"You really should’ve clued us in earlier," Louisa chided herself for not catching on sooner, the guilt and self-reproach evident in her voice.
"Mrs. Collins, I’m just the help. It’s not my place to gossip about family affairs. Besides, with Martha running the show and Ms. Serena Collins in her corner, they had the stage. Even if I had a chance to
explain, I couldn’t have cleared things up."
Edith stood by, silently serving them food as she spoke, "And, Ms. Serena Collins’s always played the angel in your eyes - smart, kind-hearted, gentle. If I’d suggested she was bullying Ms. Rosemary Collins, you’d likely have thought I was spouting nonsense before I even finished my sentence."
As Edith went on, she added, "Especially when Ms. Serena Collins cries, that’s when I’m really done for! I could have lost my job!"
Louisa gave her a reproachful look, "After all these years of dedicated service in our ho, how could we just send you away? We’re not heartless like Martha."
That ti Hunter exposed Martha’s deceit, revealing how she had spilled oil intending to cause Rose to slip. Martha was promptly fired by Hunter for that.
When the news reached Kenneth and Louisa, they were furious, giving Martha a good tongue-lashing.
At the ti, Serena had tried to intercede on Martha’s behalf, but Louisa had even said that if she thought so highly of Martha, she might as well leave with her.
"It’s just shocking. Beyond that oil incident, there were so many other things. Each and every one of them is infuriating. How can she be so malicious? She doesn’t act like a servant at all; she thinks she’s
royalty!" Louisa slamd her hand on the table, too angry to eat.
"We thought she was treating Serena with such care because she considered her family. She had us all misty-eyed. Turns out she was only kind to Serena. To everyone else, she was downright cruel!"
Kenneth was no less heated.
anwhile, Serena had moved to the guesthouse, where she was the sole occupant.
Aside from the light spilling from her bedroom, the entire building was shrouded in darkness.
She found the main switch and turned on all the lights in the building, even the garden lights, but the vast quiet space still felt eerily empty and frightening.
Finally, a servant carrying a food basket entered the courtyard, and Serena hurried downstairs.
"Betty, why is it just you? Where are the others?"
There had been three servants to attend to her needs in the afternoon, but now only Betty was here to bring dinner?
"Mrs. Collins said from now on, I’ll be the one to bring your als. Other than that, no one else will co," Betty explained as she set the food basket on the table and started to lay out the dishes.
Serena was famished, and upon seeing the food, she was stupefied, "What is this?"
A tangy potato salad, green bean stir-fry, and seaweed egg soup, this was it?? This was her al??
"Mrs. Collins said that since you needs ti to reflect, the als should be plain and simple."
Serena couldn’t swallow her pride. Even her als were being cut back?? How was she supposed to stomach this!
"Actually, these dishes are quite tasty. They’re the sa as what we had for lunch. We had green bean stir-fry and tangy potato salad. The chef is really skilled, honestly. You’ll know once you try."
"You’ve already had this for lunch?" Serena was shocked and then realized, "So you’re giving the leftovers from your lunch?"
"No kidding, Ms. Serena Collins. These ingredients are the freshest, delivered today. They’re certainly not leftovers from the servants’ lunch. The chef prepared these dishes just for you," Betty set the
tableware in front of Serena.
Serena stared at the array of dishes before her, so bland they defied description. The pang of hunger ultimately drove her to eat, though with great reluctance.
"For breakfast tomorrow, I want cereal with milk, foie gras on toast, and eggs Benedict with caviar,"
Serena’s demands trailed off as Betty interjected with an apologetic tone.
"There’ll be no more special orders from now on."
"What did you say?"
"In other words, the chef isn’t going to whip up whatever you fancy anymore."
Serena hadn’t expected her parents’ punishnt to be so severe. Was she now to be denied even the simplest of culinary pleasures? Was she to be relegated to eating plain fare, just like the servants?
Were her parents treating her like one of the help? Wasn’t this punishnt a bit too harsh?
Even if she had spoken ill of Rosemary at Mr. Albright’s birthday party, it wasn’t enough to warrant such a severe penalty, was it? And on top of that, she was still nursing her injuries.
"Once you’re done eating, I should get going." Betty glanced at the ti and began to clear the table,
"Mrs. Collins only gave an hour to deliver your al."
"You’re leaving too? Am I going to be alone in this house tonight?" Serena felt a twinge of fear. The house was too vast, and co nightfall, it felt rather eerie.
"For the ti being, yes. You’ll be on your own here, except during al tis," Betty confird.
"Then who will clean for ? Who will water my plants? Who will do my laundry and hang it up to dry?"
"I’m not sure."
Her responsibility was only to deliver als.
"Betty," Serena suddenly grasped her hand, "ever since Martha left, you’ve been the kindest to in this house. Tell the truth, how are my parents feeling? Do I have any chance of returning within the
next couple of days?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Collins are disappointed and heartbroken by your actions. They hardly touched their dinner, and Edith has been trying to console them."
Serena quickly seized upon a key na, pressing further, "Edith? Is she attending to my parents this evening?"
"Yes." Betty was unaware of the underlying tensions and spoke honestly, "Mr. and Mrs. Collins seed alright before dinner, but afterwards, they looked quite upset, as if they were very angry."
It must be Edith! With this thought, Serena clenched her fists in anger.
Edith must have taken advantage of her absence, filling her parents’ ears with slander about her. They were close to forgiving her, but after hearing Edith’s words, they had beco too upset to eat. Perhaps Edith had even tarnished Martha’s reputation.
With these thoughts, Serena seethed with rage. As soon as she left this confinent, she vowed to make Edith pay.
"Betty, could you possibly ask the chef to prepare a few tastier dishes for tomorrow? I really can’t stomach such bland food." Serena cajoled, shaking Betty’s hand, "I can transfer so money to you and the chef. Just na your price."
"Serena, I can’t do that." Betty hurriedly explained, "After the chef finishes cooking, Edith has to approve it, making sure the ingredients are simple and unadorned, before I can bring it to you. Mrs.Collins has said that from now on, whatever the chef prepares, that’s what you’ll eat. No more lavish als."
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