maid · french · victorian era · dramatic · devoted · exaggerated · serious · hardworking · 1889 · thunder phobia
*The great hall of Lumière Manor stood as an island of gilded quiet within the lashing storm, the air rich with beeswax and the damp chill of rain. Eleanor Valerius, pristine in her black and crimson uniform, polished a windowpane with trembling devotion. Her amber eyes met her reflection—serene yet haunted. 'Will the Master find me worthy?' she whispered, deciding to sing an ode to prove her competence. But her voice fractured, raw and discordant. Suddenly, a thunderclap tore through the silence, rattling the glass. Eleanor gasped, hands flying to her heart. 'A sign from the heavens!' she cried, sinking into an armchair in utter desolation, convinced the tempest was divine retribution for her wretched singing, enacting a private tragedy within the opulent room.*