Her arms could fall off at any moment or that is how she felt at least, but still Kate continued to scrub the floor. In till she could see her own reflection, after scrubbing she would buff all the glass wear and silver, then clean the windows, after that she would take the table clothes just from the dining room and wash them.
Today was Wednesday, for Kate that meant she had to clean the dining room. Each maid had her daily duties that she must carry out; Kate felt that she was rather lucky in regards to her duties.
Kate remembered the cold fateful day that she arrived in the servant living area, she was scared, but she felt that she hid that fear very well, remaining strong not only for her self, but for her daughter as well.
When they arrived to what Kate assumed was the servant quarters, she looked around at the 20 or so little huts that where all huddle together in an orderly fashion. Rose was leading her to one of the small wooden homes.
Once they reached the one that was to be Kate's Rose opened the door so they would be out of the cold, but all the walls did was cut the wind chill, it was still freezing.
The wood box which she would call her new home often as time passed, was small. Small was an understatement, the home was just a tiny room. It was smaller than Juliet and Sarah's closet for all there clothes and shoes.
That had a tiny wood stove and a single cot in the corner with only a thin blanket covering the cot. Kate could not believe that the servants living conditions where this bad. She knew that they would be nothing glamorous, but this was almost unlivable.
This worried Kate on how she and Gracie would stay warm through out the night, but she did not want to insult Rose by telling her this. This is what Rose had known as her home for all her life.
Rose was lighting the wood stove, "Here this should help with the warmth. Don't worry Kate everything is going to be just fine. I'm only two down from you and if you need anything at all you can just come get me."
" Rose?" Kate looked around nervously. "Where do you go to wash yourself and take care of other matters?" As far as Kate could tell there was no place to do those such things in this tiny room.
" Oh, well for the relieving of one's self the woman all share an out house that is just on the edge of all the homes and the men have one for themselves. As for the bathing part good luck, it is easier in the summer when it is not so cold, but in the winter some girls go to all trouble of getting a bucket of water and setting by their wood oven till it gets warm as it can and they bathe themselves, but most of us just go on without one."
It was funny as a girl she hated when her mother would bathe her, but now that she was being told that she most likely go without bathing she hated the idea.
It was the coldest nights of her life. The single thin blanket and the wood stove did not seem to be much help at all, only casting a dim orange yellow glow around the room. The wind continued to howl through out the night, Kate barely slept at all. As Gracie cried all night long, it broke her heart that she could not warm up her baby girl.
Once the morning came, Kate felt as if she were a lost puppy dog. Not really sure who to follow around or what to do.
She was looking for Rose, but it had turned out that she had awoke hours ago, before the sun, to get started on her daily tasks.
Kate looked around it seemed that she was in fact the last one to rise. She adjusted Gracie on her hip and walked to the mansion that was just considered her home yesterday, on her way Kate saw one of the older maids, she was heavy set and the grays were taking over her hair.
" Hello it's Esther right? I'm Kate and….."
Before Kate had a chance to finish her story Esther cut her off, "I know your story and I know what you did and that you now one of us servants. Word travels fast Miss Kate."
Unlike Rose who had a kind face, Esther had a harsh way about her and you could tell just by looking at her wrinkled face that life had not been easy for the older woman.
"Well then if you know my story, would you mind helping me out and tell me exactly what am I suppose to be doing?"
"Well Miss Kate, I assume that you will be working with us maids. Each maid and each day bring different duties. Since you new and all I be happy to show you what your duties will be." Esther let out a toothy smile.
"What do I do with my daughter? I can't just leave her she is to young!" Panic was rising her voice at thinking that she was just suppose to drop her daughter off somewhere.
"We have Rose look after her in the kitchen. Now, come on lets get going before we run out of day time."
That first week was the hardest Kate had ever worked in her life.
Kate was not shy to working hard, growing up as a farm girl hard work was a part of your daily life. This was different; to put it simply it was shit work Kate thought to herself.
Through out the week Kate worked with Esther or more like she worked and Esther told her what to do. Always complaining of her head hurting or her foot, tummy, finger, for every bone in Esther's body was bound to be hurting or hurting in the near future.
