How to be a Housemaid

Chapter Eight

Theodore yawned, pulling on his crisp white shirt. He made a note to remind Mr. Evans not to put so much starch in his shirts. He disliked the stiff, itchy feeling of the collar. Speaking of which, he still had to speak to his father about Mr. Evans. He hadn't been able to bring himself to do it, though. The old man was all alone without any family and sending him off like that felt...wrong.

He ruffled his blonde hair, making if stick out in all directions. He was definitely growing tired of writing so many invitations. Theodore chuckled to himself, remembering the way Millicent had stormed into his office yesterday. She had seemed so flustered about the invitation, it made him want to comfort her. He shook his head, pushing those kinds of thoughts away. This was just a silly little game they were both playing. She was still his housemaid, and he was still her employer. It would stay like that. Though, He couldn't deny the fact that she was pretty. She had a pretty little set of chocolate brown eyes and little red lips. And did she even realize how tempting those soft brown curls of hair of hers were? He wanted to see if they felt as soft as they looked.

Theodore mentally shook himself. He couldn't let himself think of her like that just because he had invited her to his ball. He did wonder though, why she had seemed so shaken yesterday. What was so bad about the prospect of a marriage proposal? He fixed his collar before leaving to check on the work outside. Many of the gardeners would be working outside for the next few days. They would be trying to polish up the manor's outward appearance for the ball. What he wasn't expecting was the sight of Millicent on her hands and knees, pulling out weeds in the garden. She had dirt covering her hands and face completely, making herself quite a sight.

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Ash...I mean Theodore." Millicent wiped her forehead, only smearing more dirt onto her face as she sat back on her heels.

"Any reason why all my housemaids and servants are out here working?"

She nodded, "We all want to help out with cleaning the manor before the ball. Mr. Evans needed some help cleaning the gardens,and I didn't want him overworking himself."

Theodore sighed and began rolling up his sleeves. "Well, then I guess I have no choice but to help. I can't let the old man work himself to death."

Millicent smiled and moved over so he could see what she was working on. She pointed to a little plant in the ground, handing him a work glove. "See that? It's poison ivy. You don't want to touch it without these gloves or else you will get a rash."

Theodore nodded and knelt down beside her. They worked in silence for a long time, and it felt nice. Theodore liked being beside this woman, working in harmony with her. They could accomplish a bigger task together. He looked up when he heard Annabelle's voice calling for Millicent. She flinched beside him, "What could she possibly need now?"

Annabelle ran up to them, completely out of breath. She dropped down beside Millicent, a big smile on her face. "Millicent!"

"Hello, Annabelle." Millicent didn't even glance at the girl as she continued pulling weeds form the garden. She ripped one out of the ground, tossing it to the side.

"I heard you were going to the ball as a guest! Isn't that fun?!" Annabelle clasped her hands in excitement. She caught Theodore's gaze and shuffled over to him on her knees. She leaned forward. "Is it true, Mr. Ashton?! She gets to go?"

"Yes, Millicent will be attending."

Millicent grumbled something under her breath. She looked up at Annabelle and smiled sweetly. "Annabelle, I think Elijah was asking for your help a moment ago. Why don't you go find him?"

"Okay! Bye, Millicent!"

Theodore laughed under his breath. "So word has already spread around I see."

"Get back to work." Millicent nudged him playfully.

Theodore went back to his task of pulling weeds. Two hours or so later, they had the entire garden completely cleared. Theodore rested his arm on top of her head, admiring their work. "It looks good."

Millicent pushed him away, smiling. "All of it does. I think everyone did a good job."

"Millicent, I didn't think of it, but do you have any dresses that are appropriate for a ball?"

"I will have to have my father send one."

"It might no get here in time with the ball being in three days. It might be faster to have Jane make you one. I wouldn't mind buying any fabric you need."

"Oh, no I couldn't..."

Theodore shook his head and smiled. "You don't have a choice, Millicent. Not with the ball coming up so soon. Meet with me and Jane after you clean up, alright? We can settle this today." She opened her mouth to object but Theodore raised his hand, silencing her. "No objections, Millicent. Now go clean up before I change my mind."

Millicent nodded and trudged away to clean off the dirt coating her hands and face. Theodore smiled and shook his head. She was a stubborn woman.  

Copyright © 2016 by Rosanna Parker

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