Prisoners in the Palace Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked. Mrs. Strode’s scowl told her to mind her tongue. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Strode, but, you see, I’ve no experience. I know what my maid at Claridge’s did for me, but I’d be very grateful if you would explain my responsibilities.”
    Mrs. Strode stiffened in her chair. “Your maid…at Claridge’s?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “A lady, untrained, serving the Princess.” Mrs. Strode fanned herself. “What is the Baroness thinking? Especially after the last one…” She trailed off, dismayed.
    Liza’s stomach began to churn; she couldn’t lose the post now.“Mrs. Strode, I’ll work hard and I learn quickly.”
    “Until you fail, I don’t suppose I have a choice.” Mrs. Strode sighed. “Do you have something to write with?”
    Nodding vigorously, Liza pulled out her notebook from her reticule and began taking notes. Spying Liza’s favorite gold pencil, Mrs. Strode’s face tightened. “The Baroness takes morning tea at eight o’clock. On Mondays, you must be ready to help her with her bath.”
    Liza remembered the enormous claw-footed hip baths at Claridge’s. Even there, the poor maids carried heavy pails of steaming water to fill the tubs every morning.
    “Do I fill the tub myself?”
    “Certainly not. That is the housemaid’s job. I’d never be able to hold my head up amongst the other royal housekeepers if a lady’s maid did such a thing.”
    Liza breathed a small sigh of relief and scribbled, “No Pails.”
    “You’ll lay out the Baroness’s clothes and assist with her hair.”
    Liza and her mother had often whiled away a rainy afternoon dressing each other’s hair. The task would not be onerous— although the Baroness’s wiry gray loops were a far cry from her mother’s golden curls.
    “The Baroness will instruct you regarding your duties with the Princess.” She tapped the claw arm of her chair. “You will have one afternoon off each month.”
    “Per month!” Liza cried, certain she had misheard.
    “Per month, and I’ll thank you not to take that tone with me again,” Mrs. Strode said, frowning.
    Slavery was abolished in ‘33!
    “I’m sorry, Ma’am,” Liza mumbled. “I am only surprised to learn servants have so little freedom.”
    Mrs. Strode harrumphed. “In my experience, the more liberties you give a servant, the more they take. You will have free time when you are not needed by the Baroness or the Princess. I expect you to occupy yourself decently by reading the Bible or suitable poetry—Coleridge or Wordsworth.”
    Liza’s mischievous sense of humor surfaced despite her best intentions, “What about Byron?”
    “That reprobate! Certainly not. If you must read something modern, you may read Miss Austen’s novels.”
    “Thank you, Ma’am,” Liza forced herself to say. “I’ll do exactly as you say.”
    “Finally, you’ll be paid twenty-three pounds per annum, paid quarterly,” the housekeeper concluded.
    Papa gave me more than that for my dress allowance!
    Though Liza was learning not to complain openly, her face was not so disciplined.
    “You could do far worse, Miss Hastings.” From her expression, Mrs. Strode clearly thought Kensington Palace was getting the sharp end of the bargain.
    Liza calculated quickly. At that rate it would take more than two years to pay her account at Claridge’s. Her things would be sold long before then. She began negotiating in earnest.
    “It might be the usual wage for a maid, Mrs. Strode. But I think my situation warrants more.”
    With a bark of laughter, Mrs. Strode said, “Pray tell?”
    “Victoria…”
    “The Princess or Her Highness, and don’t you forget it.”
    Darting her tongue over her dry lips, Liza began again. “The Princess insisted I be hired. She is sympathetic to my personaltragedy. And my education and experience offer the Princess more than a typical maid ever could.”
    Mrs. Strode’s face was impassive. She stood up abruptly. “Wait here,” she said and left the room. Liza didn’t know