A Maid Without Memory

The Axle

 Sally looked over her shoulder to see a lopsided carriage that it seemed had just broken their wheel. She could not see who was in the carriage besides a glimpse of light gray hair. She rushed over after a moment of consideration of whether she should help.

"May I be of service, sir?" she asked the driver.

"I am afraid not, unless you happened to have a spare axle and know how to fix a carriage wheel."

"Well, my good sir, it so happens I do know where a spare axle might be obtained and I fixed many a carriage wheel before."

"Do not tease me," he scoffed, but with a grin and a sparkle in his eye. He had light blue eyes and hair that seemed a mix of brown and blonde.

Seeing a worthy opponent, she teased, "How dare you? I am a most serious woman."

Anyone who knew her would have not been able to contain their laughter at her last statement.

The driver then inquired, "Well then, most serious woman, will you run off and fetch that axle and apply your skills quickly? I do not wish to delay my master for long." He smiled as she began to hurry back towards the townhouse and then a thought occurred to him, "Do not run too fast or the opinion of you as a most serious woman may be damaged." He heard a twinkling laugh before she disappeared into the servant's quarters.

Sally decided she quite liked the carriage driver. She hurried into the servant's quarters to find Mrs. Mayes. She spotted her looking over some list with her husband. She called out, "Mrs. Mayes, may I take a spare carriage axle from the stables? There is a carriage in front of the townhouse in dire need of a new axle."

"I am not sure Mrs. Hampton would want to extend her generosity if she will not rise in social standing for it," Mrs. Mayes replied with a grimace.

"If we do not help them, they will be stuck there for quite some time and it could delay the departure of the Hampton carriage."

Mrs. Mayes chuckled at Sally's ability to find a reason to be generous by appealing to Mrs. Hampton's concerns. "Oh, if you must then be quick. We would not want to delay the carriage's departure any longer.

Sally's smile quickly spread across her face and she rushed off, calling back a thank you to Mrs. Mayes. She quickly grabbed two spare axles, one for their carriage to insure they would not be caught in this unfortunate circumstance, and one for the carriage that had broken in front of the house.

Sally took off to the front of the house. She locked eyes with the driver and raised a hand containing an axle. She briskly strode over to the Hampton carriage, placed the axle with the bags, and turned towards the other carriage. She involuntarily let out a small gasp. The people to which the broken carriage belonged had exited. She did not recognize them, but she could see in their finery they belonged to first circles.

One woman dressed all in black, most likely a widow, but quite young to be one, had a very frustrated air and seemed to have no patience for anyone. Next to her stood another woman, in a dress of the palest blue with pearls adorning her across her neck and dress. She seemed to be trying to calm the young widow. Two men were standing off to the side, in seemingly deep conversation. One was much older and quite a bit shorter, with gray hair and a pair of kind gray eyes. He wore a gray coat as well. The other was tall, dressed in a green coat that showed his figure nicely. He seemed to be talking very animatedly, expressions dancing through his deep blue eyes. He ran a hand through his freshly combed chestnut hair.

Refusing to be intimidated, she strode over to the driver and asked, "Can you task the footmen to move your employers a little farther from the carriage and then slightly tilt it off the broken wheel?"

"Right away," he said with a wink. Sally felt a blush threatening to creep up her cheeks but she took a deep breath and forced it down. She would remain in control of her emotions. The footmen did as they were asked and Sally made quick work of her task. As she stood to go, she looked down to brush some of the dirt and dust off her dress, but she saw a pair of shoes that clearly did not belong to anybody she knew and looked up quickly.

"I am sorry if I startled you, madam. I just wanted to thank you for your help."

"Thank you, sir." Sally was very surprised at his gallantry.