Chapter Five
Edith’s POV
I had been at the Master’s house for two weeks now and I hated it. I did not want to feel ungrateful as he gave me a job when I needed one, but he was a complete different person behind closed doors, he frightened me.
On my second day of being here, I was still learning the ropes and forgot to clean his second pair of black shoes. When he found out, he threw them at me, and I still have a purple and navy bruise on my cheek from the force. When I passed a rich, young man in the street during an errand, I had to put my head down further than normal, to hide the bruise as I did not want rumours to circulate around the town about Master. That would make him even angrier, and we did not want that. The cook, Mrs Patterson, was not happy about making the Master angry in the first place. Mrs Patterson would be even angrier if she had to deal with the Master again, to try and calm him.
“Edith, the Master wants to see you.” Jenny, the maid, who was higher than I was, told me, as she wandered into the servant’s dining room, where I was sat on my break for five minutes.
“If you’ve made him angry again Edith, you can sling yer hook.” Mrs Patterson warned me, not looking happy at all.
I sighed. “He did not look angry at all, in fact, he looked quite the opposite.” Jenny told the cook, so I gave her a small smile, before walking out of the room. I heard Mrs Patterson grumble about Master hiring thirteen year olds and how unpredictable we were, but I just ignored her. Jenny had told me on my first night that she was hard on all the young ones at first before warming to them after a month or so.
But she seems to not like me at all, and it’s worrying me slightly, as I haven’t done anything.
I knocked on to Master’s door twice, hard. “Yes?” He replied through the door and I opened it slowly.
“Jenny told me that you wanted to see me.” I reminded him and he nodded.
“I know. You took you’re time coming however.” He said, coldly.
I gulped. “Sorry sir.”
He nodded once, sharp. “I know. Now, please sit down.” I obeyed his demand straight away and sat in the red velvet seat, with dark wooden, slim arms. “Have you got everything right this time?” He asked me, sitting on his desk in front of me, his legs open.
I sat further into the seat. “Yes sir. I’ve learnt my lesson.” I replied.
“I still feel guilty for that you know?” He told me, stroking my cheek, where the bruise was. I nodded my head stiffly. “You have a very pretty face.” He complimented, making me feel uncomfortable.
“Thank you.” I replied in a whisper, to not anger him by not answering.
“Since my wife died, I have felt ever so lonely.” He told me, a sad look to his eyes, making me feel his pain slightly.
“I am sorry, sir.”
“Don’t be child, it was cholera, there was an outbreak a few years ago, and she caught it immediately.” He confided.
“I know sir, my aunt and uncle died from it as well.”
“It was a nasty disease.” He commented and I nodded my head in agreement. Why was Master being so nice? The uncomfortable feeling I felt earlier had come back. “Anyway, back to you, you are such a pretty child; your eyes make you so innocent.” He smiled.
I nodded my head. “Thank you.”
“I want to see what you would look like if you were not so innocent.” He told me, concentrating on a clock behind my head, so he does not look into my eyes, which made me feel a lot better and at ease.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I want to take you’re most prized possession.” He replied, making me confused. If I say anything, he may get angry again. “You do know what that is, don’t you?” He asked and I was forced to shake my head. He smirked, darkly. “It’s where we become as one.” He told me and I gave a quick frown, but replaced it with a small smile straight away.
“Okay, sir.”
He smiled nicely at me, before leaning forward and placing his lips against mine, harshly. My back pressed into the wooden frame of the chair, making pains shoot up and down my back. He pulled his lips away. “Stand girl!” He shouted and I did I was told immediately. I stood to the side and he sat into the chair. “Kiss me.” He commanded me. I gave him a look of shock but pressed my lips to his anyway, so I did not make him or Mrs Patterson angry.
I leant back from him, straightening my back. “Edith, I want you to wait on me tonight when I go to bed.” He told me.
“Sir, that’s Jenny’s job.” I reminded him.
“I know, but it is your job now.” He replied harshly.
“Okay sir, thank you sir.” I told him one last time before wandering out of the room and making my way back to the Servant’s dining room.
As I made my way there, I rubbed my lips because they felt sore and bruised. As I touched them, a whimper escaped my lips. What did he mean when he was talking in there? Will he send back to the orphanage after what had just happened? I hope not, I would rather stay here than go back there.
“What did you do?” Mrs Patterson asked in a condescending tone as I wandered in.
I sat down. “Nothing, he told me that I had to wait on him tonight.” I replied, making sure that Jenny was not around.
“That is impossible. Jenny has been here for six months and has just acquired that job.” She replied in a cruel tone, making me flinch a little.
“That is what he told me, Mrs Patterson.” I told her again.
“Jenny will not be happy.” She commented as she stirred the food in the huge black pot on the stove.
“So that I can tell her the bad news, I want you out of the way, so you can go into town and buy these for tomorrow’s dinner.” She told me, passing me a small purse full of money and a list of various food items.
I nodded as I grabbed the basket and apron. “Bye cook.” I waved before exiting the door for the servants.
I grabbed the food items as I made my way around the food stalls and paid the market holders the right amount of money. When I had crossed off all the food items: Potatoes, Apples, Carrots, Stew and milk, I wandered down to the river bank to place my feet in the water to cool myself off and to think about what Master had said.
I put the basket on the slight hill and shuffled down further so that I could place my feet in. I took my shoes and put them in, sighing in relief as all the pain from being on my feet all day escaped.
