When Mrs Pine left the room, I went to rescue Nanny. The poor old lady did look ill and both girls were still hanging off her.
"Lily! Sophie!" I said, rather sharply. "Give her some space. Come over here and introduce me."
Both girls let their nanny go and came over to my side.
"Nanny, this is Alyssa, she's going to be our new Companion," announced Lily.
"Doesn't she look beautiful in our dress," asked Sophie. I smiled at their enthusiasm and watched Nanny's reaction out of the corner of my eye. Mrs Pine might rule the staff but unless I was very much mistaken, it was Nanny who ruled Lily and Sophie's hearts. If she decided I was encroaching on her territory...
The old lady seemed torn, so I quickly held out my hand. "It's so nice to meet you, I'm afraid it's all happened rather quickly and I'm a little overwhelmed. I do hope you'll be able to show me how things work in here. I wouldn't want to upset the princesses’ routines."
This deference won me a smile and a warm handshake.
"I'm Martha but everyone calls me Nanny, not just these graceless scamps." She smiled on the twins with real affection. "Now you two go and get your books together. You know Gretchen will be here to start your lessons soon."
"Not lessons," moaned Lily, "surely we can skip our lessons today. It's Alyssa's first day!"
"Absolutely not!" said Nanny. "You know what your royal father has said about your lessons."
Lily looked mulish for a moment but then sighed and walked away.
Once both girls had started moving towards their desks, Nanny led me into the bedroom.
"If I'm honest, it's a relief to have some help," she said as she crossed to the opposite side of the room. "My health has been poor for some years now and it's hard for me to keep up with the girls.”
She opened a door I had thought was a closet and revealed a small alcove with a bed.
“Traditionally this is my bed but I'm often too sick to sleep up here now. Mrs Pine has a room for me down in the servant's wings and I'm down there often enough. The maids have to take it in turns sleeping up here when I can't and they hate it. This will be your bed now, though, so it's all working out for the best."
The alcove was tiny, literally just room for the bed. There seemed to be two drawers under the bed and I supposed this would be where I kept whatever clothes Mrs Pine managed to find for me. On the other hand, if the maids hated sleeping up here then hopefully they would see me as a rescuer and be predisposed to like me. That made the tiny space worth it.
Mrs Pine had put her finger on the issue when she said I wasn't quite a servant and wasn't quite a guest. I was going to have to work hard to keep the rest of the staff onside. A sudden mental flash of angry blue eyes made me realise that this didn't just apply to the servants. I sighed and reminded myself it would all be worth it in the end.
"I know it's very small but the bed is quite comfortable and you'll share the rest of the suite with the princesses," Nanny said with a worried look at me. She must have thought my sigh was one of dissatisfaction. I hurried to reassure her.
"It will be perfect for me and I'm delighted to be able to relieve you of the burden. It looks very comfortable. In fact, they put me in the princess room last night - a big misunderstanding - and this bed looks like it'll be more comfortable than the one in there. It was such a beautiful room but the bed had a loose spring that kept me awake half the night." I smiled to show this wasn't a complaint but a confidence between friends.
Nanny laughed. "Stick around royalty long enough and you'll learn that the nicer something looks, the more uncomfortable it usually is," she said. "The exception being the bathrooms in these royal suites. They're much nicer than the ones in the servants’ wing. The bathroom is through that other door, the one on the opposite side of the sitting room. It's the one perk of sleeping up here."
A bathroom! I grinned at the thought of using a bathroom every day. Our cottage back home didn't have one and I'd been very impressed by all the marble in the guest suite bathroom.
I walked back into the sitting room, intending to go across and have a peek but while we had been gone Gretchen had arrived. She had the twins sitting at their desks and copying something out of two books. When she saw me, she walked over and looked me coldly up and down and back up again. I stiffened and opened my mouth to say something cutting.
But before any words came out, Nanny came into the room behind me and Gretchen turned to speak to her.
