A week had passed since our visit to town when one morning something unexpected happened.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

The shouts this time weren't from Mister Kupka, but Clo, who was still in her nightgown, frowning and lips pale, terror in her voice.

"Clo?" I looked around the room. Beth and Rhiannon had just woke up too, and were grabbing robes to wrap themselves in. The room was still dark—it must've been dawn.

"It's not time for work yet, what's wrong?" Beth asked drowsily. She looked at me and I shook my head, showing her I was just as confused. Then I heard the voices outside the door.

"Girls, be careful! Stay inside and don't come out until we tell you anything!"

It was Mister Kupka—but why?

"What's wrong?" Rhiannon asked, also stirring from her bed.

"There's people outside," Clo said quickly. "Don't open the curtains—they were tossing all sorts of things at the windows."

"And a window in the first floor was shattered! For Christ's sake," another voice, which I recognized Rudy, said. "Right now the valets are attending to their masters, besides Rudy, because Mister Silas and Master Tobias are trying to settle the situation. However, it's not going well."

"What situation exactly?" I asked. "Can I open the door?"

"Are you properly dressed?"

"Mister Kupka!" I managed to protest, "That hardly matters right now!"

"Fine."

I open the door, and both Mister Kupka and Rudy were in their robes, hair ruffled and in a mess.

"This is unsightly of me," Mister Kupka muttered under his breath. "Never in my life shall I be caught dressed like this again."

"Never mind that," Clo snapped. "What's the matter?"

"People attacked the house."

I struggled to wrap my head around it. "Why?"

"The children are crying," Rudy said. "The poor kids. It was a good thing they lived in the innermost rooms of the mansion."

"We weren't aware, as the servants' rooms are in the attic," Mister Kupka explained, "but they woke up some time ago. Mister Silas and Master Tobias are trying to reason with the townspeople, but they are in hysterics."

"Townspeople? What?" Rhiannon asked, already wrapping a shawl around her and slipping into slippers.

"It's because of the other day, the market," he said. "They've always hated us, but now they are accusing us of taking in immigrants and using them for—well, improper purposes."

"Well, what did I say when I first came," Clo spat. "It's obviously the first thing people will think when a house full of men hires four girls for the first time in centuries." She combed back her frizzy hair, as she hadn't had time to tie it up.

"But didn't the noise die down?" I asked. "I can't hear anything."

"Is the situation better?" Rhiannon asked.

"I'll run downstairs and ask a valet," Rudy said. "You stay here and guard the girls, Mister Kupka!" Then he went running, his slippers shuffling down the hallway.

I realized, suddenly, that Beth had been quiet the whole time.

"Beth, are you okay—" I turned to look at her, but halted my question.

Her bangs fell over her left eye, and her chin was tucked in. She stared at the floor in silence, like she was a different person from the usual chipper and expressive girl we knew.

Chills ran down my body.

"If anything happens," Mister Kupka said, "it might be a good idea to avoid town. I'm not doing this out of spite, either—"

"I understand," Clo said, nodding in understanding. "We don't want to cause the house any trouble, either. It's just ignorance. It's going to be tough, but they'll grow used to it after some time."

"Someone's speaking like they weren't the one about to give up last time they were in the market," Rhiannon whispered under her breath.

"I heard that." Clo gave her a look.

"And?"

Mister Kupka watched the two girls bicker before turning to me.

"How are you Miss Shuyan? And Miss Bethany?"

I peeked at Beth, who immediately straightened herself.

"I should be fine," she said, smiling a small, worried smile. "I just hope it doesn't get worse."

Her lips were trembling, and she still looked a bit haggard.

If I didn't know her well, I might've just assumed that it was just fear, but that Beth was too different. Too different that it looked too real.

That brooding air about her was neither fear, nor was it an act. It was something genuine and hateful.

"I'm fine, too," I said. "Thank you for asking, Mister Kupka."

Within a few more moments, Rudy ran back up to greet us.

"Mister Kupka, girls, today will be an early day because of the—disturbance. Otis and the cooks will be serving a simple breakfast in approximately twenty minutes, so wash up and get dressed up."

"Well, how did the talk go?" Mister Kupka demanded to know. Rudy shrugged.

"I suppose Phillip will tell us at breakfast. He was the only valet with Mister Silas and Master Tobias during the time."

