Unmasked

Chapter 15

-unedited-

Chapter 15:

"Mary, what on earth is taking you so long?" Elisabeth asks sarcastically and I make my way down the stairs slowly, careful not to drop the laundry basket as I do so.

Knowing Elisabeth is at the bottom waiting to trip more or do something worse so that Mother can punish me. I can practically feel her smirking.

Once I finally make it to the bottom, my only obstacle was not letting the weight of (only) Elisabeth's clothes topple me.

Still feeling Elisabeth's smile, she follows me as I make my way painfully and slowly down the hallway so I can turn the corner and drop them off. I feel sorry for whoever has to carry this basket to the laundry room still a maze of hallways away.

"So I hear you've been sick," she states, "I surely hope it wasn't contagious."

When I finally make it to the corner, I drop the basket and wipe the sweat from my forehead then turn to make my way back.

"Personally I think you faked it, just so you can get out of doing work," she shakes her head in disapproval, checks her nails and sighs, "so lazy these days, Mary, what happened?"

Don't let her get to you. Don't let her get to you.

"You wanna know what else I think," she asks excitedly, sprinting in front of me to face me as we climb the stairs and smiling widely at me, "you're going to like this theory."

I walk around her, rolling me eyes as soon as I'm sure she can't see.

"I think that you also didn't do the work you were supposed to the night of the ball!" I do the mistake of stopping short at her remark, but it's no use in hiding it anymore she noticed so I have to pretend it was nothing.

She walks ahead of me again and looks me in the eyes, "Wanna know what I also think?"

I look up at her.

"I think that our little miss server Mary actually thought she was at the same level as the wealthy, and went to the ball," she tilts her head with an amused smile pasted on her face.

I can't help the shocked expression on my face and Elisabeth's only chuckles.

"Well, it's only a thought. Better not be true, oh, we can only hope!" She playfully pinches my cheek as she whispers to my ear, "better hope not sister."

And she skips away.

~*~

The last thing I can do I sit but I do so anyway.

My prediction was correct, Mother has me doing everything I can possibly do, perhaps more and besides that, Elisabeth's thought...

No, don't think of that, she's only trying to mess with you.

Just then I hear the back door shuffle open and I jerk up even though I know it's only another worker but still.

After Elisabeth's theory, who knows what she sees.

"Mary!" I jump.

Mother comes up to me and hands me a paper. I look it to see a list of vegetables and supplies, I look up at her questionably and she answers, "I need as many of my servants to buy these for me and you were the only one nearby so don't fail me."

As she says that she hands me a small brown pocket bag, but before it touches my palms she jerks it back and eyes me evilly, "this is only for the grocery, understand? If I find out anything else done with it I won't hesitate to-"