers was not a good start. "I-I am well," she assured him, gently pulling away. "It is nothing, just a bump. You would like coffee" Or tea" Miss Granger left me a note to say you prefer it."
He frowned at her a moment, not looking convinced, but not wanting to embarrass her by fussing over what was just a minor bump. "Coffee, I think," he replied thoughtfully, before reaching into the cupboard to search for a mug. "Something a little more invigorating than tea."
Sparkling dark eyes just a little wary, Lis moved away to the coffee pot, checking its heat before she took sugar and cream out to set beside the mug when he eventually found it. "I hope I did not disturb you with the cleaning," she apologized quietly, pouring out the coffee automatically. "I am not usually so loud in the early hours."
"No, of course not. I'm sorry I startled you," he apologized for the second time, feeling just a little awkward, but not quite sure why. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't used to having servants around, or maybe it was just that she was so ridiculously beautiful. Beautiful women always made him just a little nervous. "You weren't loud at all. It was the coffee that woke me," he explained, watching as she filled his mug.
"It is okay," she assured him with a smile that lit up her face. "I was nearly done, anyway." She pushed the jug and sugar bowl toward him, moving to set the pot back in place. "Are you hungry' I can make you something to eat. It is what I am here for."
"I seem to recall promising someone pancakes," he said, though that certainly didn't have to happen today. He sipped the coffee black, preferring it that way most of the time. Sugar and cream was to hide the flavor of bad coffee, but this smelled divine. "Perfect," he said, regarding that sip. "You don't have to cook for me, Miss..." He trailed off, forgetting her last name again, if it had even been shared. "I'm quite capable of making my own breakfast."
"It is my job, Mr. Granger," she pointed out gently, but she wasn't going to force him to eat her cooking if he truly wanted to cook for himself. Her smile deepened a little as he trailed off. "I am Lisbeth Espinoza," she introduced herself. "But people call me Lis. You may, if you wish."
"And I am Edward Granger, but people call me Edward. You may if you wish," he echoed with a friendly and slightly amused smile, switching the coffee cup to his left hand so that he could offer her his right. "Brynne tells me you're from Venezuela." He wasn't going to argue with her if she insisted on cooking, but he wasn't going to demand it either.
She laughed at his echo of her words, her own right hand wiped on her apron before she shook his. "Thank you, Edward, I will," she nodded, seeming to relax a little as she had been given permission to call him by his first name, even if it did feel a little awkward on her tongue. "I am from Venezuela, yes," she added, moving to crouch and finish wiping the oven clean as she spoke. "But I have been in Rhy'Din for ....twelve years. It has been a long time since I went home."
He leaned against the cupboard, sipping at his coffee as he watched her thoughtfully. She had been away from home nearly as long as he had, perhaps just as long when he considered in the time he'd spent at university. "I'm not trying to pry, but what brought you to Rhy'Din?" he asked, with curious interest.
Juniper Lodge was quiet in the mornings. Despite having an over-active ten-year-old in the place, it was rare for the inhabitants to be up before half past seven, and so they never saw Lisbeth enter the house at six and begin preparing the day for them. Lila was certain that Lis was magical, always able to prepare food at a moment's notice, no matter what was requested, and even Brynne had to admit that the packed lunches had definitely improved since Lis took them over. During the holiday, there was no need for packed lunches, however, and so Lis was slowly but surely tackling the tougher jobs in the early hour before the house woke up. This morning she was scrubbing at the inside of the oven while the coffee brewed, the scent disguising the smell of the chemicals that were scouring six months of food grime from the metallic interior.
The hot cocoa that had been promised the night before had never taken place, as Edward had fallen asleep in the midst of a chapter of Harry Potter, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. It was there he remained all night, settled in his niece's bed. Someone - most likely his sister - had taken the book from his hands and the shoes from his feet, pulled a blanket up over him and kissed his cheek to wish him a good night, unwilling to wake him from such a much-needed and peaceful sleep. It was the smell of coffee that had woken him at last and stirred him from his sleep. For a moment, he forgot where he was, groggy and disoriented, before remembering what he'd been doing before he'd fallen asleep. It wasn't long before he was creeping down the stairs, shoes in hand, hoping not to wake anyone to see who was making coffee in the kitchen.
