Chapter Eighteen - No Longer a Chef

Author's note; I made a couple of mistakes in Chapter Fifteen. Firstly, there is no Justin, the young Master is named Matthew. Not sure if anyone spotted that, but it's fixed now anyway. (Edit, also made this mistake in chapter seventeen, thanks to said mistake in chapter fifteen and failed to 100% fix it lol thanks for the spot KuromiAzusa) Secondly, Matthew is Aidan, not Warren, thank you to Sweety_Dream-Nyan who pointed that mistake out to me.  He was always meant to be Aidan not Warren, I must have been thinking too much about my pale-eyed boy and typed his name in that chapter instead! So my apologies, it's all fixed and I hope so is any confusion!

He was dreaming. He was dreaming of a beautiful tree, a tree adorned by flowers of pink, whose petals drifted upon the wind to fall upon the lush surrounding grass that stretched out like a soft carpet of green. Within the shade of the tree was a blanket covered with strange looking dishes. Yet as strange as they looked, each morsel that passed his lips burst into festival of flavour upon his tongue, each morsel made him greedier to try the next. He was not alone, beneath the tree, partaking this picnic. He could not see his companion, but he could hear deep laughter than stirred a million wonderful sparks within him, which then travelled along his skin. Happiness surrounded and filled him along with the feeling of contentment. And then it was gone and...

He was standing in a room. The room was white... all white... everywhere white... why was it so white...? Even that strange square is white... but it is glowing... glowing white... it drew him to it. The glowing white square... upon it's white stand within the white space... displayed strange writing. Strange writing which was not white... strange as it was not in familiar cursive calligraphy with it's curls and curves... strange as each sentence were formed by words formed by single letters not joined together... strange as he felt he could read it...

And so he read the not white writing on the glowing white screen and it told a story... but not in the way a story should... it told the story in the way the writer might write the story before the story was written in order to be read.

"The Female Protagonist is Elizabeth Lawson," it read. "She is hired to be the nanny for Lord and Lady Lancaster. However, during her employment, she discovers that Lady Lancaster is abusive to her three children. She tries her best to protect the children from Lady Lancaster, but during one of the Lady's rages, she is partially blinded in one eye. Lord Lancaster's younger brother, Keith Lancaster is present during this time and rescues, Elizabeth and the children. He confronts Lord and Lady Lancaster and convinces Lord Lancaster to divorce the Lady. Elizabeth and Keith then get married and have a son. The former Lady Lancaster, disowned by her family, decides to get revenge by burning down the family home and attempts to make it look like an accident, however she gets trapped in the building and dies along with her children. Lord Lancaster, devastated by his loss, commits suicide leaving his brother and wife to inherit the title and estate."

As he read the writing, it faded and more appeared until the words completely vanished into white nothing. Slowly new writing begins to appear on the white screen.

"You will be sent missions to complete in due course. Do not fail."

****

Matthew stretched in a way that might have reminded an observer of a lounging feline, before throwing back his sheets and continuing the stretch has he rose from the guest bed.  After removing the questionable drink from his sister's hands with a cheeky exclamation; "how can you drink this?" and generic excuse; "think of the children!" he had attempted to relocate Cornelius, but the man and his siblings had already departed.  Thus he had foolishly partook in a number of alcoholic drinks, before dancing with his pretty nieces and nephew until all four of them had been ushered to bed by Lady Katrina.

The sun had not quite peeked above the horizon, thus he had risen before most of the servants.  He poured a little water into a china bowl and washed his face and hands.  He then dressed in spare attire he found in the wardrobe, before wandering into the empty kitchen.  The cook had placed bread aside to rise overnight, but had not yet risen to place it into the oven.  Matthew ignored it, but located the flour, eggs and a pot of fresh milk (that had not long been delivered for the children).  He also happened upon rolled oats meant for porridge, strawberries and honey.  Placing his spoils upon the table, he grabbed a couple of large bowls and wooden spoons and began to work.