Two men were on a rowing boat a little further down the river, fishing. One of the men looked similar. I had probably seen him down in the market when I was shopping for Mrs Patterson, I decided when I couldn’t place his face properly.
I shimmed down a little more so that I could put my legs further and didn’t calculate the end properly as I slipped into the water. I started sinking as I could not swim. I could see the surface of the water and tried kicking my legs and arms in all different directions trying to get to the top of the water, but to no avail.
Suddenly, I was being pushed towards the surface, strong arms wrapped around my waist. As my head was taken above the water, I took in huge gasps of air. I was laid on the grass, the lightest blue eyes piercing into my own from above me. After a few moments, I was able to form a coherent sentence. “Thank you, sir.” I told him honestly, sitting up.
He sat down beside me, his clothes sticking to his body due to them being wet. “No problem, I just saw you from my fishing boat over there-” He pointed to his boat. “-fall in and I jumped into save you. Don’t want you drowning on us now, do we?” He smiled and I nodded my head shyly. “What were you doing anyway?” He wondered.
“Erm…I came down to shop for Lord Darlington. I came down here to relax me feet for a little while, before going back up to the house.” I told him honestly, which came to a shock for me.
“Lord Darlington?” He wondered aloud and I nodded my head respectively. “I know him; he’s been a little weird since his wife died a few years ago.” He commented. So it was true then…
“I’ve heard other rumours as well, but I do not listen to them much.” He told me before getting up. “Anyway miss, I best be getting back home to change these clothes before I get ill, I suggest you do the same.” He replied nicely, and it made me feel nice that someone was actually being nice to me.
“I will.”
Just before he was about to walk off, he looked at me. “You’re a maid, right?” He wondered and I nodded my head. “Will you get warned or hurt for ruining your clothes?” He asked and I sighed but nodded again. If Mrs Patterson sees me like this, she will tell master and I shall be sacked immediately, especially after she warned me this morning.
“I shall probably be sacked.” I told him honestly.
“Follow me, I will get you a new set of clothes, I think my father will have some. Then I will come up to Lord Darlington’s house with you and tell him it was my fault for your being late, I am sure he will not object to my apology.” He replied, before picking up my basket of food and carrying it for me.
I looked at him for a few moments, shocked at how nice he was. “Are you sure about this, sir?” I asked.
He smiled. “I wouldn’t tell you about the new plan if I wasn’t sure.” He told me, he outstretched his hand for me to put mine in his. “Now hold my hand so that you don’t get lost, it’s a little far to my father’s house.” He replied and so I took his hand, gratefully.
“So what is your name anyway?” He wondered when we escaped the crowds of the market and Main Street.
“Edith.”
“Hello Edith, my name is William.” He told me, smiling again.
“Well hello William. Why were you fishing?” I wondered, making the conversation stretch further.
“I have just arrived back from a trip and I and my personal servant were just taking a small break.” He told me.
“Where is your servant now?” I asked, looking round for someone who was following us.
“He is bringing the boat back in and will meet me back at the house later.” He responded and the fact that he had a servant made me feel small and insignificant in his presence. Lord Darlington was nice to me as well at the beginning, so what if this man was mean and nasty when we get inside his house? I have had enough of having my hopes brought up, just to be dashed.
“William.” I called. “Why are you being nice to me? I asked carefully.
“Why should I not help you?”
“Well, I’m a servant, from the lower class…” I trailed off, wishing I had never brought it up.
“That does not bother me at all.” He told me, smiling.
I returned the smile.
************
After I wandered out of the servant’s quarters of his house, I gained an odd look off of one of his own servants, making me feel even small that my already small stature of five feet one inch.
“Thank you for this William.” I told him, as I joined him outside. He was also changed into new clothes, these ones smarter than the ones he wore on the fishing boat.
“Are you the girl that passed me the other day, as I stepped out of the car?” He asked as he wandered round the front of the house.
My mind went back to when I held my head down due to the bruise and it all fitted into place. That was where I had seen him before. “Yes.”
“The thought had been annoying me since I saw you.” He told me, looking a little embarrassed. He started walking faster ahead and mumbled something to a man, stood outside the main entrance to the extravagant house.
“What is wrong?” I asked concerned, when he joined me again.
“How do you feel about riding in a car?” He asked and my eyes flew open in shock. I had never ridden in a car before.
“Are we travelling in a car?” I wondered, excitement bubbling up inside me.
He nodded his head. “I cannot be bothered walking, it is too far.” He smiled and he climbed into the car that had just stopped where we stood. “Come on.” He laughed as he held his hand out to me, as I stepped into the car.
When we were being driven in the car, I felt important for the first time. When everybody was looking at the car, I felt like everyone was looking at me, like they do the King or the Prime Minister. William didn’t seem as fazed by the attention, but he is probably used to it by now.
When we arrived, William got out first and left the door open for me to step out. “Thank you.”
Falling in the river today and being with William has kept my mind off of the kiss that Lord Darlington had given me this morning. “Edith, I shall go through the front door and you should just go back to work. I shall explain everything to your Master.” He told me, smiling warmly. He pulled me into his arms and I wrapped my own arms around his waist. “Thank you for brightening up my day.” He told me.
“Thank you for helping me.” I replied before letting go of him and going down the stairs to the servant’s door.