Henriette Coldswell

Agnes lifted her ankle length skirt as she stepped over a filthy looking puddle, its murky and slimy water threatening to stain the shoes she had bought the previous week.

Today she was in the Azmeth district, the most poverty stricken area of Gismead, located right in the center of the common sect.

Agnes had started her life here, as a very poor and scrawny girl, the daughter of two factory workers, who had long since died. Through some connections she managed to get a job as a cleaner in the home of a wealthy merchant who lived on the nicer side of the common sect. At the time she had been ecstatic that she would be leaving Azmeth behind her and moving to a much nicer area, a brighter future. From there she worked her way up and ended up working for a noble family and was able to make a good living for herself.

She hated coming to Azmeth, she hated seeing the starving people lined up on the filthy street floors, she hated the stench of sewage and alcohol that seemed to have settled over the district like mist. She hated the constant noise, the pained distant cries of dying people and the young children begging for money as she walked past. She hated it.

However, her Lady Riley had asked her to go and hang up some posters and recruit some girls for the safe house while Lady Riley was at the Royal palace taking the Mage exam. So she shoved her disgust and contempt for the place aside and carried on walking to the town hall.

The town hall was quite a dilapidated building. The wood was turning green and flaking off due to rot. The water stained floorstones had small vines/shoots growing between the cracks and she was sure that from the corner of her eyes she could see rats scuttling about the place, diving and ducking behind the wooden poles and stone blocks, making the place creek eerily as they ran about.

Wasting no time at all, she walked up to the wooden board that read: Job Opportunities, and took out the small nail and hammer and she had carried in her dress pocket and hammered the poster that Lady Riley had written onto the board.

After she had secured it onto the board she read through the poster.

The poster offered free room and board as well as a job at a café, all free of charge, to women who were struggling to keep them and their children fed. Once again Agnes was overtaken with pride, she thought that she was the luckiest maid in all of Gismead to have ended up working for such a noble and kind Lady. Honestly, it was almost inconceivable to her how Lady Riley could be so generous to complete strangers. Agnes admitted to herself that even if she had somehow managed to become a noble, she would be much greedier and much more selfish with her money and assets, than Lady Riley was.

"Excuse me..." Agnes snapped back to attention at the sound of a frail and parched voice from behind her. She turned around to see a woman standing there. Agnes wondered how she hadn't heard her coming up behind her, but as she scanned over the woman she could see why...

At first the woman seemed more like a girl because of her small stature, but at a second glass you could see that she was fully grown, yet frail and hunched over. Her cheeks were sunken in and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had a painfully thin look about her, Agnes imagined that she herself had once looked exactly like this. Small, hungry, desperate and yet terrified of the world around her. Except Agnes didn't have a small and unhealthy looking child clinging nervously to her skirt, like this woman had.

The small boy clinging to her leg looked as though he couldn't be older than three years old, yet Agnes knew that the children grew much shorter and frailer here due to malnutrition. He was probably four or five years old.

"Yes." Agnes answered.

"That poster..." she half whispered, "is it legitimate?" She asked with a hopeful glint in her tired eyes.

"Yes. It is. Are you interested in the position?" Agnes asked, although she knew the woman would say yes.

"Y-Yes." She replied eagerly yet there was a nervous shadow to her eyes, as if she didn't believe that this could be true.

Agnes Who was eager to get out of Azmeth, wasted no time, "Well, follow me. I'll hire a cart and take you the house." With that Agnes briskly walked out of the hall and started making her way back up the streets to the alleyway that allowed you to rent horse carts.

The frail woman, Henrietta, hoisted her son up into her arms and tried to keep up with Agnes's pace. She ignored the aching of her legs and back after carrying her son on her back all night, since they didn't have a place to sleep. She also chose to ignore the warning bells that were telling her not to trust the finely dressed plump woman. She didn't actually believe that the poster could be true, the creator had probably exaggerated the terms to some extent. She couldn't believe that they would offer free room and board and not at least ask for a portion of her salary in return. Henrietta knew that it couldn't be possible, but she was out of any other options. Her and her son had already spent the whole of Flowering out on the streets, and who couldn't remember the last time they had had a proper meal. She knew she had to find a place to stay for her and her son before the Falling came, she knew they wouldn't make it out on the streets during those colder months.

Henrietta climbed into the cart with the other woman and set her son, Soren, next her. She anxiously touched his forehead after seeing that his face was unusually cold. She found his head to be quite damp and cold to the touch and instinctively held him loser to her.

"Now my dear," came Agnes's reassuring tone. A tone she hadn't been able to use while walking the streets of Azmeth. "You must not worry about the validity of the poster you just read. I assure you that everything it advertised is true." Agnes knew she had to put the young woman's mind at rest as she could see the woman's hand nervously shaking in her lap.

"The Lady Who has started this initiative is a very kind and generous Lady, a high ranking noble in fact. Her Ladyship started this safe house in order to provide some lucky women with means of starting a new and better life for themselves and their children. I think you will soon discover how lucky you are." Agnes added. She thought back to the days when she was in a similar situation as the young woman sitting next to her, this woman was truly fortunate that Lady Riley existed.