By the time he had come to himself, the cook and kitchen maids had arrived and had simply stared at this intruder in their domain, wary of his fine dress now doused in white powder.  Upon the table were a plate of cut strawberries and beaten cream, wrapped in fine, baked circles that smelt divine.  Beside them were a plate of oatmeal biscuits, which added their warm scent to the pot of steaming milk beside it.

Oops, he thought to himself as he realised he had begun a routine that no longer belonged to him.  Cooking had been Aidan's joy and later salvation, keeping him sane when he had begun to question his sanity.  Matthew rarely rose before the sun was well into the blue sky and the poor cook in his parents' employment had always had to make a second breakfast for the lazy master.  However, these people were not in their employ and less aware of his bad habits.  He rose a finger to his smiling lips requesting their silence, before he lifted the tray of food and made his way up the servants stair to the upper floors.

He burst through the nursery door, where two young maids were helping the children dress.  "Uncle Matthew, Uncle Matthew," they greeted, well the youngest said "Unky Mat ew, Unky Mat ew", running towards him, buttons undone, breeches and dresses not yet pulled on.

"My favourite Lancaster's!" He laughed as they grabbed at his legs.  "Are you pleased to see me?"

"Yes! Yes!" They cried, adorably, tugging at his clothes.

"Really, really pleased?"

"Yes! Yes!" They giggled.

"Then I bring forth a gift!  Just don't tell mummy or daddy, I do not wish them to realise that I am something other than a lazy, troublesome man!"

The children looked at each other. "Why?" asked the boy, Tobias.

"Because if they discovered my secret, they might make me marry some silly girl and I'd have to grow up and it would be boring!  I'd much rather play with you three!"

"We will keep the secret, Uncle," Tobias said, seriously.

"Yes, we want to play with you too!" stated the elder of the girls, Katy.

"Pay wif oo," repeated the other girl, Esme.

He presented their sweet breakfast of strawberry crepes and oatmeal cookies, with much fun fair.  They devoured it quickly, obliterating the evidence of his out of character visit to the kitchens.  He sighed.  He doubted that he would be able to stay out of the kitchen now he recalled his previous occupation.  Even now, his fingers itched to throw caution to the wind and experiment with whatever ingredients he could lay his hands on.  His tastebuds mourned the loss of well seasoned food, for he had not realised the tastelessness of most fair in this world.

He glanced around as the maids resumed their tasks and finished dressing the children, before bowing and leaving the room.  "Where is the nanny?" he asked.

"She went to make mummy a pot of tea," Katy told him.

"Po' tee!" Esme said, before her little legs ran to grab her favourite dolly to share with Matthew.

Matthew cuddled the toy, before returning it to the grinning toddler.  "Why would she feel the need to do such a thing?" Matthew mentioned, aloud.  Was it not the task of his sister's personal maid to brew tea, should she wish it.

"Lizzy said she wished to share the tea with mummy," Tobias told him.  "It was an expensive gift she received."

"What a notion," Matthew did not say that many of the upper crust would consider such an offer the foolishness of an upstart.  In any other household she would fine herself unemployed.  She was just a nanny, not a tutor or butler or such like.  "Your mother doesn't even drink tea."

"Oh dear!" came a delicate voice from behind him.  A girl who barely could be considered an adult stood with a tray in her hands, a pot of fragrant tea, two teacups and a pot of honey upon it.  The girl placed it upon the table where the children had eaten their rich breakfast.  "If only I had known.  I thought the Lady might like a beverage when she visits the children this morrow."

"It was quite thoughtful," he allowed.  This girl was clearly new to the position.  The old nanny had simply ordered a maid to provide drinks for the Lady and the children.  "However, Lady Lancaster prefers hot water with a slice of lemon in the morning."

"Should I go get it?" The girl asked.

"No, no," Matthew said, "allow me.  Please take good care of my beloved nephew and nieces.  I will return shortly."  He picked up the breakfast tray and the rejected pot of tea and returned to the kitchen, where he disposed of the tea.  The scent was sickeningly sweet and reminded him of something he could not put his finger on.  He wondered who had given the girl such a 'gift'.  The cook pretended not to see the intruder in her kitchen.

Author's note; Triple Update! No more for now!