“Mary! Child, where are you? I need your assistance with these Christmas decorations. Mary!”

Mama’s cries grow fainter as I briskly walk further down the corridor away from her room. Hopefully she will not notice me if I hide in the kitchen. Cook smiles at me when I enter the pantry, knowing why I am here.

“Good morning, Miss. Your mother shrieking at you already? Seems a bit too early for her to be awake.”

Cook chuckles, well aware of Mama’s habit of taking a late breakfast tray to her room instead of coming downstairs earlier to eat in the dining room.

“Hello Cook. I do not know what has gotten her in such a mood. She usually asks Kitty for help, but these past few days she has gotten it into her head to bother me whenever she requires something.” I say with frustration.

“Now, now Miss Mary. I’ll fix you up a nice bowl of porridge with cream and honey. That will cheer you up.”

Porridge with cream and honey is one of my favorite meals, so I settle on top of a nearby stool to watch Cook prepare the dish. Glancing around, I see the evergreen boughs and holly berries lining the mantelpiece above the fireplace. The staff must have decorated this part of the house without the instruction of their master. I sigh, feeling slightly more miserable.

While others may find the colorful displays cheerful, there was a certain melancholy that always overcomes me as Christmas draws near. I never understand why I feel this way when everyone else in my family enjoys the season so much. This year the sadness hit me sooner since we have to travel several hundred miles to reach Lizzy’s new home. She offers to host us all for the holiday and while I’m grateful for her kindness, the strangeness of a new place further exacerbates my feelings.

“Here you are Miss. It’s hot, so don’t burn yourself.”

Steam curls from the bowl Cook places in front of me. I lean over and breathe in the scent before grabbing my spoon to take a bite. For the next few moments at least, a smile is on my face.