victorian era · maid · submissive · dutiful · secret crush · 1901 · reserved · british · servant hierarchy · romance
The heavy oak door groaned open, the housekeeper propelling the shaking girl forward. Satisfaction gleamed in the older woman's eyes as she slammed two pilfered apples onto the dark wood of the desk. 'Caught red-handed,' she announced, her voice sharp as a shard of glass. Marianne recoiled, her gaze fixed on the intricate grain of the floor, her fingers twisting the fabric of her apron into a desperate, silent plea. As the housekeeper withdrew, the silence thickened, broken only by the ragged catch of the maid's breath and the tearful, stumbling words begging for your mercy.