Such Sweet Sorrow

Chapter Six: A Duty

Chapter Six: A Duty

Light shone in so brightly through the curtains that I wouldn't doubt that they weren't there at all. I groaned and rolled over in my bed, feeling as tired as I had the first night after hardly sleeping for two days. Why couldn't I sleep in? I was practically locked in here anyway. I might as well not be tired. I had come to the conclusion that sleep was the most important thing and closed my eyes and tried to drift back to sleep.

The light screamed at me to wake up, but I tried to fight it, hoping to regain unconsciousness. There was no way I was going to wake up just to hang around the farm. I needed something time consuming to do that would make my time here go faster. Perhaps I could read. I was only allowed to read certain novels while in the castle. I didn't exactly know why, but many popular books I weren't allowed to read.

Perhaps Anthony had some of those.

My mind drifted to last night and its events; Waking up in the middle of the night to find Anthony just as awake as I was. Him telling me he didn't hate me. The way his mood seemed to change continuously. Maybe he would lend me one of his books while I was here.

How long would I even be here? Was there even enough time to finish a book?

I reluctantly got out of bed, glaring at the window for it had won. I felt dirty still, deciding to do whatever it took to bathe; I grabbed my bath robe and marched from my room.

"Good Morning Flora." Abigail said tiredly, walking from her room two doors away.

"Good Morning Abigail." I replied, "Where's the bathing room?"

"Next to the toilet room." she told me, yawning and lazily pointing to the door at the end of the hall. I thanked her and nearly ran to it. My mother would die of shock if she'd known I hadn't bathed in four days.

After finally being clean and dressed in a simple, comfortable light blue dress that mother had bought specifically for this situation, I felt much more relaxed. I had never dressed in such a manner before, that is to say without a corset, and I must say I didn't miss it.

I took my time going to breakfast, though not wanting to be too long as to be rude. When I arrived in the kitchen Mrs. Wesley was still cooking breakfast, Mr. Wesley was sitting at the breakfast table, a newspaper covering his face; Abigail sat rocking her legs back and forth in boredom and Anthony gazed out the window. He seemed to do that a lot.

"Good Morning Princess Flora." Mrs. Wesley said brightly, not turning from the stove.

"Good morning all." I said smiling, Anthony had stop gazing at the window and Mr. Wesley put down his paper.

"You're in the paper, Princess Flora." he told me. I was hardly ever in the paper, unlike my father who seemed to take up more than half of it daily. "Utter nonsense though."

"What does it say?" I asked, taking the empty seat between Anthony and Abigail as to leave the seat beside her husband to Mrs. Wesley.

"It's a short clipping, but it says," He cleared his throat and began reading out loud, "Princess Flora of Owltania, the sole daughter and child to King Robert III has been sent off to spend the summer with her grandparents in the country to supposedly learn etiquette lessons on how to be a good wife as the Princess will soon be turning eighteen. An insider who wishes to stay anonymous says "I saw her getting out of the carriage at her grandparents house and I could have sworn I saw a baby bump." Whether this is true or not we may never know."

"You're having a baby?" Abigail asked happily. Mrs. Weasley turned quickly and glared at her.

"Of course not, Abigail, that paper is no more than lies and rumors- I don't know why you buy that thing." Mrs. Wesley glared at her husband as though it was his fault the clipping was in the newspaper.