Chapter 9
“An Old Friend”
Although Lily returned to work in a tense state, the bell for Room 301 did not ring.
She was tearing small pieces of the hard, tasteless black bread and tossing them to the swans in the pond.
The swans flocked toward her, following her slender fingers.
“Belmore is so selfish, enjoying this beautiful scenery all by himself,” Lily muttered, glancing at Timothy Rutland, who plopped down casually beside her.
Quickly swallowing the bread in her mouth, Lily replied with a choked voice. Timothy hurriedly handed her a glass of water.
“I was just about to come look for you! And you came without telling me, Timmy! You really…”
“Ouch, don’t hit me. Lily, you haven’t just grown taller—you’ve also got a mean punch now,” Timothy teased.
The two of them held back laughter, glancing at each other for a moment. It had been a long time since they last laughed like this.
When Timothy admitted he had missed seeing her, Lily looked apologetic.
“You’ve gotten so pale. Is hotel work wearing you out? I thought at least Christmas would be spent at our house.”
“I can’t be a burden at your house for Christmas. By the way, why did you suddenly come back?”
Lily tore off a large piece of bread and asked Timothy.
“Early with the questions. I came to help you, Lily. I figured you’d need me by now.”
“Liar.”
Lily giggled, recalling Timothy reciting the titles of knights who had once left the manager frozen in place.
Timothy, looking proud, finally gave the real reason.
“I have one semester left, and I’ll graduate as a top student. During vacation, a newspaper offered me a chance to work, so I took it. Studying all the time is boring.”
He chewed the hard bread Lily handed him. For Timothy, the wider world mattered more than mere academics.
Moreover, he had already heard by letter that the Elizabeth from the convent had become independent. That alone was reason enough to head to Londinium.
“I think I’d be fine just studying…”
Lily continued, sounding envious. Timothy realized his mistake and shut up.
He had everything Lily longed for: unlimited access to books in the library, writing tools, a comfortable home, and his parents.
But if Lily married Timothy, all of that could be hers.
“If my mother knew I took a leave from school and came home, she’d be furious. Mothers get so worked up when a decent man shows up in town.”
Lily laughed again as she watched Timothy sigh in exasperation. To her, it seemed childish.
What would life be like, free from worries about survival or threats?
“So that’s why you came to the hotel instead of home?”
Timothy looked at Lily intently.
The roundness of his face had slimmed as the baby fat melted away. His long, honey-colored hair was elegantly tucked under his bonnet.
His once cute and innocent appearance had transformed into a fresh, graceful air.
“Right, Lily. In this vast Londinium, you need someone to look out for you.”
Despite his serious words, he flopped onto the grass. Lily tilted her head, unconvinced.
“Timmy, maybe you should focus on protecting your own girl. I’m managing fine on my own.”
“Then you should be my girl,” Timothy said, teasingly revealing his feelings.
Lily tore off another piece of bread and tossed it to the swans in the small pond.
“I’m going to be a nun. You shouldn’t be planning to live with a nun.”
Timothy fell silent.
The idea of Lily becoming a nun was better than imagining her with another man—a memory he still struggled to shake.
She wouldn’t understand his cowardly heart.
“Stop throwing bread. The swans in Belmore’s pond don’t look like they need to gain weight.”
Timothy changed the subject. Lily checked the time and stopped tossing bread.
“I have to go now. As you said, working at the hotel isn’t easy.”
“Stay a little longer. Who’s bothering you? That manager? Or that sharp-tongued woman?”
Lily’s eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed.
“It’s because of a guest. But the guest will leave someday, right? That makes me feel a bit better.”
“You don’t need to put up with harassment, Lily.”
“It’s not that. It’s just uncomfortable because of misunderstandings piling up.”
“The person making you uncomfortable isn’t a gentleman,” Timothy said calmly.
Lily’s gaze drifted to the end room on the third floor. Timothy followed her eyes.
“See you next time, Timothy.”
“I’m on the fifth floor. Drop by if you have time.”
