The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 46

< Chapter 46 >

“I can see you don’t have a new fiancée, so what about…… your first love or any other crushes?”

Mabel asked as she swept William’s sweaty hair back. 

Despite the warning from senior Lorelei that girls who were given single rooms would be watched more closely because they might attract men to their dorms, fortunately, Mabel and William’s passionate night remained undisturbed by anyone.

“None.”

William said as he delicately licked her lips. Mabel’s lips, which she tried not to moan as he embraced her, were particularly red.

“Lies.”

Mabel quickly replied.

“Think carefully.”

Mabel said in a malicious voice. At least, doesn’t he know the person to whom he gave his heart before her? Mabel recalled William, who tried to kiss her at Lord Herbert’s party. It was ridiculous to be jealous of herself, but he wouldn’t know it was her.

“Well, come to think of it…”

William, who was thinking for a moment, began to speak.

“About a year ago, at a party in Oxford, I met a very pretty and cute lady.”

William lay on his back, lazily looking down at her while running his hand through his hair. His sturdy lower body was covered by a thin blanket, but his bare upper body showed clear muscles when he moved.

Mabel noticed that he was talking about Lord Herbert’s party and perked up her ears.

“The lady who captivated me at a glance on the balcony in the moonlight…”

William’s lips touched Mabel in an instant. Surprised by the sudden kiss, William lightly bit her swollen lower lip and slowly pulled away.

“I was about to kiss her like this, but she disappeared.”

Mabel, who had melted into his playful kiss, snapped back to reality. Was this kiss now because he was thinking of that woman on the balcony? No, even though she was that woman, William wouldn’t know, making her even more confused. Before she knew it, Mabel’s heart turned red with jealousy and confusion.

“S-so…”

William looked lovingly at Mabel, whose confusion and complexity were visible on her face, and then he picked her up and turned her over in his arms.

“Mabel, the day you fell into the water at the Isle of Wight, I almost lost you again that day.”

“‘Again’?”

William, with the sheet wrapped around his body, gently caressed Mabel, who was nestled in his arms.

“The first time I lost you was at Lord Herbert’s party. You’ll never know how I felt when I saw you at my uncle’s mansion after that.”

Mabel’s eyes widened with surprise and joy.

“Why didn’t you pretend to know? If you had, maybe I could have confirmed my feelings for you a little earlier…”

“Because it seemed like you didn’t want me to.”

Mabel trembled at William’s indifferent response.

If deceiving him and mocking him was the same, she realized her position as a maid; when William knew this, he could have more confidently demanded her heart.

Even though William could have easily gained the upper hand and pushed forward in his relationship with Mabel, he probably still chose to consider her feelings and would likely remain silent for the rest of his life.

“Did you think I was selfish? Accepting all the help and kindness Mr. Edmundstone gives while pretending not to know you…”

Mabel recalled her efforts to pretend she didn’t feel the attraction between them.

For the past year, she knew everything and just waited. Without pushing or leaving, William silently stayed by Mabel’s side with unwavering affection until she dared to realize her feelings.

As Mabel reached this point of thought, she felt a mix of gratitude for William’s sacrifices and patience for her, but also frustration with herself.

“Even today. I’m just happy that you’re by my side without thinking about what Mr. Edmundstone has to go through or the risks he has to take. I must be a selfish woman who only thinks of herself, right?”

As she whispered to herself, risking being caught for her distorted thoughts, Mabel looked at her lover who came to meet her, risking everything for her.

“No.”

His low voice gently echoed in her ears.

“I hope you’re just a selfish woman who only thinks of yourself. Mabel, even the moment you’re in my arms, I hope it’s a selfish choice for you.”

William’s eyes looked at Mabel more clearly and truthfully than ever before.

* * *

Mable Willis.

I know you didn’t come to the mansion during the last big cleaning. Blabbering about exam periods and such, neglecting your duties.