"My name is Mrs Agnes Whitcombe." She stated firmly and proudly. "What is your name?"

"Henrietta Coldswell, ma'am." Replied the woman, he voice still sounding parched. "This is my son, Soren." She added, looking down at the sickly boy, asleep, nuzzled into her side.

The rest of their journey was quiet. They both stared out the open windows and watched as the murky and gloomy Azmeth slowly transformed into the beautiful Harbor side.

Henrietta couldn't believe her eyes as the cart came to a stop at a beautiful large stone house. There was a copper plaque above the large wooden doors that read: Lady Delton's Safe house. Henrietta was still engrossed by the beauty of the place. The fine stone walls and the red tiled roof, and beautiful gardens that surrounded the house. Henrietta had never been to the Harbor side before, in fact the furthest that she had ever gone from Azmeth was the neighboring Jorah district.

"Well come along then." Called out Agnes. Henrietta realized that she had been standing and staring for a long moment.

"Come on Soren." She cooed as she gripped her son's hand. The little boy looked up at the most beautiful house he had ever seen and wondered what he and his mother were doing there. Nevertheless he followed her inside.

Henrietta gasped as she saw the beautiful interior. Sparkling clean stone floors paired with gorgeous rich furniture, fur rugs and a giant fireplace. Henrietta couldn't believe that she would be staying there.

"Hello Miss Sybil." Agnes greeted the manager Lady Riley had hired to run the safe house. The same Lady who had stood up against Lady Lavinia at the Von Esterheim soirée. "I have brought our first recruits." Agnes said as she gestured towards Henrietta and little Soren. "I'll leave them in your hands." Agnes nodded her head to the two women. The two women curtseyed back to her as they were of lower rank. Agnes then left the House and went back to Lady Riley's mansion.

Sybil then walked up to the young woman and greeted her warmly. She then proceeded to take Henrietta upstairs to their room. Since they were the first pair to enter the House, Sybil allocated them the room with the best view of the harbor and the ocean.

Henrietta was completely overcome with joy and relief that a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She instinctively walked over to the large queen sized bed and stroked her hand across the soft covers, and let her eyes indulge in the beauty of the soft clean sheets. She looked around the room and almost couldn't believe that she was going to be able to live here. Large glass doors that opened out onto a little balcony, with a view of the harbor side. A beautiful wooden desk, placed against the wall. A soft carpet beneath her feat, and a wardrobe and shelving space at the other end of the room.

"Since you will be earning your own money at the café you can use it however you please, however Lady Delton does express a wish for all the residents here to invest and save their money." Henrietta turned and listened to Sybil, the manager of the Safe House. Sybil had a friendly yet organized air about her. Her warm red hair and freckles made her look cheery.

"The establishment that you will be working at is called 'Sophie's cafe', which is also owned by Lady Delton. Your salary will be two silvers, fifty bronze every paying term..."

"Two silvers and fifty bronze!" Henrietta blurted out loudly. She couldn't believe her ears. That couldn't be right. Henrietta couldn't believe the amount of money she would be making.

Sybil giggled at her reaction, it was always good fun to tell people good news.

"This is the uniform you are required to wear." Sybil showed Henrietta the pale pink uniform waiting for her inside her closet. Henrietta swooned at the sight of the beautiful pink dress, tens of times better than the burlap clothes she was wearing at the moment. The uniform also came with a beautiful pair of boots, the best shoes she had ever seen.

"I can't believe that this is a uniform..." whispered Henrietta as she reached out to touch the beautiful clothes.

Sybil just smiled. "If you want an additional uniform for a spare come talk to me and I'll organize for a new one."

"Mommy!" Groaned Soren as he tugged on his mother's skirt. "I'm so hungry." Little Soren felt very overwhelmed and confused. He didn't understand why they were in such a nice house, what were they doing there... would they be allowed to stay there... All he knew was that the whole in his stomach was so painful he couldn't think about anything else.

"Come with me little one. The chefs have already made lunch. There is plenty left for you." Sybil said with a comforting smile on her face.

Sybil lead the two back down the stairs to the kitchen where the chefs had left out a pot of food. Sybil dished up some food for them.

"This is one of Lady Riley's original dishes. Spaghetti and bolognese. I think you'll like it."

They initially struggled to get the pasta to stay on their forks but eventually managed to get the food into their mouths. When they took that first bite, both mother and son were transported to a place of ecstasy. Then could speak, they only groaned with pleasure, and finished their food in silence. Little Soren, who could not manage to finish his food since the portion he was served was so big, cried and protested when his mother tried to take the plate away from him. He had never eaten anything so delicious in his entire life, so he didn't want to give up the food even though he was full. He still hadn't quite comprehended that this place was his home and that there would be lots of good food for him everyday.

"There is plenty more if you will," Said Sybil gesturing to the woman. "If you need me I will be in my office." She said, as she returned to filling out forms and writing down notes in her office.

A wave of pure joy and relief washed over Henrietta. She couldn't believe her luck. This all happened because she happened to walk by the Azmeth town hall at the right moment. Moreover, this was only possible because Lady Delton existed. Henrietta resolutely decided that she would pray to the gods every night for Lady Delton's well being, and she would make Soren do the same.