The Folly (7 page)

Chapter
11

Willa trudged up the narrow staircase to the servants’ quarters in the attic and entered her room.  It was tiny, with only a dormer window high in the wall, but it was all hers.  Most of the girls had to share a room, but Willa had been given her own room on account of being a lady’s maid.  The room was stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter, but she didn’t mind.  A bit of privacy was worth much more than that.  Willa sat down on the narrow bed and pulled off her cap, taking out the pins one by one and putting them on the small wooden table by the bed
,
until her thick hair finally came tumbling down around her shoulders.  She ran her hands through it, before turning her attention to the buttons on her dress.  She hung the dress carefully and unlaced her corset, taking a deep breath as the offending garment finally came off. 

She had at least an hour until her assignation
,
and she decided to take a short nap.  She
’
d been up since dawn and she was tired and hot.  Willa would have liked nothing more than to go straight to sleep, but he would be waiting for her
,
and she didn’t dare let him down.  He was her ticket to freedom
,
and if she had to sacrifice an hour of sleep to make him happy, so be it. 

Willa woke up when the hall clock struck 11p
.
m
.
and poured some water into a basin.  She freshened up and put on her dressing gown, ready to go.  The servants were all asleep, tired from the long day, and Willa walked down the stairs and along the carpeted hallway unchallenged.  She turned the handle carefully and walked in, closing the door softly behind her.  He was already in bed, watching her, a smile paying around his lips.  He enjoyed other things more than intercourse
,
and she certainly didn
’
t mind.  The idea of getting with child scared her to death
, so
she was willing to do anything to avoid that calamity.  Her lover pulled up his nightshirt, exposing his engorged cock
,
and Willa got on the bed between his legs, taking him into her mouth.  She didn
’
t enjoy the task at hand, but if it got her what she wanted, it was well worth it.  At least he
didn’t want to sodomize her tonight
,
and she was grateful for that. 

Willa wiped her mouth as she climbed off the bed.  She was eager to get back to her room
,
since she would have to
be
up at dawn. 

“Remember what I told you, Willa.  I hope to see results soon.” 

“I remember and I
’
ll do as you ask.  Good night.”  She turned to leave, breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her
,
and she was once again alone in the dim corridor and on the way back to her room.

**

Willa tried to sleep, but oblivion would not come easily.  The room was stifling, her nightdress sticking to her overheated body
,
and her face glistening with sweat.  She wished she could go sleep outside in the garden the way she used to when she was a little girl and it was too hot to be indoors.  The heat wasn’t the only thing keeping Willa awake
,
and she knew it.  It was the combination of bitterness and guilt.  She wasn’t sure which had the upper hand tonight. 

At twenty, Willa had seen her share of suffering.  She thought everyone lived like her
,
until she came to work at the Shipley manor at the age of twelve.  Her mother had begged the cook, Mrs. Burns, to take on Willa as a scullery maid to get her out of the house.  Willa’s father, Herman Adams
,
was a brutal man
,
and Willa suffered beating after beating whenever he was in his cups or angry with his lot in life
;
which was more often than not.  Her brothers helped her father on the farm
so
he valued them more, if only for their ability to share the work and make his life easier. 

Willa, on the other hand, was just another useless female, sent to try his patience and eat his food.  Willa’s mother, Mabel, often sent her to stay with her grandmother at her cottage just to get her out of her father’s way.  Old Janey Adams was a midwife and a medicine woman
,
and Willa tried to learn as much as she could from her grandmother, hoping that one day she could use her skills to make a life for herself as well. 
Mabel was also trained as a midwife, but Herman didn
’
t want his wife called away at all hours of the day to deliver babies
,
or tend to the sick
,
when his needs had to be taken care of. 

Willa was happy living at the manor.   After living in a mean two
-
room cottage
,
which she shared with her parents and her three brothers, Willa was amazed by the splendor in which she found herself.  The Shipleys weren’t titled, but they were rich
,
and their prosperity showed in everything they owned.   Being a scullery maid kept her mostly in the kitchens, but she did manage to peek into some of the rooms, marveling at the thick carpets with intricate, oriental patterns, elegant furniture, polished until the wood glowed like warm honey, and crystal chandeliers sparkling like diamonds in the morning sunshine streaming through the windows. 

The work was hard and tedious, but Cook took her under her wing, making sure Willa was well-treated and content.  She had to share a room with one of the kitchen maids, but she didn’t mind.  Daisy was only a few years older than her and they got along well.  For the first two years
,
Willa fell asleep with her arm over her face
,
still afraid to be woken up by the fist of her drunken father as he used her for a
p
unching bag for his fury.  It took her a long time to stop waking up in cold sweat, terrified that she would be dismissed and sent back home, back to the life of misery and abuse.  She went to her grandmother’s cottage on her days off, arranging to meet her mother there
,
instead of going home and facing her enraged father.  Things were looking up. 

By the time Willa was fourteen, she had worked her way up to being a chambermaid
,
and was frequently in the room when Lucinda Waters, lady’s maid to Mrs. Shipley, was laying out her clothes or styling the mistress’s hair.  Willa thought that she would eventually become a midwife like her mother and grandmother, but she was drawn to the beautiful gowns, soft kid slippers
,
and glittering jewels
,
and her dreams began to take on a different dimension. 

