A Thorny Tale

A Thorny tale: Part seven

Chapter Twenty-seven

Briar

'Well if you will excuse me ladies,' Lord Ashton says to us and looks at Mistress Garnet and Ruby, 'I promised to give you all some time together,' he says more to Mistress Garnet than to anyone else as his eyes are on hers but as he stands up to leave, he turns to look at me.

'I just wanted to tell you Briar that I, we,' he promises, 'will do whatever you want and whatever you are comfortable with but also know we will always do our best for you and protect you, please believe that if nothing else,' Lord Ashton tells me sincerely with that same indecipherable look on his face and he bows deeply to me, on bended knee and takes my hand and places the same kind of chaste kiss that Hunter the mender had done before.

Doing that for me, me who's an ex-slave, as if I'm really worthy of that courtesy? I just don't know how to react in these situations or how to acknowledge what he has said to me. My hesitancy must have been easily sensed by Lord Ashton as he doesn't press me to say anything as he squeezes my hand gently and gets back up and gives me a smile that seems almost yearning towards me but he swiftly turns around and leaves the carriage behind as well in his wake.

'Hey, what happened to my knife?' Ruby suddenly asks out of the blue to us all, jolting me out of my own spinning thoughts and the heavy mood that's descended upon those left behind in this space.

'Hunter collects interesting things and Hunter n-ever gives them back!' His voice calls out, referring to himself in the third person from a distance away but he answers Ruby as if he still stood in the room with us to hear her clearly.

'I'll get it back,' Ruby growls under her breath and goes to stand up but Mistress Garnet stops Ruby in her place by placing her hand on her, 'I want you to stay here,' Mistress Garnet says to her, to the both of us as she concludes me with a commanding look and then continues to speaks, 'as I have something important to tell you both,' Mistress Garnet quickly glances outside through the open door and weighs something in her mind before she speaks again.

'But I also don't know how long this rest stop will last for us here, so please do what is necessary right now and come back,' she asks of us, her voice reflecting a lost quality to it. Ruby fidgets slightly, unsure if we're dismissed yet or not.

'What I have to say to you both will be quite lengthy I feel,' Mistress Garnet sounds deeply exhausted and she gives me a wan smile as she goes to stand up. But instead of leaving like I thought she was doing, Mistress Garnet crosses the distance to me and crushes me to herself in a tight hug that steals the breath from me.

'I'm so sorry my child, I didn't know what to do and I-,' she halts herself and a wracking sob engulfs her as she drops her shield around her carefully guarded emotions and cries as she clings to me, 'I thought you were going to die, I thought we were going to lose you!' She wails, I and Ruby are both taken aback by the sudden breakdown of our strong role model.

'I'm so, so, sorry my child,' Mistress Garnet apologises again as she cries into my neck and I tentatively reach out and place my shaking arms around her and return her hug mechanically in shock until she begins to stop crying and lets go of me reluctantly.

'I hope one day that you will forgive us,' Mistress Garnet tells me in her shuddering, tear choked voice and turns to exits the carriage, her tread heavy and her shoulders slumped under the heavy mantle of responsibility that she always carries. I watch her through my burning eyes and my setting detachment of the world around me.

Ruby crosses the distance between us as well and hugs me tightly to her too, 'I'm so sorry for what has happened too Briar,' she apologises as well, 'but we will find away out of this, I know we will!' She promises me vehemently and releases me quickly from her crushing hug, 'I'll be right back!' Ruby calls to me and she takes a running jump out of the open doorway and I'm finally left alone to deal with the tumult of emotions coursing through me.