Rachel was about to rise when Letitia added with a casual wave of her hand, “Oh, and my tea! How could I forget? I’ll need a fresh pot, none of that dreadful blend Cook prepared yesterday.”
The nerve of her.
“Is that all?” Rachel asked, irked.
“Hmm…” Letitia trailed. “Oh, just one more thing. My slippers! They must be polished. I noticed a dreadful scuff on the left one yesterday. It’s simply mortifying.”
“Of course, Letitia.”
Rachel had to hold herself back from shooting a snide remark. It was clear to her that the sickness was nothing more than a ruse to order Rachel around.
“Very good,” Letitia was smirking now. “See, isn’t it so nice when you are being agreeable to everything I say? Father always said your talents were wasted, but I disagree. You’re perfectly suited to tasks like these.Like mother, like daughter.”
The comment stung, but Rachel did not let it show. She had endured far worse from Letitia and would endure this too. Arguing had only ever made her situation worse. She had simply learnt to deal with it.
“I shall get to it,” Rachel gestured towards the door. The sooner Letitia would leave her sights, the sooner she could get on with the responsibilities she had been tasked with and the sooner she would be free of them.
Letitia gave her one last smile. Except that it was not a smile in the ordinary, well-meaning sense. It was rather evil, donned by someone who was trying to prove,Ha, I have gotten what I want.
Rachel tried her best to ignore the annoyance that flared inside of her and simply waited for her to exit the room, which she did.
“Finally,” she muttered under her breath as the door closed behind Letitia. She glanced over back to her bed, and a part of her wanted nothing more than to snuggle up inside her covers yet again and go back to sleep.
But she knew that doing so would only cause her more problems.
It was best to start the day now.
Rachel did not expend too much time getting dressed for the day. She donned whatever she found fresh and available. It was a simple and plain dress. When it came to staying at home, Rachel often did not bother to dress up much. It might as well have been no different from a maid’s uniform because that was how she was made to act around the house.
She caught sight of herself in the mirror as she left her room.
For a moment, she was struck by the difference in her own appearance.
What a difference there was between how she presented herself now and how she had done so at the ball. The latter was a match befitting a duke, while her simple self at home… well, she was not sure if she would ever find a match.
Their father had always been clear that the only person who deserved a good match was Letitia. Rachel and Marina were just a passing afterthought, and it did not matter who they ended up with. A part of her even believed that he actively discouraged them from making a good match for themselves, lest that set off another one of Letitia’s never-ending insecurities.
Funny how that works,Rachel thought to herself, and then tried to imagine what would happen if her father were to hear aboutthe event from the ball. She was certain that he would nearly have a heart attack if the rumors of her engagement made their way back to him.
“Might as well,” she muttered to herself. It would at least end the reign he had over them both. It was a morbid thought to have, but perhaps one could not be blamed for having it after being discriminated against for most of their lives.
A while later, Rachel returned with a tray and made her way to Letitia’s room. It was nearly thrice the size of Rachel’s quarters, which meant it took nearly thrice as long to clean.
She checked one last time if all the items that Letitia usually requested were present. And that the china was of the right kind. Letitia had a particular preference for everything, and if things were not exactly to her liking, she would throw a childish fit.
Immediately, she was met with the scent of overpowering perfume.Gaudy.Just like Letitia.
“Finally,” Letitia said as she entered. “You were taking so long that I thought you had died on your way here, which would be quite inconvenient.”
Rachel rolled her eyes and set the tray down on a small table in front of her spoiled sibling.
“Here is your tea.”
“You need to be faster if you are to win my favor,” Letitia replied. “You should be happy that Father has given you a place to stay.”
Rachel really did not want to engage in this conversation.
“Enjoy your tea,” she said and made a move to leave.
