“Hello! I’m here about the room advertised.”
Standing at the threshold of the flat rented by Grace Williams was what one might describe as a “plain Jane”. Her outfit consisted of faded jeans and a well-worn t-shirt, matched with battered trainers. She held a bag that had seen better days. Her light, wavy hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, and she wore no makeup. Her only striking feature was her eyes, large, blue, and bright.
After scrutinizing the young woman, Grace nodded. “Come in!”
“Alright, here are the rules, my dear: no unnecessary electricity use, watch the water consumption, keep it tidy, and no guests. Got it?”
The girl smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s fine!”
“Compliant,” thought Grace, “A rare quality these days… Seems she’s from the countryside.”
From their ensuing conversation, Grace discovered that the girl was named Elizabeth and indeed came from a rural area, where her family owned a farm. She had come to study veterinary medicine.
“I see! You’ll be the pigs’ doctor!” Grace concluded.
Elizabeth smiled without taking offense. “Pigs, cows, horses, even cats and dogs—everyone needs care. Animals get sick too.”
“Sure, sure! We’ve not enough doctors for people, but swine, no problem!” Grace replied, thoroughly unimpressed.
Overall, Elizabeth left a favorable impression on Grace: she was modest, unassuming, quiet, obedient, and tidy. She kept the flat in order, cooked for herself, and even shared her meals with her host.
Elizabeth excelled at making pancakes: paper-thin, golden, and appetizing. Even Grace couldn’t resist reaching for them. These culinary delights melted in one’s mouth before they’d reach the stomach. Grace and Elizabeth grew close, often spending evenings chatting over tea.
Things might have continued to go smoothly, had Grace’s son, Michael, not returned from his six-month stint in the North. A strong, handsome young man, reminiscent of his father, as Grace often thought with a sigh. Grace lovingly called her son “Michel” in a French manner. Though Michael cringed at the nickname, he endured it out of respect for his mother.
Grace raised him by herself, and thus regarded him as her possession. So, when she found her “Michel” chatting with the tenant in the kitchen, devouring her pancakes, she was aghast. The audacity of it—not just the pancakes—this “rogue” was eyeing the “country girl” with interest. Grace was shocked by this revelation.
“My son has no taste!” she lamented.
From that moment on, Grace despised her tenant: the way she cleaned, spoke, and even her pancakes seemed to lose their charm. What frightened Grace most was the infatuated gaze her son, her only close relative, directed at the “bland interloper,” this “country lass.”
“He never looked at me, his own mother, like that!” she mused, stifling sobs into her pillow at night.
“I’ve nurtured a serpent in my bosom,” she confided to her friend, Iris Thompson, an equally lonely lady of a certain age.
“I never thought Michel would notice that plain girl. That’s why I let her in! But she’s dolled herself up, unbraided her hair, and is winning him over with her pancakes!”
Iris listened with empathy and gave her opinion, “Be careful, Grace, lest she enchant your son!” These words fanned the flames of hatred and misunderstanding, almost driving Grace to a heart attack.
Though she didn’t believe in charms or spells, she was irked by the idea of another woman capturing her son’s attention, driving her to distraction.
Days were spent pondering how to steer her son away from the “farm girl.” She didn’t want to be rude or evict Elizabeth just yet, fearing it might push her son away from her.
“No, I must be cunning. I’ll reveal her true colors to my son, so he’ll turn away from her,” Grace schemed.
Grace spent days plotting how to drive a wedge between her son and the tenant. But Elizabeth went about her routine as if nothing was amiss: baking pancakes, making stews, ignoring Grace’s piercing glare. Only once did she ask, “Mrs. Williams, are you feeling alright? You’re looking a bit down these days and not eating much…”
Grace mumbled, “I’m fine,” and retreated to her room, plotting Elizabeth’s downfall. Various ideas ran through her head, including poisoning the audacious girl, but Grace immediately crossed herself, thinking, “Forgive me, Lord, for such wickedness.”
