Amalie seemed to materialize out of a wall from behind her young mistress, Chastity Tarrow. She had heard her name quite clearly, and recognizing whose voice it was she could guess the reason she was being called upon. Although it was incredibly late at night, it was actually early in the morning for Amalie. It is never unusual for her to be up before the dawn, cooking or cleaning around the house. It is one of the best times for her, as no one else is generally around to get in the way or re-dirty things just after she’s cleaned them.
In her hands rested a crystal platter with an arrangement of cured meats, cheese, bread, and a bottle of wine with a single goblet. “Yes, Miss Tarrow? May I offer you a late night snack, Miss Tarrow?” Her voice was as soft as her features. The definition of a wall-flower, Amalie gently strode across the room, carrying the tray over to her mistress. “Would you like to have this in the sitting room, Miss Tarrow?” she asked, tipping her head to the side questioningly.
The stray had to be at least thirty pounds, as it was real crystal. Plus the bottle of wine, and the food, all together it must have been about forty pounds, but Amalie’s arms remained quite still. Seemingly unbothered by the weight, the thin maid waited patiently for her orders. By the looks of her mistress, Chastity had been out hunting again. The smell of her bath salts suggested she had just bathed and cleaned herself. Amalie smiled on the inside, noticing that the mistress had found the new clean clothes she had left in her bed chamber.
It felt good to see Chastity wearing the clean clothes. Pride bloomed in Amalie’s chest at the sight of her mistress. She looked lovely, in the soft light of the mansion. Chastity was one of Amalie’s favorites in the Tarrow house. The miss always spoke her mind, and was not afraid to stand up for herself. Amalie admired that about her. All her life Amalie had been a quiet push-over that would take orders from almost anyone in the house, including other servants.
It wasn’t that she enjoyed being bossed around, it was just she enjoyed her job. She liked feeling useful and appreciated by her masters and mistresses. Even if the family never out rightly told her to her face that she was appreciated, seeing them enjoy her hard work was good enough for her.