Calanthia 1. Avoiding him part 2

I pulled her chair closer to him, put my feet up and snuggled into the blanket. A few inches from my right foot, his hand was lying – still, palm upwards. His hand was almost twice the size of my hands, and much paler. His was as well much wider, more masculine. Most men have rough, brushy hands I had often noticed – but not him, no definitely not him. His hand was so smooth; I touched the skin beneath the tips of my fingers. It felt so nice when it was placed to my skin, mine was cold and his was warm, hot with fever.
I suddenly felt the sleepiness rushing over me, now that it was calm and quiet at last. My hands fell back, limp, into my lap and I relaxed back into the chair, no way to fight my eyelids any longer. One, two, three and I was out, sleeping like everyone else in the family.
In my sleep I dreamt of the future. Though the future I saw was not the future I wished to see. In this future I had stopped acting, I was locked in my room in the house and it had been the duke who had the keeping of the key. My mother had moved to America with Mr. Dunleavy and left us to fence for ourselves. The duke had married Victoria and the two of them supported the entire house. My sisters had tried to stop the duke from locking me up but he had done it anyway. And since it was him, who was their only chance of food and support they had no say in the matter. Before I woke up, the duke had knocked on my door and spoken to me. His voice had been cold and to mature for his age.
“You are going to stay in this room for seventy years. And by then, we will all be dead, so no one will be able to let you out. You brought this upon yourself. You wondered what it would be like if your mother had died instead and your wish nearly became true, minus one minor detail – now they’re both dead. “
And then he had laughed the most vicious laugh I had ever heard.
I woke up with a gasp, looking anxiously around me. I was still in the room, the duke and the rest of the family was still sleeping. No one was going to hurt me. Or, or my family…
I sunk back into the chair. Too frightened to sleep, and too tired to read. My eyes flickered to the ceiling; it was black with plenty of tiny shining, painted stars. My mother always said that a starlit sky is something every individual must experience and if you could not see the actual one – here was an indoors version. I took a deep breath, lifted away the blanket and got up of the chair.
With shaky, staggering steps I walked out of the room and into the bathroom. My hands slowly turned on the tap and the water flowed. I cupped it with my hands and threw it on my face. It felt nice. I looked up into the mirror. My face was slightly paler than usual, my eyes were bloodshot and my long, red hair clung to my forehead.
The door knuckle made a sound and then there was a knock on the bathroom floor. The knocking became more and more eager. I froze, and horrorstruck I studied the locked door.
“Cala, open the door! I really need to use the bathroom” Victoria pleaded.
Relief washed over me and I hurried to dry my face and went to open the door.
“Thank you!” Victoria said quickly. She pushed me out of the bathroom and closed the door shut.
I went to sit in the kitchen, eating chocolate cookies and drinking a large glass of milk as my mind was occupied with the memories of the dreams. After a while, I heard loud footsteps in the stairs once more and down bounced Agnes, standing sleepily in the staircase while looking into the kitchen.
“What is going on? What was that noise? ” she asked as she rubbed her eyes.
“Oh, it was just Victoria who really needed to use the bathroom,” I answered and chuckled to myself.
“Oh. How is the duke, do you know? Has he woken up yet?” Agnes asked conversationally.
“No, he is unchanged. Mama and Amelia are sleeping in the guestroom beside him.”
“Should we wake them up and take their places?” she asked, though she did not want to.
“I’ll do that, I cannot sleep anyhow. You just go back to bed.” I soothed her.
“Okay, thank you,” she said sleepily. No need to argue there.
As Agnes went up to her bed, I gently woke up my mother and sister and one at a time, led them to their rooms. They were both too tired to disagree. When they were both tucked in, shoes off, blankets on – I went back to the guest room. Nothing had changed there; he was still lying unconscious, unmoving, and simply breathing on the white bed.
As I looked at him the questions came up, one after another in my head. Was he ever going to wake up? What awful journey had made him like this? And why did I dream about him when I clearly did not know him?
I sat down in the chair again and looked at him. He breathed and as he did, the movements made something sparkle. At first I hesitated but my curiosity took over and I went to have a closer look. The shirt of his was in the way and as I gently pulled it away I saw what had caught my attention.
