A Winter's Tale

Chapter 16:

Chapter 16:
PICTURE OF THE HOUSE:
EMERY'S POV:
I stood in the back of the kitchen, outside the door that led to Alice, William, and Miriam's home. For the past few days, I'd studied his habits, so I knew what time he would leave in the morning to go meet the Count. I needed to have a conversation with him. If the Count was unwilling to talk to me, maybe I could convince William to give me some answers. Or, at least, get the Count to meet with me. I would never try to force him to love me, I would never try to separate him from whatever he was working on in the dark. But, I deserved answers, I deserved to be let in on the secrets.

      How could I live here, in this house, knowing that there were things I didn't know? Knowing that there would be times I would be left out of a joke, or a conversation. I'd taken to waiting outside of this door for a few days, desperate to hear anything else I could about the mysterious Janine and the Count. It seems running into me in the kitchen made them cautious, for they were careful not to mention me anymore. But, today, today was special. This was the day that I would propose my plan to William. The last time I tried to meet with the Count, on my own, it ended horribly.

      Perhaps, with William on my side, the Count would be more open to talking to me, besides telling me what to do. It was early, the sun hadn't risen yet, but William was usually out before when the sun touched the edges of the horizon. I don't know what he and the Count had to do that early, but it was an everyday thing, meaning it'd been going on for a while now. I had the inkling that it had something to do with that mysterious project that the Count was working on. I heard shuffling from inside the door, and I stepped back, allowing space for the door to swing open. Another minute passed and William's surprised face appeared in the doorway.

      "What're you doing here this early," he asked, narrowing his eyes. He always suspected me; he knew if anything went wrong, it was my fault. So, I understood why he would be a little suspicious of me being outside his door before even Alice was awake. "I wanted to talk to you," I said, moving out of the way, so he could barrel through the kitchen like he usually does. He brushed past me, "about what? I have to be somewhere for the Count." ️I hurried to catch him before he walked out of the kitchen. It was easy to see that he didn't want to talk to me, how much he didn't like me. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I told him, waiting for him to acknowledge that I'd said something, "I need to talk to him." William looked at me incredulously, shaking his head slowly.

      Minutes passed before he said anything, "you want to talk to the Count? Do you remember what happened last time you tried to talk to him without his knowledge?" I sighed, "yes, but I can't continue to live like this." William crossed his arms, studying me. I tried to convey all of my thoughts and emotions through my eyes. I wanted him to understand how much I needed this, how much I needed to get through to the Count. I couldn't keep on like this, the not knowing. The curiosity was clawing at my insides. The questions kept adding up, about Janine, the Count's past, his project, his scar, all the secrets that hid in the shadows of this sprawling mansion. I knew the Count never had any intention of telling me the truth, he never had any intention of marrying me, or anyone.

    Whether or not the rumors at court were true, if he had a wife before me, I was not planned in his life. Just as he was not planned in mine. William dropped his arms, and looked away from me. "Alright," he said reluctantly, "I'll see what I can talk to him into. Perhaps a nice dinner one night. I promise nothing though. He's a very....organized man. He likes things to go a certain way, his way." I understood. It was obvious in the way everyone lived. William tailored to the Count's wishes, enforcing them, Miriam and Alice never asked questions, and Geoffrey made himself as scarce as the Count. It'd been weeks since I'd had a proper conversation with the man. I broke into a large smile, and pulled William into a hug.