The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 4

< Chapter 4 >

“Master, I apologize for this appearance. I was about to dismiss the servant who wrote such inappropriate content…”

Lady Margaret quickly bowed her waist in apology to William Edmundstone and his friend, Vincent Crosby, who had entered the mansion.

“It seems the orphan has nowhere else to go and fears being driven away. I will handle it here, so please… Daisy, stop standing there foolishly and call the maids on the stairs to welcome the masters!”

She appeared flustered as if revealing her own shortcomings. 

A person from the Edmundstone family, who was said to be invited to the Queen’s banquet, was welcomed as a guest, but the only people around were the dirty maids from downstairs who had come up after hearing the commotion.

Then, a manuscript Margaret had thrown drifted toward William Edmundstone’s fine leather shoe.

‘…There are hardly any mansions that accept lowly maidservants, and now that my reputation has been tarnished, I seem destined to sit helplessly on the streets.’

Mabel fell at Margaret’s feet, weeping, unaware that William had been reading her manuscript.

“Crosby, please go upstairs first.”

After a brief silence, William addressed Vincent Crosby, the red-haired lawyer. There was an undeniable authority in his voice that Crosby could not refuse.

“Alright, then.”

Vincent was already flustered about where to look, with the maid crying before him. He raised his top hat slightly, then followed the guidance of the maids on the stairs and ascended the central staircase.

William passed through the foyer and walked slowly towards Mabel and Margaret. Rumored to be the most influential politician in Westminster at only twenty-nine years old, his graceful stride exuded an indescribable charisma and dignity.

“The one who wrote the content… is this maid?”

William asked, looking down at Lady Margaret with an impassive face.

Caught off guard by William’s unexpected involvement, Mabel lifted her head and glanced along the long shadow in front of her.

‘Oh…!’

In his traditional British gentleman attire, his dark brown hair neatly arranged, provocative blue eyes beneath thick eyebrows, and a face that could captivate anyone, regardless of gender…

He was the mysterious man she had encountered on the balcony.

Without waiting to confirm if he had seen her face, Mabel quickly bowed her head. Fortunately, he was only showing Margaret his intriguing profile while asking about the owner of the manuscript.

Now, Mabel trembled for a different reason.

“Oh dear, it’s nothing to trouble yourself over, Master. I will handle this maid…”

As Margaret spoke with a sidelong glance at Mabel, William’s handsome eyes narrowed slightly.

“I see… to handle it. Although I am not well versed in the situation of this manor…”

He spoke in an impartial, composed tone.

“Does the Lady’s Maid have such authority?”

His question, sharp despite his smooth voice, was unlike the usual nobility who treated their subordinates casually. Yet, his manner remained exceptionally polite.

Lady Margaret, who monopolized the power of the manor due to the late mistress and aging Lord Alfred, blushed deeply at his composed question.

“Oh, no, of course not. All employees can only be dismissed with the permission of Lord Alfred, the owner of the manor.”

Mabel tried to still her thoughts while keeping her face hidden.

His voice, was more polite and commanding than anyone else’s, with an imposing nobility that exuded around him.

The mysterious man she danced with and almost kissed was indeed the impressive William Edmundstone.

‘Please, please don’t recognize me…’

Mabel’s lips trembled. She didn’t know if it was her pride or her fear of the look of shame on his face when he realized he’d been played by a maid. She didn’t want to ruin the memories of that dreamlike night.

Unconsciously, Mabel lifted her head slightly and found his gentle smile, as he seemed to teach her to dance.

“Then it would be appropriate to hand this maid over to Uncle Frederick according to the procedure.”

But what met her eyes was William’s expressionless face, staring straight at her.

“I don’t think Uncle Frederick is the sort of man to leave the impression that he is not generous with his employees.”

William spoke again to Margaret in his original gentle tone.

In William’s gaze passing by the tear-streaked Mabel, Margaret realized he was referring to the torn stocking of Mabel. It was a gentlemanly way of addressing the lady’s attire without directly mentioning it.

“Yes, Master… of course…”

Margaret, too, as a stewardess of the manor, politely replied. At the same time, she tried to grab Mabel’s shoulders to tidy up her exposed legs and dirty skirt.

“No.”

William quickly stopped Margaret’s rough hand reaching for Mabel. Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he stood between Mabel and Margaret.

