Pauper Princess

Chapter Seven

Sleep did not come as soundly as I would have supposed. Though the bed was comfortable, I was used to the firmness of the ground rather than the suffocating puffiness of the mattress below me.

Despite this, I was more well-rested than I usually was. Often times I was up past dusk, using the cover of night to snatch items off of clotheslines or windowsills to sell the next day. Which also meant waking up before vendors opened to haggle a price with them before customers began to show up and I was shooed away.

A dirty beggar child lingering nearby often made potential customers weary of approaching merchant stands.

I was already awake when two maids made their way into the nursery. The first one smiled at me, curtsying slightly before continuing into the room.

The other one I recognized as the maid I disliked- the one who had accused me of having fleas and had threatened to shave my head. She did not curtsy. She did not even smile. But that was alright, because I did not either.

As the two of them went to work setting out morning clothes and drawing the curtains, Miss Lancing made her way into the room, as well. She was already dressed well, her hair pulled back into a neat bun. She stood in the doorway, watching silently as the maids prepared the room for the morning. The mean maid made her way towards the door, seeming eager to take her leave as the other maid poured fresh water into the wash basin.

"Please have breakfast brought to the room for the girls," Miss Lancing asked the retreating maid. "Master Baldwin has much work to do today, and wishes for the children to remain upstairs."

"Yes, Miss," The maid said. Her voice was sweet, but I could not shake my dislike of the woman. She had never used such a tone when speaking to me, or even when she spoke of me. Though I was aware that she disliked having a peasant child living in her master's lavish home, I wondered if she realized that she herself was not the wife of a Lord. Though she was undoubtedly above that of a scullery maid, surely she had to realize that her role in life was not that far above mine.

The remaining maid- who was naturally pretty of face, with such a strong curl to her hair that the cap of her uniform could not entirely hide it- roused me from bed, frowning down at the still-sleeping Elizabeth. The heavy top-blanket that she had yanked down off the mattress was half-covering her, as she was laying atop most of it. Evidently she found herself unable to sleep directly on the floor- even though wood was undoubtedly more comfortable than the dew-covered dirt or grass I often found myself sleeping on. And the wooden floor of this room even had a luxurious, soft rug covering it.

Elizabeth did not seem to have slept well. She was slow to rise- I was almost fully dressed by the time she made it to her feet. And even then, she just collapsed forward, falling face-first onto the mattress as the maid tightened the ribbon around my waist and tied it into a large bow that rested against my lower-back. The lace frills on the sleeves of the dress tickled my arms, bothering me a bit.

"Elizabeth," Miss Lancing spoke up from her spot near the door before I could fiddle too much with the bothersome lace. "Stand up and wait politely for your turn to be dressed, please."

For several seconds, Elizabeth did not move. But finally, she seemed to weigh her choices and the possible consequences, and sighed as she pushed herself off the bed. She glared at me, her gaze taking in the dress and bow I had been dressed in- no doubt they belonged to her.

As if to confirm my thoughts, Elizabeth pouted, pushing her lower lip out. "That is my bow."

Shrugging, I glanced towards the large mirror near the vanity. "It's pretty."

"That is why it is mine! I wanted it because it was pretty. Take it off at once!"

Miss Lancing stepped forward, and both Elizabeth and I stopped talking, our eyes flying towards her. I was fairly certain I had not said anything wrong, but was also sure that there were many rules of etiquette that I was not aware of.