Regardless of how absurd the rumors about you have spread throughout the mansion, you are still nothing but Lord Alfred’s maid. So don’t mistakenly think that reading a few lines and changing clothes makes you equivalent to the noble ladies you spend time with. You shouldn’t misunderstand Lord Alfred’s leniency and kindness to the extent of behaving poorly; you mingle with groups like colonialists or nonconformists…

* * *

Lady Margaret Sandson’s three-page letter was enough to give Mabel a headache from the first paragraph alone.

Lady Margaret sent a summons to the mansion even during the exam period, insisting on her participation in the big cleaning. Not only that, but she sent several letters filled with gossip and slander, accusing Mabel of tarnishing the mansion’s reputation since Theo’s invitation to Oxford.

“Judging by the first paragraph, it’s a letter demanding my participation in the mansion’s repairs or preaching about knowing my place.”

Mabel muttered with a sigh. She briefly considered informing Lord Alfred about Lady Margaret’s outrageous behavior, but she didn’t want to bother him with such trivial matters while he was recovering. It was just a matter of skimming through the letter as usual and ignoring it.

Mabel checked the time until the next lecture and, without bothering to read Lady Margaret’s letter further, hid it deep in the desk drawer along with her other letters from Lady Margaret. She thought it would be better to wrap her head around difficult chemical formulas during chemistry class than to read such letters and ruin her mood.

However, Mabel didn’t realize the repercussions this action would have on Lady Margaret and herself in the days to come.

* * *

A few days later, Lady Margaret Sandson was striding down the corridor in a fury at Lord Alfred’s Mansion.

“Instead of being grateful for the care and attention at Lord Alfred’s Mansion, you have to go and ruin everything!”

Lady Margaret shouted in a voice that sounded like a nerve-racking screech.

Despite Lord Alfred’s affection for the maid under the stairs and the unfortunate rumor that she might become the mansion’s stepdaughter, Lady Margaret had always tried to treat Mabel fairly. She thought it was the way to control the lower elements swayed by baseless rumors and protect the mansion.

“But you’ve already become too arrogant!”

Lady Margaret couldn’t contain her anger and snapped. Other maids who sensed her anger hurriedly avoided the path Lady Margaret was taking.

Moreover, it was customary to follow the master’s orders. Even though she had no manners or education, isn’t it too much for her not to show any gratitude even after Lord Alfred supported her?

Furthermore, a carriage was sent to summon Mabel to the mansion, but the carriage returned with an empty seat. It’s clear she received the letters she sent.

‘As the saying goes, rotten fruit falls closest to the tree.’

Lady Margaret had received wisdom from the household elders who had served the royal family and nobility for a long time. The higher the noble family, the more proper the lineage of the workers should be.

So, for Lady Margaret, Mabel, who came into the esteemed Lord Alfred’s family as an orphan, was like a thorn in her side. However, she had to admit that Mabel’s writing had been a source of comfort for Lord Alfred, so she intended to summon Mabel to help with Lord Alfred’s nursing.

Of course, Lord Alfred specifically instructed not to inform anyone about his illness. However, as his health deteriorated rapidly while receiving care, Margaret, the faithful maid of the mansion, felt compelled to do everything she could for her master of many decades.

“Mail for you, Lady Sandson.”

At that moment, a maid from upstairs handed Lady Margaret the mail that had arrived at the mansion. Among them was a letter addressed to Mabel.

[Invitation to Summerhill Upper Class Ladies’ Home Economics Club]

This letter, with the official stamp of the society, was sent to Mabel’s guardian to approve her membership. Mabel’s guardian needed to consent to her joining.

However, unaware of this, Lady Margaret, upon seeing the letter, became even more convinced that Mabel had forgotten her position and was deeply immersed in upper-class lady games.

She felt even her last shred of mercy for the maid under the stairs disappearing. Perhaps that’s why, instead of placing the mail in the study as usual, Lady Margaret put it in her pocket.

‘It’s been over ten years since the lady passed away and I’ve been managing the mansion. Now that Lord Alfred’s health has deteriorated to this extent, even a maid from under the stairs like her cannot be ignored. I must step up for the honor of the mansion.’

Lady Margaret’s eyes flickered as she looked at the neatly written address of the Home Economics Club on the envelope, pondering how to properly reprimand Mabel this time.