"Why weren't you?" I asked. "If I remember correctly, you are Master Tobias's valet, aren't you?"

"He told me to watch over the girls," he said, smiling. He was old too, maybe in his fifties, and tall and skinny, but certainly seemed much more reliable in a fight than Mister Kupka, who was nearing his what, eighties?

"And Master Tobias also doesn't like me by his side." Rudy suddenly frowned, turning his face away from mine. "Anyways, get changed, and come downstairs."

What did he mean by that?

Before I knew it, Rudy was walking down the hallway. Mister Kupka followed.

I closed the door to our room and then started changing, as did the other girls. It was a cold and tense morning. The mood wasn't good, and we were all quiet, lost in our thoughts.

After we finished preparing, we headed down to the servant's dining hall.

Everyone was seated already, and looked grave, as though it were a funeral or something awful had happened.

Mister Kupka cleared his throat when we arrived and took our seats.

"Now that all the servants are gathered, I think we should have a meeting on what happened this morning. If you may, Phillip, do tell us what occurred this morning and the conversation that transpired between the townspeople and Mister Silas and Master Tobias?"

Phillip, who always sat at the front of the table, across Rudy, next to Clifford, nodded.

"This morning a large group of people from Ravensborough, mainly adult men, although there were a few women, had gathered with pitchforks, gardening tools—anything that could substitute a weapon—rotten eggs, spoiled food, and began to cause a riot. They tossed whatever trash they could onto the Beardsley manor, breaking one of the windows of the hallways on the first floor, which was how Master Tobias was alarmed.

"Upon the rude awakening, he woke up Mister Silas, Master Augustin, and Master Valentin. The twins were ordered to wake everyone in the household up, and from there the valets each stayed with their master or the maids who were the last to be awoken. Then Master Tobias and Mister Silas went to talk to the townspeople."

"Pitchforks?" Clifford whispered, looking shaken. "How horrid."

"I heard the noise—it was awful," Rudy murmured.

"And why exactly did the townspeople do that?"

"When asked, they replied that it was because of the African and the Chinese." Phillip's accusing eyes traveled to me and Clo. I found my breath stuck in my throat. "The townspeople didn't like the idea of foreign people in our town, and I can't say I disagree."

"You—" Rudy stood up. "I cannot take this! The poor girls are victims too!"

"I'm not finished." Phillip stared at him coolly until Rudy inhaled deeply and then sat down, Matheus patting his back.

"The townspeople have been on edge ever since the death of Lord Adam Beardsley. It seemed like there were some people holding grudges against him."

"Grudges?" Rhiannon asked. "For what?"   

Phillip turned to her.

"Master Elias's mother."

"Mister Beardsley's second wife?" I asked. "Who is she?"

"She was the youngest daughter of the house of Clarke—which was his ultimate downfall."

The whisper from Harper, who almost never spoke, surprised me.

"Harper!" Mister Kupka hissed. "Don't say downfall! It's ominous."

"What?" Clo asked, frowning. "Why are you all speaking in riddles? We aren't in a mystery book, you know—just spit it out."

"Then I will," Harper said, his raspy voice louder this time. "The second wife of Adam Beardsley, Lady Judith Clarke, married Lord Adam Beardsley against her family's wishes."

"Harper—" Mister Kupka looked livid, but Harper continued.

"She believed after their marriage her husband would bring her into the Beardsley estate, but he did not. He treated her like a mistress, only going to visit her place when he was free. She was not allowed to see her son, Elias, too."

Silence befell the table once he completed his speech.

"Master Elias never saw his mother?" I finally whispered, unable to believe it.

"Yes." He looked at me. "It was traumatic for her. She pleaded with Lord Beardsley til the day he died. Rumors say she went crazy and is to this day—"

"Enough!"

We turned to Beth, who had shouted that. Her eyes were on the table and her jaw tense.

"Can't we just stop? Who cares about these worthless noble families? Can't we have breakfast already?"

"Beth?" She was trembling.

"She's got a point," Matheus said quickly, looking troubled. "Let's start eating."

Quietly, and without argument, we picked up our forks and knives and began to dig into the egg and biscuits.

That explained a lot of things, from why everyone hated the house of Beardsley to how exactly the marriage system was done, but still didn't explain my biggest question.

Why was Beth so irritated by the topic?

What was her connection to the house of Beardsley?