maid chapter 19

Mrs. Wise, having finished distributing the payments, turned on her heel. “Alright then, everyone, back to work.”

The moment she left the hall, Ellie quickly opened her envelope. The other maids, also exiting, resumed their chatter. “I’ve decided. I’m buying that necklace.” “Again?” “Last time I bought earrings!” “Yes, yes, of course. But at this rate, you’ll never save a penny.”

Ellie carefully counted her wages, double-checking against the days she’d worked, then clutched the envelope tightly. The temporary nature of her employment felt particularly frustrating. If she’d received a full wage, she could have spoken up to her aunt, insisting on better meals, at the very least.

Even Saturdays weren’t light on work. Before heading to her assigned area, Ellie tucked the envelope safely inside her apron. Just then, Amanda, who had been about to leave, hurried back towards Ellie and Daniel. 

“Ellie.” 

“Yes?” 

Amanda glanced around, clearly wanting to speak privately. Once she was sure no one was listening, she continued cautiously. “Diana might have already told you, but be careful.” 

“About what?” Ellie, bewildered, looked at Daniel, who simply shrugged, seemingly clueless. Amanda cupped a hand over her mouth and whispered, “A while back… there was a thief. We were all robbed.” 

“Oh.” 

“Whoa!” Daniel’s reaction was belated and nonchalant, but Ellie gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. The shocking news wasn’t over. Amanda shook her head gravely. “The problem is, they haven’t caught the culprit yet. So be careful.” Ellie’s jaw dropped. Did that mean the thief was still in the house?

Keeping money and valuables safe was a constant worry for the staff. While they worked, all the rooms were empty, making them easy targets for petty thieves. The culprit was usually a fellow employee. Stealing from the master of the house would have severe consequences, but pilfering from another servant, even if discovered, usually resulted in nothing more than dismissal.

Amanda sighed heavily. She hadn’t been robbed, thankfully, but many others had lost significant sums. “Well, I’ll be going now. Be really careful!” Already having lingered too long, Amanda hurried out of the hall. Ellie and Daniel followed.

On her way to the study with her cleaning supplies, Ellie nervously patted the front of her apron where she’d stashed her envelope. Amanda’s words kept echoing in her ears. It was a meager sum, but it was all she had. It represented her family’s livelihood. Terrified of dropping the envelope, Ellie kept her arms stiff at her sides. “Oh…” 

“What’s wrong?” Ellie’s sigh made Daniel turn around. She quickly shook her head. “Nothing.”

She’d originally planned to leave the envelope in her room, but now that was out of the question. She had no idea where to keep her money safe. She’d considered entrusting it to the housekeeper. Many houses kept a record of wages and disbursed them on request instead of weekly payments. But she’d also heard countless stories of servants being dismissed without receiving their due.

“What am I going to do…?” Ellie continued to fret over the problem as she swept the dust from the carpet. Sending the money home immediately would be best, but she needed a day off to go to the post office. She couldn’t carry it around with her; she simply didn’t trust herself. She knew she was forgetful. She’d even misplace her broom sometimes; how could she possibly keep track of an envelope full of money all day?

Ellie glanced at Daniel. He seemed unconcerned, his own envelope carelessly protruding from the pocket of his loose-fitting trousers. On impulse, she asked, “Diana, would you mind holding onto this for me?” “What?” Taken aback by the unexpected request, Daniel looked at her quizzically.