The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 67

< Chapter 67 >

Mabel’s friends who arrived at Oxford were each guided to the guest rooms of the mansion.

As no one refused Lord Alfred’s invitation, the Christmas party turned out to be larger than expected, as it had been 10 years since it last took place.

The mansion was filled with uniformed maids and butlers from Herbert, and instead of the heavy blue curtains that had blocked out the light entering the mansion unchanged for the past five years, Lord Alfred’s mansion was decorated even more splendidly, with elegant cream-colored curtains around the windows.

Aunt Louise, amidst the bustling reception of the mansion’s maids for the first time, was attentive to Mabel.

“Are you sure you want to use the study bedroom? It’s too close to the guest rooms where the political students stay… “

“Oh, Aunt Louise. If you keep asking, I may have to take the top room where Daisy and I used to stay. Don’t worry, the study bedroom is large and comfortable enough for Lord Alfred to use as a second bedroom.”

Due to the modest size of the mansion, Mabel had to give each of the six young gentlemen and ladies from London their own room, leaving none for herself. Despite Mabel’s bright reply, Aunt Louise couldn’t hide her uneasy expression.

“Still, male guests are staying on the west wing of the second floor… “

“They’re friends we’ve built a long-standing friendship with. They’re very gentlemanly, so there’s nothing to worry about, Aunt Louise.”

“Nevertheless. I should have given them the third-floor master bedroom that Lady Elizabeth and Lord Alfred used to share, but they’ve already taken Master Edmundstone’s luggage from yesterday.”

For a moment, Mabel’s hand, which was helping Aunt Louise check the guest list, paused.

“Oh, is Mr. Edmundstone here?”

“Oh, of course. He wasn’t on the guest list, but Lord Alfred personally contacted him. He’s the only nephew of the childless lord… He’s gone horseback riding with other guests, but he’ll be back in time for the evening party.”

Mabel involuntarily swallowed. It was her first chance to see his face again since rejecting William’s proposal. Her heart started to beat with a pleasant sound.

She casually asked Aunt Louise, trying not to show any sign of disturbance.

“Is Mr. William Edmundstone… doing well?”

“As far as I know. Despite leaving the noble estate and renouncing his title, rumors are rampant, but the gentleman I see is always full of vigor, you know? If Sally and Daisy had seen him gallivanting across the snow-covered fields with other young men, they would have swooned…”

Aunt Louise smiled, recalling the days when she and her fellow maids gathered to gossip whenever William visited. Then suddenly, she looked at Mabel and spoke.

“By the way, why is Ms. Willis asking me about the gentleman’s news? I feel like Mr. William Edmundstone would have written countless love letters.”

Aunt Louise, as a maid of the mansion, always treated Mabel, a guest, with courtesy, but her unique manner of speaking and expression still carried the same mischievous tone as before.

“What? W-what do you mean…?”

As Mabel stammered in confusion, Aunt Louise playfully jabbed her side as if to say, ‘Oh, Aunt Louise’s eyes can’t be deceived. It’s not easy for someone in love to hide it.’

However, after observing Mabel’s helpless expression, Aunt Louise said.

“Come to think of it, the moment he arrived, Mr. Edmundstone asked me how Miss Willis was, which seemed strange.”

“Mr. Edmundstone asked about my well-being…?”

Mabel had thought William might still be angry or would never again show concern for her. But now he had asked about her well-being. Her heart, which had been beating happily just moments ago, now began to beat louder and more forcefully throughout her chest.

Aunt Louise clicked her tongue, seeing Mabel’s expression of mixed guilt and joy.

“Tsk tsk… It’s alright. Young people grow through love. It’s difficult to bear fruit without going through that process. What’s so good about being young? Even if they get hurt and hurt others, young love is about quickly resolving everything with passion and faith.”

Aunt Louise collected the invitation list Mabel had organized and rose from her seat. Looking at the relieved faces of the two young people asking about each other’s well-being, she realized that what she should worry about was not their love affair but the unprepared Christmas party tomorrow.

“Oh my God, look at my sanity. I’ve got to go and check on the kitchen. Miss Willis, don’t overthink everything, some people, like me, need to think a bit more, while others just need to stop thinking and everything becomes easier.”

Mabel watched Aunt Louise leave in a hurry, lost in thought.

The fact that William was here made her heart beat irregularly. On the other hand, she felt embarrassed about being harsh to him, yet felt relieved and hopeful when he asked about her well-being.

