Chapter Five

  Two years back,

'What are you doing today Miss Abigail'?

'Language. And really Naomi, have i not told you not to call me "Miss",it is Abigail between the two of us '.

'Yes ma'am-'

'Abigail'

'Yes Abigail'. She smiled, pleased to have gotten her way. 

'Come on let's go. Miss Venice should be waiting for us'. We hurried upstairs to Abigail's schoolroom. 

Miss Venice  was round. Her middle jiggled when she walked and you could see the many stomach folds  behind her tightened girdle. She had a chubby, smiley face with quaint facial features, a sweet, calm demeanor but had a mean streak about her. Her pretty long fingers were almost alway fiddling with the ropes on her gown. And you really couldn't see her belly folds unless you truly looked.

But Miss Venice had one problem - apart from, in the societies eye, the fact that she was a score and four years and yet unmarried and that she was French -, she was lazy. Ahh yes, she wouldn't mind delegating her work to others so she might cool her feet and eat bonbon. I can't just understand why a person would choose to be lazy when there was alot of work to be done, but i suppose i wouldn't understand, my life had not been one of luxury and free living.

Miss Venice smiled at us both then addressed Abigail.'Bonjour mademoiselle Abigail. You are ready for your lessons this morning, yes'?  She continued without pause.  'Today we will learn the history of Latin and how it became of importance to the Englishman'.

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And thus began my life as a hand maid.

I learnt mundane things like; how to sew, how to embroider, how to knit. How to style a hair, how to choose a dress according to the hair style. How to sit, how to walk, how to drink a cup of tea. How to address my masters, when to speak, when not to speak. The art of dancing, singing and playing an instrument. The act of serving, acting as a chaperone, acting as a wallpaper. What to say, what not to say. I remembered my mama's words to me and tried my best to blend in, knowing that in three or four years time, if i were to be an irreplaceable asset, I had to be in the good books of four important people; Mrs Stanley, the Stanley men and Abigail herself. I knew that in order for Abigail to be the Lady she was meant to be, i had to become one myself. So i learnt to write and read.

The Stanley's owned one of the biggest houses in the countryside, which contained many rooms. It also held a library. It was there i often let myself be lost in, on several days when Abigail is taking her afternoon nap. And when the dinner bell is rung, i'd sneak back quickly to my room to dress for the evening.

It was on one such afternoon that i came across the story of my people, how they had suffered and had been tortured and subjected to slavery through the years. I discovered the ugly truth ot the leaders of the other nations and their corrupt dealings. As i read, it dawned on me that i was reading the sufferings of my people in the very land of the people whose hands they had fallen into in deep tragedy. I thank the person who had courage enough to write the grotesque happenings of the past, still infesting us even in the present. I did wonder what Mr Stanley had it for though.

Then i learnt of the history of other countries and their culture, and England and its culture. I learnt the history of England; the reigns of the kings and queens, from the accession of the Saxon king Alfred the great. A lot of things affected the course of history: wars, revolution, struggles between king and parliament, treaties, and alliances. More that once, England was in danger, more than once, English warriors occupied large areas in Europe.

However, these happenings did not always affect greatly our lives, the ordinary people of England. Most of us were farmers, living far from big civilization. Sometimes some village lad would come back with stories of French wars - Miss Venice was full of tales that her mother had told her and her grandmother had told her mother -, or some wandering pedlar or friar brought news of far-away happenings.

That was all we knew then -  before a bit of civilization came trickling in -, living in the wide spaces of the countryside of the world beyond. Age after age the countryman was content with the life of his ancestors. 

Kings and queens came and went, but the ploughing and harvesting went on. Life in the countryside might have been full of hard work but the air was clean and life was a lot less chaotic.