“Thank you,” she said, and carried out her basket full of tins to the carriage.
The driver drove past dilapidated cottages whose roofs were in much need of repair before reaching the village of Petersley. The driver stopped at a narrow, shabby home. Cordelia introduced herself to the occupants and gave them several tins of food. Mrs. Brooks gratefully received it and asked her inside. She was a trim lady, with large eyes and a prominent nose. Cordelia looked around in shock. The cottage was clean, but there were no modern amenities—no running water, plumbing, heating, or electricity. It was as if she’d stepped into another world entirely—one from a hundred years ago.
Poverty.
She knew the word, but she’d never seen it in real life.
“We’ve missed the tins of food from the great house,” Mrs. Brooks said. “Times have been scarce but better since Lord Farnham’s hired the local tradesmen to work at Ashdown.”
“Is your husband working there?”
“My husband is dead.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
A waif of a girl bounded into the house. “Nancy, where are your manners? Bow to Lady Farnham.”
The thin girl had a face pinched with hunger and was probably no more than twelve or thirteen. The same age as her sister, Edith. She bowed to Cordelia.
Cordelia had thought she’d known hard times, but she’d never starved. She’d never not had the conveniences and privileges of money. She’d never stopped to think about how everyone else lived. About the poor people who didn’t live in mansions on Fifth Avenue. About the servants in her own house. She now understood why Mabel disliked her. Why she thought that Cordelia was spoiled. In Mabel’s eyes, Cordelia had everything, and she’d only ever thought of herself. What she wanted, not what others needed. It was time for her to grow up and to do better.
Cordelia smiled at the girl and held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brooks.”
The girl looked at Cordelia’s gloved hand wonderingly.
“Nancy, shake the countess’s hand, girl,” her mother snapped.
The daughter briefly touched Cordelia’s hand before letting go. Her eyes focused on the floor.
“Is Nancy in school?”
“She’s looking for paying work,” Mrs. Brooks explained, “but the inn in town wants a maid with experience.”
“If Nancy would like a job as a maid, I would be happy to hire her at Ashdown Abbey,” Cordelia said. “Mrs. Norton would be in charge of her, and there would be pay as well as room and board.”
“Really?” Nancy piped up, hope transforming her pinched features to prettiness.
“If your mother approves, of course.”
“May I, Mother?”
“We could use the money,” Mrs. Brooks said bluntly. “She can walk over this afternoon, if you’d like.”
“Oh no, she doesn’t need to walk, unless she wants to,” Cordelia said. “It’s so cold outside. She can ride with me in the carriage.”
Both women’s mouths hung open. She supposed village girls didn’t typically ride in the same carriage as a countess.
“If you don’t mind waiting while I make a few more stops,” Cordelia said. “In fact, why don’t I come back for you when I’m finished with my deliveries so you have a little time to pack your things.”
Mrs. Brooks agreed, with many thanks.
Cordelia brought tins to more houses. She was humbled by the graciousness and stunned by their poverty. She felt chastened. Changed. She had no idea that another world existed so closely to hers but was entirely different. Some of the tiny houses were immaculately clean, while others were so covered in grime it made her skin crawl. But what haunted her was the hollow faces of the children. She saw the hunger in their eyes and wished she had more to offer them than leftover food in a tin.
When she returned to the Brooks’ house, Nancy was waiting outside, with a small worn bag in her hand. The footman opened the door to the carriage for her and she was wide-eyed. Nancy sat on the seat across from Cordelia and folded her arms primly.
When they arrived at Ashdown, Cordelia led Nancy into the house through the main entrance. She saw Mrs. Norton in the sitting room and ushered Nancy in to meet her.
“Mrs. Norton,” Cordelia said with a smile. “I have a new housemaid for you.”
