Story: What Annabella Wants Annabella Gets. Chapter 11.

by Jackie J

With the Earl being taken upstairs to his prepared rooms Constance accepted the curtsies of the maids and Miss Jarvis. Constance pausing in front of the new maid, that she did not recognise, she grimaced, oh that, that was Annabella.

The Countesses tongue was sharp.

“Miss Jarvis, my study. NOW.”

Constance took her seat and glared at Martha.

“Well, Martha explain yourself, you wrote telling me that stupid girl had lost her mind. That you and that maid, you brought back had beaten and humiliated the pretty princess into a grovelling servant. So, why do I return to find that very same young woman dressed in silk and lace and not aproned and adorned in coarse wool and calico? And who is that new maid, I hire staff not you.”

Martha had repeated to herself so many times that she more than half believed it herself but in front of her Mistress, a very angry Mistress, would her words flow, or would she stutter, breakdown and confess all?

“Mistress, all was well, I was convinced with what we had put Annabella through she had succumbed totally, and I am sure she had. Three months and you would not have recognised the girl she was, she had become Annie physically and mentally, an obedient servile maid.  but Lady Hogarth came, at the time you should have returned, to help nurse the Earl. Annie the maid seeing and recognising her Aunt broke down, screamed her denial at what she had become. It was awful. She swore me to secrecy never to breath a word. Lady Hogarth threatened me with the law, and I am sure she would have taken that course until I showed her the agreement that Annabella had signed. Lady Hogarth insisted I help Annabella recover, which I have done. Once Annabella began to regain her mind, she became worse than she ever, demanding this demanding that. I was just her personal skivvy things were not getting done around the manor. The Maid, Florrie, was brought from Sandowns, Lady Hogarth’s own home, to help whilst I worked on restoring Annabella. If you would only have returned when you had planned Mistress all would have been fine. During the last six months Annabella as completely recovered, I doubt she will wish to return to such a lowly status again.”

Constance cursed.

“Maud, Malcom’s sister, she as ruined everything the evil cow, I hate that woman, well you can send that Florrie packing I don’t want her in my home. I tell you Martha, when I saw three maids in the hallway, when we arrived back, I was convinced one was Annabella then, then, that prissy peacock flounced out of the doorway to her father, Argh. Well this is not over Martha, not by a long way, I do not doubt you had Annabella aproned, a willing maid, like I had planned, and once a maid? I noticed her hair, not quite yet back to its lustrous beauty. Leave me now Martha well I consider how to get that pretty thing back into a uniform and scrubbing my floors.”

Unpacked, changed, and refreshed the Countess sat in the parlour brooding. Her husband’s illness then the weather had ruined all her scheming but without the interference of Lady Hogarth it would seem all could still have been well. 

Constance did not have to wait long to meet her nemesis, Lady Hogarth anxious to see her brother.

Maud was her usual authoritative self, briskly entering the manor.

Brought to the parlour by the housekeeper Maud smiled at Constance knowing she had thwarted her plans for Annabella, whatever they were.

“Constance my dear, I do hope your return journey wasn’t too arduous?”  So how was Switzerland, quite an extended stay, but please tell me, how is Malcom, improving I understand”

Constance did not move from her seat her posture and expression remaining unchanged.

“Malcom is up in his rooms, why don’t you go up and see for yourself.”

Maud spent quite some time with Malcom. He was poorly and it was an upset Maud that left him in his half -conscious state. Their conversation was stilted but he made clear that he had not expected to survive this latest illness that had ravaged him and that perhaps his time was near. During his periods of lucidness, he had begged his sister to intercede and seek a reconciliation between Annabella and himself before it was too late. Maud assuring him that she would do what she could.

There was no urgency to meet with her daughter first she needed to speak with Constance knowing she would have already been told by Jarvis, the agreed version of events, about what had transpired at Buckshire manor in her absence.

Maud entered the parlour to find Constance nursing a glass of wine and closed the door behind her.

“Constance I must speak with you.”

Constance turned to Maud an expression of total disinterest on her face but, from what her housekeeper had told her, about the intervention of Malcom’s sister with Annabella, knew exactly what this witch of a woman would be bursting to tell her about Annabella. Constance taking solace that Maud knew nothing of her own involvement in the preparation of a new maid for Buckshire manor.

“Really and what could I possibly have to discuss with you? You have seen your brother he is being well cared for. Probably best if you head back to Sandowns and take that Florrie woman back with you, we have no need of another maid.”

Maud helped herself to a glass of wine and made herself comfortable sitting opposite Constance.

“I think you will want to hear what I have to say Constance. I doubt your housekeeper will have told you about Annabella, what she was up to during your time away, not something she will be proud of, but I feel I must tell you?”

