Part 4 The People's Friend: The Country Maid Companion Blog

 

Grace kicked over the corner of a rug, pursing her lips as a coin was revealed. That was five now.

Some might think her lucky if they did not know the trick.

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It’s another day working in Marchant manor for Grace Beckett, but will today bring something new, exciting… and vibrant?

Part Four of The Country Maid starts with Grace encountering a certain test housekeepers and employers would try on their maids. A coin hidden beneath the corner of a rug. Whatever a maid decides to do, it could get her in trouble either way.

If she leaves the coin alone, she’ll be accused of laziness for not cleaning everywhere. Keeping the coin, and potentially forgetting she has it before getting the chance to return it (or even passing it on to a higher-ranking servant and them keeping the coin) could lead to the maid being dismissed as a thief.

Unfortunately, Grace does get distracted. By Finn Marchant, middle child of the family and Lady Marchant’s biggest headache.

Freddie is a rakehell and a dandy. Both types of men began to appear in the late 18^th century. Dandies placed utmost importance in their appearance and aped the Romanticism movement, which focused on individualism and aesthetic, while a rakehell, often shortened to rake, languished in their hedonism. A stereotypical upper-class rogue from a romance novel, seducing both ladies and maids, with no concerns for the grind of everyday life.

Often, rakes appeared in the gossip columns, either because of their gambling and womanizing or for firing off the latest trends. Society saw them as beautiful wastrels squandering their allowances. A joke.

Some well-known dandies include Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron and Beau Brummell, while the most famous depiction of a rake’s rise and downfall can be seen in the series of 18^th century paintings by William Hogarth, The Rake’s Progress: The Development of Hogarth’s series A Rake’s Progress : From Paintings to Prints | Tate

Finn has taken it upon himself to have his name remembered for all the wrong reasons – womanising, drunken duels, winning and losing a queen’s fortune at the card tables. Robert Chapman, the Marchant’s footman, was tasked with keeping an eye on him, but the pair have relaxed into an exasperated friendship filled with bickering rather than keeping to the roles of master and servant.

As well as his appearance, Finn is very particular about his cologne. On the dressing table, which Grace hunts through for the wood rose (warm and woody) he demands, there’s a bottle for every scent he could get hold of at the time, such as sandalwood (sweet and woody), bay Finn (spicy from steeping bay leaves in rum), lavender etc, although Freddie has a habit of collecting individual scents and trying to mix them himself for something brand new.

Eau du Cologne itself was invented in 1709 by Italian perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina, which was a fresh, citrus smell.

For me, personally, I do like the smell of bergamot!

It looks like Grace is going on a sightseeing tour around Norwich with Finn and Robert, but will they come out of it unscathed in Part Five of The Country Maid?

(Description of Part Four in the submission breakdown. Finn was originally called Freddie)

 

Part 4: Jane is passing through the corridors when she is called into Freddie’s room. The dandy has his face covered and thinks Robert has come to help him decide on today’s outfit, but he soon realises his mistake and begins flirting outrageously. Robert appears before Jane gives in to the urge to slap him. Freddie, still hoping to win her over, demands the carriage is prepared so he can take the country girl sightseeing.

About the author

Kitty-Lydia Dye wanders the beaches for inspiration. Her historical fiction has been influenced by the local myths roaming the haunting landscape of the Norfolk marshes. Many of her short stories have appeared in The People's Friend magazine. She has also released a collection inspired by Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. She enjoys knitting dog jumpers, gazing at the waves at night, exploring church ruins as well as taking part in amateur dramatics (and played the part of an evil flying monkey!)