It was a necklace, a white, shiny chain with two charms hanging it. One of them was a golden heart, or it was to golden ears forming, together, a golden heart. There was also another one. The shape of it was quite peculiar and the colors as well. It looked nothing like any of the jewelry the people in town wore, and definitely not like something any man would wear.
The second charm consisted of a red heart with a golden hand on each side of it, holding it, and behind the heart there was a half moon in pure silver.
The stair creaked and I heard footsteps, slowly approaching the first floor in which I was in. My head turned back and forth between gazing the door and gazing at the necklace. I wanted desperately to inspect the charm further though the footsteps did not give me any time.
My fingers fumbled with the chain and gently pulled the charms off. When the footsteps got closer, and louder, in a hurry I hid the charms in the cleavage of my dress. No one would look there, I figured. I pulled my robe around my trembling body and sat back, casually in the chair. Hiding any sign of distress.
The door knuckle made a sound and it gently opened. In the door opening stood my mother, in her nightgown, purple slippers and her conspicuously large golden necklace lying around her necklace - which Mr. Dunleavy had bought her a few years back. Her wavy, blonde hair was pulled back behind her ears and she looked so childish. She almost looked like a child would look when it was about to get to go to the zoo or something else getting children mischievously excited.
“Morning, love” my mother greeted me as she entered the room.
“Good morning, mother” I answered, still casual.
“How was your night?”
“Not so well. I did not get much sleep. And yours?” I lied. No need to tell her everything.
“I slept like a baby!” Erin sighed.
“Let’s make breakfast!” she blurted out ecstatically.
Yes, let’s spend the already fantastic day doing abnormally uninteresting lady things.
I just then suddenly realized how tired I truly was and yawned deeply.
“Go wake up your sisters and I’ll get started.”
“Alright”
Hiding my boredom and distress, I turned my back to my mother and set pace upstairs. My darling sister Victoria was still snoring as loud in her bed when I entered the room. An idea suddenly came to me as I saw a large book lying on the desk beside me, and I “accidently” pushed it of the edge, creating a loud thud. Victoria, just as I had hoped for, flew out of bed, looking cautiously around her.
“I am awake!” she cried out as she looked around sleepily.
“I am sorry, “I chuckled, “Its breakfast time”
“Oh, already…?” she said and sunk down on the bed again, relieved that it was me in the room and not our mother. “It feels like I fell asleep only an hour or so ago,”
“Um, Victoria, you have been sleeping for nine hours. It is eleven a clock.”
“Eleven..!? But I am supposed to meet Jane and Janice at eleven thirty.” She said anxiously and jumped out of bed.
“Oh no, oh no, MOTHER!!!” she screamed as she hurried out of the room.
Mr. Dunleavy walked out of his room the minute she ran by, in only her small nightgown, and he stared startled after her. I watched him in silent amusement.
I followed Victoria down the creaking stairs and walked slowly beside her as we descended the kitchen. Erin stood by the stove, humming as she watched the sausages silently cook to perfection.
“What is a matter my dear?” she said as she turned around calmly.
“Mama, it is almost eleven. I am to meet Jane and Janice in town in only thirty minutes. What should I do?” She blurted out as she heavily gestured with her hands in anxiety on every word.
“Calm down dear, we will work this out.” Their mother said as she thought for a second.
“You must hurry and get dressed. Calanthia will have to skip her walk and sit by Mr. Denton in your place.”
My sleepiness and irritation swiftly turned into anger. First I had to watch this mediocre, boring man all night while staring into the rough and while they slept comfortably in their beds. And now I as well should take their daily shifts while they got out and had fun and I had to miss my walk. I glared at my sister and then spoke, aiming for persuasive, to my mother.
“But mother, I… I was going to take my daily walk just now. It is in very young lady’s interest to maintain a well female figure, and to do so, one must have her daily exercise!”
Erin looked at first undecided and then put on an oblivious and stubborn face, one that could not be softened.
“Please, mama, can she not go another time? I did not have my daily walk yesterday either.”
“My dear, the circumstances are different now. We have a guest to consider. Victoria must go meet with Jane and Janice in order to claim and hold her social status. You, Calanthia, were an early bloomer and because of your exceptional behavior ever since he died, your status is secured. Hers is not. It took a far more brief time for you to make it in society than it took your sisters and now it is her turn. She must go. That is final!” She said firmly, no room for arguments. Her voice was stiff and angry.
