Carpets could be taken out into the yard and beaten. At Warwickshire, she’d helped with the task and watched a great cloud of dust rising as a crop was applied. The hall smelled far better, without the stink of months of grime.
“We have a fine bath house. The lord has made sure it’s as modern as any in England.”
Helen moved past the kitchens, and the maids turned to cast curious looks their way.
“We don’t even have to haul the hot water by bucket anymore.” Helen preened as she entered the bath house behind the kitchen and pointed eagerly at a wooden trough.
“The lord had that added when he saw one at the house of one of yer English nobles. Ye ring the bell and the cook pours the water and….there ye are. Almost as modern as the Romans had.”
It was such a simple idea but one that would save a lot of sore fingers. Anne touched the wooden spillway, shaking her head at the simplicity of the idea. The trough extended over a large slipper tub. A peek inside showed her that it was clean, not sporting rust. As bath houses went, Sterling was no shame. But something near the bottom of the tub caught her attention. A round piece of expensive cork, pushed into the metal side.
“Is there a hole in the tub?”
Helen reached for an iron ring hanging from another hook. She pulled it several times before turning to answer.
“Yes, ma’am. The lord calls that a stopper. Look at the floor and ye’ll see another wooden track constructed to let the water carry itself away when ye’re done. That’s why the tub is set up on blocks, so that the water can flow.”
Anne hurried around and sure enough there was another pair of boards waiting to guide the water toward a missing stone in the floor. She couldn’t see where it went from there but the idea was immensely ideal. No hauling of water at all. Simply scrub out the tub and bathing was suddenly a simple matter.
Now that was modern thinking.
Water began splashing into the empty tub.
“There now, let’s get yer dress off before Bythe sends the hot water.”
Helen was already reaching for the buttons that held her doublet closed down the front of her body. She made quick work of it, moving behind her to gently tug the open garment down her arms. There were rows of pegs set into a long piece of wood that ran the length of the walls. Helen hung the doublet on one as Anne began unlacing her skirts. Her fingers were slow as she tried to think of a reason to avoid getting into the tub and thereby put off the coming inspection.
But she could think of nothing, so her skirts were lifted over her head and hung on another peg.
“’Tis glad I am to see that ye’re not padded. The lord didnae care for the court ladies he met. He said you couldnae even tell that they were women for all the steel and padded pieces they strapped to themselves beneath their dresses.”
“The queen does love her fashion.”
Anne watched Helen take her small hip roll away. It wasn’t any larger than her fist and considered modest by most. Worn around the hips, it helped carry the weight of the cartridge pleated skirts. There was the added bonus that it kept your hem away from your feet, making it far simpler to carry a heavy tray because you didn’t need a hand to pick up your skirt.
“I heard that the English queen padded her hips a full foot on either side of her body. As if anyone would believe a woman could be so broad.”
Helen shook her head on the way to a peg. Anne smiled because it was true that many women wore large hip rolls to give the illusion that they were good child bearers. Prenuptial inspections had become popular in the last decade due to the practice.
“’Tis glad I am to see that ye’re not suffering your monthly curse. That would have put the lord in a nasty humor indeed.”
Standing in only her stays and chemise, it was easy for Helen to notice the lack of stain on the cream cloth.
“But it would have been his own fault for not giving you any notice of when he was going to be arriving to fetch ye. I imagine that ye are a wee bit tender having to leave your family without time to truly prepare for the separation.”
Helen pulled on the lace securing Anne’s stays in place. She tugged and loosened each eye until the stiffly boned vest released its hold on Anne’s breasts. A little mutter of delight escaped her because she didn’t sleep in her corset normally. Freedom from the steel-stiffened garment was very welcome, her breasts rejoicing in it.
Helen tsked. “You need a better tailor. This corset has worn a hole clean through yer lovely chemise and skin. It’s too long on the side.” She shook her head as she frowned.
“I wasn’t thinking when I wore it.”
Helen clicked her tongue again. “I’m glad ye left yer maid behind. The girl obviously lacks a good eye for dressing her mistress.”