THE MAID

The House

Old Agatha was awake before the rooster croaked. A gloomy day that followed the night of rain. It makes her knees weak but the old woman still could stand another day to serve. The house was big and as the time pass by she realized that obviously it was impossible for her to spin around everything on her own. She wasn't young anymore. But luckily she got some help, from a young lass who came weeks ago as a maid. She prove herself to be very helpful and keep her head low to mind her business as she should. Luckily, the young maid was also patient enough by nature to put up with all the outrageous demands and difficult character of the lady of the house.

"Good morning, Sarah." Agatha walked inside the kitchen. A gentle smell of warmth and freshly baked bread surrounded her.

The young maid was leaned above the stove where she was boiling water for the tea. Breakfast table must always have tea and coffee. "Good morning, Agatha." she turns lightly with a gentle smile. "Did you got any rest?"

"Hardly, my dear." the elder woman said. "My hip was killing me." sitting across her on the kitchen table with a small groan her face flinched from the pain. "Fall from the stairs thirty years ago, I broke it completely. Ever since it hurts when the weather changes."

"I'll get you my mother's tea for the pain." Sarah smiled. She went to the shelf where they keep all the teas and herbs and grab a small black metallic box. She put some water on the teapot and throw three leaves of her "mother's tea", as she calls it. Soon it was ready and she serve it to Agatha with a spoon of honey.

"Bless you, my dear girl." poor Agatha pat her hand gently and takes a sip from the pleasantly warm tea. "You already baked bread?" she remarks surprised. Sarah nods with a gentle smile as she prepares the dishes for the table. "How do you wake up so early?"

"I have a candle on my nightstand. I push some nails on it. It takes six hours for it to melt and drop the nail down." she chuckled.

"Smart girl." Agatha hummed contently.

"Well, I'm usually a sleepy head and Chip the rooster is far from my window." the young maid said making Agatha chuckle. She took the pile of dishes and walked outside the kitchen. Leading up to the dining room, once she arrived she put the pile of dishes down with a small sigh. Carefully she places each dinnerware set in the right place. Three in number. One for Mrs Caroline Blackwood , the lady of the house. One for her husband, lord James Blackwood said of course by the head of the table his father, Duke Alfred.

Backwoods are a peculiar family. His son James married a woman from Luxembourg, a baroness or something like that, Sarah wasn't sure and she never asked. Caroline was married to James for almost ten years. Sarah couldn't miss how many times the lady mentioned of carrying a child but as she used to say she'll do it only once she gets the title she deserves. Didn't need much of imagination to see that this wasn't a happy marriage mostly for lord James. His father was still alive so the title of Duke remained in his claim. His wife was always eating up his soul for this matter. Many times as Sarah was serving the evening tea she heard Caroline patronizing James to convince his father to put everything under his name. But the son couldn't care less really. He felt like a ghost in his own house. From what Sarah heard from Agatha he left soon after his marriage to Caroline. He came back three years later and usually he spend his time in the city or back on their distilleries, working with his father.

The old maid walk in the dining room as well. She was holding the tray with teapot and the cups. "Agatha.." Sarah sighed watching her. "You look pale."

"The pain is better, my dear but I feel weak from the sleepless night." the old woman said. "Ain't a young girl anymore." she jokes.

"Do me a favor, please. Go get some rest today and I promise I'll manage today alone. We've already finished the laundry yesterday after all. Don't have much to do except from cooking and cleaning." Sarah suggested. "Besides, lord James came back from the city few moments before you came into the kitchen. Don't have many to serve today, he'll wake up for dinner ." she chuckles.

Agatha really needs sleep and she knew. Perhaps lord Blackwood would forgive her a day. Sarah would cover her up of course without a question and leave no doubts that she could manage properly as always. Since the day she came into the house Agatha could really rest as they share the errands and both could do their work better.

Sarah helped Agatha back in her room and as she walked back upstairs from the lower lever where she and Agatha had two rooms she noticed something odd. In the stairs she saw the hems of Caroline's robe rushing upstairs. Sarah stood there for a moment and walked back in the dining room. The first thing she noticed was the teapot. It wasn't standing where Agatha place it. It was clearly removed, as Sarah noticed and placed back leaving some hot drops on the silver tray. Means someone open the cap. Without a second thought she open the cap on top and took a small snif. She flinched and cough from the heavy smell. That was surely not the chamomile she prepared earlier.

Instantly she takes the teapot and rush back to the kitchen, she pass the stock room and walked out from the backdoor of the kitchen. She was about to throw it away when she nonices a little mouse chipping on some old bone the dogs left there. She put the teapot down and went back to the kitchen to cut a small piece of bread. When she came out again the mouse was still there. She dips the bread on the tea and throw it towards it. Far away in the distance. The mouse at first crawl back to hide but sniffing and cautiously approaching the piece of bread she throw at it the mouse started to eat. Sarah was patient she could wait and as she waits she throws the rest of the tea on the ground and went to the sink to was the pot from whatever was poured into it. She clean it carefully and fill it up with hot water and chamomile. When she came back to the backdoor she notice the mouse laying down. Carefully she approached and push it with the tip of her boot. The animal just shivered once but lays still, it was dead. Taking a deep breath Sarah walked back inside and shut the door behind her.