Haworth
Emma was the latest gossip in the Molders Mansion.
She was very pretty for a commoner, has a straight back and walks with grace and poise, that the others instinctively call her 'Miss Emma'. She also has good manners and etiquette because she was educated by her former governess employer...and the one responsible for their salary increase, thanks to her journal of market goods in London and the Oriental Quarter. She was also skilled in Herbal Medicine and making Hygiene Goods and Cosmetics from scratch using hindi and chinese techniques.
Not everyone in London can buy goods in Oriental Quarter. Thus Emma had to include those prices in. By having full knowledge of goods and rent in the city, a maid now enjoys 20 pounds a year salary as opposed to 15 or 16- the highest a maid can have and other salaries of the british were adjusted accordingly too. The british hires of the Molders' Household lamented that local employees weren't as nice to their own people unlike their foreign employees now...while the german employees didn't get a pay raise as the Molders have full knowledge of price goods in Germany that their salaries were long since adjusted for comfort!
On off days?
She sews her own clothes. Thus the only thing she does buy, are shoes. Even then custom-made from the local shoemaker as no store sells her size and she doesn't want pointy-toed shoes. PAINFUL when standing and walking for long hours. Fashionable if you're sitting in a tea party.
'Buying tailor-made ones is only for the rich, something I am not.' she would tell them flatly. And she doesn't want to wear the same thing every day with increasingly bad odor through a wash-and-wear routine to match like everyone does in London. She would tell them how much city folk stink since they hardly bathe, and cover up bad odor with perfume...leading to interestingly-increasingly nauseating smells. The rich were notorious for the stink. Particularly rich men who smoke cigars!
Cue servants taking baths every three days and their masters every two.
Her reputation as a brawler is too known, one of the guys jokingly asked her to show example with Hans the Footman as he was their strongest guy, Hans had TROUBLE and several jaws dropped before she pinned him down in the backyard.
Hans LOST to a tiny girl in a FIGHT.
'Oh wow.' Madam Molders and Mr. Molders went wide-eyed from the windows, watching the fight. 'You know husband, Britain's idea of Angel of the House is utter nonsense...this is much more interesting!'
'Well, things go bad when chauvinists take over the laws that unknown skills and talents are buried without even getting the chance to shine.' said Mr. Molders as both disdained stuffy traditions but had to suck it up. 'When we got wind from that little lady what education English women get, I'm worried for Ilse's future in this country.' he said in discontent. He can understand Languages and Math, but the others were housewifely subjects with good reason. But women can learn more subjects too and can do what men can do! They too, can study advanced subjects and hold jobs men can do!
And they don't believe in what British People believe, regarding education either. Heck, their german servants are trilingual knowing German, English and French. Thus they made it a point to teach their British Hires Language and Math on their free times. That was the responsibility of the Senior Servants, and Emma joined the English, French, Piano and Etiquette Classes, thus taking a subject off of Mrs. Vieck considering she was educated. But british maids, including herself, must learn German.
'Well, we're only here for a few years anyway until we secure our branch here before we can go back home.' Madam Molders tut-tutted. 'Not like we're here forever anyway but Ilse is five now and we'd need a tutor...would someone with credentials we want go all the way here?'
And because she sews her own clothes using 'this and that' from stores, she easily has the best party dress as her sense of fashion is very modern. But she was no dancer and was perfectly fine with playing lively piano songs to support the guys playing the violins on the birthday of the family's little girl Ilse Molders. She's a sweet little shy kid kind to servants instead of a spoiled brat like most rich kids are. Even her older brother Erich is a good kid.
One can tell children have good parents by their attitudes alone. Thus the servants have great respect for the Molders as nobody wants a problematic workplace. For house servants, its either a lecherous employer or an abusive one and of course, damn brats.
Life at the Molders was great. Lively and interesting. Not to mention thanks to her know-how, everyone was also, healthy and veeery safe at home that doesn't contain dangerous stuff from London.
But one day?
On a day off...
Girls on that off-day gathered together to shop at the nearest town, after washing their uniforms the night prior.
Maids have theirs on the first week of the month. Menservants have theirs on the second week. On those weeks, were overtime weeks for everyone else.
Kitchen Servants and Senior Servants do not have days off, unless seriously ill. And they DO take off days when its...that time of the month.
And so?
In a cafe in the nearby town...
Emma just left the local shoemaker before going to the nearby clothing shop.
