What Ifs and Whatnots

Riann crept down the hallway. This was going to work; she wouldn’t allow herself to think otherwise. She couldn’t even imagine the consequences if it didn’t. She slipped into the shadows near the staircase and took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t think about that, she couldn’t think about him or Luca, Vermentino, Mrs Hett…not even Oswald whom she was quite sure had never really liked her but you couldn’t please everyone. She ran down the stairs, her footsteps light, not daring to touch the dark cherry wood banisters.

Riann let out a small sigh of relief as her leather boots met the parquet flooring at the bottom of the stairs not realising until then that she’d been holding it in. After waiting a few seconds Riann dashed quickly through the shadows to a smaller door in the wall, Luca had shown her all of the servant’s walkways, it was like a maze in between the castle walls, so they could easily get from one room to another without having to disturb their masters. Once Riann had closed the door behind her the walkway was plunged into darkness. Slowly she began to step forward, her fingertips brushing the walls either side of her. Now she was in the tunnel there was no going back and there was nowhere to hide. She lost all sense of time and place until her fingers brushed over wood instead of stone. Freezing, Riann slowly counted to five before putting her ear to the door. She could hear Vermentino and Mrs Hett talking in low voices; she couldn’t make out their words. But it wasn’t the door that she wanted so she moved on. Riann passed three more doors that led to the servant’s quarters of the castle; she almost lost all hope, had it really taken this long to get through with Luca? She sighed as her left hand came to another corner and turned right only to find the way blocked by another wall. She frowned and felt in front of her gasping when her hands met wood again. She pressed her ear to the door and heard nothing. Reaching out, Riann found the heavy handle and turned it gently.

“Goodness gracious look at the time. We’d better start getting Arianna ready or she’s going to be late.” Riann heard Mrs Hett flustering as light spilled out into the passage. Riann froze her hand still on the handle as Mrs Hett came out into the hall holding a candelabrum aloft. Several other shadows followed her and they bustled back up the passage. Riann watched them with fearful eyes, if any one of the turned around now she’d be seen…

The light of the candles faded away and the door was closed once again Riann blinked a few times in the darkness and sighed softly. Squaring her shoulders she turned back to the door and pulled it open.