That Kiss (Revised)

Chapter Twelve - The Help Knows Everything

                Edith was seething! How dare Savannah sneak out with Joseph Buckweed! She was betrothed to another man! Not only that but she was the main player in her path to the throne! She paced back and forth in her room trying to form some sort of plan. She had to find a way to prevent Joseph from distracting Savannah any longer.

                The spark between Joseph and Savannah had been undeniable at first. Edith was sure that after Savannah agreed to her plan that she understood that meant cutting him out of her life, for good. Surely she wasn’t trying to sabotage the whole plan. That’d just be absurd.

                Being the woman she was, Edith needed a backup plan. She was burned once by her ex-husband, Charles, she wasn’t going to let that happen again. She was better than that. She deserved the crown.

                Quickly, she dressed in a long, dark coat and knocked on the first door down the darkened hallway closest to the foyer.

                A frail woman answered, wearing a long white night gown and matching cap on her head.

                “I need you to summon the carriage.”

                The woman nodded once, reaching for her coat hung next to the door. “Right away, Madame Nelson.”

                She smiled a tight smile before whispering. “And just so you know, Mrs. Crock, your tip from earlier will not go unnoticed.”

                Edith tapped her foot impatiently as she waited on the front porch. The crisp winter air stung her skin, but she didn’t flinch. Her mind was reeling, coming up with her latest scheme. Soon enough, Mrs. Crock pulled around the front of the house. Unlike the usual grand carriage she usual sported, this one was more of a sleigh. There’s wasn’t an enclosed section and it only needed one horse to pull.

                Taking the reins from Mrs. Crock, Edith dismissed her and began her journey. Edith slapped the reins against the tall, black horse and it jutting into action. Large puffs of air flowed from the horse’s nose looking like puffs of smoke coming from a train engine. The whole scene was ominous: a deranged lady casting off into the darkness on what seemed to be a journey bringing a series of unfortunate events.