Treasured

42)

Wren

I sat on the terrace with Celia, mind whirling with the events of the previous evening. I couldn't quite believe what had happened, and was unsure of what to do next. I sighed as I stared out at the garden, watching as Celia stopped to pluck a few of the lingering roses.

Heat tugged at me, and I wished to undo my collar, but I knew my Aunt would only scold me. Instead, I sipped the cool glass of lemonade that Maria had gifted me. A plate of untouched pastries sat on a small table nearby, but I hadn't the stomach for it.

~

My eyes widened as the Man in Black approached, silent and deadly as a viper. He paused on the threshold, taking in the scene before him. Something in his posture changed, though I couldn't say exactly what it was, but his demeanor quickly became rigid and hard, rather than easy and fluid.

He uttered no word, and I could make no sound, so Richard was none the wiser as to the man's presence. Richard's face loomed in front of mine, flushed with ecstasy, and desire. His lips descended to my neck, sucking and biting harshly enough to leave marks. In the few moments that it took, the Man in Black disappeared.

~

The morning was quiet, and I pretended to be ill in order to avoid breakfast. The thought of seeing Richard again after his atrocious behavior was too much for me. I was sore and hurting, but I managed to avoid Maria's concern and explain the blood stain on my sheets away by spilling almost an entire tea pot all over them.

What was harder, was concealing my emotions. The utter depths of despair and desperation that I was subjected to could not be evident. The weight of sorrow, the feeling of something precious being stolen, the loss of purity and wholeness that I had just recently been given...it was too much. But I could not let my composure crack without dire consequences. I had to act, to pretend that everything was alright. That nothing out of the ordinary had occured...

And it killed me.

But my Aunt would not allow me an entire day's rest for any reason, and bade me come out for a light luncheon on the terrace. I did not dare look at Richard, and fell to my own musings. As usual, I was ignored, which was better than the alternative. The servants gave me pitying looks, and tried to be kind, but my Aunt berated them if they were too obvious about it.

A stir between the servants grabbed my attention, successfully rousing me from my own mind. Maria came toward me, a smile on her face, and quickly bent low to tell me what was happening.

"There's a parcel for you, Sir! And the inscription says it's from a Mr. Price!" Maria informed me.

"What is the matter?" Aunt Matilda intervened, arching her eyebrows in disapproval.

"Master Daily has received a parcel, madam," Maria reluctantly responded.

"Well, bring it out then. I must see if it is proper for him to have," Aunt Matilda imperiously demanded.

"I'm sorry madam, but he is sixteen, and the parcel is addressed to him. It should be his decision whether to keep the contents or not," Maria reasoned, keeping her tone polite, yet firm.

"Are you questioning me?" Aunt Matilda demanded, clearly unhappy. "I am his guardian! I have the right to manage his affairs until he comes of age, which is not for some time yet. I have clothed, fed, and housed him, and done all in my power to make him comfortable. This is a matter of delicacy. And if you are ever so presumptuous again, I shall no longer be in need of your services!"

I frowned, trying to calm myself. I wanted to have the parcel all to myself. And knowing my Aunt, she would take anything valuable for herself, and burn the rest. My chest ached.