Page 56 of Whisper of Nightmares

They likely cannot afford a household staff anymore, leaving those burdens to Asvald.

For a moment, Euphemia finds herself wondering what he might be working on today, and whether she could be of some assistance. This is her home too, after all, and she’s no stranger to hard labor.

But then she remembers her own task awaits in her bedchamber.

Euphemia heads upstairs, finds the soiled linens exactly where she left them, and bundles them into her arms before making her way back downstairs toward the great hall. Though Thorfell no longer seems to have servants, Euphemia knows a manor of this size must have been built with them in mind. The kitchen, pantry, larder, and washroom would have been tucked somewhere near the great hall, close enough where all the necessary workings of the household could remain hidden from noble eyes but easily accessible by staff.

Located at the manor’s edge, Euphemia finds what she’s searching for.

A small stone chamber full of steam and the scent of damp earth. Basins and benches line the walls, while bundles of soapwort hang from the rafters. On the shelves near the entrance, she finds a few spare linens of wool and cotton, a mending kit, and bunches of herbs used for washing.

A large window overlooks the countryside, and through it, Euphemia can see the stables where she left Kelda.

Dark storm clouds cast a shadow upon the roof, and Euphemia can’t help but think that the weather is not ideal for riding. But she supposes with no staff to tend to the horses, it’s left to Kelda and Asvald to ensure their physical needs are met.

The thought squeezes Euphemia’s heart and the word burden screams in her mind.

Shaking away her insecurities, Euphemia turns her attention to the task at hand.

She settles beside one of the larger basins in the corner of the room. Setting the linens on the bench nearby, Euphemia grabs the bucket and is about to figure out how she’ll get warm water in here, when she remembers there’s already steam in the room. That must mean warm water is somewhere nearby.

Euphemia walks around, peering into each basin until she finds the one already full.

She remembers her conversation with Asvald earlier.

Morning menses, she’d told him.

A soft smile touches her lips.

Euphemia makes a mental note to thank him later before she grabs some lye from the shelves and gets to work.

As she dunks her bedding into the basin, the rafters creak above her. Another dunk, and something mournful wails somewhere down the hall behind her.

She stops dragging the linens up and down the washing board to listen, but the noises stop. The manor falls silent again.

Euphemia waits.

Listens.

In the eerie silence, she thinks of her dream. The horned figure. How utterly alone she is down here. Suddenly, she’s also reminded of the sconce that lit itself in the corridor earlier, and a new thought creeps in.

Is this another symptom of her curse? Wind moaning and candles igniting?

Or is there something else going on at Thorfell Manor?

A shudder runs down her spine and Euphemia hastily rinses the lye from the cotton, checking that the wine-red stains have been scrubbed away before hanging the linens in the drying loft.

Not wanting to spend another second in the isolated cave that is the washroom, Euphemia grabs some spare linens, and heads back into her bedchamber to remake her bed.

Once she’s finished, she finds herself in a position she’s never been in before: without her usual tavern duties determining her day, the rest of her afternoon belongs entirely to her. For someone who has never been idle a day in their life, the realization is almost as terrifying as the flaming nightmare.

What does one even do with hours ahead of them and no responsibilities to think of?

An answer springs to mind almost instantly.

With enough light filtering through windows from outside, Euphemia strolls through the manor, determined to learn these confounding halls.

It doesn’t take long before she realizes this place is far grander than she first believed, perhaps holding enough rooms to house all of her former neighbors.