Once she got inside with her wards, Maggie showed them where the servants bathroom was and how to use it to wash up and take care of business. From the looks of them you could’ve blown them over with a good breath from lack of proper nutrition, everything they’d been through until today, and now the idea of eliminating inside of a wooden box was about more than they could take. After five minutes or so of attempting to show them how it worked she finally led them out back of the stables and let them do their business. These women were going to take somebody a lot of time and patience to make them house servants. Somebody besides her, thank the Creator!
They followed her back inside the kitchen and she handed them plates of food that had smaller portions, a little more akin to what she might eat, of everything leftover from dinner. It was obvious from their looks of hope that they were beginning to fear this situation a little less than before, and she nodded at them and told them to eat all they wanted, not that they understood her, but they did take to her cooking right fast. When she sat down mugs of water they looked at them without being sure what to do so Maggie took one and showed them how it worked and after a bit of a mess, drinking from a cup had been mastered, more or less. She rang a small bell hanging on the wall and another servant came to show them to their room and help them with their first night, and Maggie thought to herself that she wished her every bit of luck - and patience - she could muster.
Now that everyone had been fed and watered, so to speak, she got on with finishing what little cleanup was left, wiping down all the tables and counters for the morning. She headed down the opposite hallway that Bert had gone down off the kitchen to the women servant quarters, and went on to see how the new ones were getting along. She peeked in through the door and saw that everyone was sleeping soundly, all laid out together on the floor and cuddling for warmth, while the beds and blankets remained as nicely made as this morning when she got them ready. It was typical behavior and she had expected it, but you can’t tell the master or you’d get your hide whipped at the post. No, much easier just to make up some beds and go on her way, which now was her own room and bed.
As she slipped away, Maggie took a peek into the other rooms along the way, which was also a part of her position here. Burgess wanted a keen eye kept on everyone and finding everyone sleeping meant all was well and that was her fervent prayer that night because that's where she wanted to be, head on her pillow and warm covers up to her chin. With that thought she opened Sophie’s door a sliver and looked in to find her sitting on the bed and crying quietly into a handkerchief that was dripping as much as she was. With an internal sigh Maggie went in and closed the door behind her, then went to sit beside the young lady and let her get the sobs under control, patting her hands now and then saying, “There, there”, “It’ll be alright now” and other comforting words, waiting for Sophie to regain her calm.
At length she quieted down and just sat looking at her hands, hiccoughing now and then. Finally she said, “I’ve missed two cycles, mistress. And I’m sick of a morning and tired all the time. What will I do?”. This was hardly news to Maggie, she had noticed that Sophie was showing the signs of pregnancy, and she suspected she knew with whom, so she reassured her some more, then asked, “Are you intending to keep the baby?” Nearly relapsing into full-blown sobs again, Sophie told her that the father wasn’t in a position to help her, and she didn’t have the wherewithal herself to be raising a child. And with that revelation, Maggie let out a long breath, and let the poor child know she could help her. "Now get some sleep, you and that baby need it. Tomorrow we will talk at length about the situation and what can be done, but for now, just rest.” and went out to the hallway.
She leaned back against the wall for what seemed an hour, considering her next steps because it would require the utmost discretion and care. Pushing herself away she turned and went into the bathroom before going on to bed, using the toilet and washing up in the now cold water. No matter, she thought, this was the news she and Lady Elizabeth had been waiting for. The poor woman couldn't seem to conceive her own baby and had asked Maggie to help her find a proper surrogate to birth her one. She could only imagine how happy she would be when she told her in the morning. With a large grin in her face Maggie opened her own door and went to her bed and sat there disrobing, laying her folded clothes on the old upholstered chair on her left that matched her bed and dresser. It had been in the attic when she began her service with the Burgesses and Lady Elizabeth had sent her own servants to get them and put them in her room, then she gave Maggie a lovely bedding set and pillows from her own collection. She drifted off to sleep with a touch of a smile on her face.
Maggie woke as usual when the first cock crowed and dressed for the day after shaking out her clothes to get the previous day’s loose dirt from them. After she dressed she wrote a note to Lady Elizabeth about Sophie’s condition, intending to leave it for her maid when she got a spare moment later on. She brushed her hair and put it into a tight bun at the back of her head, then went into the washroom and quickly washed up before she poured out the old water from the basin down the hole in the wooden commode, thinking to herself how nice it was not to have to go and use an outhouse, but the trade-off was a pretty nasty smell. She had it cleaned out every morning to keep it at a minimum, but she had not found a way to completely cover it up - yet.
On her way to the kitchens she noticed Bert leaving out the back way. He must be getting the carriage, she thought, Mr. Burgess was always going into town. Of course he would have to, being the Governor, which gave her pride in the fact that she worked for him and the beautiful Lady Elizabeth. Her ovens had been fired up and the room was quite warm by now, which Maggie had grown to enjoy over the years, and she went about getting things ready for breakfast. She got out the ingredients for biscuits and after a good amount of kneading pinched off pieces and patted them into a nice round shape before placing them onto a baking sheet and popping it into one of the ovens. Then she took out a piece of salted side pork and shaved off thin slices and set them aside while she got the eggs that had been collected that morning, which she broke into a worn wooden bowl and whipped them up nice and fluffy with a fork. She put the salt-pork in a large iron skillet that had been warming up on the stove and stirred it around while it cooked, letting it get golden brown and crispy. After she took it out of the pan and set it on the back of the stove to keep warm on a plate, she added the eggs to the pan and swirled them around just until they started to set and put them on a serving plate as well. She rang the bell for the waiters and took the biscuits out and slathered them in butter before she placed them around the pork. Sophie had come in and got the coffee and tea ready, and was putting them on a tray with cream and honey for the men to take out to the dining room. They filed in and one by one, each taking a tray, which Maggie covered with elaborate heated domed lids to keep everything piping hot.
Wiping the sweat from her brow she addressed Sophie, inquiring after her health and well-being. Sophie said she was feeling a little better this morning, and smiled at her, albeit slightly off. “Very well, then, get the kitchen cleaned and I’ll start on the chickens. That boy had better have gotten all the feathers off this time, or I swear I’ll send him for a whipping!” and she turned away with a smile that belied her harsh words, making Sophie smile and feel a little better. Maggie went to the cold storage room in the cellar and took out the four chickens she had picked out yesterday and brought them upstairs along with some potatoes and onions from last season. They would go together nicely with green beans from the garden and a fresh peach cobbler for dinner. There was enough meat left from last night's supper to make sandwiches for lunch and she set Sophie to making some bread to go with it, and soon the smell of it baking wafted throughout the downstairs.
When everything was in a stage where she could dismiss herself, Maggie did so and left Sophie to keep an eye on things, and went quietly to Eleanor’s room, Lady Elizabeth’s personal servant to leave the note she had penned earlier this morning, knowing that it was safe and would get to its intended party. She made a check of rooms on her way back to the kitchens, and thankfully found nothing out of the ordinary on her rounds. Singing an old song under her breath, Maggie went on about her day’s business as usual and waited for the mistress to call for them. It was going to be a good day, she thought, and Lord knows they needed one. She wasn’t the best Catholic but she genuflected for good measure, and mumbling what she remembered of Hail Mary she glanced over at Sophie with a smile.