Serving at supper was, and always had been, a rather dull and repetitive task.

There was nothing worse than having to stand in the far corner of a rather large room and watch as other people ate but you were unable to. We always ate our supper after the family had eaten so standing in the dining room with the smell of food in the air just made me even hungrier. There was nothing I could do to stop my stomach from grumbling and groaning as I tried to serve at the table. Though it may have annoyed me to no end, it amused Robert more than he probably cared to admit. Then again, small things often amuse small minds.

That particular evening, I wanted to be doing anything other than standing around and waiting to be told to fill up a glass or put food on a plate. Meeting Matthew for the first time in seven years sent my head into a spin. I couldn't focus on anything. My brother had a wife, a child and his own life. All three of them had done remarkably well for themselves considering they had all been apprenticed out to earn money for Father. They all had lives that hadn't been ruined. Mine had.

All three of them had been allowed to live their lives, to stay at home and move into a career or their choice. I never had the choices they had.

"Who was at the door earlier, Albert?" Mrs Ealing said, taking a sip from her glass and placing it back on the table.

"It was a Mr Matthew Greyson, Rosie's brother," Doctor Ealing said.

"Rosie's brother? What did he want?"

"To talk to Rosie. I allowed it seeing as she had completed all of her morning chores and I had to get to work."

"You allowed a strange man into our house? Near our children?"

"He's not a strange man, he's Rosie's brother and I treated him just the other day. They stayed in my office and were nowhere near either of the twins. Besides, I wouldn't have allowed it if I thought there was any threat to anyone, Rosie included."

"I'd just wish you had spoken to me about it first."

"There wasn't time, Elizabeth. I had to leave for work."

I chewed on my bottom lip as the room fell into an awkward silence. I had thought that I would be the only one with my brother turning up out of the blue. Doctor Ealing certainly didn't think anything of it and both Robert and Matilda had encouraged me to meet with him in the first place. I suppose I never really thought Mrs Ealing would have that much of a problem with it. She hadn't been particularly nice since she found out about the factory, not that I blamed her. She had allowed me to come into her home against her better judgement and I had done nothing but lie since crossing the threshold.

As time had gone on, I had hoped that Mrs Ealing would mellow out. I didn't mind if she felt indifferent about me, but the hatred and dislike she showed towards me and my work was not something I needed. It felt like being back at the factory. Back then, everything I ever did was scrutinised and watched by a man who didn't care if he saw the back of me. The way Mrs Ealing acted felt the same way. Even though I knew she would never be like the foreman, I knew she would never actually hurt me, but the fear still ate away at the back of my head.

After years of fearing the worst in most situation, even with the Ealing's, I wondered if it was only a matter of time before I felt the same way. When Doctor Ealing had slapped me, I thought that would be the moment it all went back to the way it was at the factory, but it didn't. Both Suzanna and Lucy tried to tell me that I didn't need to fear, but I did, and I always would. No amount of convincing from anyone was going to change my mind.

"Mother, do you mind if I speak?" Matilda said, placing her knife and fork down on the plate in front of her. She picked up her napkin and dabbed it gently along her lips.

"You may," Mrs Ealing said, slowly cutting up a piece of her steak.

"I was talking with Rosie this morning, whilst she was doing her chores, and we came up with a list."

"List? What list?"

"It's a list of things Isabel wanted to do but won't be able to. I thought it would be a good idea for Rosie to complete the list, but we'll need some help."

"Do you have the list on you, Rosie?" Doctor Ealing asked, taking a sip of water and removing his napkin from his lap.

"Yes, Sir," I mumbled, knotting my hands together behind my back. Esther and I weren't allowed to speak during supper, it was one of the rules.

"May I see it?"

I unwrapped my hands from behind my back and pulled the folded-up sheet of paper out of my pocket. Esther watched me out of the corner of my eye as I crossed the room towards Doctor Ealing and handed him the note. My hands shook slightly as he took it. He unfolded the letter at an agonisingly slow pace, making sure he didn't tear the sheet. Once it was open, his eyes scanned across the sheet. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he read through the list before running his finger along the edge and placing it on the table.

"There is a lot here, but I'm sure we'll be able to help you complete it. You can cross the first one off at least," Doctor Ealing said, handing the paper back to me.

"This doesn't seem very appropriate to me, Albert. Rosie is here to work, not to complete some list," Mrs Ealing said.

"It is a list that can be completed over a few years, Elizabeth, it will hardly impede on her work."

"Hm, if you say so."

She didn't sound all the convinced.

I knew Matilda had been trying to help, but I wished she hadn't brought up the list in such a way. Mrs Ealing already thought I had skipped out on my morning chores whilst I spoke to Matthew in the office. The list just proved her point. One of the things she had been adamant about since the factory was that I wasn't a good fit for the household, that I never did my chores and always happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a way, she was right. I had been in the cupboard when Alexander locked the door, I had been the only one to see Zachariah go into the woods the day he fell into the river. Although I had saved his life, she used that as an excuse against my work ethic.

