A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth stood awkwardly cursing herself and Rees for putting her in a position where the daughter of the most influential family in the region was scrutinising her.

She released a shaky breath after a brief torturous moment when Elsie's face broke into a welcoming smile. She stood up from the stool and walked towards Ruth.

Again watching her face keenly, she said, "You are more beatiful than I thought."

Ruth sensed that it was not only a compliment but had another meaning too, but she let it slid aside and smiled nervously.

"God morning, Lady Elsie!"

"Good morning Ruth! Welcome to 'the great manor'."

Ruth noticed how the young mistress did not use the word home. Or maybe that was how the elites spoke?

Elsie signalled the two maids with her eyes, and they excused themselves.

"Come, please sit here." Elsie directed her towards a couch and sat beside her.

Ruth hesitated. She did not know the mannerisms of elites, but she sure felt it strange for a noblewoman to tell her to sit on the couch and beside her.

"No,My Lady. I am alright here." Ruth told politely.

Elsie shook her head. "No. Please, I insisit!"

Ruth was taken aback by the excitement bubbling inside her eyes. Why this woman was so excited?

Ruth hesitantly sat beside Elsie while leaving a safe distance between them.

"How are you Ruth? I can call you Ruth, right? Or do you want me to call you by some other name?"

"I am fine, My Lady. And please call me Ruth only. I prefer people calling me only by my first name." Ruth smiled.

"When did you get here? Did the maid took long to take you here?"

"I came not long ago and the maid was kind enough to take me here without any hussle." Ruth answered.

She observed the woman from close. She was sweet, and the maid was right when she said Elsie was the best person in the family. Ruth could tell why people liked her so much.

She was sweet, gentle and caring. She was down to earth and not arrogant or anything that Ruth had preconceptions about.

"Rees suggested me your name as a candidate for my head maid. So I told him to invite you and we can have a conversation before you start working here." Elsie said.

The same maid who brought Ruth to Elsie's chamber came again with two glasses of juice and a plate of freshly cut fruits arranged in an aesthetic manner.

The maid served everything then went to stand near the door of the chamber, and out of their earshot.

"Please have some." Elsie promted.

Ruth awkwardly took the glass and took a sip of the sweet juice. Her taste buds danced in delight, her nerves calmed a bit.

"Thank you, My Lady!" Ruth smiled.

"Erm... may I have a permission to ask a question?" Ruth then said.

"Of course, Ruth."

"Please do not misunderstand, My Lady but why do you need a head maid when you have so many servants at your beck and call? And why appoint someone unexperienced like me, when I am sure there must be many eligible women out there?"

Ruth was curious, and Elsie's easy-going personality encouraged her to ask those questions.

Elsie paused for a moment. She should behave like a mistress, or Ruth's suspicion would grow.

Elsie smiled and ran her hand through her long hair. "You seem like a smart woman, Ruth. All the maids here know me for many years. I want someone as my head maid with whom I can be comfortable.

Someone who will treat me like a friend and not only as her mistress. I have heard so much about you from Rees, and when he suggested your name for the position, I thought why not?!

You seem unwilling to work here. Is that true?"

Ruth did not know how rees convinced Lady Elsie for this, but she was glad he did.

"I... I do not have any experience with this work. I only know one thing and that is tailoring and sewing. I am just... nervous about everything and do not want to make mistakes." Ruth confessed.

She could not tell Lady Elsie that the sole reason why she was unwilling to work in 'the ghreat manor' was her dear cousin himself.

Elsie put her hand on Ruth's that startled Ruth. "We all are bound to commit mistakes, Ruth. But what matters, in the end, is how and what we learn from them.

Do not worry about anything else. You only need to do the basic things. Imagine you taking care of your family. What would you have done then?

You have to do the same things. And there are other maids to help you with it. And even if you do any mistake, let me assure you that I am no rich woman with a hunter in my hand. So you do not need to worry about those things!"

Elsie's words eased the tension out of Ruth's body. Now that she thinks of it, was she really had a choice in it? Her fate had landed her here, and if not for this job then Ruth might not have food on her plate tomorrow night.

Was she in a place of negotiation or putting up her demands?

"I promise to serve your all needs and be loyal to you, if you appoint me for this position." Ruth said sincerely.

"You are already appointed, Ruth."

They conversed for some more time, then Elsie asked the question in return of which she prayed hearing yes as an answer.

