The World Over

A Good Deed

Chapter Five

Edith’s POV

I had been at the Master’s house for two weeks now and I hated it. I did not want to feel ungrateful as he gave me a job when I needed one, but he was a complete different person behind closed doors, he frightened me.

On my second day of being here, I was still learning the ropes and forgot to clean his second pair of black shoes. When he found out, he threw them at me, and I still have a purple and navy bruise on my cheek from the force. When I passed a rich, young man in the street during an errand, I had to put my head down further than normal, to hide the bruise as I did not want rumours to circulate around the town about Master. That would make him even angrier, and we did not want that. The cook, Mrs Patterson, was not happy about making the Master angry in the first place. Mrs Patterson would be even angrier if she had to deal with the Master again, to try and calm him.

“Edith, the Master wants to see you.” Jenny, the maid, who was higher than I was, told me, as she wandered into the servant’s dining room, where I was sat on my break for five minutes.

“If you’ve made him angry again Edith, you can sling yer hook.” Mrs Patterson warned me, not looking happy at all.

I sighed. “He did not look angry at all, in fact, he looked quite the opposite.” Jenny told the cook, so I gave her a small smile, before walking out of the room. I heard Mrs Patterson grumble about Master hiring thirteen year olds and how unpredictable we were, but I just ignored her. Jenny had told me on my first night that she was hard on all the young ones at first before warming to them after a month or so.

But she seems to not like me at all, and it’s worrying me slightly, as I haven’t done anything.

I knocked on to Master’s door twice, hard. “Yes?” He replied through the door and I opened it slowly.

“Jenny told me that you wanted to see me.” I reminded him and he nodded.

“I know. You took you’re time coming however.” He said, coldly.

I gulped. “Sorry sir.”

He nodded once, sharp. “I know. Now, please sit down.” I obeyed his demand straight away and sat in the red velvet seat, with dark wooden, slim arms. “Have you got everything right this time?” He asked me, sitting on his desk in front of me, his legs open.

I sat further into the seat. “Yes sir. I’ve learnt my lesson.” I replied.

“I still feel guilty for that you know?” He told me, stroking my cheek, where the bruise was. I nodded my head stiffly. “You have a very pretty face.” He complimented, making me feel uncomfortable.

“Thank you.” I replied in a whisper, to not anger him by not answering.

“Since my wife died, I have felt ever so lonely.” He told me, a sad look to his eyes, making me feel his pain slightly.

“I am sorry, sir.”

“Don’t be child, it was cholera, there was an outbreak a few years ago, and she caught it immediately.” He confided.

“I know sir, my aunt and uncle died from it as well.”

“It was a nasty disease.” He commented and I nodded my head in agreement. Why was Master being so nice? The uncomfortable feeling I felt earlier had come back. “Anyway, back to you, you are such a pretty child; your eyes make you so innocent.” He smiled.

I nodded my head. “Thank you.”

“I want to see what you would look like if you were not so innocent.” He told me, concentrating on a clock behind my head, so he does not look into my eyes, which made me feel a lot better and at ease.