Beauty Unseen: The sisters of Folly trilogy (Book One)

Chapter six: Distressed, but no Damsel

Quiet thumps of footsteps and softly muddled sounds of someone speaking outside her door gradually pulled Wendy away from the chasm of darkness she was reluctant to give up her hold of. As she became aware of herself, her senses awakening, a throbbing headache thrummed at her temples, her jaw clenching in reaction to the light beyond her closed eyelids. Within a few moments she managed to peel her eyes open and glanced around the room, where was she? This room was far grander than her own personal bedroom in her father's home. The stark differences made it glaringly obvious that she was not at home. The linens were softer than the ones that scratched at her skin nightly, the room held more than her sparse one, with a large wardrobe, a vanity with three large mirrors ready to show your reflection at many angles, a wooden bench set in front to be seated on as you prepared yourself for the day, a settee with two plush chairs were spread out on a large rug near a lit fireplace, which was the most obvious clue, the estate already suffered from her father's addictions, therefore Bianca wasted no necessary resources on a failed daughter and a fire was a luxury Wendy had done little to deserve in her eyes. 

Her skin warmed and the throbbing behind her eyes eased as she watched the flames dim while crackling sparks popped in the embers of the fire, sunlight peeked through full drapes and memories came back to her in a sudden succession of events playing out in her mind's eye. Bianca's torturously tying her corset, attempting to act through her pain at Lord and Lady Baxter's ball, falling into Lord Pennington as he took far too great of in interest in her sister and her head spun with fear, the girls rushed her to that room and then what? What happened next? bits and pieces flare behind her eyes as she squeezes them shut tightly. The windows that held doors to outside, she remembered desperately wanting the air. Wendy's head throbbed in protest as she strained to remember. Images flashing through her mind, the lantern lit garden, the chill air nipping against her skin as she desperately tried to pull heaps into her aching lungs only to come up short each time. She had the vaguest memory of a large figure holding onto her while breath after breath was heaved into her body. 

She let out a most unladylike groan and forced herself up onto her elbows while an ache shot its way through her lower back, no doubt thanks to Bianca's heel stabbing into her. She worked into a sitting position on her bed with her legs dangling off the sides, her bare toes brushing against the warm wooden floor, staying as still as possible until the room stopped spinning. She looked around, it really was quite grand, the large, canopied bed was set against the furthest wall and gave Wendy a full view of the stylishly decorated bedroom, a bedroom that definitely wasn't her own. 

"Hello?" Wendy managed to croak out and winced at the sound of her voice. Wendy tried to calm down while her heart began to pound painfully in her chest. The gaps in her memory serving to stir a further panic in her, where was she? Her mother and father were not going to take kindly to whatever had happened last night, no matter where she was Wendy already had the sinking feeling that something had taken place, something of such consequence that her life would never be as it was before last night. Wendy was lost to the panic about her parent's possible reactions when door to the room she occupied openly softly.

"Oh miss!" A maid cried out as she set the platter she had been carrying onto the table by the settee and stepped forward to feel at Wendy's forehead. The older maid servant wore a basic dress, blue in color with a lightly colored apron tied around her waist. She was around the same age as Bianca and her cool hand against Wendy's throbbing head caused a moment of weakness, leaning her head further into the woman's hand and closing her burning eyes against the tears clogging her throat with sudden emotions. "Oh, poor child," the maid whispered to herself and placed her hand on Wendy's head, stroking the hair from her face in a comforting manner.

"Where," Wendy tried to clear her throat and broke out in a coughing fit, her back heaving painfully in protest with her already sore muscles. Instantly the maid sprang into action, bringing her a cup of water to sip from the platter she had carried in with her, Wendy felt relief as the water cleared away the dry patch plaguing her throat "I apologize, but may I ask where we are?" She asked one of the many questions on her list of worries.

"You are still at my husband's Capital estate," Lady Baxter walked quietly into the room, the door having still been open from maid's arrival, her long black hair was styled in a very relaxed and youthful style, half pinned into an updo while the rest splayed in thick cascading waves down her shoulders. She wore a cream day dress with blue flowers detailed across the skirts and blue lace lined the hem and capped sleeves "You fell terribly ill last night, Wendy dear and my brother happened upon you and assisted in helping you before things became any worse." Lady Baxter said, a pained look tainting her grey eyes while they continued to shift uneasily to the side with every word. Wendy felt her face ignite in a fierce blush, how awful for her to have imposed so much responsibility onto her poor unassuming brother.

