Mirror Walker

Chapter 3

CHARLIE sat on the neat covers of the bed, her slim frame denting the creamy blankets sprawled over the off-white mattress. She leaned a shoulder onto the cold wall, fully feeling the draught blast in her face as she watched through her window, the sides lined with frost after the previous night.

It had dipped into the minuses.

A shiver ran down her spine though the heat coming from the flaming logs two metres away burned gently at her back while she curiously watched the outside world. The wicked horse statue was stood in its usual spot at the centre of the courtyard, its eyes now terrifyingly glazed over and staring straight at her.

Comforting.

If that didn't make her cringe with distaste, then watching Lord Elwood prepare his bags sure did. He was dressed warmly in a big black cloak, puffing air into his hands and rubbing them to display how cold it was. His useless top hat was balancing on his head till he handed the luggage to the driver and took it off to wipe his brow as if he had been doing something awfully straining.

"Donna wants to meet with you," Mary said, making her twist her attention to the redhead. She was changing the pillowcases, fluffing them with her hands and glancing at Charlie with her lovely curls framing her freckled face, her maid's outfit fresh and recently ironed.

"Well, I don't want to meet with her," she rolled her eyes and turned back to the scene outside, watching as her mother stepped into view and the two engaged in conversation, their voices muffling through the thin glass.

Mary giggled, "Goodness, you can't stand her, can you?"

"It's not that I can't..." she almost threw up when they kissed. "I just don't want to."

"She's madly fond of you though," she finished with one pillow and laid it neatly down, beginning to dress the other.

"I am so devastatingly sorry that I cannot reciprocate."

Spluttering, she had to take a pause to laugh, "Good grace, how can you hold such a grudge for three years?"

"It's not a grudge, I just don't get on with her and nor do I want to try," she shot her notice to her to answer. "I have nothing against the girl but to me she is simple minded, and I just don't enjoy spending time with her."

Fiddling with the pillowcase by wrapping it around her hand, she crinkled her nose and hesitantly probed, "Well yeah... but aren't you... you know... just a little bit curious as to what their life is like together?"

"With Henrick you mean?"

She nodded.

Charlie snorted and knitted her brows together, "Why would I want to know? So she can show off how perfect her life is? How perfect her house is, her husband is, her big round belly will be once she gets a little leech in there."

Mary shook her head with a grin, picking up the pillow again and starting to ruffle it into the casing, "Are you jealous?"

"I'm not, we just have different interests," though a part of her was that she had a love interest, even if the marriage was arranged. She herself was against it, but still she longed for some romance in her life, just like her novels.

"And a 'leech'? Really?"

She shrugged, "I don't like kids."

"How can you say that?!" Mary whacked her with the pillow, and she screamed with false terror, the shriek turning into a laugh, "Were you not a child yourself once?"