Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Prislop
Dust swirled under Maddy’s shoes as she crossed the village square, the uneven cobblestones unfamiliar beneath her heels, treacherous to her balance. Faces turned politely, then whispered, and she realized just how foreign she must look—several books tucked under her arm, the duffle bag with baggage claim tags, glasses slipping from her face, the American lilt in her voice as she waveringly answered the villagers’ greetings. She kept her stride steady, though she felt the weight of many eyes pressed softly against her back. A ruddy flush crept across her face as she hurried through the square beneath the winter wind. Snow teasing the eaves of the building, Maddy paces towards her destination, a medium-sized building among the closed-down market.
The small pub, ironically across the street from the church, hushes quiet as Maddy slid into an empty stool at the bar. The reaction was to be expected. Prislop was a small town, barely on a map, isolated in the Carpathians of north-eastern Romania. She spent nearly 500 lei finding a ride into the remote mountain village. As she sets her stack of books down on the bar, and her bag to the side of her stool, the barkeep breaks the silence. Maddy noticed during this brief pause, the chatter of the pub returned. Prislop knew its outsiders, but it did not shun them
“Engleză sau americancă? ”
“I’m sorry, I’m not that far into my Duolingo lesson. But yes, I am American,” Maddy said, a flush of embarrassment crossing her already frost-kissed cheeks
“My English is better than your Romanian, I assume.”
“Why’d you guess American?” She was unsure how the barkeeper knew her country of origin, when there are over 40 nations in Europe.
“The books: Jane Austen, Hemingway, Shakespeare,” he replied curtly, though it showed how close to the outside world the barkeep kept himself compared to the rest of Prislop.
“Have you read them? I’m a teacher, well a governess.” Maddy wasn’t sure how much information to divulge to this random, albeit friendly barkeep.
“I read Shakespeare when I was in Uni. I knew of the others. You say governess, for the Lady?”
Maddy enjoyed being able to speak English after two days of travel and broken Duolingo Romanian. “Lady Dimitrescu, yes, for her daughter’s. Do you know her?”
“Of course, she owns Prislop.”
“Oh, that's… interesting.Is Prislop stuck in the middle ages?” Maddy hoped this joke wouldn’t come off too crass. Judging by the look on the keeper's face, it was not in good taste.
“I did not mispeak. The Lady owns Prislop. The farms, the forests… even the mountain. You might think you’re joking, but the Lady does not like people taking liberties with her name. We are thankful for the Lady, as she allows our lives to continue in the ways we have”
The barkeeper's reply only fascinated Maddy. What sort of person could inspire both fear and respect? She even noticed a few eyes flick toward her as the conversation touched on Lady Dimitrescu.
“If you are working for the Lady, then her valet will attend to you soon. Unfortunately, the cook is out visiting family, but you can have some water… on the house, I think is the phrase.” The barkeeper was clearly done with this interaction. Perhaps Maddy had divulged too much.
—
Without signal or Wi-Fi, Maddy made due with her books; she had been hoping to complete a few more lessons in Romanian for the omnipotent green owl. After an hour of Mr. Darcy’s pining, the valet enters the pub.
“Buna Ziua, Nicu.”
Maddy looked up at the valet, dusted in falling snow, waving toward the barkeeper. She realized—she had forgotten her manners. Maddy never asked for the barkeeper's name.
“Ah, Domnișoară Foster,” the valet turns his attention to Maddy, “I see you’ve met Nicu.”
Her cheeks flush with embarrassment, “Somewhat, I had misstepped and forgot to ask for his name.” She holds her hand out to Nicu in an attempt to make up for the mishap greeting. “ Magdalene Foster, Maddy to friends.”
Nicu took her hand in a shake, his calloused grip rough on her skin, “Nicu, and no problem, străină, Prislop can shock outsiders.”
“Well, snow is falling harder now. We should be on our way now. The Lady was adamant you arrive in time for dinner and the tour.” The valet walks over to Maddy, “ I’m Leonard, I presume this bag is your’s” Reaching down, he pulls up the duffle bag.
—
In the back of the SUV, Maddy reminded herself that she is, in fact, not in the Middle Ages. The village was pleasant and detached, but undeniably modern. The low hum of the engine and the faint smell of lean leather grounded her as the warmth seeped through the heated seats, a small mercy during a snowy drive up an unknown mountain.
To an unfamiliar manor, overseen by an unfamiliar lady, with unfamiliar children.
Her thoughts drift back to the strange Craigslist post she saw while searching for a new roommate, after the old one bailed to Sacramento. It stood out for its brevity, almost clinical posting. No photos. No name. Just a location she’d had to
Governess needed - Child education - Romania. ENGLISH required. Room and board. 1–2 year contract. Visa lawyer provided. Immediate relocation preferred.
The road narrowed as they climbed, trees pressing in until the forest felt intentional, cultivated rather than wild. Stone markers appeared at intervals along the drive—old, weathered, but meticulously maintained. Not decorative. Deliberate.
The valet did not speak.
Maddy noticed how the driver slowed before each bend, how the headlights dipped at the same places, as if the road itself had rules. The manor came into view gradually, not rising all at once but revealing itself in pieces: a wrought-iron gate standing open, a sweep of lamplit windows beyond, the dark silhouette of a roofline against the snow-heavy sky.
No one announced their arrival. There was no gatehouse, no guard, no visible staff waiting in the courtyard to receive them. And yet, as the SUV passed through the gates, lights shifted inside the house. It was subtle, almost imperceptible. A window brightened. Another dimmed.
Maddy’s breath caught.
It felt less like arriving somewhere and more like being noticed.