Sir. Amos' Return

The routine duties of the Stuarts' servants were the same every day. They rose before the break of dawn and hurriedly carried out their chores, putting the house in order.

The women were in charge of cleaning the house, its numerous rooms and windows, preventing there from being an inch of dust there. They were also in charge of stoking the fire in the kitchen, cleaning the plates and pans used for the previous day's meal, helping the cook knead dough and preparing breakfast.

While they cleaned the house, it was also their job to change the sheets, wash the clothing of their lord and his household, and occasionally change the drapes.

The men, on the other hand, were in charge of watering and pruning the garden; cleaning out the stables and caring for the horses; fetching and delivering enough firewood for the family's usage to the store.

Eunice was the only servant who did the most minimal work of all the servants and the tedious work that the morning chore entails. When she first became a servant in the Stuart's mansion, she had gone with the flow, while also following and serving her mistress, but this always made her tired, and she fell asleep as soon as she had the opportunity to sit for a minute.

Annabel, who always felt she needed a sister and a playmate more than a servant, had requested from her father that Eunice serve her and her alone. Eunice has had more than enough free time since then to not only sit and talk with her mistress, but also to follow her around as they played mischief.

Now that they were grown women, she couldn't help but realize the gravity of what her mistress had done for her and was very grateful for it. While all the other female servants washed the clothing used in the house until their hands got blisters, she only had to deliver her mistress' change of sheets and dresses to them.

She didn't do any of the washing or pressing of clothes herself, thereby making her hands look like those of a girl from the upper class and making her the envy of all the young female servants in the household. She also didn't help out in the kitchen at all; she mostly only went there to receive hers or her mistress' meals, especially on days like this, when her mistress had no desire to come down to the dining room to eat.

The only chore she was allowed to do was that of cleaning her mistress's room, preparing her bath water, and helping her dress up for the day. So, she had a lot of free time on her hands and didn't usually rise before dawn, as other servants did.

Even though she wanted to help her colleagues from time to time, Annabel preferred that she sat with her in her room doing nothing, following her to admire the flowers in the garden, embroidering to pass away time, or just reading her a book for fun.

As long as she wasn't doing the jobs of other servants, her mistress was satisfied.

Eunice walked up the stairs slowly, a long broom in her hand. She was dressed in simple work clothes. The upper part was made of plain white three-quarter shift material, which she tucked into a light brown petticoat. A white ankle length apron, which was the same length as her petticoat, was tied around her tiny waist. A coif was also tied around her head to cover her hair that had been packed into a low bun. She was ready to go about the few duties that were assigned to her.

If her mistress could have her way, she knew that she would make her live like a woman from the upper class while her fellow servants served her. The little chores she did were given because the Butler had complained to Sir Thomas that a servant in the house needed to work to obtain her salary.

So, her mistress grudgingly agreed to let her do the few chores that were assigned to her.

She stopped at the door of her mistress' room and was about to knock when she heard quiet sobs coming from behind the door. She paused as her heart sank.

Her mistress was crying.

She hadn't been eating well nor had she seen her smile ever since she heard about the proposal. She still remembered clearly how happy her mistress had been that day. She had even expected that Sir Gerim would send a letter through her father to her, but the day had been ruined before it even started.

Eunice set the item she had brought with her for cleaning against the wall by the door and was about to knock when a maid called.

"Eunice, there is someone outside, asking to see you!" A servant called loudly from the staircase and disappeared before Eunice could react, probably rushing back to get her own chores done.

Eunice frowned and brought her ears close to the door. She found out that her mistress had stopped crying. She sighed and walked down the stairs. As she gently held her petticoat with her two hands, lifting it up a little to aid easy movement, she couldn't help but wonder who would come to see her this early in the morning.

As she stepped out of the house, she was met with a surprise.

"Sir Amos?" She called out as she walked towards the elderly man who was busy patting his tired looking horse.

He turned around and smiled brightly, "Ah, Eunice, finally you came." Sir Amos said.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," Eunice said calmly, "but how can you be back so soon? Did you really get to London or did you forget something?" She asked with curiosity, and Sir Amos laughed.

"Of course, I got to London. I told you that I had some urgent goods to deliver. Me and my Papi here," he said, patting his horse, "have been riding nonstop for days. I wanted to deliver your message before I returned home," Sir Amos said, and Eunice smiled.

"That is very kind of you, sir. Did Sir Gerim give you a message for my mistress then?" she asked with enthusiasm after complimenting him.

If Sir Gerim had sent a message, wouldn't that mean that her mistress would be able to smile again?

"I'm sorry, but no, he did not. He said, "There was no message for the lady yet," Sir Amos replied, and Eunice frowned.

"How was that possible?" Eunice muttered to herself in confusion, then looked up at Sir Amos and said, "Pardon me sir, but did you meet Sir Gerim himself?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Indeed, I did. At first, when I got to his residence, I didn't meet him, so I had to return later in the night. When I met him, I delivered the letter to him. I also told him that her life and death depended on it." Sir Amos explained, took a deep breath, and continued as he saw the unhappy look on the face of a girl who smiled a lot.

"I went to check on him on my way back and found that he had no message for your lady." He finished and looked at the young servant, but she didn't say a word. She only bowed her head in thought.

"I am sorry, I have to go back home now, Eunice. Say me well to your lady," he said, and Eunice immediately recovered from her trance.

"Thank you for your help, Sir Amos. My lady would very much appreciate it and never forget your kindness," Eunice said, and Sir Amos smiled. He walked towards his carriage and was about to get in when he remembered something and turned back to Eunice.

"Eunice, is it true that your lady is getting married to his highness, Duke Christopher?" Sir Amos asked, and Eunice looked at him in surprise.

"Where did you hear such a rumor, sir?" she asked, and he laughed.

"The news is all over Berkshire." He said this before getting into his carriage without waiting for a response; the surprise on her face told him everything he needed to know, and he was now one of the people in Berkshire with firsthand information on the news.

He could even already guess what the letter he had been asked to deliver was about. Certainly, Sir Gerim did not know of this, but he would soon find out. He was very sure of it. The Duke's wedding was too much news, and he would be surprised if the whole town didn't show up at the wedding, just to confirm the truth of the matter themselves.

"If I had known earlier, I certainly would have said a word about it to Sir Gerim himself." Sir Amos muttered.

He had a fair understanding of what the life-and-death situation the girl had spoken about meant. In the three years that Sir Gerim had been in London, he had been the postman who had carried out the task of sending her letters to Sir Gerim in London.

He had always felt Sir Thomas' daughter was very loyal to her lover. Though he didn't think Sir Gerim was the same, he still hoped that the girl could end up with the man she loved.

Now that things have turned out like this, was it fate? He couldn't help but wonder.