“Victoria, you must hurry now my dear. You shall take the carriage, looking your best as you do. Go on now, make your mother proud.” She said with an irritatingly calm and loving voice to Victoria. It made me growl.
“But what about Mr. Denton, what if he wakes up?” Victoria asked with fake anxiety. I was sure she enjoyed this.
“Do not worry, my dear, your sister Calanthia will take care of everything. You just have a good time … and behave; we do not want any scandals” This thoughtless comment pulled the last drip over the cup for Calanthia. Her thoughts came angrily with eager, passing through head like flies on a hot summer day.
Scandals, hmmm, oh are you referring to you marrying dull, old, rich man only weeks after the love of your life died? A man of whose funeral every person in Hammersmith attended, all while soothing the heartbroken widow, who apparently was not so sad since she remarried so soon afterwards. Ugh!
“I, mother…” Victoria continued.
‘Why bother?’ Calanthia wondered astonished as she could clearly see that Erin was determined to her decision.
“Go!” Erin urged her.
Victoria mouthed I am sorry to me but the rage in my mind just increased. Bloody socially handicapped late blooming big sister!
After Victoria had run up the stairs and gotten dressed, we all, including the rest of the family, ate breakfast in a hurry. My sisters, Mr. Dunleavy and my mother hurried to church, it was a Sunday. Victoria sat in the carriage on her way to Jane and Janice and I, after cleaning the dishes, went to the back of the house, out the backdoor.
Today I could not see her friends, yesterday I could not either. But I would not leave them waiting for me; they had to know I was not coming. I called my horn and let them know that I was waiting for them to come here.
Only minutes later all of my friends arrived, first Charlotte and Ryle, then Lura and Mackie and last but not least, Churi. They all embraced me, one at a time, brief, and then stood to look at me. I peered back on them. Charlotte was brown to the color and her eyes were deep brown. Her hair shone in the sun, in the shades of brown. Her face, as was Ryle’s, was very angular, though still soft. Ryle’s eyes were blue and his hair was nearly black. He and Charlotte shared the same skin tone and feature’s though he was, of course, much taller. Lura and Mackie are a bit paler than the others but they were still much more tanned than me. Lura has green eyes and light brown hair. She is very slender, less curvy than Charlotte, and her face is square. Both hers and Mackie’s cheekbones are very high and they were all, very beautiful. Mackie’s eyes are also green though in much lighter shade than Lura’s. And as her older brother, he is, like Ryle is to Charlotte, much taller. Churi is the one least resembling to the others. His skin is darker than theirs, permanently and not tanned, his eyes were dark brown and despite his body’s and face’s hard, angular shape, he had the most gentle smile and eyes.
All of them, Churi, Ryle and Mackie, were very muscular and yet slim. You could see the veins on their lower arms. They wore shirts, sleeveless and red, and pants, khaki colored. The girls on the other hand wore beige, brown striped dresses, complementing their figures more than should be allowed. I suddenly felt small and dull in her dull, blue long dress – completely in closefitting. My face was paler today than it should be since I had not gotten any sleep and my long, red hair lay restlessly on my right shoulder. My eyes were still bloodshot I was sure, and I was also positive that they noticed the change. My thoughts were confirmed when she saw Charlotte’s worried stare.
“What happened to you? You look awful!” she blurted out.
I glared at her.
“Thanks. Love you to Char” I answered too quickly, irritated. I knew I looked tired, but awful, that was a bit harsh.
“I am sorry, but seriously, you look exhausted. What happened?”
“I am exhausted” I sighed, “I have been up all night, watching over the duke and –”
“A duke…? Who is that?” Lura interrupted with a grimace.
“He is, apparently, a duke and a cousin to my stepfather’s dead sister…”
“The old hag…?” Mackie asked.
“She actually has relatives? I always figured she was some discretion of the universe.” Ryle asked, grinning.
“The one and only,” I smiled. “That used to be my theory too, until I heard she and Mr. Dunleavy only was half siblings, then I lost my faith in universe… I mean if universe screws up once, fine, but twice, and not even in the same family, that’s just bad”
They all laughed and then Lura spoke.
“So what about him… Why were you watching over him?”
