maid chapter 18

Taking his silence as tacit agreement, Ellie continued in a hushed tone. “Have you ever kissed anyone?”

This time, Daniel let out a sigh loud enough to blow the roof off. Ellie clearly saw him as just another maid in the room. If she had sensed anything even remotely amiss, she wouldn’t be pestering him with such nonsense in the middle of the night.

“You said just listen.”

“I haven’t.” Ellie rambled on again, unprompted. She seemed to believe that if she opened up to him, he would reciprocate. Daniel replied in a weary voice, “I can tell.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ellie sat up abruptly, the covers falling to her chest. Daniel turned to face the wall. “Just go to sleep.”

Ellie flopped back down. She’d expected her standoffish roommate to be reluctant to share secrets, but she hadn’t anticipated this level of uncooperativeness. Ellie stared at Daniel’s back. Her curiosity, once piqued, wouldn’t be easily extinguished. She was burning to know if Daniel had kissed anyone, or done anything more. With his beauty, men surely wouldn’t have left him alone. And Ian didn’t seem like the gentlemanly type either.

Unable to contain herself, she spoke again. “So, have you kissed anyone?”

“Do you really want to get kicked out?”

Ellie closed her mouth obediently. He really wouldn’t let her say anything. There was no point in asking any further; he clearly wasn’t going to tell her. Ellie closed her eyes. As soon as she did, sleep washed over her.

Soon, quiet breathing filled the room. And, as usual, Daniel remained wide awake.

***

Saturday morning, a palpable excitement filled the mansion. Ellie quickly discovered the reason.

Gathered in the hall as usual, the maids chattered excitedly. “We finally saved up enough! I wonder if that hat is still there?”

“Are you really going to buy it? Isn’t it more expensive than a whole dress?”

“That’s because you haven’t seen it. It has so much lace!”

Ellie’s ears perked up. Money! The image of coins rolling around filled her mind. She whispered to Daniel, who was standing beside her, “Is today payday?”

“Yes.”

“So I get paid too?”

“Probably.”

The thought of receiving her first paycheck, a larger one than she’d ever received before, made Ellie’s heart race.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s expression remained as indifferent as ever. Ellie tilted her head. Wasn’t he happy to be receiving the fruits of his labor?

Of course, not everyone was thrilled about shopping. “I have to send all of mine home. My younger brother is getting married.”

“Me too. My mother’s medicine costs went up again.”

Many of the maids had to send all their earnings home, with little or nothing left over for themselves. Ellie was in the same boat. She needed every penny. But she was happy just to be able to send money home.

Maybe he has debts? That would be depressing. Just as Ellie was about to ask Daniel more, Mrs. Wise entered the hall, carrying a wooden tray. Ellie quickly straightened her posture.

“Thank you all for your hard work this week.”

After the customary greeting, the maids received their pay envelopes, starting with the head maid. The fact that the wages were in envelopes was novel to Ellie. Even if they only contained a few coins, it felt different somehow.

As a temporary employee and the newest recruit, Ellie was naturally last in line. She fidgeted impatiently as each maid received their envelope.

Finally, almost everyone had their pay in hand. Mrs. Wise called the next name. “Diana Dawson.”

“Yes.”

Even as he received his envelope, Daniel’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t even bother counting the money or looking inside before shoving the envelope into his pocket.

Oh, Ellie pursed her lips. That’s kind of cool. He was so composed about money, almost like an adult. She resolved to be equally nonchalant when her turn came.

Mrs. Wise picked up the last envelope. “Ellie Brewer.”

“Yes!”

However, things rarely go as planned. Overcome with excitement, her response came out more enthusiastic than she’d intended. The other maids, who had subtly ignored her until now, giggled. Ellie’s face flushed, but today, she could bear it. She had her pay envelope in her hand!