Downstairs Rules

Overview: Sullivan Clarke is the author of Dangerous Magic, Personal Shopper and Bound to Serve. Ella Carter was born to service. Her parents have served Lord and Lady Chatworth since she was a baby, and when her mother dies she becomes Lady Chatworth's maid. But when Lady Chatworth dies, Ella's life is turned upside down. The new Lady Chatworth comes with her own maid, and Ella is sent to an even grander manor, where a new lady's maid is needed for Lady Ann Baxter. Lady Baxter is as headstrong as she is beautiful, and her older husband hopes that a maid close to her age with experience in tending to a lady will have a settling influence on his willful bride. When Ella learns from the stern butler, York, that Lord Baxter spanks Lady Baxter it comes as a shock. But when she learn that she, too, will be spanked if she fails to steer her ladyship towards proper behavior and keep Lord Baxter informed of he ladyship's misdeeds, she faces a conflict of loyalty. Ella is a lady's maid, and she does not agree with York's agenda. What's a maid to do? Ella wishes to be loyal, but that loyalty comes with a painful price for both her and her ladyship. Fans of Downton Abbey will love this Edwardian story that blends the life of the ruling class with the downstairs class in a tale where lines between family and servants becomes blurred, and where discipline and order are prized. Book Length: 5 chapters / 15,739 words