Minerva
As I scrub the floor of the house I hear the door open and two people laughing loudly. I look up and see Salem and Andrew -no... Duke Barma and Lord Higgaby- coming in the door.
"I didn't think you had it in you to do that to the poor girl. You're quite the devil." Salem said to Andrew.
"Well, sometimes these women need to understand their place in life."
"You don't have to be so cruel about it though..."
"You used to be just as bad as I am! Ever since your bout of pneumonia, you've been acting awful strange as of late."
"How do you mean?"
"You're a little more laid back, not as rakish. How am I supposed to compete with the Biggest Rake in London if said rake is pulling back the reigns?"
I make a disgusted noise as I scrub the floor harder. After the turn of events, I can now see Andrew for what he is and he is just as lecherous as he tried to be with me so long ago... or not. The days have gotten mixed together over so many realities. Almost a year and then almost a year again and then back to where it was... it's quite confusing. All I know is, I'm back to being a maid in Duke Barma's house and I await the day he figures out who I am.
I can tell some of his past experiences have still stuck with him, giving him a 'conscience' of sorts. He's become a little more kinder with the maids and servants and I've even spotted him in the kitchen. I don't know if it's my own wishful thinking or if it's truly what's happening, but I've also seen him looking at me from afar with a confused expression, as if he is trying to understand something. Again, it could just be my wishful thinking.
I sighed and went back to my work. I couldn't daydream here...
"Anyway, like I was say- whoa!"
"Are you alright?" Salem asked Andrew as I looked up and saw that he was holding his friend.
"I almost slipped on this wet floor." He turned to me and pointed. "You, maid, what is the meaning of this?"
"I'm cleaning the floor."
"Don't you know how to bloody say something when someone is about to walk into a puddle of water?"
"Sorry my lord, I'll remember next time." I mumbled, sighing at having to clean that spot again.
"There could not have been a next time if I had fallen. What would you have done then?"
I looked up at him as Salem watched me calmly.
"Helped pick you back up and hope your arse was intact."
Salem hid a smile as Andrew made a face.
"You think you're funny."
"I try not to be but it didn't happen, so there is no use in thinking about all the possibilities of what could have happened when you are safe and sound without a bruised arse or a twisted ankle. I count that as a blessing."
"She's kind of right, Andrew. You didn't get hurt and that's all that matters. Let it go."
"Are you really defending your maid?"
"I'm defending that you didn't get hurt so what's the point in trying to do anything else about it? Go about your business; I can handle the servants of my own household."
Andrew straightened his jacket and continued walking as Salem looked down at me.
"It would be in your best interest not to piss off my friend. He's had a bad day today."
"Pardon my job being in his way."
He bent down to me and smiled a little.
"I've been wondering something about you... what's your name?"
"Minerva Cavensold."
"Ms. Cavensold... I swear I know you from somewhere. Are you a noblewoman in disguise?"
"That would be grand, wouldn't it?" I said, leaning back on my knees. "But I'm afraid not. I'm just another maid."
Salem made a face. "For some reason, I find that absolutely ridiculous to believe." He reached up and moved some dirt away from my face. "I think there's something else under this dirt and grime."
"Do you?"
"Hmm..."
"Salem, are you coming?"
"I'm scolding the maid."
"Oh, then take your time..."
Salem still had his hand on my face and moved his thumb over my lips.
"Like flower petals... May I ask something of you?"
"You are my lord; you may ask anything you like."
Salem frowned. "What are you insinuating?"
I frowned back. "What do you mean?"
"I'll have you know that I take great respect for the women of my home."
"Yes...?"
Salem seemed to flounder for a second and shook his head.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Cavensold. I don't know what came over me." He stood up and I stood up with him. "I wanted to ask if you would be my personal maid. You wouldn't have to scrub the floors anymore..."
We had been in this situation before and the first time, I balked at it, hating him with everything I had and feeling like it was just to get me to bed him. Now, though, I had fallen in love with him and whether he knew it or not, he had fallen in love with me. This time... this time the invitation was like a breath of fresh air in this multiple-folded reality.
"Isn't Uma your personal maid?"
"She is but she's old and getting older. There are certain things I would rather her not do. Although I am known as a rake in the ton, I value the women of my home. I shall not do anything untoward to you."
"How noble." I said with a smile.
"What do you say?"
"I would be delighted, sir... although... I have children at home. Would I not have to live here in order to be your personal maid?"
"How many children? Their ages?"
I sighed. This was exactly like it was the first time. Talk about a repeat of life... Although I don't know if he's sixteen or if he's eighteen now...
"My oldest is close to being seven and ten... I believe..." I said truthfully.
I'll have to ask Bastion if I'm right.
"The others?"
"Twelve and five."
"What time would you need to be home for them?"
I blinked. "Um... well... I usually am sent home a little after sundown since the manor is usually cleaned all the way by then."
"Does your oldest son have any skills?"
"Um... not that I'm aware of. Before I was hired here I was selling flowers and he was watching the children so he hasn't had the time-"
"Bring them here."
"What?"