William gestured towards Daisy, who was sobbing in the distance.

“It would be better to leave her to that maid.”

Lady Margaret felt a momentary change in William’s demeanor and hesitated. As her hand was about to touch Mabel, she distinctly felt a chilling gaze on her spine.

However, in front of her stood the perfect man with a polite expression. After finishing his words, William even offered Lady Margaret a dry smile.

Lady Margaret somehow felt slightly terrified by the rather different smile just now.

* * *

Frederick Alfred was an old man who appeared much older than his actual age, a former military officer with long scars on his face as if from war. Due to illness and old age, he spent most of his time lying in bed, so Mabel, the maid downstairs, rarely encountered him.

“…Margaret brought a manuscript, and it seems a certain Mabel Willis signed it.”

Lord Alfred spoke slowly as if speaking for the first time in a long while.

Mabel had been summoned to Frederick Alfred’s study after having dinner with Lawyer Crosby and his nephew, William. 

Hearing from another maid that their mealtime had been longer than usual, Mabel feared that William Edmundstone might still be in Lord Alfred’s study. Fortunately, only Lord Alfred was in the study.

“Please, please… don’t dismiss me. I promise I won’t write such content to disgrace the manor again.”

Mabel pleaded with a trembling voice for Alfred’s mercy. Her mind was filled with fear of Lord Alfred and confusion about William.

“Do you know that I was of common birth? Whereas my wife was the youngest daughter of the noble Earl of Barrett.”

Lord Alfred rose from his seat with a limp, approaching the window.

“My wife and I nurtured our love while avoiding the eyes of the Earl, but shortly after, the war broke out. I realized too late that Earl Barrett had noticed my relationship with Elizabeth and included me in the conscription. Perhaps I thought this was an opportunity to gain favor and receive a knighthood…”

Mabel held her breath at Lord Alfred’s unexpected story. As the silence of his soliloquy became familiar, Lord Alfred began to speak more comfortably.

“On the night before I left for war, Elizabeth secretly asked me to come to her room by the window. It was a window on the second floor, but luckily, being tall, I could climb the wall and enter her room.”

There was something familiar about Lord Alfred’s story.

“Lovely Elizabeth… She had lit candles all over the room and was waiting for me. She swore her love to me and confessed that she wanted to be my wife even if I didn’t return from war. So we had our wedding that day, surrounded by the candles in her room…”

Mabel’s eyes widened. The contents of her novel and Lord Alfred’s story were remarkably similar.

However, since no one knew about the story of Lord Alfred and the late mistress Elizabeth from Oxford, their similar stories could only be attributed to an astonishing coincidence.

Mabel was well aware of the subsequent story. Lord Alfred returned safely from the war with a knighthood and officially settled in the small, beautiful mansion with Elizabeth. However, what separated the happy couple for over twenty years was Elizabeth’s death due to the severe influenza prevalent at the time.

“… Losing her, I let go of everything and lived. I yearned for the twenty-some years I spent with my wife, staying locked in my room all day long. But… reading Miss Willis’ writing, I couldn’t help but wonder if my wife might have been sending me a message.”

Lord Alfred’s expression momentarily clouded as if to feel the pain again, then gradually calmed.

“That my wife and I are now in a temporary separation, just as we were in our first separation after our …… vows by candlelight. Just as I knew that if I survived the war, I would return to her one day, so I felt as if she was telling me through Miss Willis’ words that if I were to be more faithful in the time I have left, we would be together again one day…….. Thank you, Miss Willis.”

Lord Alfred, standing lonely by the window, took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. Mabel could feel his earnestness as he thought of his wife. Even her eyes, gazing at him, had become moist.

After a moment of silence except for the sound of sobbing, Lord Alfred finally let go of his dry hands and spoke aloud.

“So this old man needs Miss Willis’ help to live the rest of his life without shame before my wife.”

Mabel, wiping away the remaining moisture on her face, looked at him with a curious expression.

“I want to help Miss Willis continue writing. It’s an old man’s wish after seeing Miss Willis’ writing skills. My nephew mentioned that you seem to be an aspiring writer with passion.”

Lord Alfred finally turned to face Mabel.

“So how about you go to a university in London to study literature, Miss Willis?”

Despite the frightening scars on his face, the aged Lord Alfred wore a smile that appeared kind.