Will and Testament // Sequel to the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Nineteen

Although I knew I would have to face Mother and Father at some point without Uncle Matthew there, I wanted to put it off as long as possible.

Despite Uncle Matthew's repeated reassurance that no one was mad at me, that didn't stop the fear or anxiety from bubbling up. A historical precedent told me all I needed to know about what would happen when I emerged from my room the next morning. I couldn't avoid school which meant I couldn't avoid Mother and Father; I would have to face them, even if I didn't want to.

When I woke up the next morning, I had a few fleeting seconds where I didn't remember anything about the previous day, but it soon came flooding back. I groaned and ran my hands over my face before kicking the blanket away from me but remaining in bed. Sunlight streamed into the room and I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came to wake me up.

I slumped out of bed with my feet thumping onto the floor in protest of being forced to move. My legs ached from the running I did the previous day and I stretched my arms behind my back. Before anyone came up to my room, I changed out of my nightdress and into my school dress, running a brush through my hair and pulling out several twigs and sticks that I didn't know were in there the day before.

A knock at the door caught my attention as I pulled out yet another small twig from my hair. Mother always said it resembled a bird's nest when I didn't brush it, that morning it could have housed several birds.

"I'm awake," I said, grabbing a ribbon from my dresser and tying it into my hair.

"I thought as much when I heard you thumping around," Mrs Smith said, pushing the door open with her back. "Breakfast."

"But we eat breakfast in the dining room." I furrowed my eyebrows at her.

"Given the circumstances, this might be for the best."

"Great, so they can't even stand to look at me?"

"I didn't say that." Mrs Smith entered the room, she crossed to my writing desk and put a tray with toast and scrambled eggs on top. "Your father left for work early and your mother has decided to take breakfast in her room this morning. Marsh will take you to school as usual."

"Alright."

"You can leave the tray in here and I'll send one of the girls up to get it."

I nodded. "Thank you."

Mrs Smith smiled and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. I sighed and walked across the writing desk which had become my own dining table in recent days. Even though I had barely eaten anything the night before, I didn't feel all that hungry but sat at the desk to shred the toast and make it look like I had eaten it. When I did make an attempt to eat the toast, it scratched my throat and I didn't think I could stomach the eggs.

Mother never took breakfast in her room unless she was unwell and I doubted that would be the case. Not only that, but Father rarely got called into work early unless he was supposed to be working at the hospital but I knew he hadn't been scheduled in. They were both ignoring me, there couldn't be any other explanation. After the previous night, I suppose it should have been expected, but they couldn't even stand to be in the same room as me.

I spent a few minutes picking at my breakfast without eating before deciding I needed to head off to school. Grabbing my satchel, I stuffed it with some work from the writing desk and left my room with my hat to hand. The entire house appeared to be holding its breath with tension weighing down on every nook and cranny throughout the house. Every creak of the floorboard sounded louder, every breath I took echoed around the empty space.

Marsh was standing outside by the car by the time I had escaped the confines of the house. He smiled at me; at least someone wasn't mad with me for some reason or another.