Prideful

-The Cartagan Orchard. Mid afternoon, 2 DSTR-

Cordelia silently stood against the wall; she hardly revealed any interest in the conversation, or dealings, that were taking place. The woman had grown used to being in places she normally wouldn’t be welcomed, or any woman for that matter. The palm of her left hand rested beneath the pitcher, and her right hand firmly took hold of the handle. Occasionally her eyes roamed over the two men when their backs faced her. Every bit of excess energy was spent analyzing the dynamic between the two. How disappointing it must be for you, Master. To find out about your uncle’s’ prompt death, and then find out he left you a faltering business.

The meeting went as well as anyone could have thought. A deal was made, and Mr. Cartwright seemed satisfied with the outcome- satisfied enough. By the end of the meeting, no matter how brisk, Cordelia found the muscles in her forearms tensing. Relieved at the departure of the two men from the room, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding in. Disappearing out of the room, Cordelia took care to silently make her way into the kitchen. Her palm warm against the cold swinging door, she slowly closed the door as to not make a sound. Placing the pitcher on the counter, she rubbed her jaw tightly with her fingers. Blowing out a sigh to the point it made her lips vibrate together, she leaned to get a better look at the sun. It was easily past noon. Noticing that there were small pots on the burner on low, she lifted the lids and smelt the sweetest aroma. Warmed pears with brown sugar, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Closing the lids, she grunted to herself and raised a brow. “What a lucky man, to have a bunch of women cooking the most delightful meals for him, for someone they hardly have the time to respect,” Cordelia cursed in a grumble.

At the time the kitchen was empty; but just as she had the moment to smell the fresh delights, the kitchen maid came up the brick steps and opened the back door.

“Lady, if ya’ touched those finger lickin’ foods, you’ll regret it fo sure,” the kitchen maid barked. Cordelia placed her hands up in a surrendering fashion and giggled.

“Hardly, ma’am,” Cordelia smirked. Pushing her way through the swinging door that lead to the dining room, she was pleasantly surprised that the food and décor from the morning had been removed. Pushing her hands into her front two pockets, she decided it was best for her to return to the fields. After all, she wasn’t a house maid today. Entering the kitchen once more, she grabbed her straw hat off the table next to the exit, and pulled the door open with force that stemmed from excitement. Cordelia’s excitement partially stemmed from being away from Tyreth, and partially for being out in the fields.

The mud that had been present next to the steps had now dried. Scanning the back of the house, she saw the women had come close to halfway done. A few dilly dallied about, which she would only assume would end when the Master forced them to atone for the dreadful sin. Heading back towards the front of the house, she snatched her basket up from the ground, and scanned dying flowerbeds in front of the house. All the weeds had been pulled, and it seemed that the front part of the orchard had been finished entirely. Gripping her basket, she turned on her heel and headed back towards the way she had come. It seemed the women had been diligent in their work.
The house cast a daunting shadow onto the land, causing Cordelia’s feet to become uncomfortably cold as she strolled through the shadow. Entering the sunshine once more, she wiggled her toes into the dirt with pleasure. Swinging the basket as she strolled, she found that the trees closest to the house were once more neglected. She found Susan pulling weeds at the farthest corner of the house.

Dropping her knees to the ground at the base of a tree, she began the tedious task of picking the apples off the ground. Bent over, she cupped the apples and tossed them into her basket with little care. The slight mushy sound brought a sense of comfort to her. The few weeds she found around the roots of the tree were pulled up with brute force. Humming to herself, she carelessly continued the task with zero attention being put elsewhere. It was at that moment it had occurred to her that she hadn't been excused from he house. With their previous Master, Cordelia had largely been allowed to return to her previous tasks when finished with an interrupting one. Though, she could only imagine that Tyreth might feel differently. He took a much different approach to dealing with the slaves so far, and what made her any different? An adrenaline rush rooting from worry began to rumble in her core. Sitting back on her feet, she puffed and tossed another apple in the basket.

She had come to the conclusion that she must at this point continue her flirtation with deviance. Otherwise, Tyreth would only assume she was incompetent. Pride winning her intentions, she bent back over and continued her work.