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She said nothing. She just stood there in dis-belief, tears rolling down her face. She looked utterly heartbroken. “Off you go then. Goodbye, Miss Pricket.” As she turned her back to leave, I could see she was sobbing even harder, but silently. She turned the knob slowly, shaking as she opened the door. “Enjoy your new life, Miss Pricket. Oh, and when you leave tomorrow, be sure to leave by the servants’ entrance.” She looked back at me, tears streaming down her face.
“I loved you so well, Cruella. And I hope with all my heart you don’t become a cruel, sad, and lonely woman, like your mother.”
I slammed the door behind her, closing that chapter of my life once and for all.
In my household the servants had their holiday celebration on Christmas Eve. It had been that way since I was a girl, and I didn’t see any reason to change it. When my grandparents were alive my parents and I would dine with them at their estate, leaving the house to the servants so they could have a celebration of their own without having to fuss over us. Later, after my grandparents passed, we would dine with friends of my father or mother. This year, with my mama away and Papa gone, and with no invitations to speak of, Anita and I found ourselves home on Christmas Eve.
We couldn’t very well go out for dinner without a proper escort now that Miss Pricket had been dismissed. So we were forced to stay home. I spoke to Jackson about it, assuring him Anita and I would be fine if Mrs. Baddeley prepared us something and sent it up on a tray. I didn’t want to ruin their celebration. And I especially wanted to extend some holiday cheer since they were all likely curious what happened with Miss Pricket. The last thing I needed was Mama coming home to an empty house with no servants. I counted on Jackson to spread the word about Miss Pricket and dispel any fears they may have about the De Vil household cutting back on servants like many of the larger households had been doing as of late.
“She spoke unkindly to me about Lady De Vil,” was all I had to say. Jackson understood. And I could tell he thought I had done the right thing.
As I was talking to Jackson, the Spider came skittering into the room like a walking nightmare on two legs. “Miss Cruella, I have advised downstairs that you and Miss Anita will be home this evening. Please ring if you need anything at all. Dinner will be served in the dining room at eight.” I blinked at her, trying to decide if she was as frightful as my mind had originally conjured.
She was. Frightful and odious.
“As I was just telling Jackson, something on a tray for dinner will be fine, Mrs. Web. I don’t want to interrupt your festivities this evening. Anita and I will be quite happy to spend a quiet evening together. We will have our Christmas dinner tomorrow as we always have.”
“But Lady De Vil gave other instructions, Miss Cruella, and Mrs. Baddeley has been downstairs cooking all day. She’s created a feast. I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”
“So this is something you and Lady De Vil discussed, but you didn’t see fit to share it with me until now?” I had broken protocol. I had admitted I didn’t know something. I’d admitted my mother didn’t share her plans with me. But I continued without missing a beat.
“But what about your celebration? I had intended to present you with your gifts this evening before your Christmas meal. If you’re all busy preparing a feast and cleaning up afterwards, when will you have time for your celebration?”
“During breakfast tomorrow, as your mother instructed.”
“During breakfast? Oh, that won’t do, Mrs. Web. Does that sound fair to you, Anita?” Anita shook her head, but she didn’t say anything. Sweet Anita hated conflict. “I’d hate to break with tradition, Mrs. Web,” I continued. “And I don’t want to deprive the staff of their festivities. They work so hard all year, and this is their treat for being so devoted and loyal.”
I waited for Mrs. Web to challenge me, but she just pursed her lips and stayed silent.
“Then it’s decided. We will proceed as usual, as we have for many years before you joined our household.” I wanted things to be as they were in the years before Papa passed and before Mama went away. Everything had gone so terribly wrong after Papa’s death, and I thought that maybe if I could recapture our Christmas celebrations of the past, and not let this vile woman change everything, Mama would come around to me. Of course, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was flying in the face of my mother’s instructions. But the young don’t always make the wisest decisions, no matter how well intended they may be.
The Spider just looked at me, unblinking. I assumed she didn’t want to contradict me or my mother. So she stood silently until Jackson broke the uncomfortable silence.
“Miss Cruella, I know Mrs. Baddeley would be terribly upset if her holiday feast went to waste. She’s been hard at work all day.”
“I have an idea!” Anita said. Sweet Anita. Caring Anita. Always looking out for the underdog. Always wanting to do good. She would do anything to make people happy, especially people she was fond of. Funny how, in the end, she couldn’t do the same for me.
But I’m jumping ahead. That part of the story doesn’t come until later.
“I saw how much food Mrs. Baddeley was preparing downstairs,” Anita said. “It’s far too much for just the two of us. There’s more than enough for everyone. What if we invite the staff to join us for Christmas dinner? And afterwards they can continue the celebration downstairs as they like.”
“That’s very kind of you, Miss Anita, but rather unorthodox,” said the odious Spider. “Lady De Vil would be angry to learn the servants dined upstairs.”
The last thing I wanted to do was agree with that woman, even though she was right. My mother would be livid. But the look on Anita’s face was so sincere, and I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to do something nice for her after everything she’d done for me since my father had passed away. So I suggested an alternative.
“Well, if the staff wouldn’t object, perhaps Anita and I could join you downstairs and we can share the meal together.” I looked to Jackson because I valued his opinion more. Unlike Mrs. Web, he had been with our family for many years, even before I was born. The only other person who had known me that long was Miss Pricket. Perhaps if things hadn’t gone the way
they did, I would be asking her about Christmas dinner now.
“We wouldn’t stay downstairs with you all evening, mind you. Just for dinner, and then we would leave you to continue your celebration after we’ve gone upstairs. We wouldn’t need you for the rest of the evening, I promise, as long as Jackson sets out the grog tray, and perhaps a little tray of sandwiches in the event we get peckish before bed,” I said, looking at Jackson and hoping he would agree.
I thought that was the most suitable way out of our dilemma. “And before dinner I can give you our gifts. I am sure Lady De Vil wishes she could be here to present them to you herself, but I will have to do.”
“Miss Cruella.” The Spider’s face was pinched tight. “This is very out of the ordinary, and I’m not sure your mother would approve.” I smiled my sweetest smile at the woman. Looking back on all of this now, I have to wonder if I wasn’t just happy to be in opposition to Mrs. Web. I wasn’t even thinking about how all of this would make Mama feel. I had convinced myself she would be happy I took charge and made sure to uphold our family traditions. But I’m not sure that was my strongest motivation.
“I’d like to hear what Jackson thinks. He’s been taking care of this family since before I was born, and I think he is the best judge. Jackson, do you agree with Mrs. Web? Do you think my mother would object if we combined Christmas celebrations this evening?”
Jackson narrowed his eyes at the Spider. “I do believe she would, Miss Cruella.”
