Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, and I make no money from this work of fiction!
We Know Everything!
It's true, you know. The maids know everything. It doesn't matter if one is a lady's maid, a housemaid, a gardener, a footman or even the housekeeper -- all are lumped together in the phrase "The maids know everything". No doubt the men aren't impressed with being called maids, but it's a fact of life. Maids hear things at the speed of sound, and what one maid knows, we all know. People like Joseph and Charlotte, well, they're a cut above the regular, run-of-the-mill maids. Sometimes they hear things, other times they don't. Those particular two make a point of checking, though, so not much escapes THEM. It's just part of their jobs, naturally, at which they both shine.
The maids knew, for example, that Captain Kelly of the Royal Guard was instantly smitten with Miss Lilly when she spoke with him before the Independence Day parade. We know he is going to ask to keep in touch with her when she goes back to California and we know from Brigitte and Brigitta, who overheard a conversation between Miss Lilly and Princess Mia, that Miss Lilly plans to give him her phone number and email address before she leaves Genovia.
And yes, we maids knew about Lord Nicholas and Princess Mia from the moment she stepped on his foot, then they danced together at her twenty-first birthday party. It was no surprise to the maids that Viscount Mabrey brought Lord Nicholas' name forward to Parliament as a possible successor to the throne. Gretchen kept everyone filled in on the happenings THERE. Lionel wasn't the only one to laugh when Princess Mia stomped on Lord Nicholas' foot the day he arrived at the palace to stay! He was the only person anyone heard, however, and Charlotte and Joseph would have slain him with their looks if possible. Lionel, being just an intern, wasn't experienced enough to hide his thoughts the way maids should and generally do. If he's fortunate, he could eventually mature and be every bit as discerning and capable as his uncle. Lionel might even be smart enough to be Prime Minister, too, although it will be hard to surpass the amazing abilities of Sebastian Motaz to diplomatically orchestrate last week's historical events!
But back to Lord Nicholas and Princess Mia. After they were discovered in the closet by the housekeeper, in such a deliciously scandalous position of almost lip-to-lip, they were both closely watched. Brigitte and Brigitta kept everyone informed of every little happening in THAT romance from then on. They were the ones to notice that it was Lord Nicholas who followed the princess to the tack room the day that foolish groom succumbed to Viscount Mabrey's coercion and caused her horse to spook. Priscilla and Olivia told us all about the dressing-down the princess received from Queen Clarisse after she and Lord Nicholas appeared dripping wet from their close encounter with the fountain during the garden party. The scandal of the night by the lake was at first attributed to Lord Nicholas by the media, but Gretchen quickly spread the word that the secret tryst was NOT publicized at the Lord's behest. Instead, it was his uncle the Viscount who contacted Elsie Kentworthy and arranged for the cameras. There again, the maids knew before anyone else. The maids knew that in spite of being engaged to Andrew Jacoby, the princess was obviously more involved with Lord Nicholas. No one paid any attention to the poor Earl, except that it was reported that he seemed to be more than happy with the consolation 'prize' of Lady Elyssa. Most importantly, and this is not widely known about Genovia just yet, but the maids found out that Lord Nicholas, just this morning, declared his love for Princess Mia and that she admitted her love for him.
The maids, thanks primarily to the gardeners and footmen, have known how Joseph felt about Queen Clarisse for years. Well, no one is sure how he felt before King Rupert died, although we all have our suspicions. But certainly since the queen's period of mourning ended, it has been obvious to all that he adores the very ground she walks on! The queen herself is much harder to read, but it is our consensus that she wasn't ready to admit how she felt about Joseph even to herself until about a month ago. Right after Lord Nicholas and Princess Mia were discovered in the closet, as a matter of fact. The gardeners saw the queen and Joseph walking towards the gazebo, discussing Lord Nicholas and the incident. They saw Joseph take the queen's hand and sit down with her on the wall of the gazebo. They saw the startled look on her face, the blush that swept over it as Joseph spoke earnestly to her, still holding her hand, then saw her cup Joseph's face with her hand as she smiled at him and nodded almost imperceptibly. Anyone who ever looked at the two of them in the last five years could see the looks which passed between them. They truly care about one another. What the maids don't see, they made up very convincingly, so there have been many stories of the queen touching Joseph's face gently, and just as many tales of stolen kisses. Then for a while it seemed as if their bubble burst. Just last week, Olivia and Priscilla reported that the queen cried almost all night long after Brigitte and Brigitta had found her moping by herself in the kitchen and Charlotte let drop that she had seen the queen and Joseph speaking to each other earlier in the day. Olivia saw them, too. She was just coming back into the ballroom and heard the queen begging him to stay, but Joseph walked out and even left the palace grounds for quite a few hours. The maids then knew that something had come between them, and we knew it was probably something to do with her position in the country. Joseph let it be known the day of the wedding that he was going to retire as Head of Security the moment Princess Mia became queen. Well, EVERYONE heard that he retired that afternoon when Queen Clarisse asked him to accept her hand in marriage and, as the Archbishop said, they FINALLY were married.
Shades is now the Head of Security for Genovia. And let me tell you, the maids have some suspicions to do with Shades and Charlotte which we are keeping close tabs on, to say nothing of when Lord Nicholas and Princess Mia will announce their upcoming marriage ... and the start of their family ... and a whole new generation of princesses and princes to keep track of. A maid's work is simply never done!
Never, NEVER let it be said that the maids don't know anything. We know EVERYTHING!