TLMS 05

Chapter 05

On my first day as a live-in maid at the Plenigan Estate, I would like to say that I busily went around the mansion gathering information about Aileen’s death—but in reality, I didn’t.

Like many large estates, the Plenigan Estate employed quite a few staff. The number of servants often reflected the wealth of the household, and since the Plenigans valued appearances, they had hired quite a few. Most maids were assigned specific areas and duties, so there was rarely a reason to go elsewhere.

In my case, I hadn’t even gotten a sense of the mansion’s layout yet. So, under the guise of guidance, I learned about the atmosphere of the estate through the chatter of Amy, a maid my age who had started three months earlier.

“It’s not that different from other estates. Once you start working, you’ll see it’s all the same. You’ve done maid work before, right? First time here? I started when I was fifteen. But don’t worry, it’s easy to pick up. It’s just like doing chores at home—except it’s someone else’s home, not ours.”

Amy was the kind of talkative servant you could find anywhere, but for me, she was incredibly helpful.

“We’re in charge of the east wing, so we don’t usually go to the west wing. Only if there’s extra work do we help. Still, the east wing is better for working. Most of the family lives in the west wing, so you’d be under a lot of scrutiny there. Carol manages the west wing, but last time…”

Her chatter went on like that. As she briefly mentioned, the Plenigan Estate is divided into an east wing and a west wing. Like mirror images, two four-story buildings face each other.

Between the two buildings was a large pond. Wealthy estates often had artificial ponds with aquatic plants and fish as a display of luxury. However, the Plenigan pond was said to be naturally formed.

“It’s more like a small lake than a pond,” Amy commented. It was far larger than any artificial pond in other estates.

Apparently, the Plenigan Estate originally only owned the land where the east wing—the current east building—stood. As the family grew wealthier and the estate expanded, they built the west wing on the land west of the pond.

“Until a few generations ago, they weren’t that rich. The estate was smaller, and there was only one grain store. But suddenly, luck turned around. They started making money hand over fist. Their fields, orchards, and pastures in the lower village… even we poor folks can’t imagine that kind of wealth.”

Amy smacked her lips as she spoke.

Through the hallway window, I glimpsed the west building and the pond below. Walking along the edge of the pond could get you to the opposite building, but it seemed it would take some time.

A bridge had been built across the pond. It wasn’t wide enough for a carriage but sufficient for a cart.

Next to the west wing was a two-story annex for the servants. Typically, two or three maids would share a room there.

However, part of the annex was under renovation, so some staff were divided between the east and west wings. That was why Mrs. Pierce, the head housekeeper who interviewed me, had her room in the east wing.

Since I also had no room in the annex, I was given a small room in the corner of the first floor of the east wing. It had originally been a storage room for cleaning tools, but since I came to the estate with a purpose, I didn’t mind.

There was also a storage area next to the west annex and a stable with a coachman’s quarters beside the east wing.

As Amy had briefly explained, the Plenigan family mainly lived in the west wing. Although repeated renovations had made the exterior and interior of the two buildings almost identical, the west wing was technically newer. Naturally, the family lived there.

“If we say the current master, we’re talking about Edward…”

Amy continued explaining the members of the Plenigan family.

“But the biggest figure is still Lady Melissa Norma.”

“Norma?”

“Yes. She’s the mother of Edward, Thomas, Helen, and the late William.”

According to Amy, Edward Plenigan was the acting head of the estate.

The previous head, Roger Plenigan, had three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, William, died a year before his father. So when Roger passed away two years ago, Edward, the second son, naturally became the head of the family.

William, the eldest who died young, had four daughters: Anne, Jane, Delia, and Aileen. My friend Aileen was William’s youngest daughter. William’s wife, Aileen’s mother, had died from illness when the children were very young.

Edward, now in his forties, was still unmarried. On the surface, it was because he was busy managing the estate, but Amy teased, “It’s more that he has a bad personality.”

The third child was Helen Jenkins, Aileen’s aunt, who had married into the nearby Jenkins Estate and lived there for almost twenty years. Her husband gambled away his wealth and died, leaving her with nowhere to go. Melissa Norma invited her to live in the estate, and she had been staying ever since.