One day, while Grace brooded, Michael returned home with flowers and a ring, proposing to Elizabeth. This event completely unhinged Grace.
“He didn’t even think of his mother, the rascal!” she sobbed into her pillow all night, “He disregards me! He loves only this girl!”
Wiping away her tears, Grace glanced out the window and her gaze fell on her bedside table, where lay her prized emerald earrings. Passed down through generations, they held great sentimental and material value. Elizabeth had admired them often.
“I’ll show her!” Grace hissed, wrapping the earrings in a handkerchief and stuffing them into her purse. She scarcely realized what she was about to do or what would happen next.
The next morning, with a fake smile plastered on her face, Grace asked Michael over breakfast, “Michel, have you seen my emerald earrings? They’re missing.”
“No, mother. What on earth would I need them for?” Michael replied, bewildered.
Grace turned to Elizabeth. “Have you seen them?”
Elizabeth blushed deeply. The mere thought of being accused of theft made her tremble, avert her eyes, and cry.
“I haven’t taken anything!” Elizabeth whispered, holding back tears.
“See! That’s her! She pinched my earrings and sent them off to her poor kin in the village…”
“My family isn’t poor at all,” Elizabeth retorted softly, “And we’d never take what’s not ours. Why do you accuse me?”
“You return my earrings right this instant and leave!”
“I have nothing of yours… Call the police if you must!”
“What good would that do? By now, they’ve reached your relatives!”
Grace spiraled into a frenzy, unable to stop the torrent of accusations.
“Mother, what are you saying? Lizzie would never do that! You’ve probably misplaced them,” Michael intervened.
All three searched the flat thoroughly until Michael accidentally knocked over his mother’s purse, spilling the handkerchief-wrapped earrings onto the floor.
“How could you, Mum?” Michael could only ask, staring at his mother, eyes full of disappointment.
“I made a mistake, dear, you see, I forgot!” Grace attempted to excuse herself.
“I saw everything, Mum. You’ve behaved horribly. Lizzie and I are moving out,” Michael declared.
“You’ll regret it with that girl!” Grace wailed, tears streaming.
Michael silently took Elizabeth’s hand and led her out of the flat.
They found a new place, got married, and were happy together. One day, Michael received a phone call from Iris Thompson.
“Michael, your mother’s in the hospital! She had a heart attack. She wants to see you.”
Elizabeth, learning of her mother-in-law’s health scare, immediately began packing, prepared chicken soup and pies, and bought fruit on the way.
Michael, however, didn’t visit, citing work commitments.
When Elizabeth appeared at Grace’s hospital door, Grace burst into tears. She had longed for her son but faced the girl she blamed for ruining her life and taking her most precious thing away.
“Why are you unwell, Mum? Here’s some broth and pies. May I feed you while it’s warm?” Elizabeth offered.
“Didn’t Michel come?” Grace asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.
“He’s very busy with work…”
Grace acknowledged her words and wept.
“Forgive me, Lizzie, I’ve wronged you… Please, come back. I miss you both dearly.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Mum, you’ve done nothing wrong. It was a simple mistake. Everything will be alright.”
When Elizabeth left, Grace’s ward companion remarked, “You’ve got a lovely daughter! She’s beautiful, kind, and caring!”
Grace smiled to herself, “Yes, she is lovely.”
When Grace was discharged, Michael and Elizabeth brought her home. They continued living together until Lizzie finished her studies. Then they all moved to Elizabeth’s parents’ farm. The place was vast, with ample space. Besides, extra hands were always welcome on a farm.
Grace grew so fond of life there she never wished to return to the city. Especially after the couple welcomed a son, little Alex, in whom everyone doted. While Elizabeth’s parents handled the farm operations, Elizabeth cared for animals and Michael managed the farm shop. Grace dedicated herself to little Alex.
It wasn’t unusual to hear Grace saying now, “God himself sent me that tenant!”
Funny how things turn out!
