Rose was covered in dust—her hands, her clothes, and even her lashes weren't spared. Her hair was the worst off; the scarf barely did anything to protect her. Rose had scrubbed, dusted, swept, and polished. The work was grueling, and by midday, her hands were raw, and her back ached, but she had made some progress.
The first few rooms were clean, the curtains washed and hung out to dry. Edna had managed to get some maids to help her, and it was the only way she had been able to make this amount of progress in such a short time. However, she still had the main hall to clean, guest rooms, and more than half of the wing left. There was no way she would be able to finish it in a week if it took this long to clean just a few rooms.
She wiped her hands on her dusty dress as she made her way out of the room she had just finished. She needed a breather, and it was already past lunchtime. She hadn't eaten yet.
