Wails in the Night

Chapter 6: Murderess

The family's kitchen looked older than the rest of the house, with stone walls and dark-stained wood trim and rafters. There was a big pot-bellied stove that sat between two windows. There was a long bench in the center of the room, with benches that lined the two sides.

Even though it was early morning, the room was full of people, the cook, and her two young helpers, teenage boys, the maid that had woken Agatha, the butler, and the groomsman who took care of the horses.

The maid, whose name Agatha knew was Charlotte, went to the cook. "She's here."

The red-faced cook turned to glare at Agatha. "Well, the duchess has graced us with her presence." The cook sneered and pointed to a pan of hot soapy water on the back of the stove.

"Start the dishes."

Agatha bristled at her tone, but she bit her tongue and silently complied. She could feel the cook's beady brown eyes on her back as she lifted the pan of water smoothly and walked to the sink without sloshing a drop. The cook grunted and nodded as she turned back to the pot she was stirring. It smelled like porridge.

Agatha spent the next hour washing dishes, and then sweeping the floor, until the family had finished their breakfast, then the servants sat down at the table in the kitchen and ate their meal together. She was startled when Elizabeth came up and threw her arms around her.

"I'm sorry for how Father is treating you. I tried talking to him at breakfast, but he won't listen."

"Don't worry, Elizabeth.The work isn't hard, and 'tis right for me to earn my keep," Agatha said this mainly for the sake of the other servants, who were pretending not to listen. She wanted them to accept her, not resent her for being treated better than they were.

After Agatha ate her porridge and biscuit, the other servants chatting with one another and ignoring her, she went and found Elizabeth seated in the garden, reading.

"What are you reading about?" She asked as she sat on the stone bench beside Elizabeth. "It's a book of Irish folklore. Father brought it home on his last business trip. You have gotten me interested in the old lore," Elizabeth said, smiling wide, her dimples prominent.

"Will you still teach me to read?" Agatha asked shyly.

"Of course! I would love to!" Elizabeth's eyes brightened. "Wait here, I will go get my board, and some chalk. I shall teach you letters first."

Elizabeth lifted her long skirts and gracefully hurried into the house.

Agatha sat and enjoyed the sunlight on her face as she waited for Elizabeth to return, which didn't take long. Elizabeth drew each letter on the slate, erased it with a handkerchief, then had her reproduce it. As the morning progressed, Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Agatha was able to learn.

"You are so smart, Agatha," Elizabeth exclaimed. "You will be reading in no time!"

By lunchtime, they had gone through the entire alphabet, with Agatha able to reproduce each letter easily.

After they were finished going through the alphabet, they went back inside, Elizabeth went to the dining room, and Agatha turned toward the kitchen. She could see the butler, William, standing in the doorway to the dining room. As William took Elizabeth's arm and ushered her to her seat, he threw a sneer of disdain over his shoulder at Agatha. It stung, but she held her tongue, again.

"There you are!" The cook, Elsa hissed as Agatha entered the room. "You should have been here fifteen minutes ago!" Elsa angrily thrust an apron into her hands. "For that, you can help serve, Missus high and mighty." Elsa stood in front of Agatha with her arms at her sides and fingers twitching as if she longed to strike her.