One month later,
The kitchen was glowing sepia in the light of lamps and furnace.
The bronze sink was brimming over with ghoulish looking, cabbage- smelling grey water and needed be cleansed. The whole kitchen counter and table was a mad mess of potato peels, cake crumbs, strawberry left-outs and unidentifiable mash of other food stuffs but there was no time to scour them off just yet.
It was late in the night now. Much more late than the usual hours of the closing stages.
But the whole Ashleyton was awake and buzzing with work.
Eden was panting in exertion.
Despite her aching finger, she painstakingly clenched her fist again and pummeled the dough for the bread that she was doing at. She flinched when one of her finger cracked uneasily but there was no time to respite. And while this was already the sixth batch of the loaf she was preparing, there were four more of it that needed to be done before the dawn. She could just not stop.
And not just her, it was the same tale for everyone. Beside Eden, Maggie and Carol too were industriously occupied in the kitchen.
She dusted the shreds of dough pieces off her finger and started kneading them together when Bella rushed into the room in great haste, "The wrench." She demanded, barely glancing over at anyone in the room. "I need the wrench please. And the screw driver too."
Maggie, who was busy with the countless rounds of strawberry chopping looked up at her with a scowl and cried, "Why, pray, do you need a wrench now? You were cleaning the crockery, as far as I understand."
"Oh, its not I who wants it." The intruder informed. "Devin asked for it. He needs it in the stable."
Maggie mumbled something incoherent and resumed her work ignoring the other maid who stood impatiently at the door.
"Well?" Bella prompted edgily.
"I have no idea where the thing is." Maggie shrugged off and looked over at Carol who was washing distinguished leaves of cabbages. "Carol? The wrench?"
"How would I know?" came the annoyed response from Carol. "I don't even remember when, I saw it last."
"Am I to_"
"Bella, check the third drawer over there." Eden interrupted the scheme. "I believe I saw it there a few days ago. Both of your instruments."
The girl hurried to the drawer and thankfully, the things were indeed there. "Thanks Eden." The last of her voice remained as she ran out of the room.
Maggie sighed throwing her head up.
"Oh Heaven! Am I to get any slower with these berries?"
"And me with these cabbages." Carol remarked. "I shall be avoiding these leafy loafs for next one month at the least."
All this while, Eden kept quite not wishing to say anything that could bring out her inner helplessness. She was too disturbed at this point to take part in general dialogues.
It had been a month now, since her marriage with Lord Stephen Adelwood, since the day it had been arranged for her to comply a fate as a servant at Ashleyton without letting anyone know what she really was to Lord Adelwood; his wife. Since, she had learned that she had lost her previous world of onslaught only to achieve this new world of faux and disgrace.
He had granted it to her, that request.
Then, on the very following day of this, of their wedding, he had left Ashleyton for London.
All this while, only one woman, that was Mrs. Hopkins _the head maid of Ashleyton and Lord Adelwood's confederate_ knew of all that had been organized by his lordship.
The old lady, despite her knowledge of who Eden was, never gave a sign of discern toward her, treating her as naturally as she treated other maids- directing orders and scolding her when the task was not accomplished up to its mark. And that was very comprehensive for all that Eden needed to disguise herself.
But now, after a month of such earned out peace, the news suddenly came that Lord Stephen Adelwood was returning to his Ashleyton just the next morning, and not just solitary. His whole circle of high rankers was accompanying him to Hertfordshire for a small gathering. A celebration.
That was the reason why, the whole estate was being refurbished and modeled down to the very bones and tonight was the last night for it.
"But despite all this toil that we are being burdened of," Maggie began suddenly, out of the blue, "I think our Lordship is worth it."
"Yes.." Carol responded in a dreamy voice. "Yes, you are right. He is worthy it all."
Eden glanced up at their faces, quite surprised at how they admired the man whose mere name reference was enough to unsettle her depth. Her peace. He was an intruder to her qualm.
"You two must not yearn over your employer."
"Oh hush up!" Maggie snapped with wide eyes. "I do not yearn him."
"NO." Carol nodded. "You desire him, Margaret, don't you?"
Maggie rolled her eyes before shaking her head at Eden.
"You only say so, Eden, because you have not met him just yet. You were too unfortunate for you arrived just the day his lordship left for London. When you shall see him in person, you would know that he is a man worth hankering after."
The girl hardly noticed the momentary freezing that crippled over Eden's whole body as she talked. Yes. This was his effect on her. This was his impression on her, that had left her almost fearing him.
I have met him. Her inside whispered. I have known him better that these all girls ever would.
"Looks can be deceitful, you know." Eden said lightheartedly but in truth, this was the only confident imprint she had of him. He was not what she had thought he was when she had first seen his portrait. His smile.
She had wondered him to be sympathetic. He had humiliated her in the biggest possible way.
"Hah!" Margaret cried out, dramatically placing her hand on her chest. "Is that what you think of me? That I pester Master Adelwood for his fine look, his attractive face? Oh Eden, you put me so low!"
Carol giggled at that, splashing Maggie with tap water playfully, but that only made Eden more anxious.
"Then..?" she breathed out. "What makes your charming Lord so amiable, if not his look?"
"Eager, eh?" Margaret teased her with a witty smug look. "But no. I do find him handsome Eden but that isn't all. It is his sweetness, that makes me admire him so. He is so kind. And so very polite!"
"You have talked to him?"
"Yes. I have."
