For a week or two, things were fairly routine.

Daniella and Sarah were growing more comfortable with each other every day; it helped that Daniella fancied Sarah as much as she had fancied her.

Then came the day that one of the other maids opened the front door to another visitor…

The maid reported to Daniella, as she was supposed to. What she said, however, was a shock…

“There’s a Mrs Nora Barry here. She’s looking for her son, Daniel. She’s trying to get back in touch with him, and she’s been told he works here. Can you come and see what she wants, Ma’am? You know everyone that works here; you might be able to help.”

Daniella gritted her teeth, trying not to show her shock. What was ‘her’ mum doing there? She’d lost touch years ago. Why now? Should she even speak to her?

Suddenly, Sarah was there, holding her arm.

“I heard”, was all she said. Then, “I won’t let you face her alone.”

Daniella and Sarah both walked into the hall, where Nora was waiting.

She heard her son’s quiet voice, and spun round…

Daniella met her gaze.

“What the hell…? Who are…”

Nora looked closer. “Daniel…? Why the hell are you wearing that getup?”

“I’m sure you have me confused with someone else”, said Daniella, smoothly.

“Oh no I haven’t; I’d know my son’s voice anywhere, even if it is pitched a little higher than usual. What’s going on? What scam are you running now?”

Before Daniella could say anything, there came a strong voice from the other end of the corridor.

“If you’re going to insult my staff, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Lady Fitzwilliam strode up.

“Ma’am, I meant no disrespect. I actually came to warn you about my son. He can be quite loose with his finances at times and would do anything to get a job, just so he can get into debt again. I wouldn’t trust him with the family silver, that’s for sure.”

“Well, if I see him, I will be sure to be careful, but he’s not here now.”

“Interesting; according to the people I asked in town, he was heading here about a job.”

“Do you know anything about this, Sarah? You were handling all the job interviews.”

“There’s been so many, I’ve sort of lost track”, Sarah replied. “It was a popular position to apply for; Daniella got the post.”

“Yes, I’m glad she did”, said Lady Fitzwilliam. “People have nothing but compliments about her; that’s true for me as well. I won’t hear a bad word said about her, is that clear?”

As she said that, Lady Fitzwilliam looked meaningfully at Nora.

Daniella went white as a sheet. She knew! She knew Daniella was Daniel!

Flustering, Nora tried to point out about Daniella, but Lady Fitzwilliam was having none of it.

“Thank you for coming to warn us”, she said, “but, of you’ll now excuse us, we have an event this afternoon, and my staff need to get ready for it. Sarah, could you please see Mrs. Barry out? I need to talk to Daniella.”

Lady Fitzwilliam settled herself in her favourite chair in the drawing room, indicating to Daniella to sit alongside her.

“As you may have surmised, I am aware of you ‘past’, shall we say”, she said. “However, you have conducted yourself in a respectful manner all the time you have been here, and have gained the trust of my staff and, more importantly, me. If you never breach that, there will always be a place here for you. I do hope that you take that in the spirit it is intended.”

“Of course, Ma’am”, said Daniella, curtseying.

“Should you wish to formalise your arrangement; I understand that it can be quite expensive to, what is the word, ‘transition’ these days. Is this something that you are interested in?”

“Very much”, said Daniella. “I consider my ‘previous life’, shall we say, a mistake, and wish to leave it behind.”

“Very well”, Lady Fitzwilliam said. “I shall make the appropriate arrangements. I think that Sarah will be very happy as well, if I’m not mistaken.”

“I’m doing this”, she continued, “because I consider you as family, now, the way you have conducted yourself both in and out of my presence. I know you haven’t been with us long, but I am an excellent judge of character, as well as a quick study. Also… let Sarah think she fooled me. It’s nice to let her think she’s got one over on the old bat.”

The last was said with a chuckle. That was when Daniella first learned Lady Fitzwilliam had a wicked sense of humour…

She thought she was joking, still, when the paperwork for her name change came through. Daniella Jane Fitzwilliam. Lady Fitzwilliam had legally adopted her, after managing to convince Nora to give her up for the right ‘incentive’…

Lady Fitzwilliam’s head of house was now her daughter. Just as it should be…