Willow Chapter 11: The Cleansing
The days went by, and Maggie became used to the rounds of activity required to keep house for a family of the Brown’s wealth. After waking early to start the fires, she ate breakfast with Cook. Then Maggie was busy with sweeping, beating dust out of the rugs, polishing silver, washing and ironing, and dozens of other tasks. Her pallet had been moved to an attic room, where every night she fell quickly into a deep sleep.
Maggie experienced a sense of wonderment that there was plenty of bread, some hard cheese, and vegetables at every meal. She even had meat or fish a few times, a luxury unheard of when she lived in the crowded room with her mother and younger siblings.
Having never been in another mansion belonging to New York’s banking elite, Maggie didn’t realize how unusual it was that Rose the governess directed the housekeeping, and that Cook had to pitch in. She did not know that other wealthy families in the city employed head housekeepers, butlers, laundresses, and other servants. Maggie observed that Mack was sometimes pulled from the stable to act as a butler, and she heard Cook muttering “I’ve never seen such a family, can’t keep help, I suppose it’s all because of the missus.” However, Cook said nothing directly to Maggie, and Maggie did not dream of asking.
