Evelyn had given Lenora a drowsy warning about kicking in her sleep, but in fact [i]she[/i] was the one who tended to shift around at night. By the time the sun rose the next morning, she had slung one leg over Lenora’s waist and draped an arm over the top of her chest as if she were cuddling up to an enormous pillow. Her face was pressed into her maid’s shoulder and she nuzzled into her unconsciously as she gradually began to wake up.

“Mm.. hungry..” she mumbled. A ray of light peeked through one of the large window curtains and fell across the bed. She blinked at the brightness and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, she became aware of the girl lying next to her. She had quite forgotten last night until that moment. A slow smirk broke over her face as she recalled the way Lenora had stiffly climbed into her bed at her request. She had been so delightfully obedient last night. 

With her arm and leg still wrapped around her, Evelyn studied the girl’s features in the soft, morning glow. She thought Lenora must have still been asleep but she wasn’t entirely sure. The mistress secretly marveled at how pretty she was and couldn’t help but feel a little possessive. She reached up to stroke the hair around her face and then tucked it carefully behind her ear. Last night she had dreamt that Lenora had made a similar gesture and had whispered sweet words to her. She knew it had to have been a dream – she had been too demanding and spoiled to have earned anything but contempt from the girl. She was surprised that she could admit this to herself; she had never felt guilty about it before. [i]Why should I? I’m the mistress. She’s my servant.[/i] Evelyn pursed her lips in irritation. She didn’t like feeling guilty. It made her restless. She stared down at Lenora’s peaceful face for a moment and then poked her cheek with her finger non-too gently.

“Wake up,” she hissed softly in her ear. “I’ll not have my maid [i]sleeping in.[/i]” Her lips were closed to Lenora’s ear as she spoke. She let them brush her skin as she whispered, “Go down to the kitchen and fetch my breakfast.”