It had been a year since Phillipa Thamesman had taken up the housemaid's post advertised in the Daily Herald. The summer of 1890 was one to remember, from euphoric daydreams materialising to untimely reunions, the events of July and August solidifie...
The sun glimmered through the tiny window of my tiny bedroom that morning, reminding me of what needed to be done that day. Every day was hectic as a servant, but today more than most as it was finally the day of Miss Emily's birthday party. The cooking had started yesterday, the meats marinated overnight and some of the pastries and biscuit bases had been left to chill through the night also. Even with the orchestrating of the party, we were still expected to do the usual, breakfast, fires, post and chamber pots. I made a start early, ticking off the jobs as I went, Hetty assisted slowly.
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Leaving Sheila, Lizzie and Agnes to work their magic on the party menu, Hetty and I prepared some simple breakfast trays, just tea and toast, so that the Calendar's appetites would be saved for the feast that lied ahead. We simply poured tea and watched as Emily opened her gifts from friends and family, a stunning bracelet and matching earrings among many of the prettily wrapped gifts piled on one of the drawing room's tables. Hetty and I became better friends after our expedition yesterday, and I trusted her to be able to make her own way down from the drawing room. I told her to leave one of the three trays in the room and take one down, I took the other, and I made it down to the kitchens quickly.
The girls were sprinting around the kitchen, Lizzie was taking out a tray of pre-jammed tarts, while Agnes and Sheila took care of the savoury items. I placed the tray that I was holding beside the sink so that I could wash it and save the kitchen girls a chore and Hetty strode in, as if there wasn't anything to do.
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"Get a move on, Hetty!" shrieked Agnes, darting about the kitchen as Hetty placed her tray on the table, Agnes rolled her eyes,"Brody wants the house to be sparkling!"
"Where is she?" asked Hetty.
"She said she was going up to town to meet a new potential cook." answered Sheila.
"Leaving me in charge," Agnes finished. She handed Hetty a feather duster and some polishing equipment, "Get on with this." Hetty picked up the dusting equipment but didn't leave the kitchen just yet. Jack came in, delivering vegetables in a wooden crate.
"Hello, Phillipa." he said cheerfully, placing his vegetables onto the wooden table, "Phillipa, I was just wondering if you might like..."
His sentence was cut of by the distant but clear crash of one of the breakfast trays upstairs "Constance. Jack, I'm so sorry." I looked up at him apologetically and raced up to the drawing room again where Constance had knocked the tray off of the table we'd left it on, I cleaned it efficiently. I returned to the kitchen hopeful to see Jack, but unsurprised to find him not there.
