The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 3

< Chapter 3 >

“I still feel like my knees are about to give out.” 

Daisy muttered. 

Due to the hangover she got from a party she sneaked off to a few days ago, she ended up confessing to Lady Margaret, who was strict and sly and had to scrub the floor of the guest room all day as punishment.

“Still, if I work upstairs in the afternoon, I might get to see that handsome Mr. Edmundston in person. It’s just my knees that are wearing out. Next time, I should tell Lady Margaret that I’ll do the lighting of candles myself…”

Short-haired kitchen maid Sally dreamily said, thinking of the elegant stature and handsome face of Edmundstone she had seen from afar a few years ago. For the maids like them downstairs, the chance of seeing Mr. Edmundstone, who stayed in the guest room upstairs, let alone the owner of the mansion, Lord Alfred, was rare.

Today’s visitor, William Edmundstone is the nephew of Lord Alfred’s wife, Elizabeth Alfred, and he is an honored guest who has been traveling to check on Lord Alfred’s well-being since his wife’s death.

Regardless of how much the maids fretted about Edmundstone, Mabel’s mind, while silently washing the iron pot, was filled with the ‘mysterious man’ she met on the balcony.

His sturdy body that had supported her firmly, his eyes as blue as the sky, and his noble demeanor that could be called gentlemanly.

But as soon as Mabel spotted Daisy being led away by George Herbert, she had to push him away and flee. And when she looked back, she remembered his guilt-ridden expression as if he thought he had offended her, and her heart ached again.

‘Not even knowing each other’s names… No, maybe it’s better that way. I didn’t want to tell him a false name other than mine.’

The kitchen maids carefully observed Mabel’s unusually quiet demeanor today. Since the day she rescued Daisy from Lord Herbert, everyone knew that she had locked herself in her room, dedicating herself only to writing.

“How silly!”

As if she could read Mabel’s mind, Aunt Louise, who was busy preparing dinner for Lord Alfred and William Edmundstone, said with busy hands.

“Don’t wear out your knees doing candlework while you stare at untouched feelings that you can’t even eat!”

Louise was a senior kitchen maid with a kind and generous disposition who took care of the junior maids.

“Is there anything else that wears out the knees as much as candlework?”

Daisy innocently asked, tucking her brown hair neatly under her headscarf.

“What do you mean? It’s about sharing chores! Look, back in my prime, when I had the opportunity, if I made eye contact with a man delivering a message, I’d lift my skirt and trot over, even if it meant stepping on rough stable floors.”

Louise, with a distant expression, as if reminiscing about the pure old days, vividly described explicit affairs, even stopping her knife work.

“Aunt Louise, really!”

Daisy, startled, covered her mouth, imagining what the man and woman kneeling on the stable floor were doing. Sally, who had already grown accustomed to Louise’s racy stories, said while preparing vegetables.

“Come to think of it, Aunt’s stories are always so vividly descriptive. Your tastes are really firm.”

“The point I’m making is, don’t be deceived by the appearances of wealthy young lords. Take care of the substance. Women over twenty-five who haven’t married yet will have nowhere to go.”

“It’s not the era of Queen Victoria anymore, is it? After the war, there are many women with good jobs, and there are even universities for women in the cities.”

When Louise finished her imagination and spoke seriously, Mabel, who had been quiet, added. Until Lady Margaret’s wrath subsided and she came down to the kitchen, Mabel, who had been writing in her room all day, had faint ink stains on her cheeks.

Dreaming of becoming a writer was an inappropriate dream for a low-born provincial maid, but Mabel still listened to the news from the city to find a way to become a writer.

“By the way, I heard that Lord Herbert allows women over thirty to vote. They say it’s a new trend in England where women can marry and inherit family property as they please, even dividing it among their sons.”

Daisy also chimed in, relaying a conversation she overheard at the last party.

“Voting, university, it’s all about wealthy noble families. Servants like us, with low status and poverty, should be grateful to live our lives just serving the old nobles. Even the nobles who can afford to employ maids are disappearing since the war.”

