“Disaster! It’s a disaster!” Lettie, the sweet-tempered maid Verity had met just that morning, was clinging to her for dear life. The maid’s hands were clenched about her arms as tears rolled down—honestly one would think she’d just witnessed a murder!

With the practiced calm of an elder sister, Verity gently took Lettie’s hands in hers, giving them a light squeeze. “Calm down, Lettie. Tell me what happened.”

Lettie sniffled. “It’s--it’s that monster of Master Leon’s! I managed to avoid it all day, but then it somehow got into the kitchen! We were in the middle of the final touches for dessert and now no one dares go inside! I’m sure all our work has been ruined, oh… oh this is so bad…”

Yep, that was [i]really[/i] bad. The multi-course dinner of the evening was well into the fourth dish, with the next course meant to be chocolate-crème parfaits. The footmen had mostly attended to the guests while the maids took over tray settings and the food itself, but now Verity felt bad for having left to fetch more bottles of wine—specifically the Burke vintage from 36 or so years ago. Not only had she failed to find it, but now chaos had erupted and everyone feared the worst.

Just as Verity opened her mouth to express her condolences, Elena’s harpy-voice cut right through her spine.

“You! Verity! What are you doing just standing there? It was your responsibility to take care of the beast!”

“Yes, but—”

“Get to the kitchen and get rid of it before we’re all fired!”

“Right away, Ma’am.” Verity parted from Lettie with a handkerchief, picking up the long skirt of her uniform as she rushed past the glaring housekeeper. Thankfully, the kitchen was just down the hall (poor Lettie had been brave enough to at least keep vigil just outside). The scene that unfolded before her eyes when she opened the door was unexpectedly tame.

There was the drake, yes, a frighteningly black, scaly creature with enormous eyes. It was occupied with a ball of dough (presumably the very stuff for the scones meant to be freshly fried that evening), and as Verity carefully crept towards the broom closet for something to fend it off with, it wandered right on over to a bowl of dry ingredients for more scone dough. A series of metallic and ceramic clattering echoed across the room as spoons, whisks, and bowls tumbled down with the drake; apparently it’d lost its footing.

With a broom held firmly in both hands, Verity edged closer, not sure if she ought to be terrified or endeared. While the creature didn’t seem particularly threatening, she knew better than to compare it to a dog or cat. It could bite, perhaps spit acid, maybe spit fire…

“Arthur!” An unfamiliar voice made Verity jump, and not unlike the drake, she wheeled around to look. Her mouth dropped open as the creature bounded over to the intruder and affectionately rubbed his leg. Perhaps it was more like a domestic pet after all.

[i]This must be the master. No one else would react like that.[/i] Verity stared for a moment, taking in the sight of the gentleman. With the way everyone had been going on about his servant and how he’d brought everything into an uproar, she’d expected someone a [i]bit[/i] taller. This delicate little creature looked more like he’d just left the boys’ choir of a church. His manners were strangely gentle as well as he apologized.

She knew how she ought to act. This was her first real meeting, so she ought to bow and introduce herself, perhaps apologize for not having looked after his pet more carefully. Unfortunately, that same thought triggered an annoyance that ignited something irritatingly hot in her chest. It wasn’t [i]her[/i] fault that creature had been left to run rampant—she’d been [i]called[/i] to help in the kitchen. If the host of the house couldn’t be bothered to reign things in for such a big event, then it was [i]his[/i] fault for causing chaos and making Lettie cry!

“My apologies, Master Leon.” Verity stooped down to pick up the bowl the drake had tossed aside, her countenance absurdly grave. “But ‘sorry’ isn’t going to replace the scones, now is it? Please remove that thing from the kitchen and be courteous enough to keep your beasts in check while the house has such esteemed company.”