I watched as Robert rolled his eyes in response to the voice, folding his over his chest and raising an eyebrow at the figure standing just behind me. Turning away from Robert, I glanced down towards the end of the corridor, coming face-to-face with a rather un-happy looking Matilda. Like Robert, she had her arms folded over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed in anger as she glared at me across the short distance. Mrs Ealing stood beside her, a box in one hand and her purse in another, though she said nothing as Robert and Matilda stood watching each other.

Neither of them spoke. It looked as though they were having a conversation with their eyes, yelling at each other in complete silence. Mrs Ealing and I just stood back and watched them, neither of us knowing just quite what to do, or just not wanting to get involved. Instinctively, I brushed my hands over the skirt of the dress, refusing to make eye contact with Matilda as her eyes danced between Robert and myself. They had reached a stalemate through nothing but glances and the occasional furrowed brow. When Matilda looked set to break the silence with what I could only assume would be a string of insults, Robert stepped in.

"It was my idea, Matilda. Her other dress is drying in the kitchen and she couldn't walk around in her underclothes, could she?"

"That doesn't mean she has to wear my dress! I don't care if her ratty piece of cloth was covered in candle wax, she should not be wearing my clothes!" Matilda yelled, stamping her foot as though she were some sort of child.

"It's not like you wear this dress. You said yourself that it was out of fashion."

"That's not the point!"

"Matilda, please," Mrs Ealing said. She sounded annoyed, but not quite angry, as though this wasn't the first time Matilda has acted like one of the twins. "Why is Rosie's work dress wet?"

"Zachariah thought he would go for a little swim in the river. If it hadn't been for Rosie, he wouldn't be upstairs playing with his trains."

"What do you mean he went for a little swim?" Mrs Ealing said, the pitch of her voice getting higher.

"He fell in, Rosie went in after him. She got him out before any harm was done, he's dried off and playing with Charlotte upstairs."

"Are you alright?" Mrs Ealing asked, turning to me.

"Fine, Ma'am," I said.

"Father said she has a bruised wrist but beyond that, she's perfectly fine."

"What about my dress?" Matilda interjected, looking somewhat annoyed that the topic of conversation had shifted from her and onto the situation that landed us in this mess in the first place.

"You'll have your dress back tomorrow, Matilda. It's just for one day. Now, why don't you take your new dress to your room and I shall see you in the dining room for supper."

Without saying another word, Matilda took the box from Mrs Ealing and brushed past me, her shoulder deliberately knocking into me as she passed. I stumbled slightly, quickly regaining my balance and watched as she disappeared up the stairs and to her room. Robert looked at me and shrugged, but I knew he was holding back a small smile, no doubt a reaction to Matilda and her actions. Mrs Ealing looked between Robert and myself before heading away to the parlour, leaving Robert and I alone in the hallway yet again.

Robert looked at me and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile before he too walked off, leaving me alone in the brightly lit corridor. Shaking my head, I smoothed out the skirts of the dress before heading back to the kitchen where my work dress was hanging in front of the burner, the colour changing as it dried. After informing Miss Jenkins of the bruise to my arm, she set me to work finishing the cleaning I was supposed to have done that morning. With an apron tied around my back to protect Matilda's dress, I returned to the parlour to continue cleaning.

The room was empty when I entered, the cloth I had been using just a few hours before still sat on top of the cabinet near the window. Sighing, I grabbed the cloth and set about dusting and reorganising all of the objects I had left when I went to find Zachariah. My wrist ached whenever I moved it slightly, but I pushed through it in order to finish the job, eventually completing the task I had been set before the incident with the river.

Glancing around the room, my eyes lingered on the large chestnut piano tucked in one of the far corners of the room, a bean of sunlight shining along the top of the wood. Every time I had been in the parlour, it had been to clean and I was so focused I never noticed the large instrument. I glanced down the hallway to see if anyone was coming and slowly approached the piano, tucking the cloth into the pocket of my apron. My footsteps were quiet along the wooden floor, almost silent as reached the piano.

I ran my fingers over the smooth wood of the top of the piano, the sunlight casting a shadow over the wood. Running my hands along the top of the piano I felt every single knot in the wood, every single ridge on the seemingly smooth surface. I wanted nothing more than to reach down and press on one of the keys, listen to the sound of music for the first time in what felt like forever. However, I knew that pressing the key would get me found out, they would know that I was doing something other than what I had been asked for. After the events of that morning, I didn't want to give the Ealing's any other reason to think I didn't care for my work.

"That's Mothers piano, though she doesn't play it as much as she used to," Robert's voice said behind me.

"I only wanted to look at it," I said. Although Robert was the person least likely to chastise me for doing anything other than my work, I still felt the need to defend myself. I wanted to check all the boxes in case Matilda was hovering around.

"No need to defend yourself, after today I think you have earned the right to be a little nosey." Robert chuckled slightly then entered the room, slowly walking over to the piano. "Besides, a piano as grand as this, how could you resist the temptation?"