The other senior kitchen maids nodded in agreement with Louise’s words.

“So, make good use of your time and pay attention to diligent stable hands, or better yet, apprentice stable hands who have learned to drive cars.”

Louise said as she brushed off the flour from her white apron.

“The older maids may have had their fun when they were young, so even if they bury themselves as maids for Lord Alfred, there would be no regrets. But if the already weakened Lord Frederick Alfred were to pass away, may God protect the lord, you young ones might lose your jobs and become burdens to your families back home.”

“Aunt is right. Instead of dreaming of an unsuitable love story with a handsome wealthy lord, we should enjoy Mabel’s stories and quickly find suitable suitors according to our status. It’s foolish to dream of something unsuitable.”

Sally chimed in, perhaps worried about young Daisy, who had been in a whirlwind after attending Lord Herbert’s party.

Everyone’s words were likely worried about Daisy, but each word they spoke became a dagger in Mabel’s heart, who harbored dreams of becoming a writer and the ‘mysterious man’ she met on the balcony.

“It feels dirty! Mabel, Mabel Willis! Where on earth are you!”

Having finished preparing dinner and ascended to the upper floor of the mansion, Mabel was met with Lady Margaret’s furious face shouting my name in the hallway.

Lady Margaret, Alfred’s lady’s maid, seemed to have forgotten that a distinguished guest was about to arrive, as she screamed for the mansion to leave with more venomous fury than ever.

“I never liked Louise hiring you. No one knows if you’re a war orphan or the offspring of some immoral affair! But finally, I can get you out of the mansion. It’s very well!”

“What do you mean, my lady?”

Mabel asked in confusion at Lady Margaret’s sudden and sharp words. Then Lady Margaret barked in a more sharp voice than usual.

“Your low-class writing is circulating in Oxford town. It’s said to be written by Alfred’s maid, even with a bold explanation!”

Only then did Mabel’s heart sink as she saw her manuscript in Margaret’s hands.

Lady Margaret had strict Victorian values. Even during weekdays, she participated in the study of the pastor’s Bible, and any private conversation between men and women resulted in severe punishment. So writing love stories of unmarried men and women meant dismissal for Mabel.

“I can’t believe that the name of Alfred’s family is being used to describe something so vulgar that I wouldn’t even put it in my mouth! Free love, one-night stands… it’s all promiscuous and disgraceful. Poor Lord Alfred, to suffer such humiliation when Lord Edmundstone is visiting…”

Having succeeded the lineage and being in charge of the maids and butlers of a noble family, she hoped to represent the dignity of the family that all the maids served. So unlike the words worrying about the mansion’s owner, Lady Margaret couldn’t hide her happiness at the thought of finally sending away the orphan maid who had been like a thorn in her side.

Mabel’s hands trembled with fear.

Having listened to Louise’s sincere admonition a few minutes ago and realizing her destitution without even a poor family from her hometown unlike other maids, Mabel now faced the prospect of losing her job because of the dream of becoming a writer that did not fit her station.

“My lady, I’m sorry! I won’t write such things again, please don’t drive me away!”

Mabel collapsed, kneeling and pleading. If an aged maid like Lady Margaret spread rumors about her being a promiscuous woman, Mabel, with no connections whatsoever, knew she would never be able to find a regular job again.

“Move aside!”

Margaret pushed Mabel, who was sitting on the hallway floor. As a result, Mabel’s leg was dragged across the rough wooden floor, tearing her worn and rough wool stockings.

“Please, my lady. You know I have nowhere to go if I’m driven away from here…”

Nevertheless, despite her exposed bare leg, Mabel begged for Margaret’s mercy once again.

“I’ll work harder from now on. I swear I won’t do anything that displeases you. So please…”

Mabel had tears streaming down her cheeks. However, she couldn’t bring herself to wipe them away as she looked up at Lord Alfred’s strict maid.

“Oh my goodness, Lord Edmundstone!”

Lady Margaret froze at the unexpected early arrival of William Edmundstone, the distinguished guest of the mansion.