“That’s enough, Kathleen,” said Mrs. Donahue. “We’ll have no such gossip in this house.” She turned to me. “Sit down, Nora, love. Have your breakfast and don’t listen to this one.”

Kathleen shrugged and laughed as she turned away toward the sink. “I wonder what Dom would think if he found out you were making eyes at the master of the house?”

“I want to hear no more about it.” Mrs. Donahue’s voice was sharp. “We’re having society to dinner tomorrow night and we have to be getting on with it. Take off your apron now, miss, and go and buy everything I have on this shopping list.”

Kathleen pulled a face and snatched the list from Mrs. Donahue. I stood up and excused myself, leaving my boiled egg and toast only half-eaten. Kathleen’s attitude was beginning to wear me down. She seemed to take every opportunity to pass remarks on my behavior. I suppose I should have complained that, as Mrs. Donahue often said, she didn’t know her rightful place. But who was I to complain—after all, this was not my rightful place either—I was still as much of an imposter as I’d been in Donegal.

After that night, Kathleen’s attitude toward me seemed to shift. She was polite enough while Mrs. Donahue was present, but when we were alone, she snapped at me over the smallest things and ignored me when I asked her for something. I grew more and more frustrated.

“What’s got into you, Kathleen?” I said.

“Nothing,” she said, glaring at me. “I’m just the maid doing me job.”

I made no reply, but you could have cut the air between us with a knife.

I discovered the cause of her anger when Dom arrived the following Saturday evening to take me to the dance. Kathleen banged the door in his face, leaving him standing on the front step.

“Your boyfriend is here to see you,” she said as she made for the stairs back down toward the kitchen.

I caught her arm and turned her to face me. “What’s wrong, Kathleen? What have I done to you?”

Her face was flushed and her eyes glinted with anger.

“Well, listen to Little Miss Innocent,” she snapped. “Didn’t take long for the greenhorn to steal Dom away from me, did it?”

My mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? Dom and I have known each other since our schooldays. Besides, I thought you and he were just friends.”

“We were on our way to more than that ’til you interfered.”

“I’m so sorry Kathleen. I’ll tell him to leave right now.”

She shrugged. “Don’t bother your head. There’s plenty more fish in the sea.” She turned around and flounced down the stairs.