[Includes strong language]
I've seen many days like this, children running on the hard cobblestone shouting, "I need a doctor! My mother has not but two more days to breathe!" As their hot tears streamed down their porcelein, thin faces. Humanity wa...
"Yes?" I clasped my dirt covered hands together. She began to laugh, "Good job!" She shouted, the woman standing next to her nudged her with much force, she tumbled to the side a little bit, "Sorry!" She raised her arms at the old woman, her hair was white and grey and her features were quite distinct.
The girl grabbed my hand and led me to the room placed on the left, "Sorry, that was Marilla, she's been here for years and has a special spot for Prince Calum." I noticed she had an accent of her own, American.
"Is that common?" I asked, "To like Calum?" The eyes of the brown haired woman in front of me widened, "Prince, Calum. I know you don't like him, and neither do I, but if you get caught saying his name like that, you're head is torched!" She warned, and I nodded.
"It's common for all the servant girls to love his Majesty, I mean, he's very attractive, and he has a heart for the ones he cares about." I noticed as her bright blue eyes would glance around as she spoke, as if she was making sure nobody could hear her, "But, he really is a bastard, he took me from my house three years ago, the year that the stock market went down, and my family passed slowly one by one, I never got to attend their funerals."
My eyes widened, and a small strand of curly brown hair covered my eye, "If you're American, why are you in Australia?" I asked, "My dad came down here to have a change of scenery, after he invested in the stock market, we had so much money. We got a beauty in the hills, she was gorgeous, green shutters and all, you know?" I nodded.
We stood in silence for a short while, a few other maidens came and made the beds that were beside us, "Right, lets get you settled. I'm Sasha Barnett." I smiled at her, "I'm Josephine, Jo." She held out her hand, as a signal to shake it, and I did. She took me out to the big room, where a few of the maids from earlier still stand. Only this time they're too busy working to stare at me.
"I can do anything you need me to do, right." I clarified, "Well, since you're new and haven't been stuffed like a chicken yet, might need to give you something simple." She led me into a room, it was filled with women who were sewing gorgeous long dresses and suits.
"Here, sit down and sew this one of a kind, coat." She sat me down and placed a jacket on my lap, it was white with golden material running up the sides, almost like it was from a marching band, "Now be as careful as possible, this belongs to yours truly!" She smiled devilishly and pointed to the large painting of 'his majesty' on the wall,
"Dick." I huffed and grabbed the needle, from the table beside me. "Have you no manners, woman?" One of the older ladies scolded, "I reckon you'll be in the dungeon by sundown if you don't shut that mouth of yours." She looked astonished at the words I was using.
"Mind your business, ay?" I rolled my eyes internally and continued to thread my needle.
✟ ✟ ✟
It was around 5 pm when the kitchen began to crowd. I finished Calums jacket and set it on the table, from where I got my needle. Sasha asked me to help out in the kitchen since dinner was the biggest meal to cook, and it required all hands on deck.
The feast for tonight was Scalloped onions and peanuts, spinach, hot biscuits, catsup, lemon pie; cold boiled ham, succotash, carrots, cold slaw, green tomato pie; cream of vegetable soup, oven-toasted bread, grated cheese and lettuce salad, apple sauce, hot gingerbread; roast chicken, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts or some other green vegetable, crabapple jely, peanut-brittle ice cream, sand tarts.
I hardly understand how they could eat that much in one night, let alone one sitting. I also wondered how Calum ate that much but still stayed relatively fit, from what I remember he was not but a smidgen overweight.
A bell rung, signaling the family was present at the table. Many women were shouting, and many were running around grabbing plates of food. I took the dish nearest in sight, the lemon pie. Alongside many other women, I ran up the stairs and my shoes met the cold marble floor.
I walked down the hallway, following the other women, we arrive once again in the large room, only this time half the chairs were taken. An older looking man with dark grey hair was seated next to Calum, I assume that is his father. A very pale woman was sitting across from him, her hair was dark chestnut brown, and her eyes were prominently focused on the food being set down in front of her.
I walked over to the table, and set down the pie that was occupying my arms, looking up, my eyes were met with familiar Dark ones, "Ah I see you've all put Teagan to work." Calum smirked, and lifted an onion to his mouth, "it's Josephine, you're highness." I didn't try to, but it definitely came out in a mocking tone towards the end. He just continued to smirk, "I know, Teagan. Tell me, what's your middle name?"
"I don't like people to know my middle name." I deadpanned, my Mimi would call me by my middle name, she was mentally ill and died long before the Great Depression started, I would only to let her call me by my middle name because her sweet voice made it sound so angelic.
The King looked up at me, partly with disgusting and partly with curiosity, I sighed, knowing I didn't want to sleep in the dungeon tonight, "Roy."
Calum chuckled, "Thank you, Roy. Now go change, I'm surprised you're still wearing that."
Calum rlly givin her a nickname like—
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