"True enough, I suppose."

"Mother used to play every Christmas Eve, we'd sit around and sing along, even if none of us could carry a tune. Once the twins were born, it became too hectic and it just sort of stopped. I've been learning how to play to see if I could take over, but I don't think I'll be as good." Robert took a seat on the piano stool and pressed one of the keys, the noise echoing through the room.

"I doubt that."

"I can play something, if you like, then you can be the judge and let me know if I'm any good. Matilda would never admit it and I think Mother could be considered bias."

"I should get back to work, Miss Jenkins will be wondering why it is taking me so long to clean, she might think I've gone for another swim."

"Just one little tune? You can blame your tardiness on me if you want to. Also, if you say no again, I can just order you to listen and you cannot do anything about it," Robert said, a smug smile on his face as he realised he had trapped me in a scenario I could not get myself out of.

"Very well, but if Miss Jenkins asked, I'm saying it was your fault and not mine. That way you can be the one getting in trouble."

"Understood."

Robert shot me a smile before turning his attention to the piano, his fingers instantly relaxing against the keys as he paused for a minute to take a deep breath. Closing his eyes, Robert pressed down on the keys, the music gently filling the room. It had been a long time since I had heard music, the sound was refreshing, calming. We had been separated from so much whilst in the factory, everything was about the work anything we would have enjoyed beforehand was taken away from us in a matter of seconds. Listening to Robert play made me forget all about the factory.

I watched Robert's fingers move across the keys, his arms relaxed. His eyes were still closed as he played, his face drawn into a look of pure concentration as he played. It looked as though he was at one with the music, as though nothing else mattered apart from the notes he was playing and the tune he was creating. My mother used to look exactly the same whenever she played. The music would consume her, she would become one with the song. I remember standing beside the piano to watch her play, watching her fingers dance across the keys, her head moving to the melody she was playing.

After several minutes of nothing but the soft sound of the piano, Robert came to a stop. His hands rested on top of the keys as a comfortable silence descended upon us, neither one of us wanting to break the atmosphere he had just created with the music. The silence may have encased us, but I could still hear the notes being played. Every sound Robert made through the tune replayed in my head as though he hadn't stopped playing. Music was one of the things I had missed the most in the factory and I was glad to have it back in my life.

"Well? Feel free to tell me it was awful, you don't have to be nice just because you work for my father. I can take harsh criticism. Sometimes," Robert said, breaking the silence.

"It reminded me of my mother," I replied.

"Is that a good thing?" Robert asked tilting his head slightly as he regarded me with furrowed eyebrows and a look of confusion.

"Yes, it is."

"Phew." Robert smiled at me slightly. "I think that's the first time you have mentioned anyone from your family since we met."

"I only met you two days ago, and my family are not something I discuss if I can help it."

"Your mother played the piano, I take it?"

"Yes. I used to stand beside the piano and watch her play, she had the same look of concentration you did."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her?"

I hesitated. I hadn't wanted to mention my family until I felt I could say something and not end up confessing everything. Seeing Robert play that piano, seeing the look on his face brought it all back and for the first time in a long time, I was doing the one thing I promised myself I would never do. Talk about my family. At the factory, we never spoke about our family, our parents were the ones who put us there and to us, it was as though they were dead. We had created our family, we didn't need our old one, or at least that's how I saw it.

"She died during childbirth, the baby too," I said, swallowing whatever disdain I might have been feeling towards members of my family.

"I'm sorry. That's awful," Robert said. He looked as though he regretted asking the question in the first place, but in a way, I was glad he had, I never would have spoken about my mother.

"It was a long time ago, I try not to think about it if I can help it."

"Whatever works for you, I suppose." Robert turned and glanced at a small clock that was sitting on the mantelpiece just above the fire. "I've kept you long enough, you should return to Miss Jenkins. I expect she'll have another task for you."

"Very well."

Shooting Robert a small smile, I turned and left him sitting at the piano. The strip of sunlight that had previously been laying on top of the wood had moved and was now laying across Robert's face, it was strangely serene seeing him like that. I left him sitting there and entered out into the hallway, but rather than return to the kitchen where Miss Jenkins was no doubt waiting to give me another task, I headed down the hallway and out of the front door.

The moment I left the house, I was hit by the warm rays of the sun. Sighing, I climbed down half of the steps a took a seat, looking out along the gravel path I had arrived on only a few days previously. I had only been at the Ealing household for a few days, but it had managed to feel like much longer due to all the chaos that had already unfolded. In just a few days I had engaged in two spats with Matilda and gone for an unplanned swim in the river. Things were certainly different then I had expected. I had always thought that going into service would comprise of nothing but cleaning, tending to the family when necessary, but things were a lot more complex than that.

When Doctor Ealing had suggested I take a position in his household, I never thought my arm and the burn would cause too many problems. Since I hadn't felt it happen, and still had no pain other than the bruised wrist, in my mind, it was nothing but an eye-sore. Burns back at the factory weren't uncommon but they were usually minor, caused by a string of cotton rubbing along someone's arm or someone else tripped and bumping against the brazier. They were usually easy to deal with and never severe enough to warrant dismissal. In my mind, the burn had been a similar sort of thing, but it was throwing up more difficulties than I knew how to handle.