The youngest, Thomas, was in his late thirties. He lived with his much younger wife, Catherine, and they had no children yet. Though he managed a store, he had no aptitude for business and spent money recklessly, earning the nickname “the bottomless barrel” of the family.

This caused friction with Edward over finances, and the way Lady Norma spoiled Thomas worsened the sibling tension.

“And then there’s Miss Lucy,” Amy added. Lucy was Roger Plenigan’s daughter by another woman—she had no relation to Melissa.

When Lucy was around eleven or twelve, her mother died, leaving her almost an orphan. Melissa took her in as part of the family.

Melissa neither openly abused Lucy nor treated her kindly. As a result, Lucy always acted timidly, trying not to attract attention.

“Like a ghost, really,” Amy added casually, and I flinched at the word “ghost.”

“A ghost?”

“Ellie, why do you look like that? Oh, you don’t like scary stories?”

Amy made ghostly hands and in a creepy voice teased me.

“Eeeeellie, I am a ghost! I’ve come out of the grave to take you away!”

“Stop joking.”

I didn’t believe in ghosts at all, so I got slightly annoyed and urged her to stop.

“Is Miss Lucy actually called a ghost?”

“Ellie, why so serious? People with gloomy personalities often get nicknamed that.”

“Oh, I heard something about it when I came here…”

I studied Amy’s expression and fabricated an explanation.

“I heard someone had actually seen a ghost in this estate. I thought, ‘Of course, it’s an old mansion; there must be a ghost,’ but if it’s just Lucy’s nickname, that’s kind of disappointing.”

“Oh, that’s it? Ellie, you’re silly. Even if it’s an old mansion, ghosts don’t exist!”

Amy pouted a little but then seemed to think of something.

“Well… maybe this mansion really does have a ghost.”

She finally spoke.

“Not a ghost flying around saying, ‘I’m a ghoooost!’ or anything like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Lady Melissa took Lucy into the estate, outsiders gossiped that she was just trying to assert herself over the former master. But the staff saw it differently.”

Amy lowered her voice, glancing around.

“They said Lady Norma was afraid of a ghost. She accepted Lucy to avoid the curse of the ghost, even if she didn’t want to.”

“A ghost’s curse?”

“You’re new here, so you might not notice, but don’t you feel the atmosphere?”

Amy said.

“The kind that suffocates women, makes them feel trapped.”

“Well… not really yet.”

“Didn’t that old hag Mrs. Pierce nag at you?”

I remembered the maid interview. Mrs. Pierce had warned that women must be modest, and any bad rumors would get them fired immediately.

‘But that kind of warning is formal in many places, right?’ I thought.

Amy said,

“They really force women to behave a certain way here. That’s just the family’s custom.”

“Well, old families tend to be strict.”

“No, it goes beyond strict!” Amy rolled her eyes and quickly looked around before continuing.

“For us servants, it’s fine; we can leave anytime. But the Plenigan women have no freedom. What’s money if you can’t even breathe?”

I recalled what Aileen had told me. The family couldn’t allow girls to study, so Aileen had to sneak out to attend university.

“In Lady Norma’s time, girls weren’t even taught reading. Holding a book was forbidden. Ridiculous, right? Well, I don’t really like books either. Things are a bit better now, but the strict customs still exist. Every action is monitored. Marriage is arranged by the family, dating is impossible, talking to men is scandalous, raising your voice is forbidden, drinking is forbidden, staying out late is forbidden, skirts can’t show ankles… everything’s prohibited. Girls aren’t allowed to study or work either. One girl went to university, but her family opposed it so much they locked her in a room with only water and bread. Like a prisoner in jail.”

‘Aileen!’

I was about to cry but kept a neutral expression.

“So that girl was…”

“Aileen, William’s youngest daughter. She was at university when I arrived, so I didn’t talk to her much, but she was a good person. So recently…”

“Hey! You two! Stop slacking and clean!”

Mrs. Pierce suddenly shouted. Amy jumped, shaking the duster violently.

I grabbed a mop to start cleaning the window frame, but my mind wandered elsewhere.

‘What exactly is the Plenigan ghost? Could it be related to Aileen’s accident?’