Reassessing
She sat on the bed thinking over her new situation. Judging by the light coming from the window it was almost dawn. The bell would ring soon and she'd have to get up and face the world. The world had always been so kind to her, she could do it.
The evening before she had been broken. She had been mourning the life she had lost, but now she had moved on. This was something she had always been good at. The Lady had come up to her room and explained the situation to her. She was now their slave. There were three other servants in the estate. Firstly, their was the Lady's maid who slept by the Lord and Lady's quarters, she would not see much of her. Their were the cook and her helper as well, whom she was to help in her spare time. They slept on the ground floor by the kitchen. As well as them there where guards coachmen and governors and they all slept in the servant's wing. As there was no room left there and it was to far from the house for her they had put together this room for her, she would be the only one to sleep up here in the meantime.
The lord and Lady had two children. The older was a seventeen year old boy and the younger was a girl aged thirteen. It was to be her job to serve and look after the children. She was surprised to hear this, as she was not yet fifteen herself, how could she serve children her age?
She was to get up at dawn when the bell rang and be in the kitchen within ten minutes ready to receive chores. She would help around until the servants bell rang, one ring and she was to present herself at the boy's room, a double ring and she was to head to the girl's room. As well as the one in her room there was a bell in the kitchen and the ring could be heard from around the house. She would then serve them until dismissed, when she would return to the kitchen and eat, then help until again called upon. When their lessons ended she was to stay with them unless told otherwise. If both called, she was to give priority to the brother's orders as he was the more responsible. She was to see to their rooms being tidy at all times and do exactly as they directed her.
As she waited for the bell to ring announcing the beginning of her first day of this new life, again she felt grateful. She was not grateful to someone specific, it was rather an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for everything, for life. She knew now, more than ever, that her life was a path paved with blessings. Every time life seemed to be going the wrong way, something steered it back onto the right path. After her parents died their aunt had come to help them. When their aunt left Edmund had helped her and they had managed, and now, Edmunds friend had saved her, him with the Lord and Lady. Instead of leaving her there to die he had found her a place to live. For a brief moment she thought of the beautiful children's home her parents had told her was the town's pride but she immediately pushed that thought away assuring herself that it was probably for her own good that he had taken her here. She never thought it may have been for his own good that he sold her. Maybe the orphanage was no longer what it used to be. When she heard the bell ring on the wall she wanted to sing along with praise to the world but did not want any of her rescuers to be awoken. She hastily put on a dress the lady had given her and ran up to the kitchen.
It was not until she found the kitchen that she felt lost. Upon seeing the cook standing by the sink she realized how strange this situation was. They hadn't had a cook since her parents had died and she suddenly felt out of place. This whole situation was wrong. No, different, she corrected herself fiercely. The cook looked to be a kind and motherly figure, but upon seeing the new arrival displayed no such emotions. 'Ah, finally some more help around here.' Not knowing what to say she mumbled something and looked around the room. It was then that she noticed someone else laying the table in the adjoined dining room. 'Hi, I'm Sarilma. What's your name?' Again she did not know how to respond to Sarilma's question. Her name was… It was special. It was a present from her parents, it was her family's, she couldn't just tell anyone new her name. Once she wouldn't have thought twice, but now, now that her family were gone it was a part of her that belonged with them. Finally she decided that she would just have to find a new name. 'I'm… I'm not sure.' She waited to see what the response to this would be. 'Well then, tell us when you decide.' Said the cook, shrugging it off and mumbling under her breath about strange things. 'Could you wash the floor in the hall before they wake up?' Sarilma showed her where everything was and started her off. It was as she was finishing that the bell in the kitchen rang, a double ring. 'I'll just finish here and then go see what she wants' she told Sarilma. 'No, no, go right away and I'll just have to finish off this time.'