Constance laughed.

“Spending money, then spending more money no doubt.  I am afraid I have had to come to terms with Annabella’s profligacy, so if you are here to tell me that, it is old news, she fritters away money like confetti.”

 Maud took a sip of her wine listening to Constance’s convincing denial of any knowledge of what she and her housekeeper had planned for Annabella.

Constance continued.

“So, if that is what you want to tell me, you are wasting your breath, now I have things to do, so if that’s all, you can be on your way.”

Maud sat forward.

“No, it is nothing to do with Annabella squandering my brother’s wealth, like you say that is indeed old news. I said I would keep this secret, and I have, the shame of it all, but I thought you should know”

Maud then continued to tell Constance how she had found Annabella when she visited Buckshire manor at the time of Constance’s original return from the summer retreat in Switzerland. How she had ensured Annabella was nursed back to her former self and drove the nonsense of being a housemaid from her troubled mind. That she discovered that Annabella had demanded to be trained and treated as maid by the housekeeper Jarvis. There was a signed agreement between them both or she would have summoned the constable. That if Constance had returned as planned, she would have found Annabella to be nothing other than a common housemaid. It had taken months for the poor thing to break the spell she had cast upon herself.

Maud thought Constance’s pretence, of her total ignorance of what had transpired in her absence, was exemplary. Worthy of any stage performance, her expression priceless.

Constance, with a look of inquisitive concern drained her wine and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Oh Maud, that is incredulous, ridiculous, how awful, truly awful, Annabella a maid? I must have words with her I must. You say her hair was cut and dyed, her figure swelled her complexion course and wearing the uniform of a Berkshire manor maid, living in the maid’s quarters? My goodness what possessed the girl, was she mad, is she mad, did she say why she did such a preposterous thing, do you have the agreement she signed?

Maud sat back hiding her contempt for the callous cow and her despicable scheme for Annabella. But inwardly smiled wondering if she was any better given Annabella was now a contented maid in her service at Sandown’s.

“All true I am afraid, the agreement? No, I burnt it, who knows what shame that would bring on this household if it got into the wrong hands?”

Constance maintained her composure but annoyed the agreement signed by Annabella had been destroyed, or so she had been told, the agreement retained in the safe keeping of Lady Hogarth. 

Maud continued.

“Of course, you will need to have words with Annabella and with your housekeeper Jarvis, or perhaps not, Jarvis was beside herself about the whole sorry business when I confronted her, told me she had no choice. I doubt however that she did not gain some satisfaction from having Annabella for her skivvy?”

“Well now you know Constance I have unburdened myself of these tragic events, it is all over now and I will, of course, never utter a word. Whether you chose to confront Annabella, who I am sure will deny everything, is up to you. It is probably best to pretend it never happened, but that’s your choice.”

Constance hid her satisfaction that Maud had confirmed what her housekeeper had told her earlier and obviously Maud knew nothing of her own involvement. if she did, she would have been at her like a rabid dog.

“Perhaps you are right Maud, sleeping dogs and all that, I will not embarrass Jarvis, the silly girl, like you say, put her up to it. I will keep an eye on Annabella, although when I saw her earlier, when we arrived back at the manor, she was no different than when I left Buckshire, rude and arrogant as ever. Your rehabilitation of her obviously most successful.”

 Maud stood to leave.

“Oh, regarding Florrie, the maid I sent over, Jarvis is most happy with her and Jarvis did say that, before you departed for your summer retreat, you were actually looking for an additional maid?”

Maud could not resist the temptation to tease her sister in law.

“Thankfully that addition to your staff is not Annabella, although, but for my timely intervention, I am sure that would have been the case.  I must say according to Jarvis Annabella had become a perfect maid. Perhaps you will reconsider keeping Florrie, I am fully staffed myself.”

 Constance stood and smiled although inwardly seething guiding Maud to the door.

“Well, thank you for telling me all this Maud, quite a shock, and I will speak with Jarvis concerning Florrie, she can stay for now.”

Maud sat back in her carriage and smiled contentedly her daughter had convinced her brother and Constance, that she was Annabella. Her brother had confided the fear of his continued mortality along his wish to reconcile with his daughter and the inheritance, when the Earl shed’s his mortal coil, would surely be secure.

Constance pouring herself another glass of wine chuckled to herself. Perhaps Maud knowing of Annabella’s frailty, that she had found her under the control of Buckshire manors housekeeper, portraying herself to be nothing more than a common housemaid, was not a bad thing. Should the poor girl relapse, to be tempted back into the uniform of a Buckshire Manor maid, well, if that is her wish, who am I, but more importantly that Bitch of woman, to interfere.

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