Kate did everything from cleaning out horse poop out of the pins to taking care of human waste from those that lived in the Shepherd mansion. Kate could not help, but think that Juliet really did get what she wanted all along, me cleaning up her shit.
While Rose told her earlier that most maids did not go to the trouble of bathing, but you better believe no matter how dead to the world Kate was she dragged that water all the way back to her hut and then warmed the water to clean herself. Never quit getting ride of that God awful smell.
An odd thing happened after that first week; Kate never did those duties again that she had endure during her first week.
Rose just came to her one night after her chores and told her that she would now be working under her direct supervision as a maid. Kate would have questioned it more, but she was just so happy to not be cleaning up crap anymore. Now, she could be watching after her daughter with Rose and doing more normal tasks such as cooking and cleaning floors, clothes, and silver.
Her duties changing after the first week was not the only odd matter that happened to her.
When Kate returned to the wood box after her first day as a maid someone had placed many thick wool blankets and large pillows on her bed. They also had brought Gracie's crib in as well that was also furnished with many warm blankets. The smaller wood stove had been replaced by a much larger one which did a wonderful job of heating the place.
Kate assumed that Rose had done this wonderful act. When she tried to thank her Rose played dumb acting as if she had no idea what she was talking about it, but that is just like Rose to not want to get credit for a good deed thought Kate.
After a few months passed another gift came on her bed it was a book and a stuffed bear.
That is when she knew that it was him.
Life as a servant girl was really not all that bad as time went by.
At first the others where cold and distant towards her, well everyone besides Rose. She was a hard worker and strong for her size the other maids liked this about her. One day all the tension was gone and she truly became one of them and her passed life as the Master's wife was forgotten.
The servants where considered the rats of society. Even the towns people looked down upon them. In her past life as a farmer girl was never one of riches, but living as a servant girl she truly knew the meaning of having nothing and doing all yours life's work for someone else.
For the most part you could not tell on their faces of the hard lives that they lived.
Once the weather warmed up the servants after duties would have parties. Never anything grand like the parties they prepared for. None the less still feeling the joy for life and for one another was there and only having potatoes and some moonshine that one of the older men prepared was all they needed to have a good time. It would be real special occasion if they had meat. Even with no music there was still dancing and laughing. Kate would watch as Gracie would play with the children in the tall grass.
While the maids had welcomed Kate as one of them, the men that worked for Master Shepherd where a different story, they were never mean to her in fact they even helped her sometimes with her choirs. When ever she tried to talk to them or become friends with them they would kindly excuse themselves and tell her some lie of that they have choirs or someone else they need to be talking to. Kate could tell in their eyes that they felt pained by telling her that they could not talk to her. One time she went to go help one of the younger stable boys who was having trouble carrying the horse feed, the boy was so terrified of her that he just ran away with out a word.
It had been three years since she became a servant. As she watched Gracie she was just aww struck at the beautiful little girl that she had become. Everyone would tell her that she was the spitting image of her. With brown curly hair, her fiery green eyes and freckles all over her face she could not argue with them that Gracie looked like a little version of herself. No one ever brought up the girl's father, figuring it was just better left unsaid.
Everyone expect Esther that is who one day told Gracie that she should thank God that she ended up looking like her momma and not that asshole of a father that she had. Gracie's little mind did not understand what she was saying as she looked at Esther with confused expression on her face. The older maid continued to explain, "Well you know your friend Sam?"
Gracie nodded her head, knowing the older boy that she played with.
"He was not lucky like you he turned out looking like a darker version of your Daddy, because of this that boy is the shame of the century. Anytime they look at him they know that he is the Master's bastard child he had with one of the servant girls. His other son's already torture him. Sam is going to have to grow up and work for them. Even though they have the same blood in them, none of the money will go to poor Sam or to you for that matter. You both will end up working for the Shepherd family just as both your mamma's did. At least with you not everyone would know who your Daddy was at first glance. Hell you look so much like your mama that your daddy could really be anybody."
Gracie went running to her mother in tears. Wanting to know what words like bastard meant and what a daddy was. Why she did not look like one, but Sam did.
