Bondmaid was no fledgling word, and its meaning disturbed me. Lizzie was right; it referred to her as it referred to a Roman slave girl.

Dr Murray's rage came back to me then and I felt mine rising to meet it. It should not be, this word, I thought. It shouldn't exist. Its meaning should be obscure and unthinkable. It should be a relic, and yet it was as easily understood now as at any time in history. The joy of telling the story faded.

"I'm glad it isn't in the Dictionary, Lizzie. It's a horrible word."

"That it may be, but it's a true word. Dictionary or no, bondmaids will always exist."

— Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Page 113)