No matter what I did, Mrs Ealing was determined to find fault with it. She wanted a reason to give me an infraction and the opportunity to throw me out of the house. Every time she had tried, Doctor Ealing had stepped in. Each time he had been able to convince her that there was no reason to hand me the infraction as I had completed the chore as requested in the time they had requested. The infractions she tried to push were always for simple things. For being the hallway when I should have been in the kitchen, not changing the bed sheets in a satisfactory manner, just small things that Esther could get away with.

She wanted to be rid of me and the list proved to her that I didn't care about the work I was completing. An idea that was far from the truth. Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from punishing me the next day.

The next morning, I dressed in my usual manner, pinned my hair up in a knot at the base of my head and went down to the kitchen were Miss Jenkins was busy preparing breakfast for the family. I took a seat at the table in the kitchen and she nudged a bowl of porridge in my direction. I ate quickly, drinking a glass of milk alongside the porridge whilst Miss Jenkins prepared the breakfast trays and made sure the water in the teapot was boiling. As I finished, I pushed the bowl away from me and stood up, brushing off my skirts before going to grab one of the breakfast trays.

"Rosie, Mrs Ealing has requested that you stay down here for the day and complete the kitchen chores. Esther will be completing your usual chores," Miss Jenkins said.

"May I ask why?" I asked, releasing the handle of the tray and resting my knuckles on the wood of the table.

"She gave no reason and I couldn't turn her away. Esther will be taking care of the bedclothes and chamber pots whilst I need you to clean out the pantry and wash the dishes. I'll decide on what else you can do later on. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Jenkins."

"I'm sure it will only be for today. You'll be back to your old chores by morning."

"I'm glad one of us is optimistic, Mrs Ealing doesn't seem to like me all that much."

"I doubt this is a personal vendetta, Rosie. For the time being, just complete the chores as asked and try not to get too distracted."

"Yes, Miss Jenkins."

Sighing to myself, I pushed the tray across the table for Esther to collect and left the kitchen for the pantry. I hated the idea of being trapped in the kitchen and the pantry for the entire day. I liked being able to venture beyond the kitchen and explore the rest of the house or spend time in the light that filled the rest of the house. Despite the windows in the kitchen, it was still rather dark and not a place I wanted to be trapped in. Still, it was Mrs Ealing's request and I couldn't protest an order from the family.

Whilst Esther scattered past the pantry door to complete my usual chores, I set about organising the pantry. I never really saw the point in cleaning it as it would only end up in a mess within a few days. Still, I started with the lower shelf in the pantry, moving the fruit and vegetables and dusting down the shelf before putting everything back on it. It didn't take long to dust off and replace all of the food onto each shelf, including the meat we had received just a few days before. I could hear Esther moving around above me as I cleaned off the last shelf and swept up the mess on the floor.

After cleaning off the shelves, I grabbed one of the sacks of flour off of the floor and a small metal scoop. I tugged on the string knotted around the top of the sack and started to scoop the flour from the sack into a jar on the lower shelf. Once it was full, I retied the string and placed the sack back in corner of the room and the scoop next to the jar. Having cleaned the pantry, I leaned my back against the shelves and exhaled loudly.

I hated the fact that I was being punished for no reason other than wanting to find something to keep Isabel's memory alive. Mrs Ealing saw the list as nothing but an inconvenience to my work. She didn't see it the way I did or the way it was meant to be seen. The list was never about me, it was never supposed to be a way of getting out of work. I had wanted to preserve Isabel's memory and in doing so ended up in more trouble. That seemed to be the way things worked out for me. I more I tried to help, the more trouble I ended up in.

Pushing myself off the shelves, I returned to the main kitchen where Miss Jenkins pulled a collection of pots from the wall and set about making dinner. She said nothing as I lightly brushed past her towards the sink and started to wash the dishes from breakfast that morning. The kitchen was quiet compared to the rest of the house. Doing my usual chores, I could normally hear the twins in their rooms or movement as someone moved from one room to the other. Even with the occasional creak of a floorboard above our heads, the chores were completed in silence.

I liked the noise, the sound of the others moving throughout the house or the twins giggling away in their rooms. Silence wasn't something I was accustom to.

"Since you've been here a while now, how would you like to start learning to bake? I said I would teach you when your hand improves and, although it may not be perfect, I think we should start," Miss Jenkins said.

"Really?"

"I don't see why not. It will get you out of Mrs Ealing's hair and I think every servant should learn how to bake. Have you ever baked before?"

"Once or twice. I used to help my mother at Christmas."

"That will help, having the basics before we start. How about tomorrow evening? How does that sound?"

"Excellent."

Miss Jenkins smiled before returning to her task and continuing on with making luncheon for the family. There was something reassuring about the way she spoke, how she was willing to make sure I didn't get into any trouble with Mrs Ealing by voluntarily adding to her workload. Although there were times when I thought Miss Jenkins was harsh, and sometimes she was, she always looked out for me and tried to stop me from doing anything stupid. The idea of learning something new seemed like a good distraction from everything that was going on, including the list. 

