It had been a month since I began serving the Wilburton family. As always, I cleaned the manor every morning, watered the garden in the afternoon, and served the family during dinner.
That evening, like usual, I went to the study room to begin cleaning while the family was eating. Once again, I noticed a faint light coming from behind the bookshelves. I thought the young lady had fallen asleep while studying, as she often did.
I walked toward the light and saw her at the desk, but this time she was not asleep. She was focused on writing while reading a book. I didn't want to interrupt her, but it was dinner time, and I didn't want her skipping another meal. That would be bad for her health.
In a gentle voice, I said, "Young lady, it's dinner time. You should go and eat."
She looked up and replied, "Oh, it's you. I thought I was hearing things again."
Then she returned her eyes to the book and continued studying, ignoring my words.
I tried again to remind her, but she did not respond. So I quietly began cleaning around her while she studied.
As I worked, I accidentally knocked over a few books on a nearby table. I quickly knelt down to gather them. To my surprise, the young lady came over to help. I told her she didn't need to, but she insisted.
It only took a minute before we finished putting the books back in place. She then apologized for not returning them to the shelves earlier. I told her it was fine and that cleaning was my job.
But she shook her head and said it was her fault. If she had not been so focused on studying, she would have cleaned the study room herself.
Then she told me why she had been so absorbed in her books. Her exams would start at the end of the month, and she only had a few weeks left to prepare. She was afraid of failing. If she did, she believed she would only become a burden to her older brother, Sir Lucas. She did not want that to happen, so she decided to study harder, even if it meant skipping meals until the exams were over.
After saying all this, she grew quiet for a moment. Then she looked at me and said, "I'm sorry for wasting your time… for ranting about useless things. You must be tired, and here I am, just talking about myself."
I smiled softly and replied, "It's alright, young lady. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to. Letting things out helps keep the heart and mind healthy too."
She gave a small smile and thanked me. Then she asked if I would come with her to the dining room.
I agreed, and we went there together.
After that, the young lady went to the dining room while I went to the servants' quarters to eat. A while later, I began turning off all the candles around the manor, as it was time for everyone to sleep.
As I was about to head back to my room, I noticed a faint light coming from under the door of the study room. I decided to take a look.
Inside, the young lady was still absorbed in her studies, flipping through pages and scribbling notes without pause. I softly reminded her that it was bedtime and she should get some rest, but she did not respond. Her focus was too deep.
I chose to wait nearby, just to make sure she did not pass out from exhaustion. But while sitting there, I ended up falling asleep.
When I woke up, there was a blanket covering me. I looked around and realized that the young lady had placed it on me, probably worried I might catch a cold while sleeping on the floor.
In my thoughts, I whispered to myself, This family is so kind, even though I am a slave.
Then I noticed the young lady still at her desk, struggling over something. I asked her what the problem was. She said she could not understand a certain part of her math lesson. I offered to help.
She looked at me with surprise, as if unsure that someone like me could answer such questions. Most slaves are not taught to read, let alone do mathematics. And she was not wrong to think that.
But I leaned over and solved the problem she had been stuck on for almost an hour.
Afterwards, we continued studying together, and I helped her with the parts she found difficult. Time passed without us noticing. Before long, it was almost midnight. The young lady decided to end it for the day. Together, we cleaned up the study room and made sure everything was in order.
As I accompanied her back to her room, she suddenly looked at me and asked, "Why are you so well-educated even though you're a slave?"
I paused for a moment, then answered, "My first master believed that even his servants should know how to read, write, and think properly. So, he taught me everything he knew."
She looked surprised. I added quietly, "He used to be a headmaster at a known school before he passed away. After his death, his wife sold me, and that's how I ended up serving other families."
The young lady didn't say anything at first, but her expression softened. When we reached her room, she gave me a small smile and said goodnight.
I returned the gesture, then quietly walked back to my own room.
After that encounter, the young lady decided that I should start tutoring her. For the next few weeks, I helped her with her studies. Now, it was just one day before her exams.
She told me that she would spend the entire day studying alone, and asked that no one, not even me, enter the study room. I understood and respected her wish. She needed to review everything by herself.
