stem of hearts

Departure

CAMILLE

I received a letter a few weeks ago, but I'd mostly forgotten about it. It was about some marriage thing, with some earl whom I could only recall hearing of a handful of times- I hadn't read through it very thoroughly, as I'd been half-asleep. I probably should've read it over once more, though, so that I wouldn't have been scared out of my mind when my brother shook me awake in the middle of the night- very roughly, might I add? Seriously, I think he just has no respect for me.

Anyways, I'd never expected for my life to become this interesting. Ever since I was a little girl, I assumed I'd spend my days growing strawberries and raising sheep with my brother and sister. It's a shame that my vision can never come true.

. . .

"Camille!" I could faintly hear my brother calling me from beside the bed. My mind wouldn't allow me to even sit up, my tired bones weighing me down. "Camille, get up!"

I fell out of the bed with a thud as he shoved me, groaning as the sheets fell over my head. I pushed them off of me, mumbling through my exhaustion. "What do you want, Edward?" I huffed, sitting up on the cold ground. Was it always this cold? My mind was too hazy to acknowledge the time. The air smelled like fresh rain.

He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to my feet. "You've overslept, idiot." Edward ushered me toward the bathroom, sighing. "Hurry up and do whatever you always do to get ready."

"Edward, what are y-" He slammed the door in my face before I could even finish my sentence. I grit my teeth as I started to search for my comb, silently cursing him out. He could be such a jerk sometimes.

As I pulled on my dress, I couldn't help but become increasingly irritated with my brother. He was being very loud, clomping around the bedroom as if he owned the place. The sun wasn't even fully over the horizon, so why the hell was he waking me up? It wasn't like the strawberries needed watering today, since it'd been pouring all night. I could still hear the cursed rain on the roof. And it was on my little sister to feed the lambs today. Had he gone completely mad.

"Hurry up, Camille!" Edward hissed through the door.

My grip on the lace tightened. "Calm down, would you? I'm going as fast as I can."

"Just-" His sigh was perfectly audible and rather bothersome, which made me want to be intentionally slow just to get under his skin. "Be quick." I could sense his agitation through the door. God, he was such a dramatic jerk. His boots tapped loudly on the floors as he paced around. Why was he wearing boots? He was inside. This further proved to me that my brother had finally snapped. And why was he getting so worked up over me taking my time? He was definitely losing his mind. It made partial sense, though. I mean, my little sister could be a menace– even if she was an adorable little girl. She was the equivalent of a little hob with pretty hair and big doe eyes. Meanwhile, I was probably one of the best people to live with. I didn't go into his room- it was a mess, and the smell of his laundry made me nauseous. He was pretty much incapable of cleaning up after himself. I always had to do it for him. He'd probably drown in a mountain of dirty clothing if it weren't for me. I kept telling myself this as I finally unscrewed my lipstick, bringing it over my lips before I bothered to open the door.

Edward sighed when he saw me, the annoyance clear on his face. "Where's your bag? They're waiting outside."

"Who?" I grabbed a pouch, stuffing my lipstick and other makeup into it. Edward picked up the comb out for me to take and put in with the other items. While I fussed over my few pieces of jewelry, he pulled some of my clothes from the dresser and stuffed them into a satchel.

"God, your memory really is something." He muttered. "The carriage, Camille. To the manor?"

The bag slipped out of my hands, some of the makeup spilling out of it. I stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "That's today?" I blinked. I'd completely forgotten.

Edward kneeled over, picking up the spilled cosmetics and putting them back in the pouch. He tied it shut and put it into my satchel for me. "Yeah." He sighed. His shoulders were a little tense, which they usually weren't. He pursed his lips, slinging the bag over my shoulder. "I'll walk you out."

"Wait– where's Emma?" I stumbled after him, not having the mind to pull my wrist out of his loose grip.

"Asleep." He glanced over at me. "You shouldn't wake her. It'll only make her cry."

I cursed silently, looking at her door for a moment. He was right. Emma should keep sleeping, anyways. I'd find a way to see her again soon. "...Yeah." I sighed.

Edward stopped walking when we reached the front door, looking down at me. "Camille." I raised my eyes to look at him. He leaned over, his strong arms pulling me against him. It took me a moment to process, but I managed to return the embrace.

"I don't want to go, Edward." I murmured.

He released me after a moment, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You gotta." His smile was weak- which was unhelpful, as it only made my chest hurt.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, glancing out the window. Two guards stood by the front steps, a carriage a few feet behind them. "I guess you're right."

I turned away, sighing. My sweater didn't make the cold go away anymore- not very much. The house was freezing. "Make sure Emma feeds the lambs later- and make sure she brings her raincoat. Neither of you get sick, Edward. I mean it." I bit the inside of my cheek slightly, pulling the sweater tighter around my shoulders.

"I know." He didn't look at me. He probably knew that, if he did, I wouldn't be able to leave. "You don't gotta remind me."

"Well-" I let out a soft breath, my shoulders sagging. What a dismal day. "Remember to clean up after yourself. We'll- You'll get rats in the house if you let your room become a trash bin. Or mould. Or- Fether forbid- moths." I hated moths. Passionately.

Edward nodded slightly. "I know."

I couldn't think of anything else to remind him of. Nothing that would make me ready to walk outside. "I'll see you." I added after a moment.

"See you." His reply was quick.

I pushed open the door, glancing back at him. His grey eyes didn't show anything, though they were a little glossy. I felt bad. He'd probably die without me. Even so, this was one obligation that I couldn't skip out on. In a few months, I'd be marrying an earl. Therefore, I had to learn how to be a real lady– whatever the hell that meant. With a sigh, I stepped out onto the porch. It was rainy. The guards looked mean, especially in the overcast light. I could only imagine how cold the atmosphere of the earl's estate would be.