With the idea of finally learning something new solidified in my brain, I went back to cleaning the dishes that seemed to increase no matter how many I cleaned. As I scrubbed them, I directed my attention to the small window that looked out onto the grounds. Since the weather was continuously changing, it was rare to catch anyone outside apart from Samuel. Looking out the window, the low cloud cover blocking the sun, I watched a dark shadow cross the grounds towards the kitchen door. It was a few seconds later before it opened.

Robert stood in the doorway, his face bright red from the cold and his breathing somewhat ragged, as though he had just run from one end of the house to another. He rested his arm on the doorframe and paused for a second to catch his breath before he spoke.

"Do you know where Samuel is? Or a ladder?"

"Why do you need a ladder?" Miss Jenkins asked.

"Zachariah has climbed a tree and refuses to come out. If I can find a ladder, I can climb up and get him."

"You can probably find Samuel out by the shed and the ladder is probably in there, that's where you should have gone. Not here."

"Well, I was wondering if I could also borrow Rosie."

"Why me?" I asked, almost dropping the mug I was holding back into the sink.

"Zachariah likes you and I doubt he would refuse to come out of the tree if you were the one asking. If that doesn't work, I'll use the ladder."

"Alright, fine. You two go back to the tree and I'll find Samuel. With any luck, we won't need him."

"Thank you, Miss J."

Miss Jenkins chewed on her bottom lip as she threw the cloth she was holding onto the counter and lightly tapped my shoulder. Leaving the mug in the sink, I dried my hands before joining Robert at the door. I followed behind him as the two of us followed the gravel path towards the house. Miss Jenkins went the other way. I wasn't entirely sure what my presence could do with getting Zachariah out of the tree, but it got me out of the kitchen for a little while and I wasn't about to complain about that. Instead, I followed Robert away from the gravel path and towards the trees.

As we moved into the tree line, my mind returned to the day I had pulled Zachariah from the river. It was the first time I had met him, and in the process, we had both almost drowned. With any luck, this wasn't going to be the same sort of thing. Even if it was there was little doubt in my mind that Mrs Ealing would see anything other than me trying to get out of my daily work. I could save the entire families lie, including her own and she would still think I was skipping out on my work.

Nevertheless, I followed Robert through the trees until he came to a stop near Esther and Matilda who were both staring up at the tree with concerned looks on their faces. I glanced up into the trees and spotted Zachariah balancing on a thin branch just out of reach. Even from the ground, the branch didn't look particularly stable. I hoped Miss Jenkins hurried with the ladder just in case I couldn't convince him to get down.

"You went to go and get a ladder and came back with a person. Do you know the difference between a person and a ladder?" Matilda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I do. I thought Rosie could help seeing as he won't listen to us. Miss Jenkins went to find Samuel and a ladder," Robert replied.

"It can't hurt to try, I suppose. If he'll listen to anyone it'll be you." Matilda nodded at me.

"If it doesn't work, we better hope Miss Jenkins hurries up with the ladder, that branch isn't stable enough to support his weight."

"How would you know?"

"I know I little about climbing." I shrugged at Matilda and turned back towards the tree, glancing up as Zachariah balanced on the branch. "What are you doing in a tree, Master Zachariah?"

"I was bored!" he yelled back, grinning slightly.

"Right, well, I think fun times over. Come on, get down before you hurt yourself."

"I can't. I'm stuck."

"Of course, you are," I mumbled.

"What are we going to do?" Matilda groaned.

"I can go and get him," I said.

"Are you insane? If Mother saw you up a tree she'll throw the infraction system out of the window and you out of the house."

"Well, we better make sure she doesn't find out."

Without waiting for a response, I stepped forward and grabbed onto a bit of the tree that jutted out from the rest. I used it to pull myself up and place my foot in a small indent. When I was younger, I could climb trees with my eyes shut, it may have been seven years, but I could still scale a tree like a squirrel. My right arm took most of my weight as I pulled myself further up the tree and onto a branch just above Zachariah's head.

I crawled along the branch with my eyes fixated more on the branch below than the one I was on. As I reached down to take Zachariah's hand, the branch he was on cracked.

I had just wrapped my fingers along his lower arm when the branch snapped and went crashing down to the grass below.

~~~

A/N - Chapter Five is here! As I post chapter five, we are only 50 reads away from 1K which is absolutely insane to me! Thank you all so much for sticking around as we made the jump from TFG to here, I was nervous none of you would stick around xD

Also, I'm preparing to post the first chapter of my Wattys entry 'Flight of the Nightingale'. You can find all the information about it over on my profile!

Anyway, what do you guys think of Mrs Ealing? She's definitely changed her tune since TFG... Miss Jenkins to the rescue, though! And the ending... Please don't kill me. 

Comment below what you thought!

Dedication - This chapter is dedicated to CharliEmAlO who I only started speaking to the other day but is an absolutely fabulous person!

First Published - June 26th, 2019