Belle stared at Ruby in surprise. "W-what? When was she laid off?"
The head housemaid looked around the dark hallway before replying. "Just a few months ago." Belle's lips quivered. "But…why? She was my friend." Ruby reached out and laid her hand on her arm. "Do you want to know what really happened?" Belle nodded, even though she could tell Ruby was the type of person who would tell anyone anything whether they wanted to hear it or not. She led Belle over to the giant table and sat her down. She slowly sat down beside her. "About five months ago, Elizabeth started acting…strange. She wouldn't eat, for if she did she would throw it up straight away. She felt lightheaded after performing even the simplest tasks." Ruby shook her head. "Us servants had to cover for her for a very long time, until she became seriously ill. Elizabeth was bedwritten for another month, in which everyone thought she would die. Eventually Lord Gold ordered her to return home and go through the worst of it with her family." Ruby looked at the table, her hands clasped tightly on her knees. Belle swallowed. "What happened after that?"
Ruby quickly glanced up at Belle, her eyes hard and frightened. "Elizabeth suffered a miscarriage," she whispered. "I received a letter from her only last month."
Belle grasped her seat, struggling to accept the information she had just received. "But… that would mean…"
"It had to be a fellow who worked here, yes." Ruby hastily finished her sentence. "That's why she felt she could not return, she was mortified. She instead chose to stay at home in her village. Shame, too. She was such a hard worker."
Belle could understand that. Even when they were just children, Elizabeth always fretted about what others thought of her. Unfortunately, she often made rash decisions that she couldn't get out of, and didn't know how to accept the repercussions. Belle remembered a time when she and Elizabeth went to the market, and her friend stole a tomato. Everyone saw what she did, but she still tried to blame it on Belle. She cried when she got whipped by her mother and didn't come outside for weeks. It made sense that she would want to stay with her family for the time being but…Belle shook her head. Elizabeth, what have you gotten yourself into this time? Belle vowed to send her some money and a letter as soon as she could.
The two women were silent for a long while. Then, Belle heard the sound of voices coming from the servant's back entrance. She immediately rose when she saw several people walk into the dining room. They stopped and stared at her. Ruby stood as well, and immediately began the introductions. "Everyone, this is Belle," She gestured at her with a smile. "She will be working here as a maid starting tomorrow." Belle dipped into a little curtsy. "How do you do," she said softly, looking at the floor. Ruby held her arm. "Belle, this is Cynthia, our scullery maid. She will be waking you up in the morning, every day." A blonde with dirty hands shot Ruby a dirty look. "Jus' call me Cindy," she held out her hand to Belle and smirked. She had a strong country accent. Ruby walked Belle further down the line of servants, her hand on her back for comfort. "This is Arielle. She just moved here from France, so she cannot speak much English yet. Hard worker though." Belle nodded and smiled at a tall woman with bright red hair and blue eyes, whom she assumed was Arielle. "Bonjour," she said quietly. "And here is Jasmine," Ruby smiled at the girl standing next to Arielle, pronounced her name with a "Y" rather than a "J." Jasmine flashed her teeth in a smile, their whiteness a stark contrast to her almond-colored skin. "Hi," she said cheerfully. "This is my friend Abir." The man with the same complexion standing next to her held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said warmly. Belle smiled at him and Jasmine, wondering if they were a couple. They certainly looked like one.
Ruby turned to face Belle. "I'm afraid Eric and James are in the stables, taking the horses back after our trip to the village. Mrs. Lucas, our cook, is upstairs with Mrs. Blanchard and Mr. Nolan right now, discussing dinner details with Lord Gold. Speaking of which-" Ruby was interrupted by a loud voice. "Dinner tomorrow is a five course meal," a man yelled down the stairs. Everyone in the room groaned. Belle was confused. Isn't this what they were used to? Ruby glanced at Belle, saw the expression on her face, and laughed out loud. "Master doesn't have important visitors too often," she explained with a humorous edge to her voice. Belle nodded hesitantly and looked at the group of people standing before her. "Then… what do you do all day?" The sudden explosion of muffled laughter made Belle anxious. Ruby rubbed her back. "You'll see soon enough, darling." She smirked.
Ruby clapped her hands and everyone looked up at her in surprise. "Right! So. Eric, go upstairs with Arielle and dust off Master's glass collection. Jasmine and Abir, you will clean his good silver. I will continue to show Belle around until she gets the hang of things. Then, we will prepare Lord Gold's dinner and have our own." Immediately after Ruby said her piece, the whole room scattered and in just two seconds, the dining room was occupied by only Ruby and herself. The brunette smiled. "Now, where were we?"