The books weighed me down as I headed down the street, hoping to knock on the right house the first time. Since George had offered me a vague direction to search in, I had to knock on every door just to make sure I didn't miss anyone. It made for an uncomfortable few minutes as I tried to find the right house.

I came to the fourth house on the street, my impatience getting the better of me, and knocked on the front door — perhaps a little harder than I had intended. Sweat beaded on my forehead, the summer sun growing stronger with each passing minute as we approached midday. I readjusted my grip on the books just as the door swung open to reveal a young girl in a grey dress covered in a white apron.

"Can I help, sir?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Small tendrils of hair had escaped her white cap and soot marked the front of her apron.

"This might be a little bit of a strange question, but I wanted to inquire as to whether you have a housekeeper here working under the name of Mrs Reed," I said.

"We do."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Excellent. Would I be able to speak with her? It won't take too long."

"I don't see why not." She opened the door a little wider. "My mistress is out at the moment, but make it quick. She don't take too kindly to surprise visitors."

"Thank you, and this shouldn't take too long."

The girl nodded and gestured for me to step inside. I shuffled over the threshold, a burst of warm, humid air hitting me. A smell of lavender filled the hallway as the serving girl closed the door and started to walk down the hallway. The stretch of hallway, marked with a simple staircase and a few doors off to the side, was lit by a small stained-glass window above the door, which covered the entire room in multi-coloured light.

I was led down the hall and to a small door just off to the side, which led down a flight of darkened stairs. On one wall sat a small candle, offering the slightest amount of light in the room. The girl started down the stairs with me following close behind, keeping my right hand on the concrete wall and my eyes trained on the steep, spiralling staircase. My foot caught on the edge of the steps several times, but I made it to the bottom without an injury.

The stairs opened up onto a small, dark hallway with several doors leading to different areas and rooms. Gone was the scent of lavender that had filled the upstairs, and instead the smell of frying chicken and vegetables filled the air. My stomach growled, and I realised just how hungry I had become since breakfast. The girl turned and looked at me, the trace of a smile dancing on her lips.

She entered the door to the left of us. Sunlight streamed in through several open windows, lighting up the room and leaving me momentarily blind. Once my eyes had adjusted to the light, I looked around the brightly lit kitchen. Pots sat on a large wooden table in the centre of the room. By the stove, an older woman stood with her back to us as she stirred the frying meats around in the pan.

"Mrs Reed, we got a visitor."

"Who is it?" the woman asked, not turning around to look at me.

"No idea. He didn't leave his name. Asked for you direct, though."

"Did he now?"

"My name is Nathaniel Thorpe, Mrs Reed. I was a friend of Lily Marlow's."

Mrs Reed dropped the wooden spoon she was holding into the pan and whipped around, her eyes wide. "Master Thorpe, I remember you! You and Miss Marlow were in and out of my kitchen all the time when you were small, trying to thieve whatever you could get your little hands on."

I laughed. "That sounds about right. I distinctly remember running out of the kitchen with several jam tarts in my pockets. They ended up covered in fluff, but we ate them anyway."

"That does not surprise me." Mrs Reed smiled and turned to the girl, whose eyebrow appeared to be permanently raised. "Keep an eye on this for me, Mary-Ann, and can you make some tea for Master Thorpe and me? We'll be in the other room."

"Yes, Mrs Reed."

"If you'd like to come with me, Master Thorpe."

Mrs Reed shuffled around the table and towards me. She held her arm out as she walked through the door I had just come through. I followed her through the door, back out into the small hallway, and through a separate door just a short walk away. Inside sat a small wooden desk with one chair on either side of it. Papers were scattered across the table and a small, almost burnt-out candle balanced precariously on the edge.

I stepped into the room and took a seat on the chair facing the desk, placing the books on the floor. Mrs Reed sat on the chair opposite. She shuffled the papers around and cleared a small space in the centre of the table, no doubt for the tea. The trace of a smile danced on her face, but there was a sadness in her eyes, a reminder of a past that she most likely wanted to forget.

It had been so long since we had seen each other that I had all but forgotten what Mrs Reed looked like. I had even forgotten her name. The one thing I did remember was the way she would also pretend to scold Lily and me for sneaking into the kitchen and stealing some biscuits or sweets. She never held any malice towards us when we did it, and oftentimes pretended as though she never saw us.

"I didn't think you'd remember me. It's been so long," Mrs Reed said, her voice cutting through the silence that had settled over us. "What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"In truth, I didn't remember. It was a Mr Eli Burch that told me to look for you. He's one of the newer servants working under Mrs Marlow. No one at the house remembers Lily. He thought you might."

"Lily Marlow will stay in my thoughts for as long as I live. Such a sweet thing. She didn't deserve what she got."

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The death of her mother, her father marrying that—" She paused "—woman and his untimely demise. The poor mite didn't deserve to go through any of it."

"I take it you didn't like Mrs Marlow, then?"

"Now, I don't like to speak ill of my old employers, but I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her. Why Mr Marlow married her, I don't know. He seemed besotted by her, even though Lily was less than keen on their subsequent nuptials."

"Tea, Mrs Reed."

