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startled me!”
    “I was in the master bedroom,” Rose said in a sultry voice. “Missus Bradenton wanted me to set out a fresh towel in her room before I went back to the kitchen.”
    Donna saw, even in the dimly lit corridor, that Rose was quite the opposite of Annabelle. Though she was dressed in the same plain maids clothing, she filled out the outfit with voluptuous curves. Some women just can't hide their femininity under any circumstances. Rose was one of them. She had a bolder demeanor about her, almost saucy. Donna had a feeling that Rose hadn't always been a maid. Annabelle might be fooled by her, but Donna wasn’t.
    “Help me take Miss Bradenton up to the Crows Nest. Go to the linen closet and fetch some washrags and towels while I take her to the room and turn her bed down and help her undress,”
    Annabelle said.
    Help me undress? The idea seemed strange, but she was wearing a lot of clothes. She’d better go along with it. It did seem a little creepy, though.
    Annabelle led the way with her candle and they turned right and started climbing up some stairs into the darkness. Now they were on the third floor, a room Donna used to play in when she was a child. The furnishings were plainer; a wash stand, a double bed from the looks of it and some sparse furnishings. She looked around while Annabelle turned back the heavy covers.
    “It’s late at night, I won’t go to the pump house until the morning if that’s alright with you, Miss,” Annabelle said. “Then I’ll fetch you some water to wash up in before breakfast.”
    Donna sat on the edge of a red velvet couch. “That’s fine.” Suddenly, the events of the day bore down on her and she was very tired. Strange people and strange events were wearing her down. She reached down to pull off her boots.
    “Let me help you!” Lilly quickly moved over to her and took her boot to pull it off. She then removed the other one and pulled off Donna’s stockings. “Here, I’ll unbutton you.”
    By this time, Rose had re-appeared, with an armful of washrags, towels, and a nightgown. Annabelle kept undressing Donna from her outfit, carefully folding her clothes and placing them on a chair behind her. Soon, Donna was down to her bra and panties and noticed the two maids eyeing her strangely. She realized they were staring at her lingerie. Her store-bought panties and bra were quite in contrast to the outer clothing, which seemed to exactly fit into the time period.
    “Here’s your gown, Miss.” Annabelle stood holding the gown for Donna to step into. Donna realized they were waiting for her to remove the last remnants of her clothing. She turned her back and slipped out of the last two pieces. She heard them gasp and realized what they saw—the large fairy tattoo on the top of her waistline. Too late now. She couldn’t hide it. For all their propriety and manners, apparently stripping down the skin for clothing changes or washing was normal. She took the gown from Annabelle and stepped into it.
    “That will be all for the night, ladies. Thank you so much.” She turned to see the startled looks in their eyes.
    “We’ll come awaken you an hour before breakfast, Miss,” Rose said. They turned and started down the stairs.
    Donna settled into the bed and had to admit it was wonderfully soft, probably stuffed with down. There was a faint whiff of lavender as she moved the quilt. She would try to figure out a game plan tomorrow. Tonight she was just plain bone tired. Her last thoughts were of Royce and how kind he had been to her. He had the sweetest old-fashioned manners. It would be nice if more men were like him.

Chapter Four

    Donna was sound asleep and didn’t hear the maids climbing the stairs. The curtains in the room were heavy velvet and not a crack of light penetrated them. When they rounded the corner of the stairs, Donna halfway awoke, hearing their whispered voices. She thought she would play possum and pretend to be under the Sandman’s