"Their royal highnesses were not ready for their lesson when I arrived – as usual. They have informed me that they have a new Companion. I'm glad their majesties have realised that the princesses need some more competent care. I really can't be expected to run around after them. I'm a governess, not a nanny." I stared at her in surprise. She turned towards me.
"I suppose you must be Alyssa, the new Companion. My name is Gretchen, I'm the princesses’ governess. You must come and have tea with me sometime – in my suite, of course. My brother is the Baron of Lilton, so naturally I don't frequent the servant’s wing. But the guest suite I’m in is just a little further down this gallery. I would love to hear more about your background."
I'd heard enough to read between the lines – what she'd love is to have the chance to figure out where I fit in the social hierarchy. And more importantly, whether I came above or below herself. Clearly my dress had thrown her. I was now relieved Nanny's entrance had saved me from giving her a put-down. I could just imagine her reaction to being insulted by a woodcutter's daughter. And she would find out my background, sooner or later. I decided my best play was to make it sooner.
"What a kind invitation! But I'm only a woodcutter's daughter." I smiled sweetly at her look of surprise and tried to look naive. "I'm sure it wouldn't be proper for me to socialise with a baron's sister. I'm really more of a babysitter than a companion. And you with your own guest suite! I'm only sleeping in the nanny's alcove." I pointed back towards the bedroom and hoped I hadn't laid it on too thick.
I suppose Gretchen thought awe and respect were her due, however, because she seemed to buy it.
"Oh, I see. Well, in that case you'd definitely be better off with Nanny here and the other servants.” Her look of disdain now encompassed both of us. “And I must ask you two to leave. The princesses need absolute quiet when they're studying. They will be ready for you to collect at lunchtime." She looked at me doubtfully, "that's in three hours. Someone will ring a bell."
"Thank you so much. I'll be sure to come back then," I said and gave her a slight inclination of my body, just short of a curtsey.
"Phew!" I said as the door closed behind Martha and me. "I can see why his majesty said she was starched up."
"Starched up! Did he now? Well, that she is and no mistake."
I could see from the look of delight on Martha's face that I'd won back any points I'd lost from my respectful behaviour towards Gretchen. I allowed myself to smile. I'd brushed through that pretty well I thought. I had now been commanded by Gretchen to do the very thing I wanted to do - leave her alone and socialise with the much more friendly servants. It was clear that being friendly with Gretchen would have instantly put the servants off side.
"Nanny," I said, turning to her. "Mrs Pine said I should find Mathilde now. Could you point me in the right direction?"
"Of course, dear. Normally at this hour she'd be cleaning the royal suites but not with all the excitement of your arrival. I suspect we'll find her in the kitchen. She'll be getting all your things together, like Mrs Pine said."
The kitchen seemed a strange place to be gathering clothes but the twins' tour hadn't included the servants' wing and I was curious to see it.
The kitchen, as it turned out, was a hub rather than just a place to prepare food. It was a huge room lined with ovens, cupboards and fireplaces and had a huge table, even larger than the one in the royal breakfast room. Various servants were sitting around the table, preparing food, talking or drinking cups of tea. It seemed that any servant not a
ctively working gathered here to socialise and eat. And sure enough, Mathilde was sitting at the table folding clothes into two large canvas bags. At our entrance she stopped working and called out a greeting.
"This is Alyssa, everyone," she said. And then to me, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you last night when you said there'd been a mistake. Imagine us putting you in the Princess Room." She giggled. "But it's very unusual for Mr Dorkins to make a mistake. We've been grilling Claud here," she gestured at a young man I recognised as the footman from the night before. (Was it only last night?) "He says he doesn't remember you saying anything about being a princess..." she trailed off and looked at me, her face asking her unspoken question.
"I heard the queen explaining it to Mr Dorkins this morning," I said. "Apparently she told him to prepare the room for a visitor but only because she wanted to inspect it. Naturally he assumed she was actually expecting a visitor so when I arrived he thought it was me."
