The estate turned into chaos the moment Olivia's scream tore through the upper floor. Two hours earlier she had complained of a dull ache, nothing alarming, and then her water broke without warning, and everything unraveled at once.
Servants froze mid-step, mid-breath, before the shock shattered into frantic motion. Someone ran for water they didn't yet know they would need. Another maid burst down the corridor, voice ringing with panic.
"Madam Olivia's water has broken!" She screamed.
The head maid reacted instantly, as she rushed to summon the midwife. Others moved on instinct, stripping beds, heating water, and laying out linens with shaking hands. Years of training surfaced beneath fear, but none of them could forget whose child is about to be born.
