Serena had to admit that the house and the grounds around it were mesmerizing. By far her favourite place however, was a secret garden, which was hidden in what used to be some kind of castle tower. The interior was long gone and the walls were overgrown. The door in contrast was well oiled and opened with ease. It revealed a rich, colourful flower garden, with in its centre a statue of a woman. She closed the door behind her almost reverently. This place wasn’t like any of the other gardens, and there were quite a few.

It felt private, as if somebody had looked at the large manner and its grounds and had decided that there should be a place just for themselves. Serena didn’t doubt that the place had been some kind of refuge. Slowly she walked towards the statue of the woman. She looked serene, sitting with her eyes closed, a peaceful smile on her face her hands stroking a cat, which looked equally at peace. She sat down on a stone bench, overgrown by ivy, but still fine to sit on, and looked around.

Hundreds of colourful flowers stared back at her. After a few minutes of the dead quiet she started to get uncomfortable. There should have been more noise here, birds, insects, the wind, but instead there was nothing. Instead, it was quiet as a graveyard. She untangled a pair of earbuds, put them in and turned on some music. As she laid back on the bench, Guns and Roses making up for the lack of sound, she felt the tension flow out of her.

When she looked at the clock on her phone, she suddenly realized that two hours had passed. With a curse she jumped up and walked towards the door. Something made her stop before wrenching the door open. An odd sensation, like she was being watched. Having seen her fair share of horror movies, she didn’t look, but instead opened the door and started sprinting. When she looked back it was just to see the door close, nothing was coming after her.

“Fucking magic.” She muttered under her breath as she resolved to ask her uncle about the garden, the next time she saw him. She walked around a bit more, entering the house through a different entrance. The kitchen was massive and a bustle of activity. At first, she wasn’t noticed, so she took the time to look around. The kitchen had clearly been part of the house for a long time, it had been renovated so many times that the place had become an odd mix between a traditional kitchen with metal stoves and ovens and a modern one, with microwaves and new looking ovens. It was massive and seemed to include a large wooden dinner table. Going by its simplicity and the people sitting at it, it was probably the servant’s.

Something told her that she would much rather eat here than with her uncle in the dining hall. Suddenly the bustle in the kitchen seemed to halt. Mister Stone had walked in. “Miss Selena, are you lost?” He asked a bit perplexed. She took out the earbuds, as not to be rude. “No, mister Stone, I was simply exploring the grounds.” He nodded, but his face seemed to carry traces of disapproval.

“Not to step in your way, miss, but our cook needs the entirety of the kitchen.”

The cook who had been cutting some kind of fish turned around and smiled. “Nonsense, miss Cairn can stay as long as she likes.” He said as he removed the fish’ entrails, the slightest hint of a foreign accent. “I would shake your hand, miss, but as it is, I will refrain.” He held up his bloody hands.

“What are you making?” She asked curiously.

“Sashimi, your uncle loves it, picked me right from the restaurant where I used to work.” The cook launched into a monologue, telling in great detail how he thrilled he was to work in the Cairn mansion and how he had come to be there. Mister Stone took the opportunity the guide Serena towards the table and make her cup of tea.

After the cook was done telling his story she beamed at him. “Actual pirates, what an extraordinary tale!” She exclaimed. The cook nodded happily, happy to have entertained the new resident of the mansion. Mister Stone however, seemed to have an entirely different opinion of the story, but he kept his counsel to himself. “How many people does my uncle employ, mister Stone.” She asked with genuine interest.

“Apart from Toshiro and myself, your uncle employs three maids, six gardeners and a chauffeur. A dozen people in total, although the number waxes and wanes when he needs different services. Currently he also employs I believe five guards, who patrol the grounds.” The butler stiffly said. “I remember when the family employed at least twice that number, but the times change.” He said with distaste. “Finding proper staff is a nightmare these days.”

Serena stopped listening as he went off about the increased workload and the difficulty of polishing large amounts of silver. It felt like she had entered an episode of Downton Abbey, only the master of the house was a mage, with a terrifying amount of power. Now that she was thinking about it, a terrifying amount of money as well. It couldn’t be cheap hiring this many people.

“Mister Stone, heads up, he’s here again.” Toshiro suddenly said.

“Oh God, not again, he never misses and opportunity, does he? Miss Serena, my apologies, but I’m going to have to take care of an interloper.” The butler rushed out of the back door, to intercept someone she couldn’t see. Toshiro chuckled.

“I better start on making some extra, knowing mister Cairn.” He tipped his nose knowingly and went to get more fish from the freezer.

When he came back, he looked surprised to still see Serena sitting there. “You might want to go get changed into something more formal, your uncle will be entertaining a guest tonight.”

Serena shrugged.

“I look just fine, thank you. Honestly, who still changes for dinner? It isn’t the nineteenth century anymore.” Toshiro chuckled.

“Oh, I think your uncle doesn’t agree, and neither does mister Stone. You should have heard him when mister Cairn hired me.” He imitated Stone’s posh accent. “I can’t see, master Cairn, what is wrong with the traditional English kitchen.” He smiled as Serena chuckled. “He changed his mind when he had his first bite. He has never asked for English cooking again.”

Serena liked Toshiro. The Japanese chef was upbeat, funny and best of all he seemed to know exactly what was going in the mansion. “I’m here most of the day.” He said happily as he demolished some onions into tiny little squares. “I see everybody when they come in here for a break or for a meal. And you know the thing about staff,” He leaned towards her. “We all gossip.” Warm laughter followed the statement.

The clock chimed and Toshiro looked up. “Dinner time. You better go, or you will be in the way when the others arrive.” She smiled at him, promising to come visit him at a later time and went towards the dining hall. Sure enough, on the way there she met three girls her age, who quickly stopped talking and made curtsies as she passed. It was a bit surreal to be curtsied at, suddenly she felt woefully underdressed.

She took a deep breath and opened the doors to the dining hall.