She headed up to the second floor and searched for the room Sarilma had described. The cook and Sarilma were nice enough, but not in a friendly way. They would always see her as their inferior. She arrived by the door and knocked gently. She was answered by a shrill voice with a loud 'enter'. She quietly walked into the room. It was a big room with three other doors leading off. At the back of the room, on a raised platform, stood a large round bed with white hangings draped around. There was a large window with a view to the woods. She was so overwhelmed by her surroundings she didn't spare a glance to the figure sitting on the bed until she spoke. 'Hello, you must be our new slave. I am Marliana. I've never had a slave before so I'm not sure what to do really. What do I call you?' Whatever se had expected, it was not this. It took her a moment to decide if she should answer, and another to try think up an appropriate reply. 'I… I don't really know either.' The truth is she was so confused she didn't think she knew anything. What should she call Marliana? How should she act? What should she say? She decided to let Marliana decide all of that, she would just follow her lead and do what expected. When Marliana said nothing she decided to help things along a bit. 'You called?' She asked. She said it quietly and with a shaky voice, was she allowed to talk without being addressed first? But if Marliana noticed she didn't say anything which led her to believe that she could. 'Oh, yes. Would you bring up my breakfast please? The cook knows what.' She left the room without responding and soon came up with a tray the cook had handed her. She presented it to Marliana just as she heard a faint ring of the bell, probably coming from her room. 'Excuse me, I must go see what your brother wants.' She told Marliana.
She found the boy's room without too much trouble. Again she knocked and this time it was a stronger voice with more authority that commanded her to approach. She walked in and decided to use the same tactic she had with his sister. 'You called?' Though the question was the same, the reply could not have been less similar. 'As it is your first day I will let it pass but from now on you are to show more respect. You are a mere slave and would do well to remember it. You are to address me in a respectful manner and not in a casual way. You are to call me Sir always and your replies will include it. It will always be "yes, Sir" or "no, Sir". When called you will ask "May I help you, Sir." You will not ask for reasons and are never contradict me. I trust you are not to dim to catch the drift?' She was not stupid. 'Yes, Sir.' 'Good,' he said. 'Now bring up my breakfast.' 'Yes, sir. Right away, Sir.' 'You are good at this' he sneered as she turned to leave. 'One more thing, you are to curtsey upon entering and leaving.' 'Yes, Sir'.
She brought up the boys breakfast and helped Marliana dress. When the governesses arrived she was interested and planed to listen to some of their lessons. She had never had a real education herself. When she had been four her parents had started teaching her about animals and plants and as she grew older she was taught more about the world but none of it was in a formal way. She was to start her real education at the age of seven but when her parents had died her aunt needed her help at home. At the age of ten her aunt left but Edmund then needed even more help and the only thing she learnt in those years was field work. She never got a chance to find out what their lessons were like as she was called away to ready the fireplaces for the winter the moment the governesses arrived. She had finished only the fireplace in the hall when she had to go clean the children's quarters. She discovered that each of the rooms had an attached changing room and bathroom as well as a shared lounge area. When the lessons were over she was sent on little errands to bring food or paper. Marliana was extremely disappointed when informed that she would be doing her own writing but when she complained to her brother that 'The slave can't write' he found it highly amusing. 'completely illiterate, are you?' 'Yes, Sir.' They had taken to referring to her as the slave, something she wasn't fond of but figured she'd get used to. It didn't take her long to discover that the boy's name was Markari but she didn't think it wise to use this new found information. When Marliana saw the way she addressed Markari she informed her that she expected the same treatment as her brother. 'You can call me Lady and answer "yes, my Lady" and anything else he told you to do as well.' In the evening she helped Marliana undress and stayed up cleaning the house on Sarilma's orders until well after midnight when she ate and climbed up to sleep, barely dusting the soot of her new dress.
Looking back on her first day again she felt like the luckiest girl. No one treated her really badly, she had a place to sleep, food to eat and clothes to wear which was more than she would have expected under her circumstances. It would take her a long time to realize what was missing in her new life.
