Hudson street had fine houses in the young girl’s eyes. Palaces they seemed to a girl who had shared a small cottage with a large family and a privy and pump with a whole yard. She found the address, but stopped before the garden.
 
She wasn’t so sure about this all of a sudden. Father hadn’t been sure about it to begin with. Certainly two shillings a week made a difference to a family whose income depended on the caprices of the sea. Her work was needed at home, but they could probably buy bait on those two days, get someone to bait the lines, and still keep a whole shilling a week.
 
But she was a girl from a yard and she didn’t have references. Not to mention, she was terribly shy. Father had told her it was an attractive position, but probably not worth her time applying, and Anne wouldn’t have put herself through this probably unsuccessful ordeal, if she didn’t have her private ulterior motive. Father might allow her to keep a tuppence. And though it wasn’t much, it was something. She could save up a little. Plus, she would gain work experience and a reference, hopefully. And all this might help her towards saving Alice from her misery one day. She had to try, no matter how slight the chance. No matter how frightened she was.
 
She had dressed in her best clothes – a blue cotton dress that reached to halfway her calves and dark stockings, and though it was still a girl’s garb, she had put her long red hair up for the first time in her life. On top of her head, she wore a straw boater with a new dark blue ribbon.
 
She took a deep breath and clutched her sweaty fists for a moment. She wished she were braver, but she had always been the shy one of her family. “Come on now, for Alice,” she whispered to herself. Anne would face any challenge, cross any fire, fight any demon for Alice. And so she made herself cross the little front garden and knocked. She bit her lip. Come on now, be brave.
 
Her face was redder than her hair.

Mr. Robert opened the door and looked at the very young woman.  He raised a brow in that way a proper butler would do seeing what looked to be someone that did not seem to belong there.  He was very tall, about six foot so, and wore a proper black suit.  He was had dark hair, well what was left on either side of the bald head.  He was about 50 years looking.

Glancing around, he looked again at the young person.  "May I help you, Miss?"  He asks in a formal manner but not unkind.  Perhaps she was lost, he thought.

As if the house and the advert weren't intimidating enough... Anne looked up at the tall butler in immaculate dress and immediately realized that this was a mistake. Her mouth was suddenly dry and all the air seemed to have disappeared from her lungs, leaving her unable to speak. She stood mute there for at least half a minute, trying to find her voice, but failing, while heat crept up to her neck, cheeks and ears. She felt dizzy. She could just turn and run away... But she had to try, for Alice's sake.

"Err... Good afternoon, ser," she said, making sure that she spoke loud enough, even though she really wanted to whisper. "My name is Anne Ward. I'm here to apply to the position of part time maid." The last part was uttered quieter, for Anne felt ashamed of saying it. What was she thinking?

Mr. Roberts blinked once not sure he was hearing what he thought she said.  Then giving her a look again, he took a breath and knew the Earl would still want him to at least give the girl a visit, though he could see she was not what he would hire for the Earl's needs.  He indicated the hallway.  "With me, Miss.  We will chat in the kitchen."

The porch opened into the hallway.  To the right was a closed door to the master bedroom where some noise could be heard as Douglas was inside getting ready for an outing.  The first door on the left was open to the parlor which had all kinds of paintings at various stages of work standing where the uncurtained windows had good light on them.  On down the way, as Mr. Roberts led the young lady after he closed the front door behind them, was another doorway to the left that if one looked in was a formal dining room.

They passed the stairs that led to the second floor where there was a guest room, currently empty, and two small servant rooms that could hold two people in each of them, but currently, the valet and butler each had one of the small rooms.  In the kitchen, it was set up in modern water and electricity.  The oven was set up with natural gas as well. There was a wooden table in the center of the kitchen with chairs set around it.  This was also when staff would eat when they were there for the meals.

"Have a seat, Miss.  I am Mr. Roberts, the butler here, as you would have noticed."  He gave her a look as he moved around behind the table, wondering at her age.  "How much experience do you have with being a maid, Miss?"  He asked waiting to sit down himself until she took a seat across from the table.

He gave her a chance?! That was more than she expected. She followed the butler through the house. It was impossible not to gape at all the splendor. What a lovely parlour. She wishes she lived in a parlour. Oh! Look at those paintings! Was Mr. Douglas a painter then?

She forgot to be afraid as she admired the house and its contents, until they reached the kitchen. She sat down while nerves made it hard to breathe again.

