Chapter4

#Chapter4

/"I'm letting you work here because of the history with your family and mine. Your parents are good servants, I have never had a problem with them and I will not like it if I happen to have with you. The rules here will be explained to you by Gina, but most importantly, I will not like to hear a compliant that you aren't doing your job well. I won't be paying you for no reason. Is that clear?/"

/"Yes ma'am/" Lillian curtsied.

/"Good. One more thing, you will be living in, only the older servants are allowed to leave at night except the head of staff, Paulina, she is the head cook as well. She will keep an eye on you as you are new. Whatever report she gives me about you, I will not hesitate to take action, so whatever you do, make sure it's something you are allowed to do, am I clear?/"

/"Yes ma'am./"

/"Your mother will guide you, I don't like things not be done my way, so whatever you are told to do, you are to carry on with it with no complain. I don't tolerate abuse, or fighting or clustering together to gossip instead of working, I will not hesitate in deducting your salary when I see that. You understand me don't you?/"

/"Yes ma'am./"

/"Good. Gina, take her to you girls' room. Abigail get me a cup of coffee./"

/"Yes ma'am/" they both answered before curtsying and leaving the room, Abigail closing the door gently behind her.

/"Lillian, you will be good right?/" Abigail grabbed her daughter's hand affectionately.

/"Don't worry mama, with you here, nothing can go wrong. Besides, I cannot forget the reason I came here in the first place/" she smiled to her.

Abigail nodded and softly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, /"everything will be alright./"

/"I know mama./"

/"Gina, please look after her for me okay?/"

/"You don't have any problem Abigail, I will take care of her/" Gina, a black haired girl with sapphire blue eyes and round face said. She was average in height and a little plump, she looks a little older than her age but she was only older than Lilly by a year.

/"Thank you/" Abigail smiled.

Gina returned the smile, /"come Lilly, I will show you our room and introduce you to the others./"

/"Okay. Bye mama, please take care of yourself/" she hugged her while Abigail patted her back with a soft smile.

/"I will/" she then left to get Mrs. Lockwood her cup of coffee.

Gina led Lillian through the hallway to the maid's room, as they go, Lilly didn't fail to notice that not much difference has been made in the house from the one she remembers. Apart from richly colored drapes that hung on the windows straight to the giant doors, the rich tiled floor that makes no sound when she walks. The ten steps chandelier that hung on the living room that looks like her house times hundred. And very nice work of arts that were used to design the hallway, everything looks just like she imagined, only improved.

When she had finally passed through the gate while coming with her mother this morning, she couldn't stop the memories from rushing into her and watering her eyes when she saw the building, the lawn, the fountains and the animals' shaped flowers, she still remembers how she plays hide and seek with daddy Eric there.

This house hold a much happier childhood memories for her, the days when she lived like a princess before facing the hard days in life. A part of her wished she could return back to those days but it has been so long that it almost looks like it never happened. She also wish she could see daddy Eric but he had divorced Mrs. Lockwood a long time ago. He had left the country and no one has heard from him since then. Even Shane left immediately after him, he had a difficult time dealing with his parents divorce and so left for his grandmother's home in Georgia to finish his studies. According to her mother, he has not returned since then too and no one has seen him.

Although Mrs. Lockwood often travels to see her mother so only her had seen him couple of times and it's been ten years now since he left. No one knows if he will ever return to his family's home and take over their business but he has shown no interest in it.

Lilly's thought was disrupted when Gina pushed open a door, she followed her inside to see rows of bed. It was almost like in orphanage homes. Her eyes widened and she heard Gina chuckle, /"there are so many beds./"

/"Yes. Everybody has their own only that we share the same room. Here, this will be yours, I already placed your belongings next to it. Over here is the bathroom, we all share it too and we take turns washing it. This is head staff Paulina's bed, no matter how tired you are, when it's your turn to arrange her bed, always make sure you leave a jug of water on the table for her. If not, tut tut tut/" she shook her head, /"you understand what I mean?/" When Lilly nodded, she continued, /"the other hallway is the boy's room, no matter what you do, don't let Mrs. Paulina see you go there, she hates it./"

The door opened and a girl in similar age with them entered, she stopped when she saw them and her big dewy eyes scanned Lilly's face, /"I heard there is a new person./"

/"This is Martha, Martha this is Lilly, she will be joining us from today/" Gina introduced.

Lilly smiled, /"nice to meet you./"

/"Same here. I like your eyes/" Martha smiled while Lilly blushed.

/"Thank you./"

/"Gina, hurry up with your touring, Mrs. Paulina wants to see you/" Martha said and left the room.

/"That's all for the room, come, let me show you outside/" they left the room too and walked in what Lilly believed to be an endless hallway before they approached a door. Gina opened it and the sun's light fell on them. Lilly wowed when she saw the garden she knows all too well, daddy Eric played a lot with her here, as well as Shane.

/"This here is the garden, Mrs. Lockwood loves lilies in her room, so don't forget to place freshly plucked ones for her every morning. It's the duty of every new person to serve her so that she can see how she works or so they told me/" Gina shrugged before continuing on, /"red roses goes to her study every morning while you place white in the living room upstairs. We take turns doing that one too. The duty roster is being placed in our room every week by Mrs. Paulina, so you check it every Monday to know your duties for the week./"