Note: Each story is stand-alone and not tied to the previous unless otherwise noted.

Chapter Two – An "accomplished" maid

The staff at Ramsgate had to suspect foul-play. What if one had taken some initiative?

Paulette Barry had to lie to get her new position. At one time she might have felt guilty about that, but she had already learned from bitter experience that in the interactions between servants and gentry there was little honor rolling downhill. After all, it was truth that had left her unemployed and without reference.

At seventeen, Paulette had a good English attractiveness, with a pleasant, roundish face, large blue eyes, rosy lips, and thick, lustrous brunette hair. She was just the ideal size for a woman, not too tall and not too short, and she had a figure which was all woman without sporting too many of the curves that drove men to foolishness... most of the time.

After the elderly couple became too old to remain in their own establishment, one of their daughters who had married well moved them into her husband's dower house. Paulette had been sent as a temporary staff member to Ramsgate to assist in the vacation home of the eldest son of her employer for a season. While there, the son of that man had also visited. He had taken an unwanted interest in Paulette. When she did not return his interest in a private meeting, the boy attempted to force his way into her room one night. She held him off, rousing the entire household. The son was sent back to Oxford. She was pushed out of the back door with no reference and a week's pay. Though she had told the truth and though she had bruises from holding their vile son off, she was still the one who must pay the price.

Paulette had entered service in her home county of Lincolnshire at the age of twelve. Or rather, one day Mrs. Barry walked her third daughter thirteen miles to Troughton Manor to begin service as a maid and then walked away, never looking back. Life was difficult for the Barrys with Papa's health failing, but her mother's actions had seemed especially cruel. Thankfully the mistress of the house had taken a liking to Paulette's appearance and had made her an upstairs maid instead of putting her in the scullery, or worse. The work was hard and lonely, but the elderly couple weren't unkind.

The best part of all was that there were books scattered in almost every room of the house. As a young girl Paulette had become close friends with a shop-keeper's daughter named Angela. Though Paulette was a tenant farmer's daughter, the other girl didn't seem to mind. Angela's mother did not object either, as long as her daughter presented herself on-time for her lessons. Both girls had curious minds and busy imaginations, so they got on well together. Paulette was the more active, so she provided adventure for the pair. In return Angela gave Paulette a gift that the poor daughter of a tenant farmer valued more highly than jewels: she taught her not only how to read, but to love reading.

And that was the lie that Paulette Barry told to Mrs. Younge when interviewed for the position of maid for new temporary position at vacation home. The sharp-faced woman had asked the question, "Can you read or write?" Naturally, Paulette's answer would have been in the affirmative, but already on the same morning she had heard from another failed candidate that a positive answer had ended the interview. It seemed odd to Paulette, but the quality had their foibles. So when her turn came, she put on her most doughy, stupid look and answered, "No Mum. Ah ne'er larned. D'n't think t'was 'portant."

She got the position.

Paulette had an inquiring mind, a trait that was not encouraged among those in-service by their superiors. Thankfully she had learned to conceal this trait, especially in her current situation. Her curiosity remained, however, and what she observed in this vacation home gave her cause for concern. There was, in the words of one of her favorite authors, something "rotten in the state of Denmark."

To begin with, based upon what she had read of the Darcy family in the newspapers, the family was quite well-to-do; remarkably well-to-do. Miss Darcy's wardrobe certainly attested to that fact. Yet her companion had only hired the bare minimum of servants required to keep such a home as this. Were the Darcy's actually experiencing financial difficulties or was Mrs. Younge pocketing the difference?

Next was the regular visits of Mr. Wickham. Paulette had experienced the appraisals of enough men to know when a man had lascivious interest. On the very first day that she had met the handsome young man, she had felt Mr. Wickham's eyes undress her completely in a moment. At the time Mrs. Younge, who seemed to know the man very well, shot him a scolding look. After Paulette had left the room and before she was out of earshot she heard Mrs. Younge admonish the man not to "queer the deal." After that the man kept his hands to himself but Paulette felt his eyes following her on numerous occasions.

It was not that which troubled her the most, however. What alarmed her was that, as she understood it, Miss Darcy was not yet "out," as the gentry chose to term it. She should not even be meeting with men outside of her family without her brother present. She certainly should not have been left alone with the man as Mrs. Younge often did. Adding to her concern was the way she was often sent elsewhere on such occasions, as if her employer wanted to avoid witnesses.

Finally, there were Mrs. Younge's strange activities late in the evening. After the young miss retired, the matron sequestered herself in her room and wrote constantly. At first Paulette had assumed that the woman was simply writing letters, or perhaps authoring a novel. The woman, though industrious in her current endeavor, she was lazy about cleaning after herself. She insisted that Paulette, the only upstairs maid, collect all of the papers strewn about the room and personally burn everything. While Paulette continued to pretend ignorance, she quickly realized that the woman was practicing writing in a male hand... specifically in the hand of one Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mrs. Younge watched her like a hawk for any evidence that the maid could read, but soon lost interest once Paulette began burning the papers.