"I'm afraid, there is a bit more to the story, dear Wendy" Lady Baxter continued with a twist of her fingers, the normally confident woman stood a stiff spine, clearing her throat before she bit her lip and spread her hands in front of her as she spoke "The Earl and Countess Folly came upon you two just so during the time that my brother managed to help you and grossly misinterpreted the situation without a willingness to see reason upon further explanation" Lady Baxter watched Wendy's face closely as she held her hands up in a defensive way "My brother is on his way now to your father's house to arrange a marriage contract between the two of you."

The words left Lady Baxter's lips so slowly that Wendy could have sworn they hung suspended in the air between them, she felt her face go pale as the blood drained and the room spun nauseatingly again, her fingers gripped at the blankets below her in an effort to stay upright. "Please, quickly" She muttered still half in shock, but her mind already raced with possible ways to repair the situation "I must get home, I have not a moment to spare."

The maid made haste again and instantly got to work helping her dress into a pretty green day dress, a red and gold design stitched into the hem at her feet and wrists, the sleeves clung to her slender arms. It hugged her waist flatteringly while flaring right above her hips, the square neck bodice taught until reaching down to the skirts that brushed lightly and loosely against her legs, it was nicer than any dress she had ever owned, she made a mental note to return it as soon as she could with some way to thank Lady Baxter for all she had done. Rushing she braided her hair into a single rope that hung down her back, curls still wildly escaping to frame her worry struck her face. 

"The duke... my brother..." Lady Baxter sighed before stepping forward and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder "Rhys is a good man, Wendy. He would always strive to do well for you and protect you. And I find myself believing that should you find in yourself the ability to set aside how this might have come about and instead give this a chance, if you let the wedding continue as planned... " It was obvious Lady Baxter wanted the marriage to go forward and Wendy stopped the frantic scramble to leave as she stared at her gracious hostess, whom she counted as a friend and whose own brother had obviously saved her life last night.

"Please, Lady Baxter" Wendy spoke with a hoarse voice, emotion she kept locked deep within her chest clawing to get out of their cage and show the world just how flawed she was, how unworthy she was of anyone's affections or kindness. But this woman, one of the only people in her life who had ever shown her such kindness, she deserved to understand why this couldn't happen, Wendy took her hands in hers "I am not the right woman for your brother, he has done me a service I will never be able to repay but I hope by sparing him of the disappointing life that would ensue from being my husband, that saving him from a lifetime of my parent's greed and demands or the shame of me for a duchess, if I spare him from that than maybe I will have repaid him in some way. Now I must leave, I must right the wrongs that were born from the events of last night." Wendy moved towards the door as Lady Baxter blocked her way, grabbing her shoulders in each hand as she tried once again to convince her.

"What if it is you that deserves to be spared and protected, Wendy?" She breathed and her hands squeezed gently on her biceps "To be saved from your parent's greed and forced to live like a disappointment when you are far from it? What if you and Rhys are not something wrong but instead the beginning of your happiness together? What if the best way to repay him is to spend the rest of your life loving him?" Lady Baxter held Wendy's gaze unwaveringly as she listed off her dreamlike scenarios with impassioned determination to sway her opinion.

"What you suggest sounds far too good to be true, Lady Baxter, and far too good for what I deserve. I hold no delusions of love, or of being saved from my life. I would be remiss if I subjected the duke to the repercussions of graceless, ugly, disgrace for a wife, if you want something good for your brother you will help me to return to my father's house as quickly as possible to put an end to this." Lady Baxter stared for a moment before she sighed, nodding, and moved to the side speaking as Wendy walked from the room without looking back "Marge will call for a coachman to ready a carriage for your return to your father's house, hopefully my brother will have more sense than to let this slip through his fingers." Wendy ignored her and followed the maid, Marge, quickly out of the vast estate, walking through the rooms and halls that were so full of life the night before and yet so still now, a large number of servants cleaning the messes of careless nobles as some stopped to whisper while she walked by, her cheeks flaming at the onslaught of images dancing in her vision, strong arms held her as they wrapped tightly around her body, a group of eyes watching her, Bianca's eyes that burned with a fire that spelled out her demise, the gust of cold air against her back and the warm chest she fell into that smelled of spices she had never come across before.