Dead Man's Redemption

Chapter - 4 The Dinner

The reflection in the mirror was a delusion. All it reflected was a young girl with the looks one inherits from royalty, yet it failed to show what she had been through. Twenty-one long years of comfort and opulence could not compensate for the terror her heart had submitted to ever since the arrival of Captain Jones in her life. Despite the peril, Davy Jones had caused her and her father, she failed to formulate any judgment against him. He had been both thoughtful and cruel to her, but she did not blame him for the cruelty he committed by abducting her from Verano, for it was not his decision. But it was her father's decision to send her away as a lien with the cursed pirate. Poor Miss Cunningwell held no hatred against her father, but her blind trust in him was cruelly shaken, and she felt skeptical if he would even return with the book to take her back or will she be forced to be on this cursed ship eternally. But what horrified her more was not to send the rest of her life on this ship but the thought that Captain Jones' generosity for her might die the day her father failed to retrieve the book, and she would have to face his wrath. And it did not terrify her, but the probability just disappointed her for a reason strange to her. Morey called her captor a man with no heart, yet to Elena, it felt like all the decisions he took since her arrival was taken from his heart. The way he spoke and the way he played the tunes that enthralled her came from the depth of his heart. The young girl was unconfident whether she should believe the rumour of Davy Jones not having a heart or not, so she decided to wait for a shred of evidence that proved her wrong.

Currently, Elena was seated on the dressing table bench. Her eyes were fixed upon her reflection, which showed nothing but what was on the surface. She was forced to change her dress, for the one she wore earlier was covered in dust and rust and was torn from her time in the dingy cell of the brig. Her skin shone against the phthalo-coloured dress she had changed into. Her raven locks were tied in victory rolls which were imperfect by any measure, but the poor thing was left with no other choice. The young girl was grateful she managed to dress herself sophistically without Greta and Helen - her handmaidens. Her whole life, she was never required to do anything herself, and so she never acquired any skill that might have helped her in surviving on her own. But thanks to the cursed Captain, Miss Cunningwell learnt that she was not as unapt with basic skills as she might have presumed.

The constant stinging pain in the open wound on her forehead was discomforting and distracting, but she was sure nothing on this ship could be of aid to her. The flesh wound appeared like a sore thumb against her otherwise spotless skin. The worn-out dressing table was unoccupied except for the silver brooch she had gently placed on it. The small pin had a very peculiar design to itself which was unlike any craftmanship Elena had seen on Verano or even in Grovania. It was gifted to her on her sixteenth birthday by her mother. And it was to be given to the man who shall hold her heart, but she refused to tell her this gift's history. The thought of her mother sent a stinging pain down her heart which was evident by the tear which escaped her eyes. The handsome queen must be worried about her daughter's whereabouts, and the thought of her mother in despair made Elena feel bleak. But what concerned her more was what would become of the already fractured relationship between her parents. The young girl distinctly remembered that night two years ago when the old couple fell into a rather aggressive argument, the reason for which is still a mystery and how her mother never talked to her father again. Her mother shifted to the Helmesfield Castle that was in the centre of Verano away from their royal castle by the shore.

Agatha Cunningwell was a woman of a bold character whose opinions often clashed with those of her husband, yet they both seemed inseparable, for the respect they shared for each other spoke volumes. Every other difference in opinion was resolved by a quarrel until that dreadful night arrived when the castle of Verano's lost its queen. Willard and Elena were forced to split their time between their parents, and it was not a pleasant deal. Not another word was spoken between Sir Benjamin and Lady Audrey after that, and it was forbidden for anyone to bring that wretched night into conversation with the two.