Know Who to Count On

Chapter 4: Lady in Red

Melody finished washing her hands at one of the back sinks of the kitchen and made her way over to Mrs. Stonewright. The kitchen was bustling with people as they tried to make the regular dinner for the count's family to eat in the Great Hall as well as a smaller, but still sizable, dinner to be taken directly to Count Alexis' chambers. Alexis arriving a day early had certainly annoyed many members of the staff, but as they were used to nobles not considering the effects their actions had on others, they dealt with the changes much as they would any.

All the staff had known that with a major visitor this week they could be asked to work long hours and perform extra tasks depending on what might come up at a moment's notice. They hadn't been expecting to start everything a day early, but since he'd arrived closer to the evening it hadn't thrown a wrench in much except for the need to now prepare a side meal. Melody almost liked these hectic moments because it meant everyone on staff set aside many of their own squabbles and buckled down to get as much done as possible in a short period of time. It may not be as fun as a more carefree afternoon, but she liked seeing everyone work together.

"I'm ready for my next task," she said to the older woman whose stern gaze was overseeing the organization of the carts that would take the food away. The members of staff who usually served dinner to the family were just leaving to take the main course to the Great Hall and they were about to start loading up the two carts of food that would be going to Count Alexis' room for him and his guest.

"Make sure your outfit doesn't have any stains or marks on it, you'll be helping to transport this food." Melody nodded and stepped to the side to inspect her clothes and then dashed back to the laundry room to grab a fresh apron. Taking food to a guest room was a more involved process as Halstein didn't believe in dumbwaiters or any way to get food to a higher floor other than to have the staff carry it on trays. Each cart that was being loaded at the moment had two trays on it that they would have to carry up the stairs and load onto one of the laundry carts from the linen closet on that floor. If they had people to spare, four of them would go with the two carts and each take a tray upstairs, letting two of the staff carry on from there while the other two returned to the kitchen. If they didn't have extra people to spare, it meant more trips up and down the stairs for whoever did go.

Melody rushed back with her fresh apron just as the carts were declared ready by Mrs. Stonewright and to Melody's relief, two of the scullery maids were going to go along to help get things to the second floor. Janet was new, about a month into the job and she would be the one accompanying Melody to deliver the carts all the way to the count's door. Melody didn't expect her to stay for much longer as she was already complaining about how 'uptight' everyone was. She was absent-minded at best and in a strict household like this, the staff needed to all be on their toes about every detail of their job. Melody sighed as she thought back to the day Liara had announced she was leaving. Liara had been so good at the job and they had enjoyed many nights together reading and talking about the stories. She missed her friend.

Shaking her head she grabbed hold of the cart and started pushing it out the door. This was not the time for reminiscing, there was too much to do and she didn't want to mess up in front of the others. The two scullery maids accompanying them were older than Melody and had been around awhile but she wasn't sure if they actually knew who she was. If they did, they never said anything to indicate it but they also only talked to each other most of the time. They were probably in their late thirties and she thought they were either sisters or sister-in-laws.

The group stopped at the bottom of the stairs and they each grabbed a tray. The trek upwards could be precarious, depending on what was on the tray you were carrying, but they made it to the second floor without any mishaps. Melody was the first to reach the top and went to the nearby linen closet, balancing her tray on one arm so she could open the door. Once inside she set it aside and pulled out the cloths they used to cover the linen carts so they looked more presentable. Then she put her tray on the first cart and pushed it into the hallway. As Janet took that cart and added her tray, Melody put the next cloth over the second cart before pushing it into the hallway as well. The two scullery maids deposited their trays and left, their part in the journey done.