Chapter 18: Maid's Feud

Mistress Glynnis had not brought many items back with her. A few simple dresses, a few pieces of jewelry. Given Lady Elara's state, it was best to keep things minimal, lest the sight of her finery bring back painful memories. The most important task was to restore the room to its original state.

When Lady Elara was away, the maids and servants were free to enter the room, and they worked quickly, tidying it in half a day. Glynnis inspected the room with a satisfied expression, and the remaining servants looked equally pleased.

"The Lady must be in a much better mood, then?" one asked.

"She will be staying here for a long time, right?" another chimed in.

"Can we come back to serve her?" a third begged.

Glynnis only smiled. "Enjoy your idle time while you can," she said. "Don't complain when you get busy." Her refusal to answer was hope enough, and those who wanted to return to the Lady's service smiled even brighter, while those who wished to leave pondered their options.

"Glynnis?" a voice called from the doorway. Glynnis looked over and recognized the head maid, Nina, who served Lady Gwynn. She had been peeking in when the servants had been retrieving the items from the storeroom.

"I just wanted to see if there was anything else we could do to help you tidy the Lady's room," Nina said, stepping inside without an invitation. A few other girls followed. Nina's eyes swept the room.

"There is no need, thank you," Glynnis replied politely. "We are all finished."

Nina moved quickly to the dressing table and pulled open a jewelry box. Her movement was so swift and sudden that by the time Glynnis registered what was happening, Nina already had her hands on a small velvet box. "This pearl necklace is just like my Lady's," Nina said, her voice cloyingly sweet. "My Lady is going out and her necklace is not ready yet. Could we borrow the Lady's?"

Borrow? Glynnis was stunned, and the other maids and servants in the room held their breath. Sisters borrowing from one another was common, but to come and borrow from Lady Elara was unheard of.

Glynnis rushed forward and placed her hand on the box. "My Lady is not here. Wait until she returns, and Lady Gwynn can ask her then."

Nina did not let go. "That's fine. I will take it now, and Lady Gwynn can ask her when she returns."

Glynnis's face hardened. "Nina, is this a borrowing?" she said. "Or is this a theft?"

"How dare you slander me!" Nina shrieked.

The younger maids with her immediately began to shove Glynnis. Glynnis stumbled back, and Nina used the opportunity to grab the box. Glynnis, in a flash, lunged forward and snatched it back.

Nina let out a piercing scream. Glynnis's fingernails had raked across her hand, leaving several bleeding scratches. A head maid was used to a life of leisure, and a scratch on her hand was a disaster. Glynnis watched as Nina, supported by the other maids, stumbled away, screaming and crying as if she had been stabbed.

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There will be trouble now. Glynnis had grown up with the servants and was no stranger to a fight, but this was the first time she had been in a conflict involving a Lady. She had never been allowed to serve a Lady before, and when she had, no one had dared to cross her. But now things were different.

Glynnis looked around at the maids and servants, who were still stunned. "No one is to touch my Lady's things," she said, taking a deep breath. "Especially not when she is away."

The maids and servants murmured their agreement. Glynnis's face softened into a smile. "Now that everything is tidied, you can rest. I've asked the kitchen to prepare some soup and snacks for you."

They all laughed and thanked her, leaving as if nothing had happened. Once they were gone, the smile fell from Glynnis's face. Something has happened. A mere maid from another Lady’s household had dared to act so brazenly here. The news would have already spread throughout the manor, and everyone would be watching to see how this played out. How this was handled would determine how everyone treated Lady Elara from now on. What could she do to resolve this for her mistress? Glynnis stood in the doorway, her expression a little lost. A child without a mother or father… her dilemma was a cruel twist of fate.

But even children with parents can face dilemmas. Lady Gwynn ran into the Grand Matron's arms, crying, "Grandmother, save me!"

From the wisteria trellis, Lady Serena and Lady Clarice fanned themselves and watched the Grand Matron's courtyard. The coming and going of people had ceased, and a faint noise could be heard. But it quickly died down.

Lady Serena leaned forward, her eyes wide with excitement. "Lady Gwynn is crying that her mother wants to kill her. She's gone to Grandmother to complain. If her mother gets scolded, she'll just be even angrier and will beat her again. My mother beat me once after I told Grandmother that she made my father give her a foot rub."

Lady Clarice laughed. "That's different."

Serena was still confused about how it was different, and then she saw the maid, Nina, being led out by two servants. She sat up straight. "Grandmother punished her!"

But she was led out, not dragged out. Clarice sent a junior maid to ask, and she returned, breathless. "The Grand Matron said no one is allowed in the Lady's room, not even to help, so she has been sent to the washroom for two months as punishment."

When Nina had run back, she had told her mistress that Glynnis had slandered her and hit her. "My Lady needed her usual necklace, and it wasn't ready yet," Nina had said, holding her hand up as if she had been grievously injured. "I saw the Lady's had one just like it and said we could borrow it. And Glynnis hit me and said I was trying to steal."

When Lady Wang heard this, she was furious, scolding Lady Gwynn for not controlling her maid and threatening to beat her. That was when Gwynn had run to the Grand Matron's side.

Clarice hopped off the trellis. "Well, that's settled. Gwynn is safe."

Serena was more concerned with the important issue. "So can she borrow the necklace now?"

Gwynn had thrown this tantrum for the necklace, but there was still no resolution. Clarice thought for a moment. "Probably. The Grand Matron's punishment of Nina was a light one, and she seemed to be a little annoyed that Nina was hurt." A rebuke could also be a form of displeasure.

Serena did not understand this, but she understood what she saw. She looked towards the courtyard gate. "Look! Those are Grandmother's head maids. Oh, and Mistress Alder is holding the Grand Matron's jewelry box."

Clarice saw it, too, and frowned. "Is she going to placate the Lady?"

Glynnis stood at the courtyard gate and watched the procession. "What is this?"

A maid with a pleasant smile opened the box. In the afternoon sun, a pile of jewels glittered. "The Grand Matron does not have much use for these trinkets anymore, and she has distributed them among the family's children. These are for Lady Elara."

A gift? Glynnis was relieved. She knew that Lady Gwynn had run to the Grand Matron to complain about Nina. She took the box, and a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Grand Matron."

The maid smiled back. "We are family. There is no need for thanks." She placed the box in Glynnis's hands. "The Grand Matron would like to borrow the long pearl necklace to lend to Lady Gwynn."

The box felt like a stone in Glynnis's hand, pressing down on her body and freezing the smile on her face. This is much worse than I thought.