Paulette waited until the right moment to purloin several of the discarded efforts and then maintained her most vacant expression until she could retire to her own quarters. None of the letters seemed interesting at first. The first letter was simply a banal listing of the man's supposed activities. The only notable entry was his assertion that he was too busy at the moment to pay a promised visit. Two other papers were variations on the same theme, making it obvious that Mrs. Younge was attempting to strike just the right note in her false letter. It was the two final documents which alarmed Paulette the most.

The first was written in an elegant female hand, clearly intended to be that of Miss Darcy. It seemed to echo her brother's false letters, with innocuous listings of her activities and lessons. The last of the documents was undoubtedly from Miss Darcy's own hand. It spoke of her interactions with Mr. Wickham, regretted her brothers continuing absence, and finally, tentatively, requested his blessing for Mr. Wickham's courtship.

Paulette enjoyed very little sleep that night as she contemplated her options. Finally, in the early morning hours, she reached a decision. She would have to somehow alert Mr. Darcy.

It was not a simple or easy task. First she had to obtain writing materials, a pen, and ink. She could not simply request them as that would expose her own literacy. Second, she would need to obtain the master's address. This would not be easy because Mrs. Younge never allowed anyone save herself to collect or handle the correspondence. Although she had bungled in allowing Paulette to see the false letters, she had never allowed anyone to see any addresses.

Her first task became possible when Mr. Wickham made his next visit and escorted both Miss Darcy and her companion out for a promenade on the shore. Once certain of being alone, Paulette went immediately to Miss Darcy's room. She had sequestered several of Mrs. Younge's crumpled attempts which had large blank spaces. Paulette could read well, but seldom wrote, so she kept her letter short lest she run short on time and be discovered. She wrote simply this:

Mr. Darcy, Urgent

Forgive me for writing to you without permission, but you must come to Ramsgate as soon as possible. Mrs. Younge has been encouraging the visits of a Mr. Wickham and leaving your sister alone with him. She has also been forging letters between you and your sister to hide the truth. Please come quickly!

A concerned friend

Her second task was more difficult, she could think of no way to obtain the address from Mrs. Younge or even Miss Darcy without showing her intent. Then she remembered the handsome young mail clerk who she had danced with at the assembly before her last employer's son visited and tore her world apart. On the next day Mr. Wickham took the ladies out on a walk, she slipped out of the house and ran all of the way to the inn where the post was located. With relief she saw that the man she remembered was sitting at the counter. Nobody else was waiting, so she stilled her breathing and approached.

"Good morning, Mr. Wilkins. It is a fine day, is it not?"

The run had given her a flush to her cheeks and, as her breathing had not yet settled, the rise and fall of her chest was quite noticeable... and interesting to the young man. He smiled widely an stood. Breathless, she explained her difficulty, "I have to send a letter to my employer, but I have neither envelope nor his address, Mr. Wilkins. Mrs. Younge always handles correspondence, but I fear she would not appreciate my task of the contents of my letter. Could you help me?"

Mr. Wilkins frowned. He had thought about the pretty Miss Barry often since that dance and was pleased to see her again. He felt immediately jealous at the idea of this beautiful creature writing to another man, so he forgot himself and demanded, "What is the letter about, Miss Barry?" Her eyes flashed in anger at his attitude, but this only served to support her next assertion, "I am owed money. I believe that I am being paid less than was agreed. As I am trying to build up a little dowry, I cannot stand idly by while my employer steals from me." Then she leaned forward, fully aware that that position would accentuate the rounding of her chest, "I think Mrs. Younge may be taking liberties with the funds. If I am not paid properly, I will need to seek a new position elsewhere."

Mr. Wilkins already had a great appreciation for Paulette's pleasing figure and her nearness undid him. He gulped and softly said, "A good man would marry you for nothing, Miss Barry." Though his eyes took her in, his words and expression were sincere and Paulette blushed as she assumed a more proper posture. Mr. Wilkins nodded decisively and opened his postal log. It only took a minute to locate the address and transcribe it to an envelope. He offered to pay for the envelope himself, but Paulette smilingly refused. She did not want to spend this handsome man's hard-earned money after telling him a lie.

Once the letter was safely posted, Paulette took just a moment to express her appreciation and consent to the first and final dance at the next assembly. Then she ran as quickly as may be back to the house.

Unfortunately word somehow got to Mrs. Younge that Paulette had stepped-out without permission. The most-likely culprit was another maid who was jealous of Paulette's upstairs maid position and her attractiveness. Regardless, on the day after her letter was sent, Paulette was dismissed without references. Paulette also suspected the Mrs. Younge did not appreciate Mr. Wickham's continuing interest in her. Paulette was happy to be away from that man, but now she was once-again without a living.

Distraught and feeling a little lost, Paulette Barry wandered until she found herself down by the water. How long she stood there, she did not know, but the tide was coming in and lapping dangerously close to her boots when a familiar voice spoke, "Miss Barry, what brings you out in the middle of the day?"