She needed a new corset anyway.
'We have a new whalebone corset! Its all the rage in London right now!' said the saleslady. 'And these latest model with metal eyelets, enabling us to tighten up more without the fabric pulling away!' she said cheerfully, showing off the corsets in question.
For Emma, that was a big flat NO. She likes to BREATHE thank you.
'I'll settle for old models...not everyone is rich enough for that.' Emma would fib and bought five new corsets and new chemise shirts. Besides, she was a natural 25-incher thanks to her diet. And drinking pure black tea from Oriental Quarters...only in breakfast and lunch, and drinks green tea at night to keep fat off her.
In fact, by knowing where to buy pure unadulterated tea, it contributed to wonderful waistlines without choking yourself to death with overly-tight corsets and your own body fat working against you.
She was living proof that its possible to lose inches, without choking yourself to death.
It became a huge fad in the household and two months of it?
Was measuring day!
'Hmmm! I lost four inches!' Dorothea Molders was very pleased when she compared a before and after. 'Suffering the beginning was worth it!' she meant the taste of course...and nastier periods that followed.
Well, black tea has detoxifying effects in blood. Cleaner blood makes for faster metabolism or so books say in the future...and it actually works.
At the bathroom for lady servants?
Squealing ensued and this was what Adele came to when everyone was late for duty!
'I lost three inches!'
'I lost four!'
'My arms don't sag anymore!'
'I wonder if I can lace tighter now...'
'GET DRESSED AND GET TO WORK!' Adele scolded as the ladies squealed at being caught undressed and began dressing in a hurry. 'You could have done that last night! Sheesh!'
The one responsible for the trends, was already reporting to duty. She was the slimmest maid with Adele coming second and having breakfast already in her black tea, with seeded bread for breakfast with the morning soup of pumpkin soup.
Another noticeable thing was their breaths were 'less smellier'. It has a...social effect in Molders Mansion that attraction ensued. But the Molders would tell the servants, 'Before you go and get married, let us find your replacements first so until then, stay here!' and not many people are going all the way to Haworth for work! And Emma would tell them,
'Save up money to build your own house first and fill it up before you get married.' she would tell them. 'This way you'll never pay weekly rent, only annual taxes based on where you built it in, helping you earn money more and child-rearing is expensive. People in London fall in love at first, until the cold-blooded financial reality sets in where you struggle to pay rent, buy food and clothes. Money is tight unless you own your own house and land. For men, saving up to buy land and building a house is their problem while a woman's problem is decorating it, dressing up everyone and making tasty meals. And money issues lead to fights at home.'
That got everyone silent...
Leave it to Emma to drop cold-blooded reality on them.
'So uh...how much?' a footman asked her. awkwardly.
'The farther away from big cities, the cheaper in land taxes, easier to earn for, and building materials come after. But since high-paying jobs are in the cities, you're forced to rent anyway to be near your workplace.'
OOOOK.
In a mansion, servants had wages based on their jobs.
Mr. Bruch earns the equivalent of 70 pounds a year due to his seniority compared to his younger days where he used to earn fifty a year. Mrs. Vieck earns 60 a year. Johanna the Head Chef earns also 60 due to her skill in the kitchen, accounting for gourmet presentation and taste in food she makes. Footmen are paid based on how tall they are...as are Page Boys based on ability, and how cute they are.
And the maids here, are All-Works. But the prettier ones act as Chamber and Parlor Maids if and only if there are guests. Otherwise they do the same jobs as all maids. Kitchen Maids and Laundry Maids are in a separate category.
Because salaries were raised for employees to actually earn something for livelihood before retiring for marriage, given the prices of everything...everyone decided to retire at forty...until then, they pair up and earn for upcoming retirement and two kids as again, child-rearing is expensive, unless wife is skilled at making their own clothes as buying a tailor's services costs too much. Especially shoes!
So yes, there's romance in the mansion now...
But due to their situation, people fall in and out of love, breaking up in amicable terms as they discover that passions are fleeting and they're better off friends.
It helps that NO SEX ALLOWED.
One day however...
Emma was selected to act as Lady's Maid...and bodyguard...because the Molders need to go to London to Socialize to expand their business, starting with a Lord Meyer who's well-connected in society, and Emma has a LOT to say about the man, who to connect with and who NOT to, so the Molders know what to expect.
Accompanying the family and Emma, are three footmen.
