Dressed in my new black and white uniform, Mrs. Cleanknockers led me to the kitchen, introduced Cook, and fed me lunch with the downstairs staff. As the new girl the maids and footmen scrutinized me closely for signs of moral failure. Clearly I was not welcome and the slights were not long in manifesting. I ate my meal in silence while Mrs. Cleanknockers grilled her underlings and assigned the afternoon roster. I was exempt: I had an appointment with Lord Caneshard. The sly grins and elbows did not go unnoticed. “Emily and Louisa. Report to the Gun Room at 2.”

Due to a personal request, I’m looking at you Missy, the Bumhampton Chronicles will continue. However, I will write the story as a drabble – 100 words – at a time and will be posted several times a week.

This link goes to The Bumhampton Chronicles category so you can catch up at any time.