"Ruth, all the head maids live in the servants quarters in the premises of the property. You and your family can shift there. All the servants who lived in the servant quarters are provided with basic amenities and do not need to pay any bills. You can move in there today itself."

Ruth was confused. Everything was happening too fast for her to cope up. Yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind, and now this tempting offer. Then she thought about Mrs Payne.

After Mr Payne's death, Ruth suggested Mrs Payne to move into her room, but the old woman refused to say that her home held the memories of her husband and she would never leave it. Ruth had to accept her defeat and had to move into their home.

Would Mrs Payne then agree to move in the servant quarters? Ruth doubted that.

"My Lady, I... I can not take such decision in hurry. Please allow me some time to think about it." Ruth bargained.

Little disappointed, Elsie nodded. "Fine. Take you time. How much salary you earned reviously?" She asked.

Ruth told her the true amount.

"Hmm... you will get seven times that if you chose to work here." Elsie said simply.

Ruth's eyes popped out of her skull, hearing that much amount.

SEVEN TIMES!

She replayed those words again and again in her mind, till she wrapped up her head around the fact.

"What happened? Is that less than your expectations?" Elsie asked in concern seeing Ruth's wide eyes.

Ruth shook her head vigorously. "No.. no, My lady! I am just... I am just overwhelmed hearing the amount. It is too much that my expectations."

Elsie liked how honest and innocent Ruth was. Somehow she could connect with her better even though they met not longer than thirty minutes.

Elsie was going to have the best sister-in-law for her!

They were chatted amongst themselves. Ruth was more comfortable than before when they heard a knock on the door. The maid opened it to reveal Eloise dressed in a violet dress and perfectly done make up on her face.

She walked through the door confidently, her chin held high. Ruth shrunk in her place as she saw her walking there way. Ruth noticed how Elsie's demeanour changed upon seeing her elder sister.

And she wondered if everything was fine between the two sisters.

Eloise stopped in front of them, her eyes trained on the unfamiliar face.

"Do we have guest Elsie?" She asked while observing Ruth in great detail.

The corner of her lips was pulled down at the sight of her dress, and how bland the woman looked without accessories and makeup.

"She... she is my new head maid, sister Eloise." Elsie said nervously.

"Head maid?" Eloise tapped her foot impatiently while glaring at Ruth.

Confused, Ruth avoided looking straight into the woman's eyes.

Having enough of her dumbness, Eloise burst like a volcano.

"What kind of head maid she will become, huh? She do not even know the basic mannerisms Elsie."

Ruth watched Elsie squirm under her elder sister's hard glare.

"I... I apologise My lady if I have done something wrong." Ruth dared to say for she felt bad that Elsie was getting scolded like that because of her.

But that was only the beginning of Ruth's journey in 'the great manor' and, there was so much to happen.

*

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"Ambrose, what are we going to do now?" Aurora was worried and enraged. The smile that always remained plastered on her face had vanished since these last few days.

Mr Hilton had his hand clenched in a tight fist as if he was strangling someone with all his force.

"We should have been more careful with it. It is all because of Barret Addington. That scumbag used us for his gains and now see how much damage we have to endure."

After more than a week's silence from their spies in Vincardine, the Garfileds had realised what might have happened with them.

If that was not enough, their espionage network that spread between Vincardine and Kinsville was getting eradicated day by day.

Not a single day went without news of some spy going missing without any trace.

"It is Edwin O'Dell! I know he is behind all this. Augustus O'Dell would have send a warning before daring such thing. But this notorious heir of the O'Dell family is a headache for us." Ambrose said darkly.

"We have to do something before he reach the borders of Kinsville, My Lord. He is halfway there and with the current situation, it will not take him long to get his hands around our throats." Hilton concerned.

"Mr Hilton!" A loud voice boomed, and every head snapped in the direction of its source.

There stood Darius with his dark and red eyes with flaring nostrils and elongated canines.

"Mind your tongue before saying such thing or..." He let his threat linger in the air.

"Calm down Darius. Although bitter, his words are true and we have to accept that if we want the man to stop."

Darius matched his father's gaze. Ambrose piked the rage and determination burning in his red eyes.

"I will stop him father!"

"He will not stop till his last breath if he set his mind on something." Hilton added fuel to the fire.

Turning to him, Darius walked towards the man who started fidgeting nervously. Darius stopped right in front of his nose, and looking deep in his eyes commandingly he said,

"Then let me help him count his last breaths, Mr Hilton!"