“Timothy Rutland, staying in quite a nice room, huh? Too bad, I handle third-floor rooms. If you want to see me, you’ll have to stay in a cheaper room,” Lily said, shaking her head.
That carefree young master!
“I have to go anyway. I’ll get in trouble if I’m late.”
She smoothed her skirt and stood.
“Where have you been? Come on!”
Summer quietly tugged Lily’s arm as she arrived late. The manager was giving a long speech to everyone.
“What’s going on?”
“Looks like we have a mystery guest. Don’t know who, so pay attention,” Summer whispered.
“What does that mean?”
“He’s a judge affecting the hotel’s rating. Usually stays in cheap rooms but orders tons of room service and special requests.”
Lily immediately thought of the Room 301 man. The word “mystery” suited him perfectly.
A man staying in the cheapest room, ordering extravagant room service, buried under stacks of papers writing something. Observing the maids’ behavior and judging their origins—something an ordinary guest wouldn’t do.
He probably encountered the hotel’s various corners when they first met in the greenhouse.
“Is the mystery guest… just one person?” Lily asked.
“Of course. Who would stay at a poorly rated hotel? Look at the manager begging.”
If that man was the mystery guest, he could endanger not only Lily but the entire hotel.
If he lowered the hotel’s rating and blamed it on her, she might lose her job.
Lily turned pale. Summer looked at her worriedly.
“What’s wrong? Still not feeling well?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“…Then everyone, focus! Whoever guesses who the mystery guest is gets a bonus.”
Everyone murmured. Lily asked Summer about the bonus.
“If you tell the manager, ‘I think this person is the mystery guest,’ and you’re right, you’ll get a lot of money. That’s why everyone tries their best during this period.”
Summer explained patiently to the confused Lily.
“The bonus is fifty florins. Sir Belmore even said he might give more depending on the hotel rating. So everyone’s eyes are blazing to find him! End of story! Now get back to work!”
The temptation of extra money was strong for someone with little to spare. Imagining carrying gifts to East Longfellow made her ecstatic.
Summer, with the same thought, glared at the manager.
“Summer! I think I already know who the mystery guest is.”
“Who? Wait—don’t tell me yet. I’m about to get a bad idea,” Summer said, quickly covering Lily’s mouth. Triumphantly, she crossed her arms.
“Let’s compete fairly.”
Lily nodded.
From then on, Lily passed by Room 301 with a heavy heart.
Yet he never hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign, nor entrusted any laundry.
She even asked the bellboy about the Room 301 guest, but he had never seen anyone coming or going.
A few days later, Lily finally noticed the bell cord for Room 301 taut. She dashed to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
Knock knock.
The man sensed her presence but didn’t look at her.
“I…”
Maid-guest conversations were prohibited, but she wanted to clear his misunderstanding.
“I… want to apologize for what I said last time.”
At Lily’s words, he finally looked her way. She swallowed hard.
“What do you want to say?”
He opened a butter dish as he spoke.
“You rescued me at Highbrom, and instead of thanking you, I said something rude. But I swear, I didn’t… do anything like that there.”
Lily’s brows furrowed, protesting as she felt wronged.
“Seems like excuses come before apologies. Why suddenly this?”
He didn’t seem willing to accept her apology easily.
“I want to clear the misunderstanding. Just because I worked there doesn’t mean the hotel should be treated the same way. And the guest… he just passed through. He wasn’t buying women or anything like that.”
He chuckled softly, a strange smile on his face.
The man elegantly bit into buttered bread without leaving a single crumb.
“Finally treating me as a guest… a bit late, but alright.”
“The hotel and I are separate. Everyone works with pride. It’s a good place.”
He didn’t reply. He simply let her stand there until he finished eating.
Lily endured the time, staring at a single glint on the silverware.
His straight forehead, thick eyebrows, and downward gaze radiated a lazy, arrogant air.
“No matter what kind of woman you are, it’s none of my business. You don’t seem infected with syphilis or tuberculosis either.”
He scrutinized Lily’s face.
“Leave.”
“Oh, one more thing. Until I speak first, you are not to say a word.”
