Society's Expectations & Too Many Complications {Finalist}

Chapter 19

The company hurried to the kitchens, where the sounds of sharp cries were being heard. As we burst into the kitchen, a jumbled picture greeted me. A serving-girl was on the floor, amidst many broken plates, where the head cook- a buxon woman with grey hair- was scolding her and another serving-girl was attempting to help her.

The poor girl had a number of scratches, leaking blood from her, the plates having cut into her skin.

"Quiet!" Lord Shireley ordered firmly, but not unkindly. Instantly, the entire kitchen was cut in the chords of all the different voices. "What has occurred here?"

"Your Lordship, Layna here tripped while holding the plates for tonight," the woman related to us. "I did tell her she was carrying far too many, your Lordship, but she insisted and then she fell. As you can see, the kitchen came into uproar."

"It was not so!" the other serving girl. "Mrs Partridge-"

"Hold your tongue!" 'Mrs Partridge' ordered her, turning a slight shade of red.

"What is your name?" Lord Shireley asked the serving-girl.

"Agatha, if it pleases your lordship," she uttered, seeming extremely frightened. "Please pardon my speaking out of turn, your lordship."

"I pardon you," he said lightly. "Now, if you could help Layna here up the stairs and to the Blue Room, we shall clean up here. Mrs Partridge, please inform one of the servants to fetch the physician for Layna."

"Yes, your lordship," she immediately replied, waddling away to call one of the man-servants in her harsh tongue.

"I am sorry that this happened," he apologised to the rest of the company. "It is not often that we have such an event in the kitchens."

"It is of no apology that you should be making," Mother said kindly towards him. "It is often a mistake that servants will make and sometimes they may have repercussions."

"Yes," Lady Shireley said, smiling upon us. "Now, let us retire to the drawing room. It would not do to linger here."

We filed back to our preceding room, talking of what had just happened. My mind was running along a different track than the tongues were wagging- a very different way.

Somehow, the serving-girl, Layna, had attracted a memory within me. I tried to remember when I had last seen the jet-black haired servant; perhaps aiding Victoria? No, it was not that....

Making tea with Lord Darrens! I recalled with satisfaction. The strange incident where I had found the two ruffled and strange- a curious event to my mind. A pang of curiosity rang through me and I had the urge to go up quietly to her.

"Can you excuse me?" I said to the group. "I just have to attend to a matter."

The group nodded and I slipped away, not intent in the bathroom, as what they had assumed, but on visiting the serving-girl. It was easy to flit upstairs without a soul noticing me, and so I did, flying up the stairs as quickly as a mouse scurries through open spaces.

The Blue Room was one of the guest bedrooms, so it was simple to find my way through the hallways to there. A muttering was heard through the walls, as I neared the room. Knocking at the door, not wanting to surprise anyone, a pattering of feet sounded towards me, then the door was swiftly opened.

"Milady," Agatha greeted me. "What service should you have of me?"

"Only that I require speech with the serving-girl, Layna," I said levelly. Agatha nodded and opened the door wider. As I entered, I looked back towards her.

"Alone, thank you." The girl went to close the door behind her but I stopped her.

"Wait! If you could speak of this to no one?"