Mirror Walker

Chapter 7

CLIP, clop, clip... and clop, dragged on the sound of the horses' lazy hooves as they strolled through the wood. Another chilly morning however, the sun had decided to make an appearance. Its weak rays scattered through the naked trees and gradually melted the frost from the previous night, darkening the ground and making the grass glimmer with tiny water droplets. The wind slightly jerked and jabbed but even it seemed bored today since it put barely any effort in pulling down the red winter hood from Charlie's head.

It must have been lulled to sleep by the sound of Lord Millard's voice.

Next to her, on a flea-bitten thoroughbred mare, rode the amazingly advertised John Millard. Her mother had described him as a dashing young man only eight years older than her, probably eight times richer too, with a knack for sport and love of nature. This seemed rather odd because he was a very keen investor in countless mines that wrecked the environment for all the metal and jewels that he could profit from. Charlie held her tongue though, and never questioned it as she had a strong resolve to meet her mother in the middle and give this suitor a chance to win her affections- a chance which he was currently crashing and burning.

Two hours prior, her mother had come storming into her bedroom as the clock struck eight. The door violently slammed open, startling her from her bed. She shot up in a horrible daze, hair blasting around her head while her eyes rapidly blinked, unfocused and quickly constricting from the light that crawled into her chamber when her mother ripped apart the curtains.

"Up, up, up!" she brightly sang, "You need to be dressed and looking dazzling by the time Lord Millard arrives."

Charlie wavered, glaring at her blankly, mainly because there wasn't a single thought organised in her mind. It was impossible for there to be, because she was still busy trying to remember the quickly fading dream that she had been having. What was it about again? Birds? Cupcakes?

"Charlette?" her mother crept up to her bed, sticking her hands onto her hips and ogling her tensely, "Come now... Lord Millard is expected at ten... you need to be ready by then. You can hardly greet him in your dressing gown-"

"Do you think he'd mind?" she moodily growled. He was a man was he not? She didn't know much about the male sex of her species but what she did know was that they preferred less clothing than more.

"Of course, he'd mind! You need to look presentable; it simply wouldn't do otherwise. How do you expect him to court you if you dress like... like..."

"A common whore?" a yawn stretched across her mouth as she lifted a hand to cover it, fisting her fingers afterwards and rubbing her eyes groggily.

"Exactly! Now get up and quickly get dressed."

"What time is it?"

Her mother halted as she leaned down into the drawers under her wardrobe, looking back at her confusedly and slowly answering, "...Eight."

"In the morning?"

"He's meeting you at ten-"

"Oh, lovely that's two hours," her hand clamped over her duvet, pulling it deeply over her head as she snuggled into her pillow sleepily, "I'll be here then... dreaming about a tall, handsome... mysterious stranger sweeping me off my feet and-"

A shiver rocketed through her when her thick, warm covers were torn from her body, freezing when she was met with her mother's disapproving glare, "Get. Up."

"But mooooom-"

"Mysterious stranger..." she flung the blankets to the side, striding to the door with an incredulous huff, "your mysterious stranger will be arriving in the courtyard at ten."