Mathilde was nodding vigorously and had also resumed folding the clothes. As I finished she put in the last item and stood up.
"These are for you," she said and picked up both bags, handing one to me. "I'll come and help you put them away. I can introduce you to everyone later."
She led me out of the room, waving a farewell at the various servants gathered around the table.
"Mrs Pine said you're going to be the Princess Companion so you'll be eating all your meals with the twins. Those two are twin terrors for all they're so beautiful." She smiled at me sympathetically. "You can't imagine how glad I am that I won't have to spend any more nights up there. You don't get much time to yourself when you're a maid – night time is about it. We mostly all gather down in the kitchen, so if you feel like being social come down after the princesses are in bed. Most of us will be there. Although some might be off walking."
I shivered at the idea of an evening walk in this season and then noticed her blush. Walking must be the main form of courting here, just as it was in my village.
"And what about you, Mathilde?" I asked with a grin. "Will you be off walking?" I took a guess. "With Claud, perhaps?"
Her blush deepened but she grinned.
"He's awfully handsome, isn't he?" she asked shyly. "He's only asked me a couple of times, though." She seemed uncertain.
"I wouldn't worry," I said. "I was only in the kitchen for five minutes and I already noticed he couldn't keep his eyes off you."
"Really? Do you mean it?" Her steps slowed as she considered this delightful idea.
"Come on." I prodded her. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can get back to the kitchen." When she looked up at me I winked which made her giggle.
"What about you, Alyssa?" she asked. "Seen anyone you like the look of?"
Unbidden, a face appeared in my mind. One with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Not one of the servants and definitely, completely out of bounds. I had no business even thinking about him. Especially not when he seemed to hate me.
"Not yet," I replied. "But I haven't met everyone yet." I forced a smile back onto my face.
"I suppose it's a bit hard. With you being Companion and all. A servant might be a bit beneath you." Mathilde was looking determinedly ahead while she said this and it was easy to interpret her subtext.
"Don't be silly," I replied lightly. "I'm only a woodcutter's daughter. They wouldn't have made me Companion if anyone else was around to do it. I'm pretty sure I've only got the job until they go back to Arcadie."
Mathilde relaxed and looked at me again.
"Oh, I hope not," she said. "The summer palace is so beautiful. More work, of course, but also more fun. There's so much going on in Arcadie and the palace is the centre of everything. Even if they don't want you for Companion anymore, I'm sure Mrs Pine will find you some position. There's loads more servants at the palace."
I smiled noncommittally. I would have to see what my aunt said first. She might already have a place lined up for me.
By this time we had reached the door of the princesses’ suite and Mathilde put her finger to her lips. She quietly opened the door and we slipped straight into the bedroom, shutting both doors behind us. Gretchen was drilling the girls on their times tables and although she looked at us disapprovingly as we went past, she didn't say anything. Mathilde went straight to my alcove and pulled open the drawers. She began emptying the bag she was carrying into one of the drawers so I began to do the same with my bag.
Mrs Pine had found me several dresses that were nicer in cut and quality than the simple uniform worn by the servants but well below the quality of the clothes worn by the royal family. They were closer to the dress Gretchen was currently wearing, although I judged them to be slightly inferior. I only hoped Gretchen came to the same conclusion.
Along with the dresses there were undergarments, toiletries and a nightgown that was made out of the same soft material as the one I had worn in the Princess Room, although this one was completely unadorned. I smiled and stroked the material as I laid it carefully in the drawer. It would feel beautiful against my skin. Right at the bottom of the bag were two pairs of shoes. Simple slippers for indoor use and my own pair of boots that had been cleaned and dried since yesterday's adventure.
Mathilde had finished unpacking and had folded the bag itself and slipped it into the drawer.
"I'd better get back," she said reluctantly. "Come visit us tonight." She turned to go and then turned back in a rush. "Was he really looking at me?" she asked.