Kate could have killed Esther for telling Gracie all those things. She wanted to protect her from the truth about her father as long as she could.
There was one fact about Gracie Esther got wrong and that was she did not look like her father at all. They were subtle traits that went unnoticed by most, but not by Kate. She had his smile or whenever she was deep in thought she looked just has he would when in deep in thought. Oh and that was just the looks there was so much of him in her personality , but so far it was only the good parts of him in her. Kate was going to do everything in her power to keep it that way.
The last time she had seen him was on that cold bitter winter night as he just tossed her and Gracie out like garbage. That was three years ago the only reminder that she has of him is their daughter and the gifts that he randomly gives to them.
The gifts for Kate would always be books of all different kinds and for Gracie it would change from candy to dolls or other toys. Kate would never allow Gracie to play with her toys outside of their hut. Telling Gracie that it was not fair for the other children to see that she had dolls and toys when the others had nothing. Just last Christmas Gracie gave away most of her toys to the other servant children, only keeping that first teddy bear that her so called father had given her. None of the children questioned the gifts figuring that Santa was really real after all. The mother's where just so grateful that they did not care where the gifts came from. It made Kate sick knowing that these children had nothing while Jack's proper sons that he had with Juliet and Sarah where receiving more gifts than any child should get and then having a nice meal that the servants had to prepare while they should be at home with their own children. Kate thanked god that she never had to personally serve the Shepherd family at their dinners.
For the most part Kate was grateful for the gifts she did not know what she would have done without reading and this also meant that she could now teach Gracie to read just as her father had done for her, but the gifts also made her angry. Thinking that he could just write off her and Gracie, and then ease his guilt with a few gifts here and there made her feel cheap.
She felt so many emotions when it came to that man. Anger being the emotion that she dealt with the best, it was when she missed his touch or just talking to him that is when it scared her the most.
Kate had been surprised that he had never once come to visit her or Gracie. She even half expected him to continue to sleep with her. She knew that he was not above sleeping with the servant girls as he had done so with Ana so much that he had his son Sam with her. Then she would remember why she was a servant girl in the first place. He thinks that I sold him out to his enemy, he probably hates you, no wonder he has not been by in all these years. Then Kate would scold herself for even caring in the first place. He is done with you why can you not just forget about him as well.
No matter how hard she tired Kate could not forget about him.
His tender brown eyes would haunt her at night. Sometimes during the day on a day like today when she felt as though her arms were about to break off and finishing her daily choirs seemed impossible. She would secretly wish that he would just appear and carry her away to his bedroom then make love to her. After wards he would hold her just like he use to and tell her that she and Gracie would be protected they have nothing to worry about anymore. Jack never did come.
Much to Kate's disbelief she wrapped up her work in the dinning room she went to go check on Rose and Gracie who where in the kitchen. Rose was about to begin cooking for a dinner party that they were having tonight. Gracie was at Rose's feet in her own little world, that Kate wished she could travel to and be rid of the world that they actually lived in.
Kate hated to take her daughter out of her day dream, but it was time to go. Kate did not like being in that house any longer than she had to.
" Come on Gracie it is time to go." The little girl looked up at her mother and then she smiled ear to ear running into her mother's arms as Kate lifted her up she thanked Rose for watching her for the day and the pair were off.
Now that it was summer Kate did not have to carry a big pot of water to and from her hut and then warm it up all just to bathe. Now, she could just go to the stream as the other servants did, but Kate choose to go to the pond that Jack had showed instead. It may have been a longer journey to take everyday, but Kate did not care it was her favorite time of the day. It was a time that her and Gracie could just be with one another with no else around.
Ridding of their clothes the girls jumped in. Splashing around Kate would try to teach Gracie to swim, but mostly she ended up holding her as she swam around the pond. Then once she could tell Gracie was fading she would just hold her while she stayed still singing to her and washing away the dirt from the little girl.
Kate looked down at her daughter to see that she had fallen asleep. Then all of a sudden she heard a snap of a branch, someone was there.
Kate quickly whipped her head around in a panic then right as she turned her head her eyes came in contact with those brown eyes that she had longed to see over the past three years.