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𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐤𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
•••
THE BASILWEATHER ESTATE WAS EVERYTHING SHE EXPECTED IT TO BE. When they first met Tewksbury, there was no doubt that he was a spoilt rich boy, even by the way he addressed them. But the estate, wow. Hedges were the first thing she noticed as they made their way into the property. Large dark green bushes towering over her frame, sculpted to perfection by no doubt a myriad of garden workers. They bordered every path, even heading out to the forest behind the house and gigantic stables, eventually melting into thick brush of the treeline. There were several houses in the back, ranging in size. The estate itself was large, centered directly in the middle of the property, and surrounded by beautiful statues and fountains. The setting sun only enhanced the view, deep reds raining over the stone walls, illuminating path. It was a castle.
Enola had turned down the main driveway, the hedges disappearing into a nice mown lawn, the occasional bush (in perfect symmetry) lining the driveway. It was an intimidating castle for sure, reminding Amelia of Marcus's family's wealth. There was no doubt in her mind that the people inside would be no different, and for a moment, just a moment, she questioned whether or not she should even go in dressed the way she was. But, they weren't in there to impress.
Tewksbury didn't seem all too pleased by the sights, so Amelia tried not to be either. There was a definite foul mood towards the house, if you could call it that, coming from the boy. His gaze narrowed and his replies became curt, even to Amelia. If not the hand in hers, she would imagine he was mad at her. Fuelled with anxiety, she allowed herself to wonder why he hated it so much. Apart from his family being murderers, she wondered what else made up his distain towards the place. Perhaps they were like her own family, continuously pressuring him, or maybe he just enjoyed the life on the streets of London, surrounded by flowers, much better.
By the time they were near the house, he had turned quiet altogether. By then the moon was high in the sky, darkness surrounding the three as they approached the courtyard. Amelia did not allow herself to feel sny tiredness, knowing that it was important she was there. Enola slowed the automobile down, gently creeping into the yard, then slowed to a stop altogether.
"This is a terrible idea," Tewksbury voiced, "the closer we get the worse this idea becomes," he declared, once again squeezing Amelia's hand as a sign of discomfort. He was dripping in nerves, clearing his throat a few times as Enola ignored him. The estate was quiet, all but a few lights in the center of the building on. So far, from what she could tell, no one was patrolling the grounds either. It had her curious, knowing grand places like the estate would have to be heavily guarded. She wasn't sure exactly what Enola had planned, but there was never a time where she couldn't trust her friend, so she just tightened her grip on his hand in reassurance, hoping that everything would be okay.
Yet, there was a bad feeling brewing in her stomach.
They snuck around the back, hiding behind some bushes as they tried to survey what they were walking in on. Tewksbury had a tight grip on her hand, constantly looking around for supposed threats whereas Enola remained calm, watching the lit up windows with curiosity.
"Why are we doing this?" He asked once more.
"Unlike most well-bred ladies, I was never taught to embroider," Enola started, throwing her leg over the small fence surrounding the gardens. The Hastings' girl felt a stab at her stomach, a frown etched on her face as she followed the two. Sure, Enola had not meant any harm towards her, but there was no doubt some hatred in the girl's mind towards the Hastings family. Amelia knew it wasn't her fault she was stuck the way she was. Just because she knew how to embroider, it didn't make her any less of an adventurer.
"I never molded wax roses, hemmed handkerchiefs, or strung seashells. I was taught to watch, and listen. I was taught to fight," she turned to face the two, tears welling up in her eyes as anger spilt from her soul, "this is what my mother made me for!" Both of of them flinched back the slightest at the view of emotion from her, and Amelia was quick to let go of Tewksbury's arm and give her a quick side hug. Enola never truly expressed the emotions that she gathered at the boarding school, but if it affected Amelia, who hadn't been there as long, it was probably worse for the long haired girl.
"Trust me. Trust us," she glanced at the other girl, "to find the answers."
Just as expected, Tewksbury could only respond with humor, something that had Amelia smacking him over the head, then shushing him when he yelped too loud.
"You don't know how to embroider?"
Smack
"We need to do this," Enola sighed, "you need to do this. We... are doing this." With that, the girls turned on their heels, making a quick but silent approach to the castle. Tewksbury had no choice but to follow them, catching up to Amelia and grabbing her hand once again. It became their staple, their default. Whenever he was stressed, or whenever she was scared. With the situation they were in, that was tenfold.
"Where are all the servants?" Tewksbury asked himself as he opened the door, nothing but darkness and silence coming back at him. He halted the short haired girl at the door as he stepped into the foyer, eyeing the empty halls with nervousness.
"Mother?"
The bad feeling in her stomach was back and she had to pull some of her confidence back, so now feeling determined, she followed the two up a set of stairs, trying to clear her head. It was near pitch black, if not for the occasional candle and the moonlight coming through the windows.
"What's happening?" They entered a large, circular room with windows on some parts going up to the ceiling. She admired the fireplaces, the rails showing other floors, and the cool marble they walked on. It was a beautiful room, grand detailing and molding along all the walls, details so delicate it would take forever to sketch. If it weren't for the ominous feeling of the estate, she would be awestruck. Enola said something next that chilled her to the core, causing her heart to stop momentarily.
