Chapter 20 - Ogling
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The arrangements didn't take long, and the letter was handed to the maid, with her crying gratefully. She was especially thankful when I explained everything to her and reassured her of our support behind her.
Sarah sent the maid to her family before returning to my side as she spoke,
"Young Miss, what should we do about your guard, Helen? She has been looking restless all morning for some reason. Should I investigate?"
Sarah didn't know, but I knew all too well as to why Helen was being like that, as I replied,
"Eh? Ahh, just let her be the way she is. She can slowly adjust. As she has been through a lot lately, it isn't strange for her to be restless. Let's spare the poor girl any further troubles. Rather, why don't you assign her some small tasks to help out the other maids? That would help her fit in faster and bring her a sense of belonging to this new place."
Although I am not one to talk, Helen has been raised amongst the commoners till now, even the marginally poor commoners, in fact. For her to adjust to the ways and behaviour of nobility would definitely take time, not to mention her missing all the knowledge regarding the proper etiquette of nobility.
I don't want someone whom I personally recruited to be despised or to be looked down upon. Going by her personality, I don't think that she would be too happy to undergo formal training. Learning tricks of the trade from her peers instead might help her greatly.
Then again, it's a surprise how beautiful Helen looks despite her humble background. Perhaps she inherited good genes?
"Hey, Sarah? I remember Helen telling us that she can read and write. Is that correct?"
Although the literacy rate wasn't very high, at least twenty percent of the population could read and write.
Sarah nodded as she spoke,
"Yes, Young Miss. I confirmed it yesterday."
As a thought came to my mind, I spoke to Sarah,
"All right. Let's do this then. You can assign her the tasks with the other maids. And in her free time, she could teach the children of the servants. Most of them stay in the mansion during the shift of their mothers, right? Helen can help them practice how to read and write. She would also lose some of her stress by being surrounded by the kids. Would that be okay?"
"Absolutely, Young Miss. I would relay the instructions at once."
Although I would have loved to have only young virgin maids being employed in the mansion, it wasn't possible; my mother made it impossible. Now, married women, and even men, could find employment here.
As to why the change? Well, mother didn't want to allow father to harbor any kind of fantasy, so she swiftly included men and married women in the servants' ranks after her marriage. The policy continues uninhibited even now, with only a handful of unmarried maids picked up by my mother.
My Mother can be really possessive over her mate. Thankfully, she allows freedom to her daughter, me. And father doesn't seem to mind her actions, so why would I complain about it all?
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Sarah soon became busy with her other work, leaving me sitting in the garden all bored. With nothing to do, I observed a shoulder-length, brown-haired maid with a kind-looking face tending to the garden near me, as she worked while humming a cheerful tune.
Hmm, if I remember it correctly, then that maid's name is Lacey. She was older than Saraha and me, yet still in her early twenties. I can recall her being really kind to me when I was younger.
"Young Miss, a good day to you."
I nodded towards the maid greeting me and replied,
"Oh, same here. Good work."
As Lacey went back to focus on her work, my eyes fell on her full figure, especially her hot butt as it swayed while she worked so devotedly.
Darn it! I may get an erection at this rate...
"Is there something that I can do for you, Young Miss?"
Oh, shit. Don't tell me that she noticed me ogling her sweet ass all this time? Doing so in broad daylight and getting caught would be a huge embarrassment!
"Oh, nothing much. I was just... appreciating the view. Yeah, just that. And, you work so well, Lacey, that it is pleasant to look at. I must say that I was very impressed by your... um, skills."
"T-Thank you, Young Miss..."
Lacey's ears burned red with embarrassment, making me blush too with second-hand embarrassment.
Oh, God. This has become so awkward.
As I turned to observe the clear blue skies for the nth time, Sarah's voice came from behind me,
"Young Miss, it just came to my notice that Young Miss Tracey seems to have arrived at the estate sometime earlier and has been waiting in the pavilion nearby to meet you."
As Sarah came over to relieve the weird atmosphere, her words made me smile even brighter as I responded,
"Ohh! Tracey is here? That's good news! No, ahem! I mean, good job. Where is she?"
Lacey went away giggling as she continued working, probably amused by my childlike excitement at meeting an old friend.
It really wasn't my fault, though! That girl Tracey, she is too cute a girl to be ignored!
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