The Piano
Chapter 5
By the end of the week, Rory has fallen into a routine. She wakes before the sun to meet with Mr. Penney and give the staff their tasks for the day, and she oversees the assorted maids and cooks most of the time. When deliveries are brought to the front door, she signs for them, and she directs visitors to the master’s study on the rare occasions that there are visitors. She sees little of Master Fennsworth, and none of this son or wife, and therefore she forgets about them for a few days.
At high noon on Sunday, though, Rory finds a young man sitting at the servants’ table with one of the maids, dark-haired Liz, the youngest of the maids, chatting away while he eats.
“-oceans, Liz. You should have come with me,” Rory overhears as she enters the servants’ hall. The boy pauses to laugh. “Maybe you will next time?”
Rory knocks three times on the door frame to get their attention. Liz jumps, but the young man just smiles and continues eating. He isn’t all that atypical in looks, dusty blonde and grey-eyed like most residents of the Cities, but he lounges in his chair like he owns the place.
Rory finds this galling, all the more so when Liz tries to stand and he holds up a hand to stop her.
“Well, here’s a new face,” he says with a barely restrained laugh. “A maid, maybe? Or are you this housekeeper I’ve heard of?”
“Who would you be, sir, and why are you taking up my maid’s time?”
He raises an eyebrow and leans towards Rory a little, gesturing once again for Liz to stay sitting. The girl glances at Rory and mouths an apology, which the young man seems to have noticed.
“Why are you apologizing, Liz?” he asks. “I asked you to sit with me a while; have you been permanently reassigned while I was gone?”
He stands with a sigh and smooths out wrinkles in his trousers that Rory is sure didn’t even exist. Liz finally stands as well, and bobs into a hasty curtsey before scurrying off to a corner of the room, by the other door; the young man watches this and frowns a little at Rory.
“Oh, well look what you’ve done,” he complains. “A man can hardly return home without some biddy scaring off his maid.”
“Excuse me, sir. I recall asking who you are,” Rory reminds him, a touch severely.
“Ah, too right, too right.” He pauses to bow dramatically; Rory finds herself liking him less and less by the second. “Lionel Fennsworth, if you please, and you would be…?”
There’s a panicked, frozen moment where Rory looks over at Liz for confirmation of this, and then Rory’s mouth twists into a scowl, and she curtseys stiffly. This would be young Master Lionel, she thinks bitterly. It would be her luck.
“Aurora Beauchene, if it pleases you,” she says reluctantly. “New housekeeper.”
“Ah, so you are the housekeeper! Well, by God, woman, you could have just said so, instead of letting me lose sight of my manners. You’ll sit with Liz and I, then, and talk to me a while.”
He waves Liz over and pulls her seat out for her, but Rory doesn’t sit. She has work and also lunch with Hazel to consider, and, anyway, she doesn’t much like Master Lionel. In the back of her mind, she’s thinking of how she’ll broach the subject of staying away from him with Liz later.
“Mrs. Beauchene,” Lionel begins, breaking into Rory’s thoughts. “I should like to remind you that I have invited you to sit a while with me; I’ll be very put out if you continue to stand there.”
“If the young master permits, I promised to eat with my daughter today.” She’s proud of herself when her voice stays even; she’s never spoken to one of these masterlings with their shiny leather boots and shell earrings. They rarely go into the Outer City.
“I adore children; have her join us.”
”Master Lionel,” Liz speaks up. “Mrs. Beauchene is busy. Perhaps you could have lunch with her another time?”
Lionel purses his lips and looks for a minute like he’s going to say something, but he ultimately leans back in his chair.
“Very well. Perhaps tomorrow, Mrs. Beauchene?”
She doesn’t have a choice but to agree and bow out, and she walks away feeling like she’s been had.
At high noon on Sunday, though, Rory finds a young man sitting at the servants’ table with one of the maids, dark-haired Liz, the youngest of the maids, chatting away while he eats.
“-oceans, Liz. You should have come with me,” Rory overhears as she enters the servants’ hall. The boy pauses to laugh. “Maybe you will next time?”
Rory knocks three times on the door frame to get their attention. Liz jumps, but the young man just smiles and continues eating. He isn’t all that atypical in looks, dusty blonde and grey-eyed like most residents of the Cities, but he lounges in his chair like he owns the place.
Rory finds this galling, all the more so when Liz tries to stand and he holds up a hand to stop her.
“Well, here’s a new face,” he says with a barely restrained laugh. “A maid, maybe? Or are you this housekeeper I’ve heard of?”
“Who would you be, sir, and why are you taking up my maid’s time?”
He raises an eyebrow and leans towards Rory a little, gesturing once again for Liz to stay sitting. The girl glances at Rory and mouths an apology, which the young man seems to have noticed.
“Why are you apologizing, Liz?” he asks. “I asked you to sit with me a while; have you been permanently reassigned while I was gone?”
He stands with a sigh and smooths out wrinkles in his trousers that Rory is sure didn’t even exist. Liz finally stands as well, and bobs into a hasty curtsey before scurrying off to a corner of the room, by the other door; the young man watches this and frowns a little at Rory.
“Oh, well look what you’ve done,” he complains. “A man can hardly return home without some biddy scaring off his maid.”
“Excuse me, sir. I recall asking who you are,” Rory reminds him, a touch severely.
“Ah, too right, too right.” He pauses to bow dramatically; Rory finds herself liking him less and less by the second. “Lionel Fennsworth, if you please, and you would be…?”
There’s a panicked, frozen moment where Rory looks over at Liz for confirmation of this, and then Rory’s mouth twists into a scowl, and she curtseys stiffly. This would be young Master Lionel, she thinks bitterly. It would be her luck.
“Aurora Beauchene, if it pleases you,” she says reluctantly. “New housekeeper.”
“Ah, so you are the housekeeper! Well, by God, woman, you could have just said so, instead of letting me lose sight of my manners. You’ll sit with Liz and I, then, and talk to me a while.”
He waves Liz over and pulls her seat out for her, but Rory doesn’t sit. She has work and also lunch with Hazel to consider, and, anyway, she doesn’t much like Master Lionel. In the back of her mind, she’s thinking of how she’ll broach the subject of staying away from him with Liz later.
“Mrs. Beauchene,” Lionel begins, breaking into Rory’s thoughts. “I should like to remind you that I have invited you to sit a while with me; I’ll be very put out if you continue to stand there.”
“If the young master permits, I promised to eat with my daughter today.” She’s proud of herself when her voice stays even; she’s never spoken to one of these masterlings with their shiny leather boots and shell earrings. They rarely go into the Outer City.
“I adore children; have her join us.”
”Master Lionel,” Liz speaks up. “Mrs. Beauchene is busy. Perhaps you could have lunch with her another time?”
Lionel purses his lips and looks for a minute like he’s going to say something, but he ultimately leans back in his chair.
“Very well. Perhaps tomorrow, Mrs. Beauchene?”
She doesn’t have a choice but to agree and bow out, and she walks away feeling like she’s been had.