Paulette turned to find the handsome Mr. Wilkin's smiling at her. Unable to return his smile, she answered, "I have lost my position, Sir. Mrs. Younge found out about my little adventure to your office."

Mr. Wilkins scowled, "Awful woman. She behaves as if she is quality. At least she will be gone soon."

"What do you mean?"

"That man who frequents the place was in his cups last night and bragging that he would be 'off to Gretna Green' with a 'little bit of blunt' tomorrow."

Alarmed, Paulette grabbed his arm without thinking, "Tomorrow as in this next day or tomorrow as in today?"

Mr. Wilkins blushed at the young woman's gesture and she quickly dropped her hand, but the urgency of her question remained in her eyes. He cleared his throat, "Unless I am mistaken, tomorrow as in the day after this. Why is this so important?"

"Mr. Wilkins, may I trust you completely?"

He stood straighter and nodded, "Of course."

"I fear that Mr. Wickham and Mrs. Younge are attempting to force young Miss Darcy into an elopement. She is very rich and I am afraid that she is in danger. She is but fifteen."

He stiffened and scowled, "That is despicable. Was this the true nature of your letter to Mr. Darcy?"

Paulette blushed, hung her head, and nodded. "I did not like to lie to you, Sir, but I feared for her reputation."

Her words pleased him, "If you are correct, then we must do something Miss Barry. Do we know how they intend to travel?"

"They have no carriage, so one must be rented."

"I know Mr. Brown at the stables well. He is a good man with a young daughter, so he will be sympathetic to our cause. With your permission, I will speak to him and see what might be done."

The look in Paulette's eyes was all the reward that the young man could ask for.

oOo

Fitzwilliam Darcy arrived in time to rescue his sister. He would not have been so fortunate, but the coach which had been supposed to depart early that morning with Wickham, Mrs. Younge, and Miss Darcy had somehow been leased to another family. It would not be available until late on the morrow.

The rest is history. Miss Darcy was saved from a vile attempt to steal her reputation and her Dowry. George Wickham and his accomplice Mrs. Younge were cast off. Unfortunately, by escaping punishment they went on to cause problems for Darcy and others on another day. Young Georgiana Darcy was devastated to learn how she had been manipulated and lied to. Over the coming months both siblings became withdrawn and morose. Their Fitzwilliam relatives did what they could to restore the pair, but with little success.

Restoration for both finally came in the form of lively dark-haired beauty with a sparkle in her intelligent eyes and a great joy of life. It is not necessary in this tale to relate all that took place between the first meeting of Fitwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and the day in which he finally brought her home as his wife and Georgiana's new sister. What is important is that she taught both siblings her motto: "Look only at the past as it gives you pleasure."

It was also Elizabeth who heard the full story and asked a question which had been neglected up to that point, "Who do you suppose sent you that letter, William?"

Reminded and intrigued, Mr. Darcy commissioned a trusted local solicitor to investigate the matter. He searched and asked discreet questions throughout the area, but found no answers. The Darcys had to be content to set the mystery aside and thank Providence for His intervention.

oOoOOoOo

Paulette was quite content without ever receiving thanks for her actions. Her reward came in the form of Mr. Wilbur Wilkins requesting her hand in marriage. Even though she did not know the man well, she was confident in his good character. His actions to aide her in saving a young girl who was a complete stranger to him was all that she could have expected. Theirs was a very happy marriage blessed with love, respect, children, and growing prosperity.

She aided her husband greatly in his business behind the scenes, but her greatest joy was in her children. She went on to ensure that every one of her five sons and daughters, along with every one of her grandchildren, were well read, loved reading, and were well educated. In fact, there were few merchants in Ramsgate who could boast such intelligent conversation or a library as full as that found in the Wilkins home.

Paulette Wilkins never saw the young girl again, but five years later she smiled when she read the wedding announcement of Georgiana Darcy to David Stanhope, a major landholder in Derbyshire from a noble family. Her intervention had worked after all.

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed the first chapter of my story. I hope that this second installment will be just as pleasing. I also hope to see contributions from others within this challenge storyline.

One reviewer might have questioned to concept of servants knowing so much. The review was written in such a way that I was unsure. If so, I do understand your skepticism, so I wanted to respond. I have alluded in my author's comments in other stories to my unusual background. For a time I worked within the intelligence and investigative community. I have seen the best, but also the very worst of humanity, to the point that I was happy to leave that world behind forever. One interesting fact I learned during that time was that people in service were often our best sources for information and the unvarnished truth. The arrogance and hubris of many self-important people causes them to have a blind spot when it comes to the people who serve them. Many conversations and activities take place right in front of those "lesser" people. They are neither blind nor deaf, trust me on this.

And in a similar vein, since many of the higher-ups left the raising of their young children to their servants, those servants often felt a personal stake in those children. It is only natural that they would wish to intervene time to time.