True Hearts | Downton Abbey

one

april, 1912
one

          "IT'S six o'clock!" A girl with a high voice called through the door to a servants room.

          The girl closest to the door sat up in her bed, her red hair falling across her face in its plait. "Thank you, Daisy," she said back, her voice croaking slightly.

          There were three girls in the room, Gwen, the red-haired housemaid, Anna, the head housemaid whose bed was on the opposite end of the room, and Jane who was a lady's maid, whose bed was in between the two.

          Gwen looked over at the other two who had not budged from under their covers. "Anna, Jane," she said.

          Jane sat up with a huff, tucking a lock of ash blonde hair out of her face, "I hate mornings," she grumbled.

          "Just for once in my life, I'd like to sleep until I woke up natural," agreed Anna.

          The three girls got up and dressed into their maid's attire and quickly made their way upstairs to the ground floor of the estate. They busied themselves by opening curtains, lighting candles and opening the house up ready for the family.

          In one of the final rooms, as the girls opened the shutters, Anna looked over at Daisy who was kneeling beside the large fireplace. "Daisy, whatever are you doing there, crouching in the dark?" Asked Anna.

          "You weren't here and I didn't like to touch the curtains with me dirty hands," she exclaimed, panicked.

          "Quite right, too," smiled Jane as she and Gwen fluffed the cushions on the sofa. She didn't understand how one family could use so many rooms, but somehow they managed.

          Unlike the others, Jane wasn't a permanent housemaid as she was a lady's maid with her mistress and she travelled wherever she did. Her Lady was staying at Downton, her uncle's estate, for the spring as usual, and so Jane was very well used to the other members of the staff and the customs of the house.

          She remembered her first day at Downton Abbey; it was by far the most nervous, panicked experience. She had to quickly step up to the standards of the grand house and its rules.

          "Why didn't you put the lights on?" Asked Gwen to Daisy.

          "I dare didn't," replied Daisy frightfully.

          "It's electricity," she teased, "Not the devil's handiwork."

          Jane looked over her shoulder. "You'll have to get used to it sooner or later," she said, "I hear most private homes have them now."

          "Even at Skelton Park, they've even got it in the kitchens," noted Anna.

          "What for?" Asked Daisy, gobsmacked.

          As they finished off the room, the head housekeeper, Mrs Hughes walked in. Her dark hair was tied into its usual bun, her keys jingling on her waist as she walked, her stern, but kind eyes looking at all the girls.

          "Is the library tidy?" She asked.

          "Yes, Mrs Hughes," said Anna.