Alfie walked through the door after work and immediately noticed the silence. He walked in the kitchen and found it empty. He exhaled a sigh and disappointment that Tess was gone, but it was for the best. Now he had to find a new maid, one that would be better suited for his lifestyle.

—

Tess arrived at the boarding house after laying in the alley for hours. She didn't know exactly how long she had laid there, but it was dark by the time she arrived home. Her body ached and she could only see out of one eye. Every step caused her pain and the last thing she wanted was to open the door and find a bunch of women in the foyer. She took a deep breath, or as deep as she could manage, her ribs crying out in pain. Tess slowly opened the door, bracing herself for a slew of questions but was relieved to find the entrance empty. She closed the door slowly and quietly before she crept up the stairs to her room.

Tess made it to her room without encountering another individual and closed the door behind her. As she walked to sit on the foot of her bed she caught her reflection in the mirror on the table holding her washbasin and she cringed. Her right eye was already purple and swollen shut, her nose had a trail of dried blood draining down past her chin, her lip was sliced open, and she was covered in dried blood and dirt. Slowly, Tess began to peel off her bloody and dirty clothes and poured water in her washbasin with shaking hands.

She couldn't stop the tears that began to fill and sting her eyes as she began to wash the grime from her body. She was already covered in dark bruises all over and she was afraid of what she would look like the next day. More than that, she was afraid she would make the wrong decision. If she didn't spy on Alfie, they would kill her. If she did, he might kill her.

Tess stopped her wash and began to sob. She had no one to help her or for her to confide in. Mrs. Schwartz didn't want to hear from her, Alfie had made it very clear he had gotten what he wanted and how he felt towards her, and she had no friends. A new worry surfaced when she remembered she had walked out of Alfie's without a word or finishing her duties. What if she showed up tomorrow and he told her to get out? If those men found out, they would come for her sooner.

Tess lay on the bed and curled into a ball, letting her sobs flow until she fell in a restless sleep.

The next morning Alfie woke and showered as usual, pausing when he emerged from his bedroom to the smell of breakfast. When he entered the dining room and found his breakfast, he lightened for a moment that Tess was back before remembering why he had expected her to be gone in the first place. He closed his eyes and let out an exhale. This was bad for her, so he had no choice. If she wasn't going to leave on her own, he had to let her go.

Tess did not enter the dining room the entire time he ate which was odd as she usually checked on him to ensure he didn't need anything. He sat drinking his coffee, waiting on her to come out of the kitchen for a few minutes after eating and finally decided to go to work, thinking she was merely cross with him.

When Tess heard him leave, she let out a sigh of relief. She had been so tense the entire time, afraid he would come to the kitchen and see her blue and purple face. She'd wore a light sweater and dark tights to cover her body as much as possible, along with sunglasses and a scarf but there was nothing she could do to cover her mouth which was purple and had a large split in her lip. She'd already received odd looks at the market and could only imagine what Alfie would say when he saw her.

She worked slowly, her body aching and sore. She could only lift one of her arms so high before she got a sharp pain in her side and felt out of breath so everything took longer than usual. She hadn't had time to finish her daily chores when she realized it was time to start cooking dinner if she wanted it to be on the table when he arrived and hopefully avoid seeing him again.

Tess had just managed to return to the kitchen when Alfie arrived home. She quickly put her sweater, sunglasses, and scarf back on in case he entered the kitchen and pretended to busy herself.

Alfie ate with no interruptions or sight of Tess and when he had finished, decided it was time to give her the news.

"Tess." He called when he stood and entered the sitting room.

"Yes?" She called back.

He waited a moment for her to enter the sitting room or at least leave the kitchen and grew suspicious when she didn't. He knew she was cross but if she showed up today, he assumed she would still enter the room when he called for her.

Tess thought she could get away with answering his verbally but when he didn't speak again she knew she had to go to him or risk his anger. Taking a deep, painful, breath, she emerged from the kitchen.

Alfie froze, staring at her. She was clearly trying to hide her body but he could see her mouth, nose, and cheek enough to see something was very wrong.

"Take off your glasses and your scarf." He ordered.

"I'd prefer to leave them on please." She responded.

"Now."

At his insistence, she took off her glasses, looking at the floor to avoid meeting his eyes. When she began to undo her scarf, he noticed her twinge of pain when she lifted her left arm.

He made no noise or movement and his voice was oddly calm when he said, "take off your sweater."

"It's cold in here, I would like to keep it-" she started but was interrupted.

"Fuck off!" He said sternly, calling her out on her lie.

She slowly peeled off her sweater and stood, her eyes remaining on the floor.

Alfie began to see red as he looked at the state of her face and arms. He didn't know what the rest of her looked like but he could imagine.

"Who?" Was all he asked in a strained voice.

Tess shook her head. "I fell down the stairs at the boarding house."

"You-" Alfie cut himself off, growing more angry that she was blatantly lying.

"Fell. Yes, sir."

"Look at me" He said, attempting to push down his anger.

Her eyes crept up to meet his, though one was so swollen he could barely see it.

"What the fuck happened?"

"I fell-"

"DON'T fucking lie to me." He said, his voice going back to the dangerously calm tone it held before.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure what you want me to say. It was an accident."

He held her gaze for a moment before she looked down and once again avoided his eyes.

"Go home." He said and she nodded without argument and gathered her belongings to leave.

Alfie stood in his sitting room, unmoving until she closed the door behind her. Immediately he grabbed his black coat and followed her at a distance to ensure she arrived safely. She was lying, he knew it. And if she wasn't going to tell him the truth. He would find out on his own.