Page 26 of The Maid's Secret

“Can I help?”

“No. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

I’m greatly relieved to head off to our bedroom and lie in the dark by myself, listening to Juan jangling pots and pans in the kitchen, the evening news on TV in the background.

I close my eyes and let my mind drift. I’m remembering a time, long ago, when Gran told me a story about a maid who walked a mile in the shoes of three different people. It’s as though she’s right here with me, sharing the moral of the story: be grateful for what you have, especially if you’re loved.

“Molly? Molly, wake up. You have to see this.” Juan is standing by my bedside, gently shaking me awake.

I pull the covers back and groggily follow him to the living room. We sit side by side on the old, threadbare sofa.

“Look,” he says, pointing to the evening airing ofChatter Boxon TV.

“…and she’s taking social media by storm,” the anchor says. “Here’s the adorable clip from the hit TV showHidden Treasures,featuring Molly Gray, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, finding out she’s the owner of a Fabergé egg worth millions.”

The clip runs. Brown, tall and gallant, and Beagle, small and regal,share the news. I tell them I’m just a maid, then soon after, I faint and fall off my chair as the tearoom audience goes wild.

The anchor laughs as the clip ends. “Normally, we’d call this a ‘rags-to-riches’ story, but as you can see…it’srag-to-riches in Molly’s case.”

The camera cuts to a photo of me in my maid’s uniform holding up my dustcloth. It’s the photo Cheryl took earlier today!

“There you have it, folks—Molly, the Millionaire Maid. We’ll get her on our show as soon as we can, but first, we managed to track down two people who not only know her but also know about her multimillion-dollar egg. Mr.Jenkins, Serena Sharpe, welcome toChatter Box.”

“It’s them!” I say, pointing to the familiar faces I see on the screen.

“Happy to be here,” says Jenkins, the Grimthorpes’ old gardener.

“A pleasure,” says Serena Sharpe, J.D.’s former secretary.

“Let’s start with you, Mr.Jenkins,” says the anchor. “I understand you were the long-serving gardener at J.D. Grimthorpe’s mansion and that you knew Molly.”

“Indeed I did. I knew her when she was just a little mite. Mind as sharp as a tack, and she loved to clean, oh yes. When she spotted that egg in the parlor, she fell in love with it, even tried to polish it once and got in a spot of trouble.” Jenkins chuckles at the memory, and so do I.

“And was it really you who gave her the priceless egg?” the anchor asks.

“Guilty as charged,” he replies. “Molly came to the mansion after the Grimthorpes both passed, and I’d been given instructions to clear out all their old things. I had that old egg in a box, ready to pitch to the curb, but I offered it to her, and she took it.”

“And you, Serena Sharpe,” the anchor says. “You’re the daughter of Abigail Sharpe, who was revealed to be the true author of J.D. Grimthorpe’s novels. You inherited much of his wealth as a result.”

“That’s correct,” she says.

“And it was you who asked Mr.Jenkins to clear the mansion of all trinkets. Tell me, did you have any idea that egg was valuable?”

“None whatsoever,” says Serena. “So many things in the Grimthorpe mansion were fakes, starting with the occupants.”

“Now that you know the Fabergé is real, don’t you want it back?” the anchor asks.

“No,” she replies. “I know firsthand what it feels like to have something that’s yours taken from you. My mother lived with that her entire life. The Fabergé is Molly’s, fair and square.”

“We’re still trying to get to Miss Molly, but in the meantime, do you have a message for her?”

“I do.” Ms.Sharpe turns to the camera, and it’s as though she’s looking straight into my soul. “When you have something of value, there’s always someone ready to take it from you. So, Molly—be careful.”

—

Chapter 8

Dear Molly,

---