Sydney Bell

Sydney Bell was just a maid that lived in a tiny room, which was in the attic of the nobles she had been given to serve. She was the bottom of her class and wore rags. Her parents sold her off for only five shillings, that being said though, she received a place to sleep, gruel, water, use of an actual out-house, sponge baths, a shilling a year, and a way to clean her clothing at week's end. It was kind of a fair trade, and there was nothing to be done as her parents could barely afford to feed her younger brother. Her mother worked as a laundress, and her father as a lamplighter.

Sydney slept above an old maid named Margaret. She snored as if she were a train, but Sydney found ways to ignore it like singing a silly tune to her overtures. The lady seemed depressed after working ten long hours each day. "I'm working my life away,"She would say. Sydney was only eighteen and had been a servant for just three years, and she understood her pain. Working just to live, they'd call it. "I want to see the world, young Sydney, the beautiful shiny oceans of Whales; even with those ridiculous Welsh, the rolling hills of Scotland, the isles of Ireland. Alas, i'll never see all of them and maybe not even one. I don't want to just settle for a walk in Hyde park." Ms. Margret had saved up 50 shillings over the years which was worth five pounds. It might of gotten her somewhere but not throughout the entire British isles. She had been working thirty years, and on occasion got an extra shilling thrown to her. Usually it was a noble boy named Jim who lived in the same house as them and seemed a little kinder than their other hosts. He seemed kinder.

One day, Sydney had an encounter with Jim.

After dinner was served, a nice meal of Red grouse, garlic mashed potatoes, and cabbage; brought to the table by his father; Phillip (who hunted the birds down), Jim gave Sydney an extra shilling. As to be expected of her, Sydney did not know.

The noble family consisted of the head; Phillip Taylor, his wife Rose, their two elder daughters; Marie and Jules (two years apart) , and their youngest Son; who would inherit it all, Jim.

Jim seemed to have it all, money to throw away for some reason, the right to the household when his father passed away, and a few maids to clean up after him. his sisters were jealous they weren't born boys, to be put into the life of servitude to men one day, but they still had it easy, unlike Sydney born to paupers.

Jim gave the shilling coin to Sydney who was cleaning up the table and setting it again. He whispered in her ear "Thank you." It seemed gracious enough, to receive a tip from the boy, but she didn't know what it entailed. Sydney nodded and curtsied. She moved on to what she was doing, finishing up the table. it was then time to eat the gruel, watered potato and cabbage soup, that Margret had made. Margret had raised her eyebrow and asked:

"How's the soup?"

"Alright, thank you." Sydney was happy still from receiving the extra token of appreciation.

"You seem happy, did something happen?"Margret looked at her curiously.

"Jim gave me a shilling." Sydney smiled deeply.

"That's no good." Margret stared hard. "You know what that means don't you?"

"No."Sydney frowned. She played with her soup a little, and pondered. She couldn't figure it out.

"It means you're indebted to him to do whatever he says even past normal duties of a maid."Margret frowned.

Sydney, naive as she was, just stared and had no idea what that meant.

__________

Sydney didn't know what was expected out of her out of the teenage boy named Jim Taylor. She imagined, naively, that maybe he was a generous soul that just gave out money freely to maids like her that didn't have a penny to their name.

Jim did know what he wanted out of a pretty girl like Sydney, kind of an English rose in rags. If she were cleaned more often and wore a more effeminate outfit than he'd just jump her bones. He knew the maids were in desperate need of money, so he tossed her a shilling and waited for his reward.

Jim was growing rather impatient with Sydney, it had been two weeks, and nothing, so he confronted her, alone, in his room.

Sydney was cleaning and straightening up Jim's room. She had just made the bed when Jim grabbed her wrist and jerked her.

Sydney, startled, said: "What's the matter, master Jim?" Her wrist was hurting, so she whined a little. "Did I do something to upset you?"

"Yes." Jim stared at her little mouth, her teeth gritting with pain.

"What, dear sir?"

"You didn't do anything for the shilling." Oh. She must of it put it out of her mind what Margaret said about Jim giving shillings for something uncouth, but she couldn't imagine Margaret doing those things or him even wanting them from her, so she was very confused, disgusted, and irritated, therefore, she decided to ignore everything about it.

She still had the shilling in her apron. She took it out and handed it back to Jim.

"I don't want your charity, and i'm not going to do anything dirty for you.There were better ways to get what you wanted., just more intensive." She stared into his eyes with a hurt look, like a rabbit with it's paw trapped. He knew he was in the wrong, but her really wanted her and was aroused. So, he took her and slung her around and smacked his lips into hers.

"I'll get what i want, at some point. I want you, lust for you."

She started at him, embarrassed, to have a kiss stolen from her lips without her permission, but by a noble boy, an easy looker, three years younger, very immature. She wrenched her wrist from his grasp and ran out of the room, running to find Margaret. She bumped into Jules, the younger sister instead. Jules had seen that look on one of the maids before, not just from the younger ones, but the mid-aged ones, not just coming from her brother's room but from her father's study and bedroom. The men in her family. She scoffed and shoved the girl to the side, walking the other way back to her own room. She wanted no part of it, as she had tried to help a maid once, her good friend, and she was sent away, to her misfortune. It was a sad day, she was only trying to help her friend Rebecca. She ran back to her room, remembering why.