Chapter 4 Four

"Miss Ella, I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for young master Nathan," she lied quickly.

"A glass of water for him?" Ella stared at her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. What else would I be doing at this time?"

"You're lying! My brother doesn't take anything, not even water until it's after twelve in the morning."

"I'm not lying!" She defended. "You can go and ask him." She just said that out of reflex and didn't think twice.

"Whatever, just get out of my face," Ella waved her hands dismissively.

Olivia ran into their room and sighed in relief. Luckily, Ella didn't notice her walking posture and odd behavior, or she might have suspected something.

"Where are you coming from, Olivia?" Daisy's voice startled her.

"Oh, you scared me, Daisy."

"Where were you? I didn't see you when I woke up," Daisy asked, concerned.

"I went to the garden for a walk. Just needed to clear my head," Olivia lied.

"Is it because of what happened yesterday? Don't worry about it too much," Daisy reassured her.

"Yeah, I'll try not to think about it," Olivia said, heading to the wardrobe to grab her clothes. She tried to act and walk normally so Daisy would not notice anything.

Luckily, Daisy didn't notice anything unusual and continued with her own tasks. Olivia quickly collected her clothes and rushed to the bathroom.

She didn't like lying to Daisy, but she had to this time. She slid into the bathtub, letting the warm water soothe her body. Yesterday night had been intense, and she had wanted them to be intimate multiple times.

As much as she enjoyed it, Olivia knew it couldn't continue. If news about her and Nathan got out, she'd be in big trouble.

***

After her bath, Olivia felt refreshed and could walk normally again.

"Madam Judith wants to see you," Daisy informed her. "I told her you were bathing, and she got mad, saying you should have done your morning chores first."

"What did I do to upset her?" Olivia sighed.

"She's just jealous of your beauty. Madam Judith hates people who are too pretty, and you're not the first she's been nasty to."

"Is she okay?"

"Who knows? Let's go before she starts yelling," Daisy suggested.

They both left their room and headed to their various tasks. Olivia went to assist the chef in the kitchen, as it was her turn.

"You're here," the chef greeted with a smile.

"Yes, Chef Elizabeth," Olivia responded. She and the chef had a good rapport. The chef handed her some vegetables. "Can you help me chop these?"

Olivia started chopping the vegetables when the head maid walked in. "What are you doing, Olivia?"

Confused, Olivia looked up. "I'm chopping vegetables."

"You're not supposed to be here. You were meant to do the laundry," the head maid scolded.

"No, I did the laundry last time. Daisy and Samantha are supposed to do it this time," Olivia argued.

"Are you questioning me? If I say you're doing the laundry, you're doing it. My word is law here, and you'll obey it without question."

Reluctantly, Olivia realized she had no choice. She had been overworked lately, and if it continued, she might burn out before she could save enough money to support her family.

"What are you waiting for? Go and do as I said," Judith commanded.

Meanwhile, Nathan stormed into the kitchen in a rage because the maids had forgotten to put water in his room, forcing him to fetch it himself.

As he entered, he overheard Olivia and Judith's conversation. In the past, he might have ignored it, but now, he considered Olivia his woman and felt remorseful for taking her virginity.

He decided to intervene on her behalf and demanded, "What's going on here?"

Olivia and Judith turned, surprised to see Nathan at the kitchen door. Olivia blushed and lowered her head, unsure of what to say.

"Master Nathan, it's nothing serious. This maid has been growing arrogant and refusing to do her chores. But I can handle it," Judith said, attempting to placate him.

Ignoring Judith, Nathan turned to Olivia. "Tell me what happened."

Olivia hesitated before recounting her mistreatment by Judith, including working overtime and having her rations seized.

Nathan listened carefully and felt a surge of anger. He couldn't understand why he felt so protective of Olivia. Was it because they had been intimate? Or perhaps he was developing feelings for her?

"Master Nathan, don't listen to her lies. Olivia is making things up," Judith interjected, trying to save face.

Before Nathan could respond, the chef intervened. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Master Nathan, but Olivia is telling the truth."

Judith was shocked by the chef's support, and realized that her authority was being challenged. "Shut up, Elizabeth!" She yelled at the elderly woman.

"Enough! You're fired!" Nathan declared.

Judith was stunned by the sudden dismissal. "Master Nathan, you know Mrs. Brooks trusts me. She won't let you--"

"I'll speak to my mother and recommend Olivia as the new head maid. Pack your things and leave immediately, or else you will not like my next action." Nathan interrupted firmly.

Judith reluctantly left to pack her belongings, realizing she couldn't challenge Nathan's authority like she could with the Brooks girls.

Olivia sighed in relief. She was grateful the ordeal was over. She hoped the new head maid would not be like Judith.

As for Nathan's promise, Olivia doubted Mrs. Brooks would consider her for the position, given her newcomer status.

After completing her morning chores, she joined Daisy for breakfast in their room, and was relieved that the situation had been resolved.

Daisy bubbled with excitement. "Can you believe it? That awful woman is finally gone. Young Master Nathan really did the right thing."

Olivia smiled but remained silent.

Knock! Knock!

Someone rapped on the door. Daisy, being closer, hurried to answer it.

The Butler, Mr. Kennedy, strode in with an air of superiority. He glanced around the room before focusing on Olivia. "Are you Olivia?"

Olivia stood up promptly. "Yes, that's me."

"Good," he inspected her briefly before nodding. " Mrs. Brooks wants to see you. She's in the garden and wants to have a chat with you."

A wave of apprehension washed over Olivia. Why did the madam want to see her? Was she upset about what happened?