Beautiful Torment *Book One of the Beautiful series*

12) First Day of Work

The maid, Scarlett's voice, is what Lucy woke to the next morning.

Her cheerful face hovered over her, forcing her to yelp in surprise. Lash out instinctively, missing the girl's nose by a hair's breadth. The girl gasped and reared back, "I am so sorry, Miss!" She shrieked. "You looked for a moment like you were not drawing breath."

Lucy breathed heavily and pushed herself upright.

Victoria stirred next to her, coming awake from the sound of their squabble, her blue eyes round with fear.

"I apologize," Lucy said through her teeth, calming her breath. "I was having a night terror." It was a lie. She could not remember more than a fluttering essence of what she might have been dreaming when the girl woke her. But she did not need to be suspicious or drawing attention to them with gossip of her strange behavior.

Scarlett gave her a willful smile, the sight distracting from her severely high cheekbones to the gentle fullness of her lips. "It is alright, I just wanted to let you know that it is time for breakfast. The entirety of the staff eat together in the servants hall, off the kitchen. It is Jester's way of starting a good day." Her smile only seemed to grow, "And today, there is much cause to celebrate." The girl was positively beaming.

Lucy fought the urge to cock one of her eyebrows. These servants would have her convinced the royal family were saints. From what she had heard and witnessed so far, they genuinely cared for their masters which seemed a foreign concept to her. Every servant she had ever met who passed through Granston House, either as a hired worker or slave, were all treated the same. Less than vermin.

"Your bags were brought in last night." She pointed to the small pile near the door. "If you wish, you can change into your uniforms after breakfast. Either way, we will wait for you." With one last smile, Scarlett backed out of the room, leaving them to change.

"Did we step into Underland?" Lucy asked as she stared after the girl with a bewildered look. "Died and moved on to Celestia?" She glanced at her young friend, who was just as confused. Shaking away the bizarre friendly encounter, she nodded once, as if to convince herself first. "Come on, we are going to need all of our strength to think of a plan."

Getting up, she found each of them one of her work uniforms, as Victoria had none. Her mother must have figured her job did not require any clothing options. Nothing beyond fanciful dresses and lascivious nightgowns that would be provided for her.

They were ready before the breakfast bell rang, but still came out to find a table full and waiting for them to join.

"Good morning, ladies," Marie, the cook, welcomed them with a beaming smile, which was shared by almost everyone at the table. Minus a couple of people who did not even bother looking up from their own conversations. "Sit, please," she motioned to the two spots left for them.

Lucy allowed Victoria to have her pick first before taking the last available chair. A reflex to living in her lower status.

"Enjoy," Marie nearly bellowed, her palm enthusiastically bumped over the table top. As if that were the permission they were waiting for, everyone started filling their plates. Passing things back and forth up and down and across the table. People spoke over each other, joking and laughing.

It was something Lucy had never seen before. A seemingly functional family.

After sharing a look, the two girls ate their fill before helping clear the table. Once breakfast was taken care of, they were assigned tasks outside in the gardens until noon, when all hands were needed to serve and tend the homecoming celebration.

Outside amongst the sprawling plants, where everything from vegetables and fruits to flowers and herbs were grown; they were greeted by a white haired woman with sun tanned skin and earth beneath her fingernails.