32. Silence And A Dress

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Anne

I wanted to cry. My situation was terrible, and I made it this way. I shouldn't have gone into that house just as I shouldn't have gone into those woods. If only I weren't so stupid.

But I set myself up for failure and now I had to face my problem.

Christopher came out and closed the door behind him. I immediately noticed his behavior and how unusually calm he was, but I held my breath. He could be setting me up—the silence before the storm.

I hugged myself tighter. I don't know if it was because I was cold or because I felt scared and guilty. Maybe both. But at that moment, I just hoped we could take this lecture inside the carriage where it was warm to cower.

Christopher took one look at me and thinned his lips. "You're shivering," he said. He took off his coat, and without me saying anything, he wrapped it around my shoulders. I held it close to me.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked in a weak voice, too scared to say anything else. He shook his head and sighed.

"Come, let's get you back in the carriage."

I nodded and followed him to the carriage. He opened the door for me, and I slid in, moving over to the other side. After getting in, Christopher closed the door and hit the roof, and the carriage began to move.

I glanced out the window at the empty night. It felt lonely at this time, and I wondered what would happen if I said anything. I was waiting for the scolding, but it never came. I could hear him breathing, and I felt his eyes on me. Maybe he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He was as silent as the night.

I couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"I'm sorry," I said, still looking out the window. I didn't want to turn my head with the fear of crying. I didn't want to look into that man's eyes and see the anger in them.

"You had no right to go into that house," he said, his voice just as tight as mine.

"I know," I said.

He was silent for a moment, but I still felt his eyes on me. I was scared to move, even to breathe, but at last, he spoke. "Anne," he said calmly. "What do you think of me?"

The question struck me down to my very core. What was I supposed to do, lie? Tell the truth? It came so fast, and I felt the need to answer it the same way.

"You killed someone," I said, my voice shaky. "You steal, and you kidnapped me. I don't know how else to look at you. You're a monster."

I glanced at him through the reflection from the window. He looked back at me, his brows furrowed and his lips tight. I didn't know what else to do but stare.

"I am. And I can't change what I've done. But you should know that that man I killed in America stole something very precious to me."

I didn't say anything, nor did I want too because I didn't know what to say. Christopher was telling me something that I still couldn't decide was true or not, but he told me, didn't he? He looked honest enough, but was what he said real? I think after a while of me not saying anything, Christopher gave up, and we road the rest of the way in complete silence.

After some time, the carriage rocking calmed my shaking nerves enough to make me fall asleep. I remember resting my head on something warm, something soft, and I felt comfortable. I inched closer to it, and it welcomed me, rewarding my actions by wrapping itself around me and pulling me closer.

I breathed in its scent. It was earthly, like the woods, the sea, and the wind all in one. I couldn't get enough of it. It smelled like home.

I stayed like that until the carriage stopped, and there was movement. I didn't want to move, so I snuggled closer to the strange warm something. The warm something didn't seem to mind, not even when I rested my head against the square of it where I heard the noise of something that went bump, bump, bump.

Like the rocking, it soothed me, and I gripped tightly onto it, not wanting to let it go. But the next thing I knew, I was greeted with a sudden burst of cold and felt myself get lifted into the air.

"Night, Cap'n," I heard someone say.

The warm something sighed. "Night, Fish," it said before moving.

I felt the rhythm of the world move around me, and I tried to block it out by listening to the steady sound of the thing pressed against my ear. I thought the movement would never stop until I felt the warm something lay me down onto something soft, and only then did I let go.

I cured myself up, seeing no other way to keep warm. I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy, and I was too tired to do such a difficult task. I let whatever the warm something was pull off my boots and throw a blanket over me. I was just about to drift into a land of unconsiousness when I felt a warm breath hover above my ear.

"Goodnight, darling," it said and kissed my forehead, then I fell asleep.

***

Over the next couple of days, things were different between Christopher and I. He had become quieter, less talkative, and less annoying than usual.

I found this strange, but I didn't say anything because I was still trying to figure out what to make of the pirate. Christopher hadn't said a word about the night we visited that house, and I almost wanted to scream at him because of it.

I was no idiot. I knew Christopher was the one that carried me to bed that night. I wish I knew why he did it. The pirate could have woken me. It would've been easier to sneak into the mansion. So, why did he do otherwise?

My head hurt, trying to figure it all out that I didn't even realize that the grand ball was in one day! Only one!

I never realized the time had gone by so fast, especially when Christopher and I did nothing but walked the mansion's grounds. We walked the gardens, around the stables, a path that led into the back forest.

And on those walks, Christopher and I barely spoke a word to each other, only exchanging things like, 'what a beautiful day it is,' or 'I wonder what's for dinner.'

It was never anything specific and never anything else. It would seem we both hadn't recovered from that night. We only really spoke when we had to get back into character, me playing the darling wife, proud of her husband's achievements, and Christopher playing the strong-willed and witty husband.

Because of the silence between us, I got engaged in the world of gossip, and Christopher got involved in the world of whatever big powerful men talked about these days.

But the thing was, it was always Susan Crawly did this, or Eliza Tucker did that. I didn't care what these people did or didn't do, but it was the only thing that I could find to do to prevent me from making anything more awkward between Christopher and me.

And it was strange; I didn't know who the hell half of these people were, but somehow Lady Wheat managed to help me with it all, but either way, I still didn't care.

But what about Katherine, you say?

Well, Katherine remained Katherine. She still glared at me and was still waiting until she could have Christopher all to herself. I ignored her to the best of my abilities, but I couldn't help what was coming for me.

Today was the day I was going to try on the dress that Lady Wheat had gotten me, and it was (what a surprise) in Katherine's room.

I was not happy about this, but what could I do? After getting ready in the morning and after eating breakfast, Katherine, Lady Wheat, and I headed into Katherine's private chambers.

When you think of a fifteen-year-old girl's room, what do you think is in it? Or a better question, what is your reaction to it?

Mine was disgust. I was almost sick. Standing before me was like a cupcake had exploded. It was all pink. Every single inch of that bedroom was pink. From the bed to the bathroom, it was pink.

I guess it was pretty obvious who chose the decor in this room.

"My room," Katherine announced sarcastically, walking in and plopping down on her pink bed.

Her mother guided me through the doors and pulled me to a tall wardrobe that almost took up the whole left side of the room. I struggled a bit in her grasp, trying to get away, but did that woman pull me!

"Wait until you see the dress I've had made for you!" She exclaimed, stopping in the front of the wardrobe. I glanced over at Katherine. She looked like she could be do anything else but try on dresses with me. It was almost funny.

Lady Wheat threw the wardrobe door open and dug through it, pushing away dresses that were not what she was looking for until she stopped at one dress, and I nearly screamed.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net