maid chapter 28

Come to think of it, it was strange that these had been left in the storeroom. Ellie quickened her pace to catch up with Daniel.

“These must be plated, right?”

“Of course.” Daniel jiggled the dust-covered crate. Ellie pursed her lips. Perhaps Baron Meyers, but silver-plated cutlery for the Countess? It doesn’t seem right.

Despite the maids’ questions and grumbling, the work continued. After carrying the crates to the servants’ dining room, they began preparing to clean the silverware. The long table, usually laden with food, was now covered with buckets of water, cloths, cleaning agents, and polish.

Sarah, after another inspection, instructed, “Don’t cut corners. These need to be presentable for the mistress.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The maids lined up at the table and began cleaning the cutlery. Ellie took a seat, while Daniel emptied and cleaned the crates.

Ellie turned a large plate over in her hands. Completely clouded, it reflected nothing. I’d rather use wooden plates than eat off of this, she thought.

Under the bright light, the cutlery set didn’t impress Ellie. Outdated designs, and if they were only silver-plated, they weren’t worth passing down.

Sarah checked her watch, her expression anxious. Pulling the maids away from their usual duties had left other areas short-handed.

“I’ll be back shortly. Keep working.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sarah’s right-hand maid replied. As the head maid hurried away, the other maids exchanged glances. As soon as she was gone, they dropped their cloths as if on cue.

“Honestly! Why are we cleaning these?”

“Exactly! She’ll just glance at them and put them away again.”

Ellie continued working in silence as the maids gossiped, sharing what they’d heard about the cutlery.

Apparently, the Countess had a friend from her unmarried days who had gifted her this set. Silver-plated, though. Perhaps the friend hadn’t been very well-off.

“Well, maybe it’s common where she’s from.”

“True, the mistress is from abroad.”

Ellie perked up at this new information. Abroad? Where?, she wondered, eager to learn more, but too timid to ask. I’ll ask Amanda later.

Ellie had been fascinated by foreign lands since her days at the charity school. Books and stories couldn’t satisfy her curiosity, even though she’d always been stuck in their small village.

“Why did she want to find these, anyway?”

“Apparently, she was reading a letter and suddenly remembered them.”

The maids shook their heads at this nonsensical answer. All this trouble for a letter? If they’d been stored away for so long, they couldn’t have been that precious. It seemed like nothing more than a noblewoman’s whim.

When have the nobles ever made sense?, Ellie thought. The conversation over, the maids resumed their work. Ellie set down the plate she’d been pretending to polish and picked up the next piece.

Suddenly, something nudged her ankle. She glanced up and met the eyes of the maid across from her—the same one who had scolded her for sneezing. Ellie quickly looked down again, hoping to ignore her.

The maid, misinterpreting Ellie’s expression, scoffed. Ellie pretended not to hear. She tried to continue working, but the prodding continued.

Tap, tap, tap, against her ankle bone. It wasn’t painful, but it was certainly annoying, and the fact that she felt compelled to ignore it bruised her pride. It felt like admitting defeat without a fight.

Another tap. Ellie finally snapped, looking up sharply. Just then, Daniel, finished with the crates, approached her.

“What’s wrong?”

“She keeps… kicking me with her foot.” Ellie glared at the maid across from her, pointedly tapping her own foot. The accused maid blinked innocently.

Kicking her from across the table?, Daniel thought, glancing between Ellie’s face and the table. The table was far too wide to kick someone from that distance.

Ellie followed his gaze and realized the problem. Even if she stretched her leg, her toes would barely reach. If it wasn’t her, then what was it?, she wondered, slowly lowering her gaze beneath the table.