Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack Page A

housemaids, nursemaid, governess, and cook. It made Minna’s head spin. She was still not quite used to the constant mayhem and frantic rhythm of it all. Even though her duties in former households had been demanding, she had never dealt with six children before.
    It was no wonder Freud retreated downstairs to his office. He spent most of his time there, a place strictly prohibited to the family. The geography enforced that edict. It was one floor down from the residence, but it might as well have been across town. When he was in his office, no one intruded.
    Martha continued giving instructions to Edna, who suddenly began punching her thighs with both fists and then tilted her head back and grimaced.
    â€œWhat’s the problem, now?” Martha asked.
    â€œIt’s my rheumatism acting up again.”
    â€œI thought it was lumbago?”
    â€œIt’s both.”
    â€œBoth. Of course. And the household knee?”
    â€œThat, too,” she said, defiantly.
    â€œSo many ailments, Edna.”
    â€œWill that be all, madam?” she asked.
    â€œYes. And don’t forget the plants. They need to be watered exactly at eleven.”
    Edna heaved a big sigh, then pointedly limped out of the room and shut the door. Martha looked pained, then drew her needlework out of the basket and began crocheting, resolutely jabbing the hook in and out. As if this house needed more doilies.
    â€œExactly eleven?” Minna asked.
    â€œShe always forgets.”
    â€œThen I’ll do it.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t have to. That woman drives me mad. I swear, every week there’s something else. One more ailment, I’m letting her go for good.”
    â€œNo, you’re not. She’s been with you forever,” Minna said, discounting her sister’s annoyance with a wave.
    â€œI’m just tired of all her woes. The debts. The husband who cheats. The ailing mother. The sister who lost her position. I spend all my time appeasing her, then I get angry and fire her. Then I feel guilty. It’s just too much. Get me a damp cloth, will you?”
    Listening to Martha was a stark reminder that in these times, women either kept servants or were one. In Minna’s experience, wherever she worked, the world was divided into servants and masters, “us” and “them.” Drifting within this rigid caste system were jobs such as governesses and ladies’ companions. These women, like herself, were typically single and existed in a kind of social limbo. They were often upper middle class, but due to unfortunate circumstances regarding their family’s fortunes or their marital status, they were forced to find a way to support themselves.
    Minna learned the hard way that this existence was a domestic no-man’s-land. The servants in the household often envied and disparaged her as having airs beyond her means. The fact of the matter was, she worked for a salary like any other domestic servant yet she was considered of a higher class. Her employers, while not treating her exactly like a servant, considered her a refugee from failed circumstances, thus not entitled to be treated as an equal.
    But here it was different. After all, here she was family.
    Minna picked up a linen towel next to the washbowl, dipped it in the lukewarm water, and handed it to Martha.
    â€œLet’s change the subject, shall we? Can we talk about Mathilde?” asked Minna.
    â€œWhy? Is she sick, too?”
    â€œSick of her studies. The child is completely uninterested. Although that governess makes history as boring as a dog’s lunch.”
    â€œYou could hire all the governesses from Vienna to Berlin and Mathilde still wouldn’t be interested. Anyway, what does she need all that Latin and history for?”
    â€œYou’re not saying she shouldn’t be educated, are you? And, by the way, is she allowed to put her boots all over the furniture? The other day she—”
    â€œOf