The gulls were screaming overhead, but Ellie paid them little heed. Much like the sound of sea, she was so accustomed to their noise, they sort of faded into the background. She would probably only notice their absence. Duty done, she had the afternoon to herself from her employer, presumably so that they wouldn't be seen by others of their set as 'one of those cruel households', and not from any innate sense of charity toward domestics.  

She idlily kicked the heels of her boots against the stonework of the wharf, her legs dangling over the water. She had a bag of brightly coloured penny sweets resting in her lap which was a happy contrast to the austere black of her service uniform. She popped a sweet into her mouth.  The taste did not agree with her and she spat it out into her hand.

"Gugrh," she gurgled and examined the gooey, yet still recognisable confection "Aniseed!" she said definitively.  It was a polarising taste, love it or hate it, and Ellie hated it.  She threw the thing as hard as she could, watching it disappear into the murky harbour chop.