Let tomorrow come

Chapter 7.

It's Wednesday. The stairs had already been repainted, and the house smelled of an unusual aroma of varnish. Christina inhaled the smell and thought that another girl would arrive soon, they would definitely become friends, and she would no longer be alone in these inhospitable walls. Yesterday, the grandmother explained that the girl would no longer go to school because when interacting with other children, she becomes undisciplined and disobedient.

"Mrs. Olson, now the girl is completely under your responsibility. In the coming days, take care of the children's manners, especially hers. On other days, all the classes will be on you, I believe you can handle it, I think she no longer needs school. And of course, I will increase your salary."

"Of course, Mrs. Winnes, don't even think about it. I have everything under control. The girl will not disappoint you after my lessons", Alice took out one of them from the baggage of prepared smiles.

And now Christina had to study under the supervision of Mrs. Olson all the time. The girl was not happy about this, because at school she had at least some kind of communication, but in this not very welcoming house, it was completely reduced to nothing.

"Probably the self-confident governess knows something, because she teaches my brother how to draw, but my manners are already in perfect order," the girl thought.

At nine o'clock in the morning Alice herself arrived, dressed in a long black dress of a narrow cut. She smelled of harsh perfume. Christina wrinkled a little, but tried not to show it. The girl herself was in a dark green dress just below the knee with small fern leaves, not too wide, but not too narrow. It was Jane who, before leaving, ordered a dozen new and very beautiful dresses for her. And although grandmother shook her head disapprovingly, dad also supported mom. So now Christina loved wearing them more than others, because they saved a piece of parental warmth. Her hair was braided into two tight braids with green ribbons that matched her dress. This is what Ann did for her favourite girl early in the morning.

Alice made the girl perfect her curtsey to begin with. It remained a mystery to Christina why she should do this, because no one did this at school. But she had to pass the time before lunch, so she over and over again did what the harmful governess told her. And if before the girl did not communicate with her, except for meals, now she began to dislike this dry woman, stingy with kind words. At one o'clock Alice finished the lesson and said:

"I believe, miss, your grandmother will organize a party at which there will be classical dancing, which she loves so much. Now I'll go and help Mr. John learn them. If you want, you can sit in a corner in the hall and watch, you still have nothing to do, you are too small for this. Just be quiet. Mr. John is focused on his studies, unlike you."

"Why is she slandering me, I tried to do all these useless things," the girl thought.

She settled in a corner of the hall out of curiosity. Not everything went so smoothly for the prankster brother, but Alice was very patient, and seemed to be currying favor with him. Christina didn't like this, but she remained silent and only quietly slipped out of the hall. She decided to find Anne or go to Marco, who had steam beautifully billowing from the pots in the kitchen.

***

At four o'clock on Friday afternoon, an elegant retro car slowly drove into the yard and stopped. As Christina later finds out, it was an Aston Martin. A woman came out wearing a cream long dress and a slightly old-fashioned white hat with long strings and a not very wide brim. She opened another car door and a girl jumped out. She looked a little older than Christina. She was wearing a soft blue fluffy dress that barely reached the knee and dark blue sandals. Unruly blonde curls were neatly styled and braided into a ponytail. Mabel whispered something to her daughter, and the girl immediately assumed a dignified air, and her face became serious and cold.

"Hello Mabel, I haven't seen you for so long, I'm very glad you've blossomed like a rose. By the way, it's already waiting for you in your chambers. They are your favorites, do I remember correctly?" the grandmother said languidly and hugged the woman.

Mabel looked a little shy from it.

"Mrs. Eugena, thank you so much for having us. We are so tired of the bustle, but here it is always quiet and calm. We can immerse ourselves in thought, take a walk, or sit with a book in our hands. And we really haven't seen each other for a long time, you're right. Mom will definitely visit you in December. This is my daughter, Amber. Meet grandmother Eugena, an old friend of our grandmother, and here we will spend a month and a half."

Amber barely tilted her head. The old lady also hugged her.

"This is my grandson John! He's a very sweet boy, you'll have fun. You'll show little ms. the house, won't you, my angel?"

"Of course, grandma."

He winked discreetly at Amber, and she grinned back.

"And this is Christina, the daughter of Jack and Jane", she added, not as willingly.

Mabel looked at the girl friendly and squatted down to be at her height.

"How old are you, Christina?" she asked.

"Seven."

"Cute baby..." she said, looking at Christina's grandmother, who frowned, but Mabel didn't notice and added, "...And my girl is ten and a half. In any case, I think you will find a common language."

The dinner was great, Marco cooked great. They didn't pay much attention to Chris, only Mabel occasionally glanced at her with some sympathy. But John tried to stick his tongue out at her once. Amber noticed this and smiled. She seemed to like John much more than Christina. The dance was scheduled for tomorrow, and the grandmother said that she had already invited local friends along with their families. After dinner, Amber immediately ran away with John, laughing happily. And Chris... She wanted to follow them, but the grandmother showed a gesture, and the girl trudged to her room, citing business. There she finally gave vent to tears. Amber seemed different to her, but she didn't really show any interest in Chris. Ann put her to bed as always, and she reassured the girl, saying that everything would work out soon, it just needed time.