out at the Commons, leaving my room key with the RA in the office.
Bright sun shone down on me as I lugged the last bag to my beat up car. I got into my car and spared one last glance at the building housing the dorm that I would not return to. Starting the engine, I pulled out of the lot and headed off to an uncertain future.
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach when I pulled up to the gate of Weatherton’s large mansion and hit the intercom button. I heard a whirring sound and looked up to see a camera I had not noticed on my previous visit perched on the corner gate post. I heard a loud click, and the gate slid open in front of me.
I drove through it and proceeded up the winding drive, admiring the lush trees and colorful flowers as I made my way to the employee garage that Harold had instructed me to use which was situated on the side of the house.
I grabbed a bag containing clothes, slung it over my shoulder, and headed toward the servant’s entrance set into the side of the house. Harold, who must've been watching my approach, opened the door before I could knock on it.
“Miss Darling,” he nodded his head in greeting. “If you will follow me, I will show you to your room.”
He led me through a large kitchen filled with shiny, chrome appliances and a cook busily preparing the next meal. An enticing aroma of savory spices filled the air from pots bubbling on the stove. I expected him to take the set of stairs just off the kitchen leading up to what I suspected were the servants quarters, but instead, he lead me toward the front of the house. On the way, we passed a dark oak door with a shiny brass keyhole.
“What’s that?” I asked Harold, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“That is Master Weatherton’s private rec room. Most of the time, he keeps it locked, but if there’s ever an occasion where you happen to discover it’s not, mind your own business and stay out. It’s off limits without an expressed invitation from Mr. Weatherton.”
Well, okay then. I couldn’t help but look back at the door to the mysterious room as we continued toward the front of the house. What could be so private about a rec room that it required a lock?
Harold led me up the grand staircase at the front of the house, the dark wood railing gleaming in the light of the fancy crystal chandelier hanging in the foyer. My feet sank into the lush beige carpeted risers as I climbed the stairs. At the top of the landing, we turned right, and Harold stopped at the second door.
The second floor was as fancy as the first with glossy wood, ornate mirrors, and expensive works of art. Just the sale of one painting would likely pay for my entire college education, not to mention several years, if not decades, of my living expenses.
“This is your room, Miss Darling,” Harold said as he opened the gleaming door and entered the room. “You have your own private bath, so you will not have to share with any guests.”
I stared in wonder at the hot pink and black walls. While the colors seemed a bit out of place in the opulent mansion, the fancy furniture and décor added the touch of sophistication and class found throughout the rest of the large house. A white, four poster king-size bed stood against the far wall. Gauzy white material draped across the top frame of the bed to create a dreamy canopy.
A small seating area, which included two over stuffed white chairs and a chaise lounge, surrounded a large, bay window. The window itself had a seat built into it, with fluffy pillows lining the cushion. Against the wall next to the door that I assumed led to the bathroom sat a vanity with an ornate mirror and a cushioned stool. A dresser, chest of drawers, and a couple of bookcases topped off the furniture found in the room.
I honestly felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. I’d never seen such a fancy room. And it was mine! Well, at least for the rest of my college career unless Mr. Weatherton fired me.
I jumped when Harold