Poor choice of words, Charlotte thought grimly.

She forced herself to meet the older woman's eyes. Mrs. Moorling looked directly at her for a moment, then nodded.

"Gibbs will find a place for you to sleep."

* * *

Gibbs, the plain, painfully thin young woman, led her back through the entry hall and to the right, to the street-facing wing of the L-shaped building. Hurrying to keep up, Charlotte followed her through the long corridor to a door midway down its length. Charlotte looked into the dim room—once a portion of a fine drawing room, perhaps—with a high ceiling and broad hearth. The bedchamber held only one narrow bed, the width less than Charlotte's height. A small table with a brass candlestick sat on either side of the bed, and one chair stood against the nearest wall. Three simple wooden chests lined the opposite wall, no doubt used to store the belongings of the room's temporary lodgers.

"You'll be sharing with Mae and Becky. Both slight girls—you're a fortunate one. They must be off visiting in one of the other rooms. They'll be in by and by. We have a water closet below stairs. But there's usually a wait for it. Chamber pots under the bed for late-night emergencies. We know how you lying-in girls get toward the end. You're responsible for emptying your own, at least until your ninth month or so. Our physicians believe activity is healthy. All the girls have duties, long as you're able. You'll get your assignment at breakfast tomorrow. Eight o'clock. Any questions?"

Charlotte's mind was whirling with them, but she only shook her head.

"Good night, then." Gibbs let herself from the room.

Excerpted from:  Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen.  Copyright © 2008; ISBN 9780764204791 Published by Bethany House Publishers.  Used by permission.  Unauthorized duplication prohibited.