I'm having trouble striking the right tone with a relationship between a young princess and her lady's maid, and I was hoping someone could offer some advice. For context, the book is set in the 18th century and is told from the perspective of Henrietta, a sixteen-year-old princess of a fictional country. As she's one of the King's daughters (as opposed to a niece or sister or whatever) she's quite important, although she isn't in line to the throne as her eldest brother already has children. Because the country is relatively poor, at least compared to the thriving economies of Britain or France, the royal family don't live in as much luxury as you would find in Versailles, so she only has a few servants of her own, and even these she shares with two of her sisters, but her favourite of these is Lillette, their lady's maid, who isn't that much older than her. The problem is, because she sees Lillette every morning, as she helps her dress, etc., she does have some kind of relationship with her. I don't want to go the cliched "oh, class means nothing to me, you're my best friend, here, I'll teach you to read" route, because one of the things I want to do with this novel is present a more realistic view of royalty, as opposed to a sufferer of "generic rebellious royal syndrome". Therefore, it's ingrained in Henrietta that she is very far above Lillette in the social pecking order, and I want their reactions to reflect that. However, if she treats her as too far inferior, or is cruel, I might risk alienating large numbers of readers who'll feel I'm making snide remarks about their social class, as well as of course making Henrietta less likeable or relatable. So I'm looking for somewhere in the middle. As it's a mystery story, I wanted Henrietta to be able to bounce ideas off Lillette, and she could also be useful for finding things out among the servants (especially as she has a younger sister who works as a chambermaid and could therefore question different circles). However, I'm not sure whether to have her tell Lillette about her detective work or just ask her to find some stuff out. So, basically, I'm wondering what sort of relationship they could have, and what sort of interactions they could have in order to reflect that. Another thing is that the book is Henrietta's diary, so what could she write about Lillette? Thanks for your help.
If I were writing this, Henrietta would be kind to Lillette, though in a superior sort of way, as long as Lillette behaved in a way that made it clear that she understood her inferior position and respected her obligations in that position. For example, if Henrietta keeps Lillette running to and fro on irritating tasks, Lillette's job is to be cheerful about it and behave as if she's honored to serve. If Henrietta happens to think to thank Lillette for her trouble, Lillette's job is to be overcome with gratitude. If Lillette instead expresses her annoyance, or even hints at it with a lack of smiling cheerfulness, Henrietta goes icy and possibly punishes Lillette in some way--maybe Henrietta decides that someone else will accompany her on the nice outing that they've both been looking forward to, or maybe she even deprives Lillette of a meal or some other basic thing. On the other hand, Henrietta might enjoy occasionally breaking the rules--maybe when the doors are shut, Lillette gets the last of the scones, or maybe Henrietta might indeed teach her to read, because Henrietta gets pleasure from doing so. On the other hand, maybe Lillette really really wants to learn to read, but Henrietta instead teaches her to play the piano, because that's what Henrietta would get more joy from teaching. I think that Henrietta using Lillette as a confidante could work, but it would again be clear that the relationship is entirely for Henrietta's benefit. Henrietta gets to vent and talk and talk; if Lillette wants to talk about the annoyances and griefs of her life, she'll be promptly cut off and there will be ice again.
Oh man, the writers of Spartacus did an amazing job with this, especially the relationship between Lucretia and Naevia in the first season. If you can stomach all the blood/violence and occasional rape scene, it might be worth a watch as research or just because it's a well written show with lots of hot naked people in it. ETA: Although, to be clear, the servants on Spartacus were all slaves, not employees. They were all from non-Roman countries and considered to be extremely less than human in the eyes of their masters. So it's probably an extreme situation compared to yours, but I still think it's a relevant suggestion.
I'm sorry, but I don't think I can stomach all the blood and violence. (I'm a bit squeamish, couldn't watch GoT either.) Could you possibly summarise a few key things, or let me know if there's an article about it anywhere? Thanks. Thanks as well, ChickenFreak. I think that having Henrietta turn cold would be too out of character, but I thought that maybe Lillette just never does say or do anything that would prompt such a reaction. So it's all nice and pleasant, but the reader notices that the relationship is entirely on Henrietta's terms. I also couldn't decide whether to have Lillette be seventeen or nineteen, so I had the idea that Henrietta's just never asked.
Watch The Remains of the Day (1993) starring Anthony Hopkins. It shows not only upper-class / servant relations, but also the way those continue to be played out down the line. It's mid-twentieth century, but still should help.
The series Downton Abbey did this quite well, especially after the first couple of seasons. Lady Mary and her maid Anna were as close friends as could be under the confines of servant and Lady. I’ve heard some refer to them as “best friends” but the rules of social order are very much in place, and their respective stations are rarely broken. It sounds like the type of thing you’re going for and would be a good guideline. (ETA: the time period is different but the context will hold up.)