The dough, that had been nearly overlooked out was suddenly abandoned by Eden as she gawked disbelievingly at Maggie. Why, she had thought him to be too high nosed to talk to maids and lower servants. And politely?
"Oh don't be such a snub, Maggie!" Carol then barged in, placing the washed off cabbage leaves down into the bowl on the table. "You didn't talk to him as in a conversation. You spilled the tea on his shirt and you apologized like a freaked out parrot and he said, 'Oh, it's absolutely nothing.' and smiled at you as for common curtsey. Thus was all that made you swoon over him since the day."
"But he said it so nicely..!" Margaret whined lamently. "And he looked straight into my eyes. Oh, and his smile. His eyes...." There was an archaic sigh that hinted of a smitten heart and Eden and Carol exchanged a grinning glance before reindulging in their chores.
Just then, Mrs. Hopkins entered the kitchen and her supervisory aura made everyone straighten their spines.
"How far have you girls progressed, hmm?" She inquired meanwhile accessing all the finished outputs of the kitchen.
When she was done all over, she moved to the oven and peeked in the furnace.
"How many more batches, Eden?"
"Four more, ma'am."
The woman gave her an unreadable look and critically shook her head in disappointment.
"And how long do you think it would take?"
"An hour or so, ma'am." Eden mumbled, a bit flustered by now.
"It's already midnight girl." The old woman snapped. "Do you want us to be occupied all night now? We have chores to do in the morning as well."
"I will stay, ma'am." She said hurriedly. And that was all Eden could do. "I will see to it that the buns are done and the kitchen is ready for the morning."
"You better be reliable." Mrs. Hopkins deadpanned and faced the other two girls in the room. "And you two? Off to your chambers now. I need you all in sound state to volunteer around in the morning when Lord Adelwood arrives, for it seem that Eden would be too restless to attend the welcome hour. Go now, girls."
Casting a sorry glance at Eden, Carol and Margaret scurried off to their respective rest-places and now, only two of them remained in the kitchen, Mrs. Hopkins and Eden.
"Thank you, Mrs. Hopkins." Eden murmured as the silence settled down. "I could not have done it without you."
The head maid didn't respond though as her eyes travelled down to the dough Eden was kneeling and she sat down on the chair close to her.
"Do not thank me, Miss Henley." She said after a while. "I did what you asked me to. I understand that you do not wish to endure Master's presence tomorrow but it makes no sense that you have to work all the night out for that. I will not force you the encounter if you do not want me to. The four batches of bread can be very well attended to in the morning. You may go and rest."
"Let me earn my leave for the morning, Mrs. Hopkins." Eden declared. "Besides, what other excuse would I have to quench Margaret's inquisitions if not this?"
"If you wish so, I have no business arguing." Mrs. Hopkins huffed in cold resignation. "But just know it that you may leave any moment you feel likely. Good night."
And saying so, Mrs. Hopkins picked up one of the alight candle stick from the table and made it out to the kitchen, in the darkness outside.
In the loneliness of night, a pair of strong green eyes suddenly flashed the insides of her head and a well painted out smile infested her senses.
Her husband, wasn't he?
And he was coming home tomorrow.
She was going to avoid him as much as possible. She was going to let him know, that with her tramp grade, even she had no wish to obstruct his ways.
***
The last of the table scrubbing had been done and the whole kitchen now guised a much more fresh appearance for the chores of the day.
Eden sat down on the chair by the oven, with a small cup of hot, sweet tea clenched in her hand which was more a comfort to her fingers than her mood as she watched the last loaf of bread bake golden.
The hours old sweat that had filmed over her body was cold now making her long for a bath to wash it off her body.
And she was trying.
She was trying not to quiver.
Every hour that had flown by had brought about him closer to Ashleyton. Nearer to her.
And was it so bad to be coward once in her lifetime, to confess it that she was scared of him? Of Lord Adelwood.
It reminded her of back home_ the calledhome, this fear. She often used to sit noiselessly for hours at a time waiting for her uncle to be home and also to be beaten up for one of the shallowest mistakes she did like not smiling enough when he laughed.
For appearing ungrateful. For sitting too straight. For being too quiet.
And sometimes, for looking too ugly.
That kind of fear, that anxiety, for some reason was bleaching her bones today and she could not help it.
Men. They always scared her this bad.
And Lord Stephen Adelwood proved himself no different from her uncle. Or was he only worse.
Placing her head down on her forearm at the table, Eden tried to calm her fragile nerves from breaking down. To her heart, she begged to go a little easy on her.
A dull ache of restlessness cursed her head as she stood up and drew out the last tray from the oven.
Outside the window, a sudden howl of birds emerged and to her great terror, she saw morning lights glowering on the horizon.
A couple of hours more and he was to be here.
She yanked at the tie of the apron at her back and pulled it off her head in a great haste.
Then picking up a small, slow burning candle, she barged out into the corridor as the twitches and bends of the wall directed her to the servant quarter.
She entered her room as noiselessly as possible to find her room mate, Maggie sound asleep tumbled in her bed rags.
She placed the candle on the side table and pulling open her wardrobe, drew out a simple grey dress to change into.
Having no time to lose, she hurried into the bathroom for a quick cold bath and not long later, she was out, fresh and wet haired.
The light outside had grown considerably bright and her bed appeared very inviting. So towing herself to it, Eden dug herself in the warmth of her cold bed and fell asleep almost the same instant.