'Hey what's London like?' a Footman asked Emma.
'Smelly and smoggy.' said Emma. 'Its indeed a city of opportunity but both good and bad that you have to be wise and savvy to avoid getting swindled or worse, tricked into working for shady employers in nasty jobs with little pay. The streets smell of smoke from cars, and horse poo from carriages so every lady must wear heels so ladies' skirts won't touch filthy streets. The food and hygiene, I warned you about. And never buy so-called beauty products. Buy your things in Oriental Quarter instead, I'll show you where.'
Upon arriving in West End where apartment rents for whole families for the wealthy and even aristocrats, the Molders rented a really big and cozy place.
The Molders, like any Trading Family, were richer than Aristocrats. Thus can burn money like water when even Aristocrats MUST budget due to their set annual income by the Royal Family based on their titles.
That even their servants, have good living quarters if their employers are so generous.
And since arriving in London?
The Molders learned how EXHAUSTING social season can be! And how stinky people can be!
'So yep, they're complaining.' Hans would tell Emma as her German was 'kinder-level'. 'Is it always like this?' he asked during Room Service dinner time...and their masters are out for a dance party.
'Yup. Connections are important to go high up the social ladder through their daughters.' said Emma. 'A beautiful daughter will attract a gentleman whose social status is higher than their father's. This will enable their natal family to rise through connections and after some merits using those connections, they might get a rank-up from the Royal Family. So yes, aristocrats are professional brown-nosers too. Dukedoms and the Marquee can arrogantly look down on Earls, Viscounts and Barons. Earls are in the middle-range, while Viscounts and Barons are the bottom levels so those levels must kiss up to the Earldom first who in turn, will connect to the Marquee Families. Dukedoms are basically second-onward sons of royalty who moved out, so acquainting with them is damn near impossible unless you're connected and liked enough. But while earning trust and good reputation is so hard, its easy to lose both. So one must be very careful with their actions and attitudes in public.'
'For the gentry who wants to become aristocrats, they kiss up to the Barony first and upwards. Thankfully the master and madam don't care for that, only making business by gaining more customers.'
'So it's like that. How much do they earn anyway?'
'As low as 10000 pounds a year for most Baronies...to as high as 50000 and above for Dukedoms, but that depends on how well they maintain and make use of their granted estates. Some idiots simply wait for money to rain on them thru annual taxes without making full use of their estates as their excuse of, 'we're nobles, why should we work', that eventually, that mindset bites them in their rear ends, that they fall to ruin that all they have left, are their titles and what's left of their fortunes.'
'Wow, our bosses earn way more than dukes...being gentry is a lot better!' the other footman exclaimed.
'Well, they think being rich means you can cozy up with aristocrats simply because they're richer, creating a new social divide by the disdainful aristocrats...the slur called 'nouveau riche'.' Emma scoffed. 'The smarmy nobles might mistake our employers so they got to be clear where they stand.'
'Knowing them, they will.' said Hans. 'It helps that they're clearly foreign.'
Soon, on a rare off-day, Emma showed the guys to Oriental Quarter.
Where everything is 'pure and not cheated', you get what you pay for.
'Namaste Miss Emma! It's been months!'
'Namaste! I got a new job after my previous mistress went to the next great adventure.'
'Oh my, I hope her next adventure is good since she's an accomplished governess...'
The footmen exchanged looks.
Emma's previous mistress died from old age. Old by standards in England, of age 50.
'By the way, thanks for endorsing us to your employers! We got a new big-paying customer!'
'Mera saubhaagy!'
Shopping then began for the servants, especially as they have souvenirs to shoulder...and get paid for later as well as their own personal needs...and EVERYONE's needs for baths to smell nice. Emma also purchased frankincense incense for personal use.
That, and the Footmen learned the hard way what Emma meant regarding how smelly people here are while their employers...suffered a lot that she lights up incense in their hired flat in strategic places to keep their flat stink free, which she used plenty ONLY ONCE while they and the masters are OUT as all windows are closed to keep the incense in, before airing out the rooms when the servants are in.
Because when they first went in, there's...'an interesting smell' the Molders counted on Emma to freshen up while they're gone on business. After a little treatment and turning out fabrics to get the same share of exposure.
Its even noticeable in business for the Molders. They don't have oily hair and greasy skin, looking and smelling constantly fresh every day.
Thus people began noticing...how bad they smell...in contrast to the foreign couple.
