Rowena's Hellion by Velda Brotherton

Author:Velda Brotherton [Brotherton, Velda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Victorian
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“There is one thing about the west I could do without, and that’s their outdoor privy. What a stink, and the wind blows up your private parts and nearly freezing them shut.” Hysteria reigned after Rowena made this declaration.

She had joined the women of the household, to begin taking sewing instructions from Nellie. After much effort and pricking of her fingers, she managed to sew one panel for the frock Nellie was making for her.

“Now,” Nellie said, once she had finally pronounced Rowena’s work acceptable, “I can smell all the good food Annie is making, so let’s wash up for tea. Perhaps we could help Annie in the kitchen. I think Rowena might make a better cook than a seamstress.”

Rowena agreed, happy that at least Nellie could use her Christian name without the recently acquired title. All she’d ever learned to do at St. Ann’s was clean floors and windows and wash up after meals and pray on her knees for hours on end. How could she possibly now act like a titled lady?

Lizza replied, “Oh, I love to cook. And this kitchen is so much nicer than mine. Is there something more I could do to help?”

Annie gave Lizza a mixing task, and the girl immediately continued the conversation. It appeared once they got her to talking, she wouldn’t stop. “Maybe Rowena is meant to be the lady of leisure, who bosses around those who work under her. That’s what they say about the English who have come here. That they don’t know the meaning of work.”

Suddenly, she clapped a hand over her mouth and looked from Annie to Rowena. “Oh, I’m sorry. That sounded horrid, and I didn’t mean to insult you. I am happy to learn of your marriage to Lord Prescott.”

“Don’t worry, Lizza. What you say is close to the truth, especially for the landed and titled, but I fear we English are going to learn that living in the West won’t be nearly as luxurious as living in England, even for servants. Things are so different here.” She wasn’t ready to share her own past, so let it go with that.

In the kitchen, Annie and Nellie scurried around assembling meat pies and sweet scones for tea.

“What things are different?” Lizza asked.

Annie had put Rowena to work setting the table, while she and Lizza prepared the pies and scones.

“Besides the privy?” Rowena held her nose. “I don’t know how you bear them.”

Lizza giggled. “I have to admit I’m anxious to see this English Water Closet, but my father would have died before he would have defecated in the same house in which he ate and slept.”

Rowena roared with delight. “Oh, my.”

All three held their bellies and made so much noise Simmons came running to see what was up. “Lord Prescott sent me to see if one of you has been injured.”

Rowena stared at the tall, thin man in precise black attire, with every hair in place, his mouth held in a prim line. The perfect English servant.

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