Farryn

Chapter 3- Part 4

Farryn worked silently, then snuck out of the kitchens before someone could give her more work. She peeked back into the nursery, where all three children and Iris still slept. Quietly, she shut the door and left. Wandering the halls with nothing to do, she felt pretty aimless. It was a strange feeling. She'd never really had enough time to be bored.

As she crossed through an open doorway to do a lap of the first floor, she noticed people outside the window. She paused, and hid herself behind the curtain before peering out.

Lady Trison stood with a tall, bald man, her arm intertwined with his. Her husband? A girl with shiny hair had her face buried in Lady Trison's voluminous sleeve, and when she looked up Farryn realised it was the girl from her first day at the estate; the one who'd interrupted her meeting with Lady Trison.

She laid her head on Lady Trison's shoulder again, and Farryn watched as the man gripped her arm, trying to pry her off. He looked uncomfortable, and he kept a tight grip on her arm.

She was wearing all black, right down to the ribbon that tied her hair back. Funeral garb? Farryn wondered. But who could she be mourning? The heir?

"Lady Cordelia."

 Farryn almost jumped out of her skin, but it was just the boy. "Stop doing that!" she hissed, annoyed, turning back to the window. 

"Doing what?" 

"Stop... just stop. Who is... Lady Cordelia?"

"His fiancée," the boy said, leaning forward to watch them. The girl- Cordelia- was now hanging off the man's arm. "She's the one Nevan was engaged to."

She turned to him. "Nevan?" a servant, referring to the heir so casually.

The boy looked away. "My apologies. Lord... Lord Trison." His gaze dropped to the floor, avoiding hers, and Farryn stared at him for a moment before turning back to the window.

I'll deal with that later.

Now, Lady Trison stood in the courtyard, waving as the man and Lady Cordelia approached the waiting carriage. There was a second carriage behind it, and as the pair entered the first one, Lady Trison entered the second.

"The funeral sites are still going on," the boy sniffed. "That's why the kitchens are so busy."

"Even now? Hasn't it been six months?"

He shrugged. "They have the money to mourn for a year." 

Hmm. Farryn watched as both carriages left the courtyard. "Where are they going?"

"I wouldn't know," he said. His eyes lingered on the retreating carriages.

"I have the information, by the way. The names?" 

He turned to her, almost eager. "Yes? What are they?"

She paused before responding. "What's your name?" 

He frowned. "Why do you need to know that?" 

"I don't know who you are. I'd at least like a name."

He rolled his eyes. " I'd like several names. Besides, you need my answer."

"And you need mine."

He crossed his arms and stared.

Farryn groaned internally. I don't have time for this. "Fine," she snapped. "I don't need your name."

"My name is Claud."

"I don't care anymore. The names were Mara, Marla, and Madelyn."

Claud tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know... It could be any of them."

"Well, that doesn't help me," Farryn hissed angrily. "I need a name."

"What do you plan to do with the name?" Claud asked her. He was tapping his foot against the floor, over and over and over, and the noise was driving her insane. She stepped away, rubbing her ears. Bang bang bang... Serval trying to break the door open. Tap, tap, tap.

"Come find me when you can be useful," she snapped, and stormed off. Guilt welled in her stomach as she rounded the corner. That sounded a lot like something Serval would say.

She returned to the nursery, and Iris and Luisa were now awake. Iris sent her to wash some nappies. It was a quiet day, and even though Farryn felt a bit uneasy, she marvelled at the relative peace. Had her own home been like this? Had her mother sat with her on lazy afternoons, watching her play? She couldn't remember much. Her mother would take her out often, to ride along the Promenade, to pick strawberries in the fields where they grew wild. Livi would stay home. "Today is for the Big Girls," her mother would giggle as they sat in the carriage. Farryn missed those days.

She scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was raw, and then joined Iris to take the children on their afternoon walk. Farryn let her mind drift, but as they went down the path by the huge Surn tree, bowed over with flowers, it hit her.

In her surprise, she tripped over a root, and Iris pulled the pram to a stop. "Are you quite well?"

"Ow..." Farryn hissed. She picked herself off the floor. "I've scraped my knee."

"Go get yourself cleaned up, then. Hurry back." Iris tsked. "Honestly, Felicia, if you can't get your act together I'll be forced to dock your pay." You most definitely will not.

"I'm sorry. Thank you. I'll be right back."

She hurried back into the building, practically buzzing. Her knee was fine, but she needed to look at those documents again. She hurried to her room, and shut the door behind her.

Farryn pulled the files from their place underneath her bed, and laid all of them out. Madelyn. There was no picture, of course, but it said she had a mole under her left eye. She didn't have any moles. Everyone had compared her round, smooth face to a pearl. So it couldn't be her.

Marla, the girl who had FIRED on her file had no details that didn't match up. Farryn held up Marla and Mara's files, staring at them, re-reading, as though she'd somehow find something else. Well. The revelation wasn't all that amazing. But now she'd narrowed it down to two.

She returned the files to their hiding space, and hurried back outside. "May I go down to town on pay day?" She asked Iris. 

"Do whatever you want," the woman grunted. 

"Thank you."

They finished the walk early because Luis seemed determined to harass his siblings, and returned to the nursery. The cogs in Farryn's head spun as she put all of them down on the carpet. I'll go into town and try to talk to the Constable. Surely he can give me something to work with.

Iris sent her down to get their lunches, and Farryn jumped at the chance, eager to see Luli. Sure enough, she was there, sitting with a girl in the corner, both of them scrubbing potatoes. The girl looked up at Farryn and smiled. "Loo-lee. Your sister is here."

Luli noticed Farryn and grinned. She dropped her brush into the bucket, sending water splashing. When Luli hugged her, Farryn didn't try to pull away, even though her hands were still dripping. She just stood there, stunned, because she couldn't remember the last time someone had been so happy to see her.

"Luli," she said, her voice breaking. "Will you come with me into town, later this week? I'll buy you some candy."

"Are we going to find the second best pie-er?" Luli asked, looking up.

Farryn laughed. "Maybe. I hope so. It's a step to finding her." 

Luli just buried her face in Farryn's skirt, like she didn't even need to hear the answer. "As long as I get some pie."