The Maid

Chapter Four

A/N: I know what I said about waiting for another review, but I discovered PicMonkey and the new cover inspired me! Reminder: this is a one-off and in future I will be waiting for reviews before I post any more. One more thing - I will only ever require two or three reviews to keep me writing. I'm new, so screeds of reviews aren't a big thing for me. It's enough to know that people are reading and enjoying my writing. Hugs to y'all!

Chapter Four

I woke slowly, my eyelids open at half-mast. I stretched lazily and wondered why Mam hadn't called me to come down yet. Just then a cock crowed and my eyes shot fully open as I remembered everything: the journey, meeting Dominic and my Uncle and Bess...whose side of the bed was empty!

"Drat," I groaned, scrambling out of bed. My trunk lay in front of the dresser, still unpacked. I rummaged through it for clean clothes and found a simple green dress and white apron. After slipping them on, I secured a comb, tidied my hair, and washed my face. 

"Morning to you," Dominic greeted me as I came down the stairs. He was sweeping the floor, the broom scraping against the wood methodically. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"I think I overslept," I told him. "Where's Uncle Henry and Bess?"

"Uncle Henry's in the stables and Miss Bess is milking the cow. They'll be in soon." He went to the bar and tossed me a rag. "Might want to wipe down the tables while you're here. The redcoats were having a regular time of it."

"I didn't hear a thing." Just then, I remembered the strange horse and rider I had seen outside last night. "Dominic, did anyone come on a late visit to the inn? Around midnight, maybe?"

"No." Dominic's normally laughing blue eyes stared at me, suddenly dark. "Why?" His tone sounded suspicious, sharp even, and it unnerved me a little.

"N--nothing," I lied. "I just thought I heard horses' hooves last night."

"Probably a traveller passing through." His voice was normal again, and I dismissed my earlier fears. I had probably imagined everything. Mam said I used to tell wild tales about goings-on at night when I was little. "Workin's of an overactive imagination," she'd say, tapping me on the forehead with a twinkle in her eyes. 

"Good morning, Rose." Bess' voice made me look up. "I'm sorry if I let you sleep in; I just didn't have the heart to wake you."

"That's all right," I said. "Morning, Uncle Henry."

"Morning, Rose. Ah, getting busy, I see?" He smiled. "You'll become a fully-fledged employee in no time. Is breakfast ready, Dominic?"

"Aye, aye, sir," the dwarf said, saluting in a way that made me want to giggle. I glanced at Bess and saw her lips pressed together as though holding back a laugh.

"Father, may Rose and I go into town today?" Bess asked when breakfast was over. "We need some fresh fruit, and Mrs Gooding asked me to call in on her."

"Why you bother with that woman I'll never know," Uncle Henry said. "She's as crazy as a bee with a stinger at both ends."

"She can't help it," Bess returned. "Besides, she does the most wonderful crochet-work."

My uncle sighed. "There's no stopping you," he said resignedly. "You may go. Dominic, go tell Tim to get the wagon ready."

"Yes, Uncle Henry." Dominic pushed himself back from the table and left the inn.

"Who is Tim?" I asked. Yet another unfamiliar face.

"Tim is...our stablehand." Bess sounded less than enthusiastic about it. "I still wish you hadn't hired him, Father."

"He's good with horses. If it wasn't for my employ, he'd be out on the streets, and do you know how someone like that would be treated? All for being simple." Uncle Henry sighed. "It's a cruel world, this one."

Having finished my breakfast, I put on my bonnet and cloak and went out to wait for Bess. The wagon stood ready in the yard and a man was at the horses' heads, stroking them and murmuring inaudibly.

"Excuse me?" I said.

When he turned around, I nearly jumped. He had the strangest eyes I'd ever seen: pale and milky and staring, and his hair, which stuck in every direction, strongly resembled mouldy hay. I couldn't help but feel afraid and more than a little repulsed by him.

"Are you Tim?" I asked.

"Aye. And you're...Rose?" He spoke slowly, drawing the words out.

I nodded.

"Pretty name." He smirked, repeating it. "Rose."

"Rose, we're ready." Bess' clear voice sounded across the yard. "Thank you, Tim." She climbed up into the seat and helped me up beside her.

"You'll not be late, now?" Uncle Henry called from the doorway.

"No, Father, I promise." Bess smiled at him and then clicked her tongue to the horses and we were away. Just as we left the yard I turned around. Tim was still standing there, watching us, that smirk on his face.

In daylight, Yardley was a hive of activity. Vendors called their wares; ladies gossiped and men smoked their pipes, while children chased one another and snitched bits of food off the stalls, getting a sound cursing and often a pull on the ear if they happened to be caught.

We stopped in front of a little house that was jammed together between several other cottages, and Bess turned to me. "I might be awhile, so you can go and see the sights. When the town clock rings three, come back and meet me at the wagon. Alright?"

"Thank you," I replied, exhilarated and a little nervous at the prospect of freedom for an entire hour and a half. When Bess had gone inside the house, I climbed down off the wagon and set off on my exploration.

It was hard to walk down a street in Yardley and not be nabbed by men and women trying to sell me  anything and everything from meat pies to hair ribbons. I caught sight of the old lady who had tried to get me to buy the rotten fruit yesterday and swiftly headed in the other direction.

There seemed to be an abundant amount of redcoats in Yardley, their scarlet jackets standing out amid the crowd. I wondered where they all came from and resolved to ask Bess later on. Several tipped their hats to me and one winked, making me blush.

Just then the town clock rang three and I glanced up, surprised at how time had flown. I turned down a narrow street heading back to Bess, and ran smack into a couple of redcoats coming the other way. I lost my balance and fell down, dirt splattering my dress.

"Sorry, miss," the younger redcoat said, reaching out to help me up. "I wasn't looking."

"No, you weren't," I snapped before realising what I had said. My cheeks turned bright red. "I...Forgive me. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"That's all right, miss," the young soldier said. He had dark brown hair tied back in a queue, and a freckled face with bright grey-blue eyes. "No harm done?"

"None," I replied. "I'm Rose, by the way. Rose Gilmartin."

"I'm Major Warrington." The older redcoat spoke up for the first time, bowing smartly. 

"Private Walter Kent, at your service, miss," the boy said, smiling at me.

"Tell me, are you by any chance related to Miss Elizabeth Gilmartin of the Wayside Inn?" Major Warrington asked.

"I'm her cousin," I said. Before I could say anything more, I heard a voice calling my name and Bess appeared, flush-faced and her hair dishevelled. 

"Rose! I was wondering if you were lost! Are you alright?" she asked.

"She merely had an accident, Miss Gilmartin," Major Warrington said, smiling at me warmly. "We have just met." His face seemed to grow a little more flushed as he said in a slightly lower tone, "And how are you?"

Bess' pretty face coloured. "Well enough, thank you, Major Warrington. If you will excuse us, we must be going now." Without waiting for a goodbye, she took my hand and walked away at a fast pace, so that I had to run to keep up. 

Curiouser and curiouser.