"Tomorrow. Bring them all here. I would like you to be my maid but I cannot leave children to be on their own like that. I'm sure I can find something for all of them to do. Even the small one."
"You don't have to-"
He grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes and I thought, for just a split second, that he remembered me.
"I want to, Ms. Cavensold. I don't know why I do, I just want to. Please don't make me ask you again."
I nodded and he let me go, walking away.
"Splendid! I will see you and your brood tomorrow!"

Salem
I don't know what's come over me but every time I look at that Minerva girl, I get this sense of... home... I don't know how to describe it really. It's something that nags at the back of my head every time she's near and I've wanted to speak with her for a while. Ever since I woke up from a bout of pneumonia, I have been a changed man. I used to be quite the rake, chasing women's skirts and sneaking into homes to pervert them. Now, I tell them that I am saving myself for someone special, which somehow made me even more desirable, but the fact of the matter is that I don't know who I'm saving myself for. It's in the back of my mind, knocking at a locked door that I cannot open.
I met with Andrew in the study and he poured me a glass of wine.
"What did you do about the maid?"
"I told you, I scolded her."
Andrew lifted an eyebrow. "I've seen you go into a tantrum and I heard nothing in here. What's going on with you?"
"Nothing... really... you've been on me about that since I got better."
"It's like once you recovered from your pneumonia, a new man was born. Did you promise God that you wouldn't do anything if he let you live or something?"
I laughed. "No, nothing like that happened. I'm not sure what it is..."
"Well stop it. You're getting even more attention and all you've done is be polite. That bit about saving yourself is a pretty bold statement. You knew it would make you more desirable, didn't you?"
"Nothing of the sort. If that were the case, I would have been using that line a long time ago."
"The difference between now and then is that then you wouldn't have been serious, now you're truly serious about it."
"What of it?" I growled, sipping some win. "Is it wrong?"
"No... it's just the complete opposite of your nature."
I sighed, tired of talking about this. It was all Andrew ever seemed to talk about. Also, I don't remember actually having pneumonia...
"Andrew, can I ask you a strange question?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"You say that I had pneumonia but... I don't feel any of the aftereffects of it. From what you told me when I woke up, I would have trouble breathing at times of quick breathing such as running or sometimes have pains in my chest. I don't remember anything about being ill and I don't remember coughing up phlegm... and I ran away from a dog yesterday and haven't had any problems."
"First of all, why were you running from a dog? And second, I just know what I was called in for to you help you with."
"I was doing something and I ended up having a dog chase after me. It doesn't matter." I said, crossing my arms.
Andrew decided to ignore that and we talked about some other stuff.

Minerva
I walked into the house and met with three pairs of eyes staring at me.
"Well?" Bastion asked, looking at me anxiously.
"No, not today."
"Damn it!" Eadric growled.
"Watch your language, young man!" I growled at him.
"Sorry... it's just... you'd think he would have been triggered by now."
"Whatever his trigger was is obviously something that isn't something we can do about it. No sense getting fussy... but, I think he's trying to remember though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Remember when I was at the duke's before and he wanted me to be his personal maid but at the time things weren't right?" The two nodded. "Well, he asked me to be his personal maid again."
"Is that good?" Eadric asked. "Last time that's why you got fired, because of us..."
"This time though when I told him about you all, he asked to know your ages and then said for you all to come to the manor."
Xerxes smiled. "We're gonna be a family again?!"
I sat down and picked Xerxes up into my lap.
"No, sweetheart, I'm afraid it's not that simple. We must give the duke time to find his trigger. There will be many things he thinks of and has feelings about, but until he hits the trigger he created for himself, we will have to be patient. He wants you all to come to the manor and he will put you to work to earn some money."
"Aw... I didn't want to have to work..." Eadric said, sitting down. "That's not how it was supposed to go."
I made a face at him. "You seemed to have settled into the alternate reality of our nobility quite well, it seems."
"I miss that..." he said dreamily.
Bastion rolled his eyes but leaned against the doorway.
"So are you going to let us come then?"
"That's what he wants... I can tell he has feelings for me, even if he doesn't understand why yet, and maybe seeing you all will help him as well."
"What do we call him, Mama?" Xerxes asked.
"You must be very polite to him and call him Lord Barma, Duke Barma, milord, or sir. We cannot call him by his given name or we will be thought of as rude."
Xerxes frowned, crossing his arms. "I wanted to call him Papa..."
"I don't think that would be a good idea, X." Bastion said. "If you do that, they will think Ma had a secret relationship with him and is trying to do something underhanded."
"What's that?"
"They'll think she is trying to get the duke's money." Eadric explained.
"Oh... Well Mama wouldn't do that."
"Of course not, sweetheart. We all need to be on our best behavior and endure this for just a little more. Salem wouldn't have picked something too hard to recover from." I said, hoping that I was right.
"Well, we should pack some stuff. Come on, Eadric; come help me." Bastion said.
"Me too!" Xerxes yelled, jumping from my lap.
I watched as the boys packed their things and hoped that whatever came from this ripped the veil from Salem's face. It has been far too long and I am getting impatient. I want Duke Barma and I want him soon... before it's too late and another version of his father's life happens.