As soon as he left the room, Isabella, casting her gaze and sighing languidly, turned to Maria:

"Isn't he handsome?" 

Maria, who had begun to unpack her things, paused and looked at the closed door. She remembered all those few and brief moments they had shared and replied:

"Yes, he is truly a wonderful person." 

Satisfied with her answer, Isabella curiously started to examine the girl.

"I understand you are the temporary employee?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm not here for long. Just for a month. And I would be very grateful if you could help me understand the local rules and give me a tour of the servant's quarters," Maria added with a friendly smile, continuing to unpack her things.

"Oh, with great pleasure!" A cheerful sparkle appeared in her eyes, and she smiled widely in response. "And where will you be working?"

"In the eastern wing of the house."

"Wow, you're lucky!" the girl said with a slight surprise in her voice.

"Why is that?" Maria raised her eyebrow slightly and looked at the girl with curiosity.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Isabella quickly explained, "No, don't get me wrong. To get a job inside the house, a person must work on the estate for some time, and only then, provided they have excelled in their work outside the house, undergo training to work inside the house under the personal guidance of Sir Thomas and the housekeeper Judy."

At these words, Maria's mouth slightly opened, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. She felt a weight drop onto her shoulders like a stone. Now she would have to work very hard, as much was expected from her.

"And what do you do here?" she asked.

"I've been working as a gardener's assistant in the botanical garden for about a year and a half."

"Great! So, are those floral arrangements around the house your handiwork?" Maria said with admiration.

"Partly," the girl answered shyly. After a short pause, Maria frowned and said, "So, you've never been inside the house during all this time?"

"Ah, no," she said with a slight regret in her voice. "Honestly, I've only seen the owner of the house once from a distance during a ball. But it was a masquerade ball, so it was impossible to see faces."

"The owner? Do you mean one person lives here in such a huge house?"

With each of Isabella's answers, Maria felt her surprise growing.

"Yes, as far as I know, but I'm not sure," she said with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh!" Suddenly snapping out of her contemplation, a slight alarm appeared on her face. "We shouldn't discuss such things! It's against the rules of the house! If Sir Thomas or Judy find out, I'll be fired immediately!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I won't ask you such questions anymore. And I promise that this conversation will stay between us," with these words, she put her hand on Isabella's shoulder and looked into her eyes.

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and, looking into her eyes, said, "Thank you."