Apparently, I'm the Infamous Earl's Legendary Bride

Book 2: My Lord Saves the Citizens - Chapter 70

Quinn

After a good hot shower, I put on comfortable clothing, a pair of formfitting trousers, a white blouse with frills about the waist and sleeves, and a fancy vest. Back in the bedroom and sitting in front of the dressing table, I started with my makeup, since I needed it today to cover the dark circles under my eyes. As I was doing so, Jane said, "You're so wonderfully good at the makeup, my lady. I can never get it right."

Applying a good amount of BB cream, I said, "It comes with practice. You're in the cosmetology course, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, my lady, as are the other maids," she said. "Our dream is to become lady's maids and serve noble ladies, so learning makeup and styling hair is ever so important."

"Ah, yes, of course," I said. "I see, so noble ladies like Eden and Sara and Frances."

"And you, my lady, as well as Lady Elizabeth and Lady Maria."

"Hmm?" I turned to look at her, my eyes wide. Lady Elizabeth and Lady Maria? When did my mother and cousin had the title Lady attached to their names?

"They're just so noble, Lady Elizabeth and Lady Maria, and of course, Lord Liam as well."

Oh wow! Liam was a lord now, too?

"That first day when you all arrived," Jane said. "We all thought, or rather we talked among ourselves as we servants do, that you'd be running back to Bedford the moment you saw the horror of the manor, the people, and the living conditions. But we were shocked to see what happened next with our very own eyes. You went right ahead and fixed things. Yes, you did, my lady, just like a saint of a noble lady blessed by the deities that you are, and the way Lady Elizabeth helped and assured the mothers with infants and very young children and the way Lady Maria aided the elderly and Lord Liam helped the soldiers with chores, we've never seen any noble do anything like that before."

I was, naturally, quite dumbfounded at hearing all that. Gosh, I didn't know the servants were observing us to that degree.

I asked, "You said you've never seen any noble do anything like that before? Apart from the Templetons as nobles, you've seen a few others, too?"

Jane nodded. "Oh, yes. I grew up living in the manor, as Mother and Father are both servants of the Templetons, as their parents had been. I became a maid as soon as I came of age at thirteen, and I, we, us servants, have seen a few nobles come and go, especially those we called neighbors of Norsewood."

Neighbors of Norsewood, eh? I said, "Like St. Clair, Norfolk, and Devon?"

"Aye," she said. "Like the nobles from St. Clair, Norfolk, and Devon as well as Durham, Bulwell, Chilton, and Bridport, though Bridport is a bit far compared to the rest, at least a few weeks' journey on a horse and cart. We'd have to cross the alps and then either Devon and Chilton or Devon and Bulwell to get there."

"It does sound a bit far," I said. Although it wouldn't be if there were proper roads and vehicles like a car or even a train. I asked, "So those nobles, they don't act like us Fairchilds?"

Jane shook her head. "Nay, my lady. It's typical for the upper class to not lower themselves to the level of the commoners or even be present in the same space as them. If they were generous enough, which they rarely were, then their kindness was through the servants who'd act on their behalf, usually with a donation or charity of sort."

I chuckled and said, "So you're saying it's unusual for us Fairchilds to do what we do? Are we lowering ourselves and that's a bad look? Goodness, have I ruined Aldric's image by doing that?"

Jane widened her eyes and her cheeks turned crimson. She shook her head furiously and said, "No, that's not what I mean, my lady. I think it's very refreshing to see nobles such as your family do what you are doing, going so far as to..."