The Gilded Age

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Marius glanced at her briefly. "Nonsense," he said firmly. "You work hard and you work diligently. You deserve some time off to care for yourself."


He turned onto the road towards his own home. "Do not worry about it," he said.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

"Thank you, sir," said Grace gratefully and weakly. She began coughing again.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Marius shot her a quick smile before arriving at his estate again. He stepped out and helped Grace out and towards his house, knocking on the door. They were greeted by a dark-skinned woman with curly black hair in a standard maid outfit. She had lines around her eyes from age and a broom in one hand. She glanced at Marius and then at the woman he was helping.


"Is she a suitor?" the woman asked, her voice refined for someone of her social status and race.


"No, a friend," Marius offered and the woman stepped aside, allowing Marius to settle Grace in a chair.


"Look after her for today, please," Marius said. "I will be sure to compensate."


"Alright," the maid said, nodding respectfully. With that, Marius left and the maid turned to the woman again.


"Hello there, ma'am," she said. "What's your name?"

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace was out of breath by the time she was settled in the chair.


"I'm Grace Harris, ma'am," said Grace weakly. She let out a small cough. "And you?"

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"My name is Naomi," the woman said formally. "Mr. Tindall said you were friends. How long have you known him?"


She took her broom in hand and began sweeping at the entry way.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

"Only, since yesterday, miss," said Grace weakly. "But he has treated me very kindly."

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"He does that," Naomi said fondly. "He lets me bring some of my children over when I am working if needed."


She glanced over at Grace, frowning. "You look ill."

 

[SandraDeelightful]

"I think I am," said Grace tiredly. She was sweating but she felt like she was freezing.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"You might have the chills," Naomi said, frowning. "My son is commonly sick so I know many of the various illnesses around. Come, lie down and perhaps you will feel better." She propped her broom up against a wall and offered Grace a hand to use.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace grabbed her hand and stood up, feeling slightly unbalanced.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Naomi smiled gently at her, pulling her along to the steps and aiding her in walking up them. Her hands found the small of her back and gripped her tightly, as if she had done with before. She led Grace into a nice looking room, with a four-poster bed and a desk pushed up against a wall with a window overlooking the backyard. Naomi settled her on the edge of the bed gently.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace's eyes widened at the sight of the room. She had never been in a room so fine. Once again, she was out of breath by the time she sat on the bed.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

The sheets were soft. The topmost layer, the comforter, had decorative patterns of red and gold colors. Naomi pulled up the comforter to reveal pale white sheets underneath and pulled them off the bottom layer to allow Grace to crawl under them.


"I will get you some medicine," she reassured the other woman.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace got under the covers and was so surprised. She never thought she would be in a house like this, let alone a bed like this. She couldn't believe it. She smiled at Naomi.


"Thank you, ma'am," said Grace.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Naomi smiled back at her and disappeared out the door.


There was a nightstand by the bed with a simple light next to it and a book, its spine cracked from being open so much. Against the opposite wall of the bed was a bookcase, full of different volumes both thick and thin, with bindings of various colors and textures.


There was a rug before the bed as well, soft and fluffy. The entire room was very beautiful, the wallpaper a soft cream color with light patterns of swirls and flowers.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace looked at the book on the nightstand. She felt a few tears come to her eyes. She had never learned to read and she was ver ashamed of that fact. She had asked Papa to teach to her to read when she was little. He has laughed at her and said that she had no business reading.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Naomi came in soon after with a small platter. She placed the platter on the nightstand and removed a bottle of brown liquid and poured some into a smaller cup and offered it to Grace. "Drink this," she demanded before picking up the jug of water she had brought and pouring some more water into a separate cup. "Drink this to wash that down."

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace drank the liquid and made a face at the horrible taste. She quickly drank the water and washed it down.


"Thank you," said Grace.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"You're welcome," Naomi said. "I do hope you feel better soon. I'm going to continue cleaning now. I will leave the water hear in case you need it and the bathroom is just down the hallway. If you need anything else, yell."


With that, she smiled and picked up the bottle and cup. "Do try to get some rest."

 

[SandraDeelightful]

"Thank you, ma'am," said Grace gratefully, her voice sounding slightly stronger.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Naomi disappeared out the door again, leaving Grace to rest.


She began sweeping the hallways again before picking up a few rags to begin wiping down the countertops.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace laid down and closed her eyes. She quickly fell asleep. It was the quickest she had ever fallen asleep. The bed was so comfortable compared to the hard mattress she usually slept on.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Hours passed by. Naomi occasionally poked her head into the room to see if Grace was still sleeping and went about her work. Around midday, she approached the woman and shook her gently. "You must eat to keep up your strength to recover," she told her.

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Grace slowly woke up. She opened her eyes and started eating. "Thank you, ma'am," said Grace.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"No problem," Naomi said. The meal was simple; bread and porridge. Naomi took her own bowl and ate it quietly.


"Do you have any family?" she asked Grace.