Anything that could distract her would be a blessed relief. “Of course. Is something the matter?”
The older woman hesitated. “Nothing is wrong, as such, but some of the staff are growing distressed by the presence of the fae.”
“Cassie told them?”
“It has become hard to miss. If you would be willing to accompany me to the servants’ quarters, it would be easier to show you than to explain.”
Mystified, Elizabeth followed her up the narrow steps to the top floor, where the maids’ sleeping quarters lined a long corridor. Mrs. Reynolds gestured her in the first door.
Elizabeth stepped inside the bedroom. While not large, it was more spacious and brighter than the tiny spaces tucked under the eaves at Longbourn. The furnishings were simple but sturdy.
What could be the problem with the room? Everything seemed in order. Even the hairbrushes were lined up perfectly, and the room was spotless.
Too spotless. The small windowpanes gleamed as if polished. The curtains looked freshly pressed. The walls showed not a trace of dirt, not even a shadow of the soot in the corners of the ceilings. The room had been scrubbed within an inch of its life.
She narrowed her eyes and turned to the housekeeper. “Either you are working the maids to the bone or we have a brownie.”
“More than one, most likely. All the maids’ wing is like this, and Miss Georgiana’s rooms as well. The stables, too, I am told.”
Elizabeth frowned. Brownies never came to wealthy households, preferring to stay where they were needed most. Had the safety offered by the wards outweighed that preference? “Why does this distress the staff? It would seem to reduce their workload.”
“They fear losing their positions,” Mrs. Reynolds said sharply. “Why would you pay good money for work that is being done for free? The staff here receive reasonable wages and are treated well; they are unlikely to find another job like this. Nor one that allows them to be near their families.”
Elizabeth rubbed her hand over her forehead. If only she knew more about the fae! “No one will be dismissed,” she said tiredly. “I intend to learn more about this, and I will speak to our staff later.”
Elizabeth found Georgiana practicing the harp. If anything, the music room sparkled even more than the staff quarters. The very air seemedscrubbed clean, like the first breeze of a summer day. It was the only public room of the house she had seen so far that had the touch of brownie cleaning. Was it because Georgiana spent most of her time there?
Georgiana smiled as she rose to make her curtsy. Perhaps the girl was finally becoming a little more comfortable with her. That would be a pleasant change.
“I apologize for interrupting your practice. It sounded lovely,” Elizabeth said.
The girl absently caressed the pillar of the harp. “It is a fine instrument. My brother gave it to me last year.”
Elizabeth smiled at her warmly. “I expect it was more the musician than the instrument. I do not wish to keep you from it, though. I wondered if any of the lesser fae are about, and if you might be willing to help me communicate with them.”
“There are always some near me, unless I send them away.” Georgiana sounded quietly confident. “I always ask them not to attend our family dinners, so that we have privacy there.”
All the things she had not thought of, like whether there was a crowd of fae watching them eat! Having invisible guests was an uncomfortable thing. “Mrs. Reynolds tells me that some rooms here have been cleaned by brownies. Do you know anything of that?”
“A little.” Georgiana beckoned with her fingers to an empty corner of the room. With her gaze fixed in that direction, she said gently, “It would please me if you answered my sister’s questions.”
How far did the little fae’s obedience to Georgiana go? Elizabeth said carefully, “It would make me more comfortable if I could see who I was speaking to.”
A small creature in a tattered black skirt and patched leather vest rippled into view. She was barely taller than Elizabeth’s waist, with long, pointed ears and spindly fingers that clutched a rough twig broom. “What d’ye wish tae know, mortal?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
The sight of this being from the old tales made the hair rise on Elizabeth’s arms. “Is it true that brownies have been offering cleaning assistance here?”
The brownie glanced at Georgiana before responding. “Aye, when t’spirit moves us.”
Elizabeth had the sense that she was biting back a harsher response. “You have been doing a fine job of it. It creates a small problem for me, though. While your assistance is clearly well meant, I cannot accept your aid without recompense.”
The brownie hissed at her, revealing sharp uneven teeth. “We help those who help us. T’ great lady who gives us her protection; t’ folk in the kitchens and stable who put out food for us. We dinna serveyou.”
Reasonable at one level, yet a little too close to unpaid servitude for Elizabeth’s liking. Still, the fae had clearly been offended by her question. “As long as it is by your choice.”
“Nae one compels us.” The brownie seemed a little less hostile now. “And we can defend ourselves.”
“I am glad of it. I am not familiar with the ways of the fae, but I am willing to learn. I wish us to live together here in harmony.”