And then came the question. What experience had she? This was embarrassing and Anne wanted to leave so badly she was afraid she would start crying. "Erm..." she said in a shaky voice. "Well, I've not been a maid before, but I'm very experienced in housework, ser, and I'm used to hard work." It sounded ridiculous to her own ears. Would the earth not be kind and swallow her already?

Mr. Richards frowned, somewhat fierce-looking, though he wasn't doing it on purpose.  It was just the way he looked.  "Miss Wards, the Earl is used to a specific kind of employees.  Trained and with experience.  While I am sure you have worked hard."  He gave a look that was a bit more gentle, as he had come from a family that had worked hard to get trained to be able to work at the castle with the Gordon family.  However, it had taken the time to learn and someone to give him his first chance, so many years ago.

About then, Douglas came in looking for Mr. Fraiser.  He had on his underpants , bare feet, and a shirt that was untucked that was open down the man's chest.  He did not know there was someone else in the house and definitely not a young girl.  Seeing Anne, he started buttoning up the shirt giving Mr. Roberts a look of curiosity before moving behind the door and then looking back in around the door. 

"We 'ave company?"  He asked with a raised brow. 

Mr. Roberts quickly stood up when Douglas had entered the room and gave a brief embarrassed glance to Anne.   Mr. Roberts of course also had a Scottish accent but had worked hard to be less rough on the ears.  "Yes, my lord, she is interested in the maid position."

Finishing buttoning his shirt, Douglas gave the girl a look though still the lower half of his body hidden behind the door.  He wasn't embarrassed at all, just being somewhat polite to cover himself from the young woman.  "Yu are a bit young for the job."  He said giving her a look again. 

He gave Roberts a look.  "Where is Frasier?  I need my trousers for now and a suit readied for tonight.  I 'ave to go 'ave dinner with that family, I've forgotten their name, that knows Lady Valtma back 'ome."  He explained looking bored by the idea but knowing that such connections were important to keep even for him unless the people irritated  him too much.

"He's upstairs trying to get the stains out of the latest set you got paint on."  Roberts replied.  The paint on Douglas's clothing was a regular issue, of course.

That seemed like her chance to escape. "I understand, ser. I'll be on me w-,"

Alas, they were disrupted by a half-dressed gentleman. Anne joined the butler in rising, but averted her eyes. This was embarrassing. Of course it was the gentleman who had walked in like that, but Anne still felt it was somehow her fault that she had seen him like that.

When he said she was too young, she again, more eagerly still, wanted to use that as an opportunity to flee, but the butler and gentleman started talking and Anne didn't want to be rude by interrupting them. And so she stood there, hands clasped in front of her legs, and looking down, even though the part of the gentleman that was now visible was dressed.

Douglas nodded then before turning to head upstairs to talk to Fraiser, he looked at the girl a sudden thought came to his mind.  "I dinna suppose yu are linked in with the other maids and servants around 'ere, are yu, ... ummm?"  He looked to Roberts for the girl's name.

Roberts instantly got the thought that had caused the question and answered the unspoken question.  "Anne Ward, my lord."    He looked at the girl as well.  If the girl was not in the gossip vine, it would be a plus.  The experience was an issue, but if she kept the place clean of dust, sweeping, and mopping Gordon would be happy here away from the cities.  He was less likely going to have to fire the lass for speaking what should not be spoken.

Anne looked from the gentleman to the butler. This was her chance! Her family had brought forth servants before! "Oh aye ser... eh... my lord!" she piped up. "Our Rose... me sister, she was a maid in town, and in York before that. She's married now though... which is why our family needs t' income, ye see?"

Was that begging? Nah. It was just a statement of fact, after all.

"I dinna want another situation with a maid,  I am tired about being ambushed in the middle of nowhere by some miss that thinks I should be 'aving a picnic with 'er."  Douglas spoke quite clearly with a look at the girl and then to Roberts. 

"The last maid was fired due to selling information about where his lordship was going to paint or where he was having meetings to get more information about locations."  Mr. Roberts explained with an unhappy expression.  "It seems the silly girls around town were giving their maids coin to get information and the maid was quite glad to exchange that coin for information."  He frowned.

Douglas looked at the girl and thought about what the girl said about the needed funds.  "Give the lass a chance, if she can keep 'er mouth shut," he looked at Anne firmly, "yu can dae that right, lass, keep things that need tae be kept 'ere in the 'ouse?"