Seren

Spring 2006

Seren Trow awoke to the incessant buzzing of her alarm clock. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she turned to the bedside table where the battered red clock sat blaring. The face read six o’clock; it was time to get up. Seren reached over and promptly hit the off button.

The sun was barely up, but Seren’s days always started very early. That was true for all the staff at Clarence House. Stretching to get the kinks out of her muscles, she heard a quick knock on the door.

“Seren, time to get up” a deep, kind voice called out softly.

“I’m up Da. I’ll be out in a few” She answered.

“Alright be quick about it” her father replied.

Shrugging off the thick woolen blankets, Seren rose from her warm bed and padded towards the bathroom door for a quick shower.

After her morning ablutions, Seren headed towards her modest closet and took out the clothes she would wear for the day. As the daughter of Prince Charles’ chauffeur, Seren was not technically a member of the royal household staff. But she did her share in helping out the maids. That being said, she had no uniform to speak off. So she dressed in her own clothes, which could be described as mostly plain and uninspiring.

After putting on a black v-neck sweater over a plain white button down shirt, and a black wool skirt that fell below her knees, she slipped on a pair of sensible black loafers. Brushing her plain mousy brown hair quickly, she pulled back the unruly mane into a tight ponytail using one of the many elastics lying atop her dresser.

She gazed in the mirror for one final look. She wasn’t what one would consider a traditional beauty. She had plain mousy brown hair that fell heavily below her shoulders, whenever it wasn’t in a ponytail or bun. Her nose was just a little big for her face and she had a strong masculine square jaw. The brown eyes that looked back at her were framed by thick eyebrows. Small in stature and with a slim built; she was often mistaken for a child. “This is as good as it gets” she tells her reflection. With a slight shrug, she rose from her dresser chair and headed off to the kitchens to start her day.

Seren walked quickly towards the kitchen, which was where the staff normally took all their meals. The wonderful smell of freshly baked bread and piping hot tea wafted out as she pushed the door open. Cheers of “good mornings” and “hellos” arose from the motley group gathered around the big table occupying the center of the enormous room.

Smiling and calling back her own greetings, Seren promptly took a seat beside her father, who seemed to be finished with breakfast. He had a cup of tea in front of him and an open copy of The Financial Times in front of him. Putting down the newspaper, Evan Trow turned towards his young daughter.

“Well my dear, did you have a good night’s sleep” Evan inquired.

“Yes da” Seren replied as she piled her plate with various freshly baked pastries and some good English sausages.

“And what are you off to today?” her father continue on, as he poured Seren a fresh cup of tea.

“Well” she paused and turned towards her father “I was thinking of helping out Meredith in the library today. She mentioned that she’s to conduct an inventory, since there are quite a few new books that arrived recently.”

Evan put down the teapot and stared at his daughter, a worried look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak when Clives, one of the butlers, popped his head in through the kitchen door and called out to him.

“Evan, are you done? The Prince wants to leave in 20 minutes. Says he wants to get to Highgrove early” the balding butler called out.

“Very well” Evan answered, his eyes never leaving Seren’s face. The chauffeur let out a soft sigh before rising from his seat. He stooped down to kiss his daughter’s forehead. “Have a good day my dear” he said as he straightened up.

“I will Da” Seren answered with a winsome smile. “Have a safe trip.”

Her father smiled at her then promptly turned to head towards the garage. Seren bent her head down and focused on eating her sausages.