I ran my hands over my apron, wincing slightly as I jolted my wrist in the process. Standing up, I brushed my hands over the back of the dress, removing any trace of the steps from it. Matilda had enough grievances against me, I didn't want to add 'destroying her dress' to that list as well, especially as her mother had promised it would be returned with no harm done. Sighing, I headed back up the stairs and into the house, going unnoticed as I slipped through the door and back down to the kitchen. I discarded the cloth onto the kitchen counter and stood in the doorway, waiting to be told what I needed to do next.

"Did I hear the piano whilst you were upstairs? You weren't the one playing it, were you?" Miss Jenkins asked, catching sight of me in the doorway.

"No, it was Robert. He came in whilst I was cleaning and asked me to listen to him play, something about wanting to keep up an on old Christmas Eve tradition," I said, shrugging.

"So that's what took you so long. I did wonder why you had taken almost an hour to clean a room you had started cleaning this morning."

"I tried to leave, Robert just wouldn't let me."

"Don't let him distract you too much, Rosie. Remember, you have a job to do and he knows it, though he has a habit of getting people distracted rather quickly."

"I know, I won't. I was just finishing up when he started playing."

"Alright, just watch yourself. Miss Matilda has enough grievances against you without adding your ability to be distracted to that list." She paused. "I have asked Esther to put a basket of washing in Miss Charlotte's room. I would like you to put it all away for me. It won't take you too long."

"Of course."

Leaving Miss Jenkins to continue with whatever she was doing, I headed back up the stairs and towards Charlotte's room. I passed Esther on my way up who shot me a smile and headed in the direction of the kitchen, no doubt being given a task that I was unable to complete because of my wrist. It felt as though Miss Jenkins was scraping the bottle of the barrow for tasks for me, and I felt bad that I couldn't contribute more. My trial was only going to last two weeks and it already felt as though I wouldn't be staying beyond that since there was so little I could do. I was more of a hindrance than a help.

I pushed past these thoughts and entered Charlotte's room, finding a basket of freshly laundered clothes in the centre of the room. Charlotte was no-where to be seen, something I was sort of glad for knowing that I was likely to get distracted for a second time today. Taking the silence as a sign, I grabbed the first item of clothing of the pile and slipped it onto a hanger, placing it in the wardrobe at the far side of the room. Having never put clothes away before, it was hard to figure out where everything went since most of the drawers and the wardrobe was empty. However, after several attempts, I managed to find out where everything had to go, successfully emptying the basket.

Taking the basket under my arm, I left the room and walked down the hallway, not expecting to encounter anyone. I rounded the last corner before the stairs back downstairs and came face to face with Matilda who looked as though she was heading to see the twins as she was walking away from her own room. We stood facing each other for what felt like an eternity, neither of us saying anything or moving to get past the other and to our desired destination. I had hoped that Matilda would eventually stop the standing around and simply push past me, seeing as it was something she had done in the past. Instead, she continued to stare at me. The moment I went to walk around her, she spoke.

"You better not get anything on that dress. I may not wear it as often as I once did, but it is a great dress for going into London with Father," she said.

"Your dress will be in pristine condition after today, I promise," I replied, trying my hardest not to meet her eyes.

"I'm glad I bumped into you, actually. I should not have exploded this morning when I saw you in the dress, I should have waited to hear why you were wearing it before I snapped. You saved my little brothers life today and I'm indebted to you for that, if you hadn't have seen him go into the trees, I doubt we would have found him until it was too late."

"I was just doing my job, that's all, something I should be doing now," I said, hoping she got the hint and allowed me to continue what I was doing.

"Right, of course. Again, I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier today, I was out of line."

"I understand."

Matilda gave a small, surprising smile and stood to the side, allowing me to walk past and head down to the kitchen in search of another task that Miss Jenkins had found for me. On my way downstairs, I couldn't help but wonder just what sort of game Matilda was playing. Her attitude towards me was constantly changing, and I couldn't figure out why. Every time I did something to help her or someone else in the family without messing it up, she would praise me but if I did something wrong, even if it was only minor, she would have something negative to say about it. Her behaviour certainly was odd, and it was something I was determined to figure out.

~~~

A/N - I'm going to aim for weekly updates from now on! I am officially working on Chapter Twelve so hopefully, I can get a rhythm going and have a couple of chapters written to keep the momentum going. (I won't be updating on Christmas day for obvious reasons)

Anyways, on with the chapter! What did you guys think? We've learnt a little more about Rosie's family and I the only one who loves Robert? He is too adorable! What about Matilda? Do you think she's up to something?

Comment below!

Dedication - This chapter is dedicated to GeeGeeIsNoOne who left an adorable review on this book! 

First Published - December 4th, 2018