While leaving Mabel behind, Aunt Louise suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Wait, I think there was something I wanted to tell Mabel…”

After a moment of thought, Aunt Louise remembered the secret passage that connected the third-floor master bedroom with the second-floor library, used by Lord Alfred, who loved books and his wife. She was about to share this fact but got carried away by the overflowing tasks and forgot her original intention to go see Mabel.

“It must be nothing important…”

Aunt Louise hesitated, thinking of going back to Mabel just in case, but she was interrupted by the noisy sounds coming from the downstairs kitchen. Someone must have forgotten to take the cake out of the oven. 

Aunt Louise dashed off to rescue the partially burnt cake.

* * *

After hearing that William was at the mansion, Mabel had to make an effort to suppress her constant inclination towards the entrance.

While sitting in the indoor garden with her friends for afternoon tea, and even when they were opening the early Christmas presents Theo had given them, Mabel couldn’t help but perk up her ears, hoping to hear the sound of horse riding boots somewhere nearby.

However, instead of the sound she longed for, what echoed through was Irina’s lively voice.

“According to the Mother Superior at the Winterbrook Orphanage, with the increase in donations, orphanages in other cities are also sending children to Winterbrook. Fortunately, they’ve been able to accommodate all the children so far, but they’re worried that if they continue relying solely on donations to take in children, they won’t be able to care for the children they’ve already taken in when donations stop.”

Then Julia added seriously.

“Right. No matter how much donations come in, there’s never a guarantee it’ll always be like this. As the babies grow up, their financial needs increase every day. It seems that the nuns, who haven’t managed such a large budget before, are using the incoming donations exclusively for new renovations.”

“So, I advised them to use some of the anonymous donations as a trust fund. The renovation work can be completed with municipal support. Before it became an orphanage, it was an old convent, so if they ask for a portion of the religious heritage preservation budget from the city, they can’t refuse to help.”

Mary’s eyes widened at Irina’s sharp words.

“How do you know all this, Irina?”

“I’m from the Jenkins family. This much is obvious. Besides, it’s something I learned in economics and accounting classes at Summerhill.”

Hearing Irina’s words, Julia clapped her hands as if something good had happened to her.

“Amazing, Irina! If what Irina says is true, wouldn’t there be more funds available to hire additional childcare workers at Winterbrook? While it’s common for one teacher to oversee multiple children in an orphanage, in a place with more reading rooms and additional facilities, just six nuns won’t be able to handle everything.”

Julia, with her long experience with nuns, understood the hardships of the orphanage better than anyone, having spent a long time with the children.

Julia hesitated shyly before speaking.

“Mother Superior suggested that I consider working as a childcare worker at Winterbrook after graduating from Summerhill. I didn’t come to Summerhill with a grand purpose, so it was very heartwarming to have someone recognize my abilities. So, I’m planning to study more in the next semester in childcare and psychology.”

“That’s wonderful, Julia!”

“If anyone can do well as a childcare worker, it’s you, Julia.”

No matter how much she wanted it, Julia always seemed particularly downcast after canceling her engagement with Robert, which was like her life goal. Seeing her sparkle with pride again was truly heartwarming for Mary and Mabel, who sincerely supported Julia.

George, who was silently observing this, casually spoke to Irina sitting next to him.

“Irina, you were also considering what to do after graduation. How about helping out at Winterbrook? You’re good with numbers and have a lot of ideas, so maybe you could help with the operations at Winterbrook?”

Irina seemed to seriously consider George’s proposal, which she hadn’t thought of before.

Mabel felt a sense of satisfaction watching her friends gradually find what they wanted to do.

At that moment, through the transparent glass wall of the indoor garden, four well-dressed gentlemen in riding gear, stained with mud and snow, were making their way up to the first-floor entrance.

“…Taking care of children seems like a job that suits ladies well. However, handling money is a responsibility that requires a certain level of responsibility…”

Mabel had to interrupt Andrew Woolf’s speech just as it began. The reason was that among the gentlemen in riding gear, William, with his sturdy physique, caught her eye.

“Oh, suddenly I feel a headache coming on. I think I need to go up to my room and rest for a bit before dinner starts.”

Mabel quickly got up from her seat and hurried out of the indoor garden. 

Andrew, unaware of the reason for her sudden departure, only blinked his eyes without continuing his sentence.