Mary-Ann shuffled into the room, a silver tray in hand. On the tray, she had a small teapot, two cups, a small jug of milk and a plate of biscuits. She grinned at me, nodding her head towards the biscuits as she placed the tray on the desk. I knew she had placed the biscuits there just for me. Mrs Reed thanked her and Mary-Ann soon disappeared back to the kitchen, where the smell of frying meat and vegetables grew stronger.

I watched Mrs Reed as she poured the tea into the cups, adding a splash of milk and some sugar to each cup. My mind spun as I tried to process what she had just told me. I knew Lily hadn't been too happy that her father was remarrying, but I didn't remember her having any strong feelings towards her new stepmother, especially any negative ones. Lily had never said a word about it.

"Did Lily ever say why she wasn't too keen on the arrangement?" I asked, sliding a biscuit off the plate.

Mrs Reed shook her head. "Never said a word, though I didn't expect her to. Mrs Marlow's daughters were always skulking around in the dark corners, never left the poor girl alone. 'Course, she didn't need to say anything. The truth was written on her face from the very beginning. Seeing as you were young, I don't know how much you remember, but something about her changed after their wedding."

"Changed how?"

"She had always been such a cheerful little thing, laughing, playing around, just causing mischief. When Mr Marlow remarried, that light went out of her. She closed in on herself, and it became even worse after he died. In fact, I don't remember seeing anything of her in those last few days. Mrs Marlow kept her hidden upstairs."

I took a bite of my biscuit. "Why would she do that? Surely it made more sense for Lily to see familiar faces."

"I thought the same thing, but never questioned it. Not long after she disappeared upstairs, she died. I was dismissed two days later."

"I didn't know it was that soon."

"Hm, I always thought it to be a rash decision, but I never argued. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about sweet Lily. I pray that she and her father were reunited in death and that she is safe." Mrs Reed took a sip from her tea. "Forgive me for asking, Master Thorpe, but why are you asking all these questions and wishing to discuss all of it now?"

"We were invited to supper at the Marlow's house a few days ago and it just brought everything back, especially seeing as I hadn't seen her before her death. There isn't a servant left in that house who worked there under Mr Marlow and would have known about him or Lily. The family portrait has been removed too, there are just small photographs of Mr Marlow and Lily on the mantel."

Mrs Reed scoffed. "That is hardly surprising."

"Mrs Marlow also seemed rather fond of the idea of a match between me and Clara Marlow. Father agrees. He has arranged a supper with them in just a few days' time."

Mrs Reed looked at me with a slight furrow in her brows and I knew she was just as confused by such a proposal as I had been. It certainly seemed to have come from nowhere and must have looked to be an odd match if even Mrs Reed was confused by the mere idea of it. Then again, I wasn't sure if her confusion was because of the match, or because of her dislike for Mrs Marlow.

I knew nothing of any uncertainty or dislike from the old staff towards Mrs Marlow, and my recollection of those times certainly didn't reveal anything. Still, her comments about Lily's behaviour stuck out to me. Despite being so young when Mr Marlow remarried and Lily died, I did remember the shift in her behaviour. She had always been so happy, but that slowly started to change.

After a while, she didn't want to play the games we used to play and preferred to spend time on the grounds, even in the rain. She didn't like being in the house too often, and I never understood why. I always thought that she preferred running free to being cooped up in the house all day, but that may not have been the case. It looked as though she kept herself out of view of Mrs Marlow.

"Do you know why you, and everyone else for that matter, were dismissed after Mr Marlow died?"

Mrs Reed shook her head. "We never got a decent explanation. Some said it was because she wanted a fresh start and to move on from the past, but I reckon she knew how we felt about her. She belittled a lot of the servants and most of them didn't like her because of it."

"No one on the staff liked her?"

"Not to my memory. Mrs Marlow came from a poorer family, which was why the match between herself and Mr Marlow was such a strange one. She looked down on the staff even though she had been one of us not too long before. The mood about her soured rather quickly. I never did understand what Mr Marlow saw in her. I don't think he even noticed how much Lily had changed. He was always complaining of headaches."

"Is there anyone else who worked there living nearby?" I brushed biscuit crumbs off my fingers and trousers, taking a sip of the tea that had cooled.

"No, just me. Everyone else moved up north or into the city to find better work. I'm the last one." Mrs Reed glanced at the wall just behind me, her eyes widening. "Goodness gracious, we have been here for a while. I must get back to my work and I expect you need to get home."

"I expect so." I drank the last of my tea, flinching as the cold liquid hit the back of my throat. "Thank you for talking with me."

"My pleasure." She smiled. "You should come back. I'd love to know what you have been up to these past few years."

"I would love to."

"Good. I'll have Mary-Ann show you out."

"I think I'll be fine on my own, Mrs Reed. Thank you."

"Goodbye, Master Thorpe."

I smiled and gathered up the books, tucking them under my arms. Mrs Reed returned to the kitchen as I climbed the steps and headed back down the lavender-scented hallway, my mind spinning. My visit to Mrs Reed might not have helped me with Rebecca, but it gave me an awful lot to think about.

~~~

A/N - We are back with Chapter Nineteen! One of my favourite chapters is approaching and I am working through another chapter as we speak! ONC put a hold on this, but I'm done with the first draft and I'm aiming to complete this story next!

Questions!

Should Nate get himself involved with the Marlow drama? Do you think there is anything unusual about all of it?

Comment below!

First Published - February 14th, 2023