***Ghosts!***

Dear Diary

Lizzie did her big drama queen sigh this morning. She is so annoying at times.

It was freezing when we woke up because it was snowing and we could see little white flakes falling down through the gap in the curtains where they don't close to properly and I thought she was sighing about the snow so I said, "I hate winter" . As you can tell, I am being grown up and talking to Lizzie even though she is still being very pure isle and not talking to me.*

She just looked at me and said, "I am going to tell you about how you get a baby one day, Daisy. You can't go all your life thinking what you think."

I decided if Lizzie could be a drama queen so could I so I went, "Humph, you don't know what I think, Miss High and Mighty!" (Miss Hunt calls her Miss High and Mighty sometimes and it gets her mad) and I stalked off to the bathroom on our floor before someone else got in.

But somebody already had so I was dancing for a while till Betty came out. I don't know how it helps, do you? But it does. I wonder what would happen if every single person in the women's quarters needed to go at exactly the same time? It would be funny if Mrs Hughes came along and we were all in a line dancing outside the bathroom like we were learning how to do a jig.

I wonder if they dance in the men's quarters as well when they're waiting to use theirs? I started imagining Mr Carson dancing outside their bathroom while he was waiting and it was very funny as he was doing a waltz on his own. Then Betty came out with a towel on her head and said, "You're an idiot, girl, just standing there, laughing at nothing" in that horrible voice of hers. I wish I could have told her to shut up and put the towel over her face instead. I will write another poem about her soon if she's not careful. And, anyway, I wasn't just standing there, I was dancing.

I dashed in as soon as Betty came out and had about ten minutes to spend a penny and get washed. We are very lucky here in Downton Abbey as we have hot water when the boiler is working and it was working today unlike last Tuesday. It is quite a luxury when it's snowing.

Lizzie and I rushed through the fires. Do you like the way I said Lizzie and I instead of Lizzie and me? That is because It is the correct grammar. Lizzie would say Lizzie and me, which is not correct. Well, it IS correct to say Lizzie and me because she is called Lizzie, but it's NOT correct to say Lizzie and me, she should say Lizzie and I, but this is NOT correct either because her name is Lizzie so she wouldn't be calling herself Lizzie. I mean, it IS correct to call herself Lizzie. but if she was talking about me she would say Daisy and me, which is NOT correct either, though Daisy is my name so that IS correct. She should really say Daisy and I unless it is a sentence with a me such as there are cakes for Daisy and me and NOT Daisy and I. If there were cakes for us, I mean, which there aren't as I am writing my diary in our room and there are no cakes here. I hope I haven't confused you.

I was glad to be in the kitchens today and Lizzie was not moaning about being in Laundry for once as we all just wanted to be somewhere warm. It was freezing every time the door opened for food deliveries and Mr Carson told Ted and Wilf to go out and break the ice so the horses didn't slip and he said I was not to go out for deliveries today, Ted and Wilf would go out instead.

I started thinking about how people said break the ice when they didn't know each other and had to introduce themselves and I pictured Ted and Wilf saying, I am Ted, I am Wilf and shaking hands every time they went in and out to break the ice, which was very funny as they have known each other for years and sometimes even go to the pub together on their half days off. Of course, you know what happened then, don't you? Betty saw me and said, "Laughing at nothing again, Idiot? They'll be carting you off to the Funny Farm soon." I hate her. I would rather have Weary Winnie saying things like how we young ones don't know we're born nowadays and we have it too soft, but she is not well again.

Anyway, I am going to tell you something very strange now. I hope you won't be scared. I was a bit but I was by myself so if you think you might be scared ask someone to be with you while you are reading.

It was very cold even with the hot ovens because of the opening doors all the time (Friday is BIG delivery day) and Mrs Patmore said I could run up and get my cardigan when I asked as long as I wore it under my uniform and tucked in the sleeves so they didn't show as we have to dress proper at all times. (That is not the scary bit.)

Even when we are having a day off we must look respectable and dress soberly so we have to tie back our hair and wear a bonnet and dark colours. Some of the maids hate having to wear their uniform outside, though, and everybody knowing they're in service. I don't mind too much as I would be very happy to say I am a kitchen maid learning to be a cook if anybody asked but nobody takes much notice of me apart from Fred Wells, who is one of the butcher boys.

We're not allowed to shout either as this is considered common so I don't know what I would do if Fred did ask what I did for a living because he always whizzes past too fast on his bike when he looks back to whistle at me and when he falls off he is always a bit too far away to hear so I would have to shout unless I used sign language and he might think I was saying I was hungry if I pretended to be stirring a pot on the stove and then eating. And people going past might think I was saying I was hungry too and feel sorry for me and give me money, which Mr Carson would not like at all. I don't mean because he would be jealous, I mean because it would not be respectable.

Also, I make the teas and cocoas well as the food so I would have to do the actions of pouring and drinking and then people going past might think I wanted money for beer so they wouldn't give me any, and it wouldn't be my fault on account of not being allowed to shout. Anyway, I am not likely to walk down the main street in the town shouting I am a kitchen maid learning to be a cook so it is a daft rule. (That was not the scary bit either. The next bit is.)

I got my cardy out of the drawer – it's a bit squashed as I only have one and a half drawers like Lizzie, but at least woollens don't crease and I only own one anyway. I put it on under my work dress and apron and rolled my sleeves up enough so they didn't show. Just when I was about to go back down, I heard a strange wailing noise right by our room. There was nobody else around and I got shivers down my spine, I was so scared!

I couldn't move for a minute and then I made a mad dash for the stairs and I never ran down them so fast! Mrs Patmore said I looked like I'd seen a ghost but I didn't say anything to anyone because Betty has already called me an idiot twice today and I don't want anyone saying Daisy Daydream like they do sometimes.

I thought of telling Lizzie, but she is still treating me like a kid and I don't want to worry her when she is having a baby. Anyway, she is fast asleep and snoring. I am glad she is here, though. I am too scared to be by myself. I am going to try and sleep now too.

XXXXX

I am terrified. That wailing I heard this morning woke us up and we are sitting up in bed, scared to move because it is very, very near our room and we have heard footsteps too and now there's whispers. Lizzie thinks I'm crazy to be writing my diary. I can tell by her face, but she won't say anything because we don't want whatever it is to know we're here so we can't shout for help. It was under my pillow with the pencil and I hope you can read my writing because I can only see a bit with the curtain not being closed to properly and the moon shining on the snow and my hand is shaking, but if we are murdered I want you to know what happened so you can tell someone. If you never, ever hear from me again, thank you for being my friend.

A/N: Daisy is still convinced Lizzie is pregnant.

A/N (2) *Pure isle – hopefully, Daisy will check in "Mr Carson on top of the piano dictionary" eventually and work out she means "puerile"!