“Well, when he arrived last night he was unconscious and he has been ever since. The doctor told us it was some overreaction to the journey here. Anyhow, my mother and Amelia was supposed to guard him the first shift and we others went to bed. Mr. Dunleavy and Victoria, as always snored exceptionally loud and when I went downstairs since I could not sleep, mother and Amelia too was sleeping. I took their places and watched over him all night – “
They stared at me and snorted in agreement.
“But it was the dreaming about him that did so that I could not sleep.”
“That sounds just like you, Calanthia, already dreaming and fancying the unconscious man. “ Churi chuckled.
I glared at him.
“Not one of those dreams. Nightmares...”
“Is he that scary looking? What kind of nightmares, tell us” Lura urged her.
“No he is not scary looking – at all. He is quite mediocre actually. But the nightmares where so vivid and hmmm, I don’t know. I was locked in my room by the duke and my mother and Mr. Dunleavy was gone in America. The duke had apparently gone to America and killed my mother and then married Victoria. Since he was the one supporting them they could not even disagree when he locked me in. He said that I could be released in seventy years and by then my sisters and he would be dead so I was damned. “
I watched them curiously, trying to grasp what they were thinking as they stared at her – their expressions were unreadable.
“Wow. That’s just um… something” Charlotte finally said.
“It is. And he is strange altogether, the duke. I found these charms in a necklace around his neck. Men do not wear necklaces and definitely not these type of ones”
“Here are they” I said and held out the charms to them.
Lura took it and they all looked at it closely, and after a few minutes handed it back to me.
“You stole it?” Lura said, startled.
“Borrowed it, borrowed, and not stole. My mother was coming down the stairs as I looked at it. I intend to return it before he wakes up” I assured her.
“Mhm,” Churi said, “And your mother is afraid we will steal from her…” he grinned.
“Borrow, not steal, and borrow.” I corrected.
“Whatever you say, Calanthia, so why can’t you come out to us today?” Mackie asked teasing.
“Because, my darling mother and the rest of the family, except Victoria, are at church and I have to guard Mr. Denton. Victoria was supposed to do it but she has to meet with Jane and Janice to, according to my mother, make a social appearance and secure her status in the society.” I said disgusted, still irritated.
“Your mother said that? She has really lost it since your old man died.”
“She has; indeed, I am suffocating in this dull, well brought up, home. I cannot wait to leave. “
“So, is there any chance of seeing the one who is causing all the fuss? “ Ryle asked.
“Of course, not much of a sight though. I promise you, I will do everything in my sadly enough, limited power, to get to you tomorrow – or later today.”

I walked them into the house and they saw him. As I thought, they did not, either, see what all the fuss was about. After they had left I went to sit with him. I put back the charms where they belonged and, it probably was just in my imagination, but he seemed a bit less weak and pale afterwards.
There had been no change at all when the lot came home a few hours later. Church was only a two hour service though afterwards Mr. Dunleavy always stayed to chat with the minister. In their female duty the rest had to wait for him.
“Hello, darling, is there any change in him?” My mother asked me.
“No, none, and now that you are home may you watch him so I can get my walk? I promise I won’t be long. “
“Yes, of course my dear” she said in a silk voice.
Almost like I was a fool to think I even needed to ask, though I knew – that was not the case.
I was just about to leave and on my way out I walked into the guestroom. They all had their positions; Victoria held his hand, Amelia padded his forehead and Agnes read her book by the bed. I heard the girls chattering about something, but what about, I could not tell as I walked past the room to sneer my boots on. My mind was filled with thoughts of how to get out of there as soon as possible and how long it would be until the secret man woke up and could soon be leaving them.
I opened the door and the minute I did, Agnes rushed out of the bedroom and shouted.
“Calanthia, he is awake”
I shut the door close and set pace to the carriage. I was going to my second rehearsal in town and when I got home it would be so late that the duke would be asleep once more.
Internally I fought my battles and tried with all of my force to ignore the strong thoughts and ideas of storming back into the room and of confronting them all right then. I could have just screamed at them, creating the guilt I wanted them to feel and then stormed out instead of gone out directly. They would not have been able to do anything, just being quiet. And then the duke had to have realized what a crazy family he was visiting and he would leave, leave and never come back, as I wished him to. Should I do that or should I just sit and wait, wait for the moment to pass and try to endure it?
On the one hand was the sweet feeling of yelling to my family all while scaring away the young man though on the other there was the temptation of sticking around to see if I could find smaller, different ways to scare him away? Scream or endure?