The Heir

Chapter 3

Mr. Cunningham had a maid bring up a light lunch to my suite before what he called the grand tour. Touring the mansion took more than an hour because, no joke, the house has about forty rooms. That number didn't include the servants' quarters in the back. There was a drawing room, music room, morning room, dining room, ballroom, two libraries, and more bedrooms than any house could ever use, just to name a few.

The tour concluded back in the downstairs sitting room. I gladly sat down on the uncomfortable sofa and proceeded to stare into space. With how my day was going, I was, understandably, depressed and quiet. Mr. Cunningham didn't seem to mind as he sat opposite me and began flipping through a book he found on a side table.

"How about some afternoon tea?" He said cheerily, peering over the book.

"Sounds great," I said, still using a monotone voice.

He stood up and moved towards the door where a tassel hung. When he pulled it I swore I heard a small bell ringing in the distance. I recognized that it was a way to alert servants in the kitchen to come upstairs.

I noticed him peek his head around the corner. He gave a light chuckle. The person he wanted was already lurking there. "Mary, can you bring us some tea, please?"

A young woman appeared. She was a perky young woman with brown hair neatly pinned up under a white cap, wearing a simple yet lovely gray dress. I guessed that she was about my age. "Of course, sir! Would you like some food as well?"

"Rebecca, what do you think?" He inquired as he sat back down.

I didn't say anything. I just kept staring at the wall in front of me.

"Not right now, Mary," whispered Mr. Cunningham.

When the tea arrived, Mr. Cunningham invited Mary to join us.

"Rebecca, this is Mary Tanner. She is the housekeeper," explained Mr. Cunningham. "She can be your confidant and will act as your liaison to 19th-century feminine culture about which I am less qualified to teach you. A small etiquette lesson. Housekeepers are addressed as Mrs, even if they aren't married, so you should call Mary Mrs. Tanner when guests are here and around the other servants."

"Okidoki then," I replied, numb from everything that happened that day.

"I was hoping Mr. Cunningham's heir would be a woman," chimed in an enthusiastic Mary. "We are going to be fast friends I can tell."

Mary was a little too perky at that moment for my taste. I stared at her with raised eyebrows. Were all housekeepers this chipper and young? I thought old spinster Curmudgeon got that gig.

Holding back a laugh, Mr. Cunningham said, "I am sure you will be."

"You are incredibly tall, Miss, and your hair is such a lovely shade of auburn! Bit short though. My hair almost reaches my waist. Is your hair even past your shoulder blade? Until it grows out, styling is going to be quite a challenge," chatted Mary happily. I continued to stare at her stunned. "You are very tan as well! And all those freckles too. Were you a laborer? Being pale is a necessity for high-class women today. No need to worry. You will pale out soon enough! Perhaps some arsenic tablets will help."

My few assumptions about the world that hadn't been trampled on were flying out the window. I had gone from a long-haired, pale-skinned academic to a tan laborer who had a run-in with a candle, in one day. What a world. I subconsciously started curling around a strand of hair."My hair's not that short."

"At least it's not a bob," interjected Mr. Cunningham, smiling.

I laughed. "That would be unfortunate."