The next few weeks were busy for me, settling into my new home and getting accustomed to all of the people there. My duties were not so much as that of a maid, but more as a errand girl. Whenever we ran out of eggs, wood, water, or anything else pretty much, I was the lucky one who got to go get it. Of course, the kitchen was always running out of something, so I was kept on my feet from dawn till dusk, when I then scrubbed the pots and pans with some other maids. Whenever I wasn't running errands, I was doing some random chore that no one else wanted to do.
I was correct in saying that Leah was a cook, she was in charge of the bread and any pastries. There were also three other cooks. The sweets chef, Reynolds, was an elderly man with a taste for his sweets and a nice rounded belly to go with it. The two other cooks were both in charge of the more savory dishes, and they were acknowledged as the heads of the kitchen. Baily and Barny were both commanding and exacting. I'm sure they made delicious food, but both were always ordering others around, including me. I made most of my runs for them.
The rest of the kitchen were mostly maids and undercooks. The majority of them went to B&B, but a few went to Reynolds, and Leah had only two protégés, Kayla and Fiona. Both were friendly girls, and both loved their job.
The kitchens seemed to be the meeting place for all of the servants and their kin. Many a time a daughter of one of the maids had come in, and was instantly given a cookie and a lap to sit on. There were gossip groups, with select members of the castle who were often seen together discussing the latest scandal in court. The older ones always consoled each other on their hardships and petted, or scolded, the younger ones. When I had visited the kitchen at my former house, I had never seen so much familiarity. It was like one big, varied family.
The kitchen in itself was small. So were my quarters. Heck, the entire castle was small, especially compared to my Father's. While there I still needed someone with me to remember the out-of-the-way places that I never used but still needed to visit, here I knew almost the entire castle by my second week.
At night, I would go exploring. It was probably stupid, as I worked hard all day and needed a good night's rest. But my stupid curiosity about my new home kept me up anyway, and as the castle was empty at night, it was as good a time as any to learn about it.
The kitchens and servant's quarters were in the back of the castle. On my first night, I discovered the Banquet Hall and the Ballroom. Both were amazing. Both rooms were done entirely in white and gold. The floor was laid with white marble, which sparked gold in the moonlight. The walls were a creamy white with sculpted gold trim. The long, floor-to-ceiling windows were hung with white velvet curtains, but the tables and chairs were finely polished wood, a stark contrast against so much white. The Ballroom had a grand staircase in the front, which led me to the Entrance Hall. Then there was the Grand Hall, in dark woods and crimson upholstery, and then some small, richly decorated rooms that I guessed were used for private purposes.
From my wanderings, I discovered that, although the palace was small, it was rich. Also that the owner, technically my employer, had good taste. I believe that the castle was new, for there were none of the antiques that normally littered older establishments, like my Father's home.
My favorite place, however, were the wells outside the kitchen door. During the day, there was nothing too special about them. But at night, when all was silent, still, and peaceful, I would often grab my coat of furs and simply sit outside for a few minutes and ponder on random things. It was a time to forget of the less important things and remember what I had forgotten
When I first started doing this, I thought of home. How's Father? What's he doing? Was he angry? Has he realized his mistake? How are the servants there? What would they think if they could see me now? Is my horse alright? Is my violin still in good condition? Have I been banished? Has Father found anyone else yet? My answers to myself typically ran OK, Not much, Yes, No, OK, They would laugh, Yes, Yes, Probably not, and No.
That's when I discovered someone else liked my spot as well.