maid chapter 1

Three women lingered in the dimly lit hallway outside the servants’ quarters, the air thick with the scent of coal smoke and wax. Dressed in the typical maid’s uniform of a black dress and white apron, they had just escorted a foolish “job applicant” to this very spot.

“They’re not actually hiring her, are they?” the maid who had first spotted the outsider asked anxiously.

“Surely not… even if we are short-staffed, not a child like that.” Another maid shuddered, waving her hand dismissively. No matter how few people wanted to do housework these days, this was the manor of a long-established county. Therefore, the staff possessed qualifications and a certain pride befitting their position.

“She said she wasn’t a child,” the third maid, who had been reluctantly dragged along by her agitated colleagues, responded indifferently.

“That’s not what I meant. She just seems… simple,” one of the maids retorted.

“And so provincial,” the other added.

The severe staff shortage plaguing the entire city had left the manor dwindling in numbers, with few replacements for those who left. They had advertised in the local papers multiple times, but every household was in the same predicament. They desperately needed an extra pair of hands, but the current maids weren’t willing to settle for just anyone. They’d rather be overworked than lower their standards.

The first maid peered through the keyhole. “She has a letter of recommendation from Baron Meyers. If there are no other issues, she’ll probably be hired.”

The woman certainly looked like she’d just arrived from the countryside, but despite her shabby appearance, she possessed a letter of recommendation, and from a noble family no less. Without it, she would have been dismissed immediately.

“She’s clearly a problem!” the most vocal maid exclaimed.

The previously indifferent maid quickly placed a finger to her lips. The loud maid promptly covered her own mouth, pressing her cheek against the door to eavesdrop.

Oblivious to the commotion outside, the interview was well underway. The Baron’s handwritten letter had passed through the housekeeper’s hands and finally reached the butler. While he verified its authenticity, the housekeeper addressed the applicant.

“Ellie… Brewer?”

“Yes.” Ellie, who had been tensely shrinking into herself, straightened up. Sweat slicked her palms, and she clenched her fists. The housekeeper’s direct gaze was unnervingly sharp.

Baron Meyers had acted as if he were doing her a great favor by writing the letter, but Ellie hadn’t entirely believed him. He might have just been making things up to get rid of her constant pestering.

Mrs. Wise, the housekeeper, scrutinized Ellie from head to toe. “You say your only experience as a maid is the year you worked at Baron Meyers’ estate?”

“Yes, that’s correct…” Ellie’s initially confident voice trailed off. She knew she didn’t belong here. She came from a poor rural village, her education limited to the basics provided by the church’s charity school. She hadn’t even fully grasped how important an Count truly was. The manor was far grander than she’d imagined. Would a house like this really hire someone uneducated and unsophisticated like her?

She considered herself lucky to have even gotten the position with the Baron. He’d returned to his rural estate after his fortunes declined, and he’d hired any young woman who came looking for work, no questions asked. Of course, there hadn’t been many unmarried women seeking employment in such a remote place. Looking back, she wondered if he’d simply been a lecherous old man preying on young girls.

Mrs. Wise glanced at the butler, who nodded as if expecting the signal. The letter was genuine. “We’ll hire you,” the housekeeper declared.

“Yes…!” Ellie’s face lit up, but her joy was short-lived.

“However,” Mrs. Wise continued, “it’s a temporary position. Half wages for the first four weeks. Is that acceptable?”