Willa
longed to become a lady’s maid, like Lucinda.  Lucinda was a kind
,
young woman who came from London and had worked her way up to being a lady’s maid herself
,
and she was only too happy to teach Willa some of her skills.  Willa
frequently went to Lucinda’s room
--
which she had all to herself
--
after her work was done in the evening
so
Lucinda
could show
her how to dress a lady’s hair, care for clothes and do the myriad tasks that a lady’s maid performed on a daily basis.  Lucinda often told Willa stories of life in London, filling the girl’s head with dreams of the big city
,
and the freedoms that some women had in choosing their own path in life.  Willa had never been further than the village church
,
and she listened in stunned awe as Lucinda unknowingly expanded
her
horizons. 

Willa’s big break came when Elizabeth was old enough to leave the schoolroom.  She was now ready for a lady’s maid of her own
,
and in due time she would come out in Society during her first London Season.  Willa begged Lucinda to put in a good word for her with Mrs.
Shipley
,
and to her utter astonishment she got the job.  Mrs. Shipley put her through a grueling test, but at the end of the day
,
she proclaimed Willa a lady’s maid in training and assigned her to Elizabeth.  If
Elizabeth
was pleased with Willa’s work
,
she would go with her to London when she came out and see all the things she had been dreaming about for herself. 

Willa didn’t know it was possible to be so happy.  She always liked Elizabeth and the young lady was sweet and pleasant, always treating Willa like a real person and not just a servant.  They developed a nice rapport and Elizabeth, who didn’t have many girls her own age to associate with, took Willa into her confidence, solidifying their friendship.  Elizabeth frequently gifted Willa her old frocks, bonnets and slippers
,
and Willa had a whole collection of beautiful dresses stashed away in the trunk at the foot of her bed. 

What Elizabeth didn
’
t know
,
was that the day of the Lawn
P
arty destroyed Willa’s prospects
,
as surely as it destroyed her own.  Willa had been walking out with Matthew, the head footman, for nearly a year.  After years of watching her father brutalize her mother and herself, she had no idea that a man could be so gentle and caring.  He was terribly handsome as well, since footmen were often chosen for their size and looks.  It was no surprise that he was a strapping lad with a handsome face and good manners.  Matthew had his sights set on being a butler
after Mr. Norton finally retired
,
and did everything in his power to show Mr. Shipley that he was up to the challenge.   

Willa and Matthew often went for walks on their afternoons off and talked of the future.  They wanted to marry in a year or two, but weren’t sure how their employers would view the situation.  Once Elizabeth married, she would go to live with her husband
,
and possibly want to take Willa with her.  That would certainly complicate matters, but they had time to figure things out.  In the meantime, they dreamed their dreams, took their walks and made love in the room over the carriage house that was no longer used by the coachman. 

Willa’s orderly life fell spectacularly apart on the day of Elizabeth’s engagement.  When the incident with Peter and the boathouse originally occurred, she didn’t think much of it.  It would all blow over if given enough time and life would go back to normal
,
with Elizabeth planning her London Season and Willa carrying on with Matthew, but then she spoke to Lucinda.  Lucinda invited Willa to her room for a chat the night before.  She hardly ever gossiped, but this time
,
she wanted to talk.  Willa sat on the room’s only chair and accepted a cup of tea from Lucinda, who looked flushed and anxious. 

“Willa, I probably shouldn
’
t be telling you this, but I feel it’s my duty as your friend to warn you, since this will affect you and Matthew.  Mrs. Shipley is very distressed, but her husband has made up his mind.”  Lucinda gave Willa a meaningful look and took a sip of tea, waiting for Willa’s reaction.

“Made up his mind about what?”  Willa felt butterflies in her stomach.  She didn’t know what this was about, but she instinctively knew this wasn’t going to be anything good, not judging from Lucinda’s face.

“Mr. Shipley is not as put out about this Peter Jarvis business as he
’
s making out to be.  He was upset at first, but then he reconsidered.  It seems that he has a husband picked out for poo
r
Miss Elizabeth
,
and he will use her disgrace to force her hand.”  Lucinda put down her teacup and clasped her hands in her lap.  “It’s Sir Henry Flynn.”

“Sir Henry Flynn?!”  Willa nearly dropped her cup.  “Mr. Shipley’s friend?  But he
’
s forty, if he
’
s a day
,
and he
’
s so squat and balding.  What young lady would want to marry him, even if he is a baronet?  Poor Miss Elizabeth.”

“They have a plan cooked up.  Elizabeth will become the wife of a baronet by marrying Sir Henry
,
and Sir Henry will get a much needed financial infusion, if you know what I mean.  Sir Henry has an estate in Essex, so Miss Elizabeth will be going there and taking you with her.  That’s one of her conditions.” 

Willa hastily put the cup down
,
afraid of scalding herself with the tea.  So, it had already been decided if Elizabeth was making conditions.  She couldn’t go with Elizabeth to Essex.  She simply couldn’t. 

“Willa, are you all right?  You look a bit peaky.  It might be a good opportunity for you.  You
’
ll be a lady’s maid to an actual
l
ady, not just plain Miss Elizabeth Shipley.  That might be very advantageous.”