"Oh right," she answered when the maid cleared up the misunderstanding. They were not much different. Ruth had started working as a maid after school, though most of her situations had been very short lived. In a way, the maid was above her, working as something like a ladies maid. Until now. Ruth watched herself being undressed in the mirror. Now she was a lady. Or at least she was something like it.

She doubted real ladies had men pick out their underthings for them. Ruth fought the urge to cringe. A grimace passed over her face and disappeared. For some reason that idea was grosser than actually sleeping with the man. But what did it matter? She'd never had a whole wardrobe of pretty things before. If he was happy, she'd be happy. And so she would keep him happy.

She went into the bathroom. "Tell me about the family. What's he like, normally? What are they like?"