Chapter 4
1228 Words
It was 7 o'clock in the morning, and Juliet's eyes twitched a little due to the sun rays reflecting in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, managing to open her eyes and see Annabel awake.
"You're awake early," Juliet yawned, stretching her hands.
"I'm a little bit excited for my new job, so I got up early," Annabel excitedly squeaked.
"That's good to hear," Juliet smiled before getting out of bed.
"I was waiting for you to be awake. I need to get to the house early," Annabel groaned.
"Don't you want me to take you there?" Juliet asked.
"You don't have to. I will go there myself, and besides, you need to go to work," Annabel pointed out.
"Okay then, promise to visit every weekend," Juliet grinned.
"I promise to visit every weekend," Annabel repeated.
They hugged each other and said their goodbyes.
"I really hope I made the right choice getting her this job," Juliet murmured to herself, watching as Annabel left.
Upon arriving at the house, Annabel had only one thing in mind—to get rid of any thoughts of the two brothers. She knew how difficult it was for her to finally get this job and what Juliet went through to secure it for her.
"I am finally here," she sighed.
She went inside but felt a bit confused about where she was supposed to go or who she was supposed to meet.
"You are the new housekeeper, right?" a woman in her mid-fifties asked.
"Yes, yes I am," Annabel stuttered.
"Come with me then," she said as she walked away. Annabel followed immediately.
They went to the kitchen. Annabel gasped as soon as she saw it—it was so big and beautifully decorated with golden accessories. The plates, spoons, tiles, everything was golden.
"Is this a kitchen?" Annabel asked, feeling mesmerized.
"Yes, this is the kitchen. You will take care of the kitchen and also the rooms," the woman explained. "But firstly, I will take you to your room for you to get dressed," she added.
"Wait, I never got to introduce myself. My name is Annabel," she introduced with a cheeky smile.
"Call me Mrs. Jones," she demanded.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jones," Annabel politely stretched out her hand, and the woman did the same.
"Why aren't you calling yourself by your husband's name?" Mrs. Jones asked curiously.
"Well, I like to be called by my name instead," she replied awkwardly.
"You young lads and your marriages," Mrs. Jones chuckled. "I guess it is fine if you want me to call you by your first name," she agreed.
"I would love that," Annabel declared.
"Now let me take you to your room," Mrs. Jones walked in a direction, and Annabel followed behind.
Annabel entered her room and gasped once again—it was much bigger than Juliet's whole house. The decorations made it feel like she was being treated like a princess, not a housekeeper.
"Is this room for me?" she uttered in disbelief.
"Yes, this is where you will be staying," Mrs. Jones announced.
"This place is incredible!" Annabel squeaked in excitement but quickly replaced it with a nervous laugh upon seeing the woman's facial expression.
"It is just so hard to believe that a person like me will ever get to live in a place like this," she said with a low tone.
"Let's get you your uniform," Mrs. Jones said, ignoring her sappy story.
She reached into the wardrobe and brought out a typical maidoutfit. It was a black and white dress, accompanied by black and white socks and uncomfortable shoes.
"Do I really have to wear these shoes?" Annabel whimpered.
"You have to wear them at all times; the outfit is part of your job," Mrs. Jones sternly stated.
"I guess I don't have any choice then," Annabel sighed.
"I will leave you to get ready. Be back in five minutes. Don't worry about your luggage; the butler will have it brought to your room," Mrs. Jones said before exiting the room.
"She's a little bit cold," Annabel muttered to herself.
Annabel took another look at her room; she still couldn't believe she would get to spend most of her life in this particular house. She became excited just thinking about it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. She guessed it had to be the butler. Mrs. Jones did say the butler would bring her luggage. She opened the door, and indeed, it was the butler.
"I was told to bring your luggage up here," he coldly stated.
"Thank you so much," Annabel said as she took her luggage from him. "I..." She was about to say something else, but the butler left immediately.
"That was rude," she remarked.
Annabel unpacked her belongings and placed them in the wardrobe. Despite the wardrobe's size, it looked empty because of the few clothes she brought. She noticed the bathroom in the room and went in. She was shocked to see how beautiful and pristine it was—pure white and with a pleasant fragrance.
"This doesn't feel like a housekeeper's room. I wish Juliet could stay here with me," Annabel expressed. "I should get ready immediately," she said, walking toward the bathroom.
She took a quick shower and got dressed for work. The uniform fit perfectly, although she found the shoes a little uncomfortable. However, she had no choice but to wear them.
"I see you're dressed up for work," Mrs. Jones commented as soon as she saw Annabel.
"I'm ready for work!" Annabel declared.
"You're assigned to clean the kitchen. Take this," Mrs. Jones handed her a box of cleaning utensils. "Don't make a mess when cleaning," she warned.
"Don't worry about anything; I've got everything under control," Annabel assured her.
Annabel felt a bit confused about how to start cleaning the place since it was so different from what she was used to. She began doing her best, but unfortunately, luck was not on her side. She twisted her ankle and fell, grabbing onto something that caused the counter to break and everything on it to come crashing to the ground.
"Arrghh!" she cried out in pain.
Upon hearing the noise, Mrs. Jones immediately came to the kitchen and was furious when she saw the mess.
"I'm so sorry; I made a mistake, and I promise it won't happen again," Annabel apologized.
"It's fine. You're still new here. You'll adjust in no time... You should go get cleaned up. I'll take care of the mess," Mrs. Jones offered.
"I'll do it. I created the mess, so it's only right that I clean it up," Annabel declined.
"Ma'am wouldn't like it if she sees you this way, so go get cleaned up," Mrs. Jones insisted.
Annabel was a bit hesitant but eventually gave in and did as she was told. She returned to her room to freshen up, and it didn't take long for her to finish.
As soon as she was done, she hurried back to the kitchen. She was shocked to find it spotless.
"I have a special job for you. You have to go clean Sir Andrew's room," Mrs. Jones ordered.
"Who is that?" Annabel asked, confusion lacing her tone.
"The second son's room," Mrs. Jones replied. Annabel's eyes immediately widened, realizing she had to go to one of the brothers' rooms.
- Writer
