Chapter 17 - Days Like This

“What am I supposed to do?” Raymond gave her a blank look. “You are taking me away from my work and all just to walk on grass.”

Lilith smiled a bit. “I would have thought that you would be a lover of nature walks. Given how reserved you are.”

“There is no point.”

“It is relaxing.”

“It is a waste of time,” Raymond said coldly and turned to leave but Lilith held onto his arm, anchoring him to the ground.

“If you go back to your work then you will not get very far. You’ll get a headache and then the work will be delayed.”

“It gets delayed every second you keep me out here.” he ripped his arm away and attempted to leave again.

Lilith had put the sandwich tray down, hoping that Raymond would sit and appreciate the view of the river and the trees while he ate. But she guessed he did not see what she saw.

“Working all the time is not good for your health.” she tried to reason with him.

“And sitting down in some grass would do just wonders I presume.”

Stepping in front of him, she put her arms out. “Yes, it will, and if you would not be so stubborn and just try it. I’m sure your day will be a lot smoother if you did not feel so tired and drained all the time.”

“Lilith,” his tone was threatening, and it sent a shiver up her spine. The look he gave her resembled the one that he had when they first met. Cold, intimidating, and uncaring. “Get out of my way.”

“Your lunch is already down here, just eat it.”

“Do you not understand a simple order?” his voice raised a bit.

“I’m only trying to help you.” Lilith was taken back. It was surprising to see him actually getting upset.

“I never wanted your help. And to me, your help is just a waste of time.” he took a step forward. “Now get out of my way, or I will have you removed from the premises at once.”

Slowly, Lilith dropped her hands, her face fell and she slowly stepped to the side, letting Raymond march past her without a glance in her direction.

In a moment's panic, Raymond let himself be taken by Lilith just so that he could be able to get rid of any possibilities that she could have had other motivations. But after quickly realizing that his worry was for nothing, he knew that he needed to get back to his work as soon as possible.

Raymond did look back as he walked back to the manor, entering from the little side door they came out of, which led to the kitchen. He paused slightly on the other side upon seeing all the other servants standing there looking at him. There were only eight others, excluding Lilith.

Benny, the groundskeeper, and his apprentice Mace, Rick and Sandy, the footman and coachman, Laura, Gloria and Charles, the cleaners, and Mrs. Potts, the cook. They were a small but reliable team and they knew the rules of the house well enough to know that Raymond hated when they got in his way. And yet, here they stood, looking at him with clear disappointment on their faces.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the situation, Raymond cleared his throat lightly and walked by the counter to get through, but Mrs. Potts stopped him.

“Mr. Cavill,” she called.

And he slowed down, looking back to see why she called him.

“I understand that you are busy, but it is not a crime to take a break, and I’m sure it will not kill you too.”

So it was about that. Unconsciously, Raymond looked through the kitchen windows and out to the field where Lilith held the tray of sandwiches in her arms as she walked back to the house slowly.

“Your Grace, we are all worried about you and it seems that Miss Lilith has taken the initiative to try and help you, and yet, you turn away from her,” Mace said, rubbing his head.

“That young girl only has your best interests in heart and yet you can’t even spare ten minutes for something that will do you good in the end.” Gloria scolded him.

Raymond sighed. “There are more imp-”

“And those can be attended to later. It has been years since I have seen you walk by the lake. You have all of this land and yet you never use it. Why not take this time to get reacquainted with it.” Laura, the cleaner in her thirties said.

Most of the servants were older than Raymond and had been with him since he was a child. Although he was quite a closed-off person, they still managed to help him all those years and not get tired of his attitude. Mace was the only one, besides Lilith, who was younger than him.

Gloria walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. Before he could ask what she was doing, she spun him around and pushed him back towards the side door.

“You won’t be able to get back into your room until you have had lunch outside,” she said.

“I beg you-”

Gloria pushed him outside and closed the side door behind him. Lilith was just a couple of feet away from him when he came out and she gave him a confused look.
“You’re not getting back in until you have eaten all the sandwiches.” Mrs. Potts shouted from inside.

Shocked, Lilith cracked a smile. Raymond was looking down at her as if it was her fault that this had all happened. But she had no idea that the others would help her like that.

“I think you should listen to them, Mr. Cavill, they sound serious.” She gave him a look.

Lilith walked up to Raymond, shifting the tray to one arm, she held Raymond’s other arm and pulled him back to the spot that she had for him.

“The sun is out, and I’m sure you have not basked in the sun for a while. So this should be good for you.”

Lilith had Raymond sit near the bank of the river and she put down the tray of sandwiches next to him.

“I will have fun firing all of you when I am done with this,” he grumbled and picked up a sandwich.

“Well, I’ll go happily knowing that I was able to get you out of your room.”

Lilith smiled, angling her head up to the sun and taking in a deep breath. She hummed lightly at the warmth and the fresh smell of the outdoors. “You should appreciate this Mr. Cavill. Nice days like this don’t come too often.”