Rosecliff Manor (Galatea)

(Dear reader, the full version of this story can be found on Galatea! Only the first five chapters are available on Inkitt. Please visit Galatea to read more!)

Rosecliff Manor… this has to be it

Jane checked the address in her booklet, and then looked up at the place in front of her. A large Victorian manor loomed over her, encircled by a large landscaped garden. She knew it would be a large manor – but this borders on being an actual castle – she thought. Setting foot onto the driveway almost seemed like trespassing – but she reminded herself she had permission and placed her foot on the paved road in front of her.

She walked up to the portico – the large pillars and pointed roof above her already made her feel like she was in another world. The large panelled double doors in front of her were decorated with intricate woodwork, and the brass doorbell to the side looked ancient – and expensive. She took a small moment to straighten her clothes and hair, before ringing the bell.

A classic, deep ding dong echoed quietly behind the doors, almost making her feel guilty for disturbing quiet atmosphere surrounding the place. For a few seconds it seemed like the place was abandoned, before a loud clacking sound gave away that the door was being unlocked. It opened with a creak, and a frail-looking older woman appeared behind the door.

“Jane Copper, might I presume?” she spoke, her voice clear and somewhat piercing. Jane nodded. “Yes, I have an appointment with mister Sinclair, about the housekeeping job” – she answered. The woman opened the door a little further, beckoning Jane inside with a nod. Jane followed her inside the great hall.

The hall was large and hexagonal, with a wrap-around staircase on both sides. The hall was as bright as the outside thanks to the many long, checkered windows on every wall. The wallpaper was ochre with a dark wooden wainscotting.

Jane handed the woman her coat. “With who do I have the pleasure?” she asked her.

“Hilda Burton, a pleasure”. Jane put out her hand to shake miss Burton’s, but instead the woman bowed her head forward by way of greeting. Jane quickly retracted her hand and copied her. When in Rome…

“Well then, the master has been eagerly awaiting your arrival” miss Burton spoke, hanging Jane’s coat on a large mahogany coatrack, and walking over to the decorated runner on the floor that led to a few other doors on the sides of the hall. “I will inform the master of your presence, and then I will show you around the house and more importantly – the quarters where you will be staying”.

Jane quietly walked with miss Burton, a little taken aback by how formal and posh miss Burton behaved. Would this be expected of her as well?

Jane wasn’t used to being in surroundings like these – far from it. Her family had always been lower-to-middle-class, having just enough to get by. A place like this… she looked around, at the sconces on the wall, the elaborate oil paintings in baroque frames – this great hall alone might just be more expensive than her parent’s house.

Even being able to work at a place like this – though it was still mostly mid-level pay manual labour – was not something she had really expected. It was purely by chance that her parents had had to move all the way across the country to the nearby city, and getting this job recommended for their daughter.

Miss Burton halted in front of another set of double-doors. “Please wait here for a moment” she said, before sliding into the room. Jane quickly straightened her hair a second time, pulling some hairs from her clothes and making sure her skirt wasn’t wrinkly. Just as she was checking underneath her shoes for any dirt she might have tread in, miss Burton opened the doors again. “The master is ready”.