Of course, Lis wasn't immediately visible from the doorway, down as she was on her knees, head and shoulders inside the oven, and of course, the sound of the brush against the metal walls of the oven made certain she couldn't hear a thing, either, oblivious to the approach of the Mr. Granger she had been briefly introduced to the night before.
Thankfully, he'd made a brief stop at the bathroom to make himself at least halfway presentable, though there wasn't much he could do about the tangle of curls on his head. He was still wearing the sweater and jeans he'd arrived in the night before, but left his shoes near his bags for later. "Hullo?" he inquired quietly, so as not to wake the entire household. It was still dark out, with night just turning to morning - far too early for Lila or Brynne just yet, but he was used to early hours such as these.
The quiet call came just as Lis paused in her scrubbing, and she jumped in surprise, clonking the back of her head off the top of the oven in her haste to stand up. "Oh! Mr. Granger ....I did not disturb you?" she asked hopefully, still worried even after three years with the Grangers that she was going to lose her job over something so trivial.
He winced when he heard her clunk her head against the metal of the oven and he automatically reached for her to make sure she was all right, gentle fingers searching the back of her head for a lump. He was a medic, after all, and it was mostly second nature. "Are you all right' I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Drawing her own hand away, she tensed a little as his more experienced fingers searched for a lump on the back of her head, a little startled to find how lovely felt to have her hair sifting through his fingers as he did. She bit down on that feeling quickly; fancying one of her employers was not a good start. "I-I am well," she assured him, gently pulling away. "It is nothing, just a bump. You would like coffee" Or tea" Miss Granger left me a note to say you prefer it."
He frowned at her a moment, not looking convinced, but not wanting to embarrass her by fussing over what was just a minor bump. "Coffee, I think," he replied thoughtfully, before reaching into the cupboard to search for a mug. "Something a little more invigorating than tea."
Sparkling dark eyes just a little wary, Lis moved away to the coffee pot, checking its heat before she took sugar and cream out to set beside the mug when he eventually found it. "I hope I did not disturb you with the cleaning," she apologized quietly, pouring out the coffee automatically. "I am not usually so loud in the early hours."
"No, of course not. I'm sorry I startled you," he apologized for the second time, feeling just a little awkward, but not quite sure why. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't used to having servants around, or maybe it was just that she was so ridiculously beautiful. Beautiful women always made him just a little nervous. "You weren't loud at all. It was the coffee that woke me," he explained, watching as she filled his mug.
"It is okay," she assured him with a smile that lit up her face. "I was nearly done, anyway." She pushed the jug and sugar bowl toward him, moving to set the pot back in place. "Are you hungry' I can make you something to eat. It is what I am here for."
"I seem to recall promising someone pancakes," he said, though that certainly didn't have to happen today. He sipped the coffee black, preferring it that way most of the time. Sugar and cream was to hide the flavor of bad coffee, but this smelled divine. "Perfect," he said, regarding that sip. "You don't have to cook for me, Miss..." He trailed off, forgetting her last name again, if it had even been shared. "I'm quite capable of making my own breakfast."
"It is my job, Mr. Granger," she pointed out gently, but she wasn't going to force him to eat her cooking if he truly wanted to cook for himself. Her smile deepened a little as he trailed off. "I am Lisbeth Espinoza," she introduced herself. "But people call me Lis. You may, if you wish."
"And I am Edward Granger, but people call me Edward. You may if you wish," he echoed with a friendly and slightly amused smile, switching the coffee cup to his left hand so that he could offer her his right. "Brynne tells me you're from Venezuela." He wasn't going to argue with her if she insisted on cooking, but he wasn't going to demand it either.
She laughed at his echo of her words, her own right hand wiped on her apron before she shook his. "Thank you, Edward, I will," she nodded, seeming to relax a little as she had been given permission to call him by his first name, even if it did feel a little awkward on her tongue. "I am from Venezuela, yes," she added, moving to crouch and finish wiping the oven clean as she spoke. "But I have been in Rhy'Din for ....twelve years. It has been a long time since I went home."
He leaned against the cupboard, sipping at his coffee as he watched her thoughtfully. She had been away from home nearly as long as he had, perhaps just as long when he considered in the time he'd spent at university. "I'm not trying to pry, but what brought you to Rhy'Din?" he asked, with curious interest.