In Victorian England slums, the oldest and quietest girl of four trying to keep a roof over her family's head accepts a job with an odd staff and mysterious employer. Until she finds out all the maids before her are dead and she must face a mystifyi...
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It took some time but when I slept a nightmare invaded my struggling head...
Someone brushed my hair, and the strands were so long it almost reached the floor and although the brushing started out pleasant like a disentangling of the hair it soon turned rough. Whoever held the brush pulled on my hair hard enough that I was taken by such great force backwards to the floor as the person proceeded to drag me out of the room solely by pulling me by the hair. Screams of anguish! Yet no sounds were heard and the pain so insurmountable like each strand would rip my scalp away piece by piece...
"Alice, it's me," Mr. Howard's voice echoed me out of the nightmare.
"Mr. Howard..." I lifted my eyes to see his face and my head against his chest.
It was day though my bedchamber looked grey when I woke up in Mr. Howard's arms about to place me back on the guest bed.
"Sleep, your maid will be here shortly," I got up from his arms to stand on my own.
"No uh no I am awake sir," I brushed my hair back and cleared my voice.
"I thought it would be best none of the staff caught you in my room."
"Yes sir," I nodded and he lifted my hair away from my neck.
"Your throat is bruised here," he said when I jumped back from his fingertips on my neck.
"Where?" The air began to leave me again as my body relived the moment of yesterday, my hands were on my throat as I went over to see it in the mirror, "oh."
"I hope your dress will cover it," he asked but I was traumatized in tears from the incident still, "Alice?"
"It was her, she knows me, this was her doing, it was Lydia."
"If it was her, I will find the truth and she will never bother you again."
"If? Who else would do this to me? Who else would be deranged enough to... to..." Attempt murder, were the words I could not say out loud.
"Alice we cannot condemn anyone without specific proof."
"What kind of hold does she have on you that you would say such a thing?"
"None! No one has any hold over me! And I shall not give into you or anyone for I do not blindly trust anyone not even you whom I..." He altered his voice once again we were fighting without even knowing then he stopped collected himself and said.
"Like I said I will make sure you are safe, I must leave now; Edna should be on her way to you. Goodbye Alice," he nodded and I nodded back thinking if he was about to say the words I thought he was.
Still I turned to mirror again to see how I could wear neck scarf to cover the bruises on my neck knowing there was no way to wear the necklace intended for the dress. Then I saw a paper under my brush, though I had no recollection of leaving any paper under my brush which meant someone had come in the bedchamber again last night to finish what they started, the note read.