While I was doing my work, the young master came up to me and asked if I could play with him. Even though both he and the young lady had exams the next day, he didn't seem to care and only wanted to have fun.
I told him that once I finished my tasks, I would come and play. He agreed and waited for me by the fountain.
When I was done, I joined him, and we played together for a while. After a few hours, the young master returned to his room to rest, and I headed to the kitchen to help prepare dinner.
As usual, I brought the Countess her meal and then returned to the dining room. The young lady wasn't there, just as expected. She had not left her study all day.
Bethany told me to bring her dinner to the study room, just in case she could eat while continuing her review. I took the tray and gently knocked on the door, calling out softly that I had her meal. There was no reply.
I knocked again, but still no response. I let her know I would leave her food beside the door and returned to my other chores.
Later that night, when it was time to sleep, I checked the hallway again and saw that the tray was still untouched. The young lady hadn't left the study once since morning. I began to worry.
I knocked again, but there was still no answer. I decided to wait by the door for a little while. Hours passed, and by midnight, the faint light from under the door was still there. She had not come out.
Growing more anxious, I went to find Sir Harold. I saw him preparing to head to bed and explained everything. He looked concerned and handed me the key to the study room.
I hurried back and unlocked the door. Inside, I found the young lady asleep at her desk. I gently tried to wake her, and eventually, she opened her eyes. But almost right away, she looked unwell.
She had caught a fever. When she realized it, she began to panic.
I tried to calm her down, but she started crying. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to go to school in that condition, and that meant she couldn't take the exam.
I comforted her as best as I could, telling her everything would be alright.
Just then, Sir Lucas entered the room. He had heard his sister crying and rushed to see what was happening. I explained to him that the young lady had caught a cold and was afraid she wouldn't be able to take the exam.
Sir Lucas sighed, walked over to his sister, and gently said, "It's alright. You can take a special exam once you recover."
But she shook her head, saying she didn't want any special exams. She wanted to take the same exam on the same day as everyone else.
Sir Lucas gave her a soft look. "What's wrong with taking a special exam? At least you'll still be able to take it. Right now, your health comes first. If we don't take care of you, you might not be able to take any exams at all."
The young lady finally calmed down. She apologized to her brother for being a burden.
But Sir Lucas only smiled and said, "You're not a burden. Sometimes, things happen like this."
After that, he told me to bring her to her room and take care of her.
When we arrived at her room, I began helping her settle in. I gently cleaned her back with a wet towel, helped her change into fresh clothes, and brushed her teeth for her. After that, I placed a warm towel on her forehead to help bring her fever down.
Just as I was about to leave the room, the young lady softly grabbed my arm and asked if I could stay with her for a while. I nodded and sat beside her bed as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
The next day, she woke up feeling much better. It was almost like a miracle. She had recovered just in time for her exams.
As she was getting ready to leave, she looked at me and asked if I could come with her to school. I nodded again and followed her.
Once we arrived, she entered the building while I waited outside. Not long after, she came back out, looking uneasy. She told me she was worried that her fever from the night before might affect her thinking. Hoping to calm her nerves, I offered to walk with her to the town square. She agreed.
We strolled through the square for a little while. After some fresh air and quiet conversation, she seemed more relaxed and ready to return. We headed back to the school, and she went in to take her exam.
A few weeks passed before the results arrived. One morning, the mailman handed a letter to Sir Harold. Without delay, Sir Harold walked straight to the study room, where the young lady and I were studying.
He handed her the envelope. She was shaking a little as she opened it.
As she read through the letter, her face began to glow with joy. Then she jumped from her seat and shouted with excitement, "I got a perfect score!"
She ran over to me and gave me a tight hug. "It's all thanks to you, Lily," she said.
I smiled and congratulated her. Everyone was happy for her.
But in the corner of the room, we noticed the young master sitting quietly, his face filled with anxiety. Sir Harold walked over and gently asked if he could read the his exam results.
The young master shook his head and refused.
But then, Sir Lucas stepped in. He took the envelope from his younger brother's hand and read the results aloud.
After a short silence, Sir Lucas sighed, clearly upset. The young master had failed his exams. He would have to attend extra classes and retake the exam at a later time.
In the end, I was asked to start tutoring the young master as well, to help make sure he could succeed the next time.