Happier Than Usual

They had better stop before things got out of hand, they had agreed. No good would come of this, he had said. But still…

Beth could not, for the life of her, contain the joy. She went about the house, prancing like an achieved leopard; like a deer who had finally learnt to walk right. There was never enough for her to do. She was bursting with energy, helping out everywhere, going about her chores without delay, fulfilling them perfectly, and carrying about her day with gusto.

Their parents had been glad to have them back. Grace too, she said she needed assistance to keep the manor running, but the girls knew she missed them as much as she was unwilling to tell.

Grace was the only household servant they could keep in their employ. She was the butler, cook, cleaner and everything else for the Fitzgeralds. She was any and all things they needed, as hers was the only service they could afford, so they aided her in almost everything.

She was a waspishly, strong and sometimes, nastily beha