April, 1911

"Anna help me, I'm dying!"

Anna bolted to her feet as the 14-year-old girl burst into her room, tears streaming down her face, which was nearly as white as the nightgown she wore.

"What is it, what's the matter?!"

"I'm bleeding! Something's wrong with me!"

This calmed Anna down considerably, as she was nearly positive she knew what Daisy was talking about.

"Calm down, Daisy. Where are you bleeding?"

"Down there." As she said it a new wave of sobs overtook her. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"No, you're not going to die. This is perfectly normal. Now just relax and I'll explain everything to you. Come with me." She took Daisy's hand and led her out into the dark corridor of the servants' floor and into the small, cold washroom at the end of the hallway.

Anna took it upon herself to clean the girl up, as she was too busy shaking with fear to do it herself. The most she could manage was to lift up her nightgown while Anna sponged the blood from her legs and explained the facts of life to her. She then showed Daisy how to fold up a rag and use it to absorb the blood, and instructed her on washing it and reusing it. The look on Daisy's face was one of absolute horror, but at least some color was finally returning to it.

Anna took her hand again and led her back down the hallway and into the room Daisy shared with Lucy, another kitchen maid.

As she sat on the bed, she relapsed into despair. "What if I bleed to death in my sleep? Who will light the fires in the morning, or help Mrs. Patmore bake the-?"

Anna shushed the girl and sat down next to her. "Daisy, now you're being silly. I promise you, you are not going to bleed to death. All of the women in this house get their monthly cycle - Her Ladyship, the girls, Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Patmore, Miss O'Brien, Gwen, myself. And none of us are dead. Now hush and go back to sleep."

Daisy was always one to obey an order to hush, even if it came from her best friend, so she crawled back under the blankets and allowed Anna to tuck them in around her. Still, the furrowed brow and anxious eyes prevailed, and Anna shut the door wondering if Daisy was going to get any sleep at all that night, the poor dear.