"Definitely!" I replied with a grin.
She grinned back and then almost ran from the room. I kept smiling to myself for several minutes after she was gone. Apparently my winter was going to include girl talk.
It looked like the colossally bad idea of an evening stroll was turning into the best thing that had ever happened to me. Our house had been very isolated and I had always felt a little jealous of the girls in the village. When we went in to market I would see them, with their heads close together, giggling and whispering. They were always friendly to me but I knew I wasn't one of them. But here – maybe here I could belong.
Chapter 5
My first week seemed to be gone before I realised it had started. The king had been right - Lily and Sophie were very early risers and their first stop in the morning was my alcove. I was on duty until I handed them over to Gretchen for their lessons and then back on duty as soon as they were finished. Those three hours of lessons between breakfast and lunch were my only free time until the girls fell asleep at night. By that point I was ready for sleep myself – my brain and body exhausted and on overload. But evenings were social time for the staff and I didn’t want to get a reputation for being anti-social. So each evening, after the twins dropped off, I would drag myself down to the kitchen.
Once I was surrounded by other people, I always started to wake up, fascinated by this glimpse into the complex lives of royalty and their staff. It was amazing how much you could learn by listening to the servants when they felt relaxed. Mrs Pine and Dorkins mostly avoided the kitchen in the evenings. I concluded this absence wasn’t motivated by arrogance, as in the case of Gretchen. The butler and housekeeper seemed to realise that their presence cast a restraint on their subordinates and chose to give them space in the evenings to relax. At first I thought this was rather dangerous and felt sure the servants must slack off on their work each day, exhausted from their highly social, late nights. But I quickly reached the conclusion that the opposite was true. The time spent in relaxation seemed to invigorate them and cause them to work harder during the day.
And while I didn’t exactly find the company of the servants relaxing, I did leave the kitchen each evening feeling revitalised, my mind awhirl with new and interesting ideas. I also realised that I had overestimated my understanding of people and their motivations. A whole new world was opening up before me and my brain felt like a sponge, whichever way I turned I was absorbing something new.
It’s no surprise then that those first few days I
used my free hours each morning to catch up on sleep. I certainly didn’t have the opportunity to rest while I was with the twins. They were usually happy to spend the morning in their suite – but only as long as I kept them entertained with stories or invented new games for their dolls to play. And in the afternoon they liked to roam around the gardens. They were fascinated by the woods but had been forbidden by their parents to venture further than the edge of the castle grounds. This didn't seem like much of a hardship to me. The gardens were extensive and beautifully maintained. There were several formal garden beds, enlivened by regular fountains and even a small hedge maze.
But the girls were convinced that the forest would be far more entertaining than the garden. So I had to watch them with an eagle eye whenever we were outside. After only a few days of this I started to get nightmares where I was stumbling through the woods again, only this time it was the girls who were lost and I couldn't find them. It's hardly surprising that I looked eagerly out the window each morning, hoping for rain.
On rainy afternoons the girls entertained themselves in the castle, playing hide and seek or tag through the ground floor of the East Wing. Whether inside or outside they would eventually collapse, exhausted and demand a story. Their appetite for stories was endless and I was grateful for all the tales I had invented for my brothers over the years. These old stories had to be modified, of course, but that was easily done. The woodcutter's sons became princesses and the beautiful princesses became brave and handsome princes.
The morals, however, stayed. For all that they were princesses, Lily and Sophie were as much in need of the lessons as my brothers had ever been. At first I was confused by their wild, unpolished behaviour, especially in contrast with the finely honed social graces of their parents. The king and queen were always dignified and their behaviour towards me and the other servants was polite and considerate. At mealtimes I kept quiet but listened intently and their conversations were intelligent. They carried their authority with ease and an appropriate sense of responsibility. I found myself wondering again and again what had gone wrong with their children. As it turned out, I was Companion for several weeks before the answer began to become clear.
The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 5