The Serving Girl // Book 2 in the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Twenty-Seven

For the first time in six months, I was scared to work.

Just waking up that morning made my heart race, my hands shake and my palms to become overly sweat to the point I struggled to pin my own hair up. After what Lady Thatcher had said the previous day, I knew Mrs Ealing would be coming for me more than ever and for the first time, I wanted to spend the day hiding in the kitchen rather than help out around the house. As I prepared to go down to the kitchen that morning, I figured I could solve all of my problems but simply telling Doctor Ealing about the troubles I faced with his wife. Yet I didn't want to become the thing we despised at the factory. A snitch.

Instead, I made the decision to do the work that was required of me and avoid Mrs Ealing wherever possible. I didn't want to give her the reason she needed to give me another infraction. Pinning my hair in place, I rammed my bonnet onto my head and left the bedroom, blowing out the candle as I went. Miss Jenkins and Esther's voices carried up the stairs as I slowly climbed down them, using the handrail as I went. My knees ached a little and it hurt to walk a little more than usual, but I wasn't going to mention that. All those years of sliding around on my knees at the factory had played havoc with my joints and some days were worse than others. I had never told the Ealing's about any of my old injuries; it just gave them a reason to get rid of me.

Hobbling down the stairs, I walked into the kitchen to see Miss Jenkins and Esther preparing the trays for breakfast. Esther had woken up before me and Miss Jenkins had had to yell up the stairs to wake me up. Apparently, Esther had tried to shake me awake but it hadn't worked. Normally I slept very lightly but that night I didn't want to wake up in the morning, so it seemed my sleep was heavier.

"You're limping," Miss Jenkins noted as I hobbled into the kitchen.

"I walked into the bed when I went to make it. It was stupid," I lied, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"That was stupid. Are you going to be alright to work?"

"Yes, it's nothing."

"Good. Breakfast is on the table, just jam and toast I'm afraid, nothing too special. Apparently, the twins weren't too happy about having to spend yesterday's luncheon in the nursery with the nanny and they destroyed it when no one was looking. I'll have Esther deal with the tea trays for this morning and you can tackle the mess if you don't mind."

"Of course not, I'll head straight up after I've eaten."

I limped to the table and grabbed the piece of toast. Resting my hand on the table, I ate the toast within seconds and brushed the crumbs off on my skirt. My stomach groaned at the lack of food, but I ignored it and left Miss Jenkins and Esther to deal with the tea trays whilst I went to tackle the mess that the twins had left behind. If the state Zachariah's room on a normal day had anything to go by, the room would not be a pretty sight. The combined force of both of them would probably have brought the ceiling down could they reach it.

Using the bannister attached the wall, I heaved myself up the stairs and out onto the hallway. A small stream of sunlight travelled through the front door, lighting up a strip of the hardwood floor that lined the hallway. I stepped out into the hallway and into that small patch of light, glancing towards the door to see if I could catch the beam shift as the sun moved. Back at the factory, there used to be a single window at the top of the wall and during the summer it would give us a bright strip of sunlight that lit up the whole room. Sometimes it would shine directly on Isabel as she worked. We used to joke that it made her an angle. I don't think we realised how true that might have been.

As the sun moved slightly, I stepped out of the sunbeam and through the hallway towards the stairs. Once again, I used the bannister as a point of leverage so I could climb the stairs without having to put too much weight on my knee. It felt as though it was bothering me more than usual, but I had work to do and my knee would have to wait. Instead, I carried on up the stairs until I reached the nursery. Holding my breath, I pushed the door open and stepped inside, shocked by the chaos that covered the room.