Wednesday's Words on a Friday

 

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles. Sadly, Delores has now closed her blog forever due to other problems.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.

If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along to read it and add a few encouraging words.

This month the words/prompts are supplied by ME and can be found right here

This week's words/prompts are: 

1. lustrum 

2. purification 

3. provide 

4. lullaby 

5. manorhouse 

6. salvage 

and/or: 

1. draconian 

2. boreal 

3. eggs 

4. rubbed 

5. pans 

6. smoothed 

Here is my story: 

Rebecca smoothed her hair and apron and stepped into the Manorhouse kitchen to be greeted warmly by Peggy. "Have a seat," said Peggy, as she poured cups of tea for both of them. "I have an hour to explain the rules and running of this place to you, then we get to work." "An hour?" said Rebecca, trying not to look too terrified. "Just how any rules are there?" "It's not the rules so much as the way we must do things," said Peggy. "Mrs Gilbert is quite draconian about the way things must be done and the timing is also important. The language too, must be adhered to as much as possible, for instance if a guest asks how long we have been here, we must reply with 'a Lustrum, my lady', or Sir, if the guest is male. Never say 'five years love!' in a casual manner." "Oy," said Rebecca, "what have I got myself into?'

"It's not so bad once you get the hang of it," said Peggy, "although Mrs Gilbert can be quite boreal if too many mistakes are made." "Boreal?" asked Rebecca. "It means cold, frosty, icy mannered, if you like, and she is very good at it," said Peggy. "Our guests are here to experience life in an earlier century and we are here to provide for their comfort. We did talk Mrs Gilbert into installing a water purification system, instead of using the well water as it comes, that could be dangerous and no one wants a lawsuit from a guest who became ill here." "That was a good idea," said Rebecca. 

I haven't yet been able to convince her the old-fashioned warming pans are useless. We can warm the beds with pans of hot coals at seven pm, but if the guests don't go to bed until nine, the beds have cooled down again and none of us fancies running up and down stairs with pans of hot coals at all hours of the night." "How many work here?" said Rebecca.  "Two other girls besides us, Darcy and Mary, and Cook, her name is Alice, then there are two young lads to tend the vegetable gardens and look after the chickens. They bring in the eggs each day too." 

"When do they arrive?" asked Rebecca. "Cook is already here, in the 'housekeeper's room', getting the days menu from Mrs Gilbert. As soon as she gets down here we'll need to get to work preparing for the days cooking. We do the dishwashing too, but there are two enormous sinks in the scullery, so Darcy and Mary help and the boys too if they have time. Today is Friday, so we have to salvage what can be kept from the vegetables brought from the market last Monday and make a soup to be served at lunch, which is at one pm sharp. Thankfully we don't have too many guests this week, so you'll have an easier time to get used to things."

Just then, Cook came into the kitchen via the backstairs, rubbed her hands together as she warmed them by the great wood stove and greeted Peggy and Rebecca with a wide smile. "Ready to start girls? John and Bob are bringing the eggs, I see them through the window, and I'd like to start by making the desserts first. Mrs Gilbert wants old-fashioned baked egg custard tarts and they take a while. You can begin with the pastry, Peggy, while I get Rebecca started on peeling veg for the soup." Rebecca carried the teacups to the scullery, her nervousness showing in the rattling of the crockery. "Now don't you be worried about anything dear," said Cook, "you'll be fine. We'll all help and this week there are no babies that need a lullaby sang to them. I'm going to speak to Mrs Gilbert about that anyway. We shouldn't have to do that, we are not paid Nannies."