Ladybug Ashes

Chapter Two- Governess

The Vanille Manor was large and grand, as most houses that go by the term "manor" tend to be. The former barmaid and now very well grown-up Anne-Marie tried to guess how tall it was as she looked up at it's highest point. It looked sort of like a doll house she had when she was little, with slight differences here and there. Adjusting her posture to maintain elegance in her new dress that was suitable for a governess, she picked up her small suitcase and began to walk up to the door.

The past thirteen months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. It seemed like her fainting in the road incident had been just yesterday. Since then, having quit her barmaid job for fear of another incident, she'd applied for a governess job through a contact of Mr. Guiraf's, Dame Isla Vanille. She had replied back through Mr. Guiraf that she would love to meet Anne-Marie, and had even sent a coach to fetch her from her small house.

The things that Anne-Marie remembered most from the past year, however, were most disturbing. Sometimes she'd woken with a cough, a hard, long cough that made her almost choke on several occasions. Sometimes, her skin would feel abnormally hot to the touch, as if it had an inner fire. Most curious of all, though, was the fact that sometimes, in the corners of her eyes, Anne could see flames flickering and burning around her, but when she would turn her head to look at them, they'd disappear from sight, as though they had never been there. But she knew they were there. The flames were always there...

The urge to calm her mind, to stop these hallucinations, was what had made her leave her job and talk to Mr. Guiraf about becoming a governess for a nice family somewhere. He'd talked around, and then Dame Isla had said she needed a governess for her children.  As Anne-Marie stood under the tall door, she lifted her hand to the knocker, and was about to raise it when the door swung open. A somewhat short but still very imposing man in a suit stood there. "Hello and good day to you, Miss Coccinelle. Please, come inside. Dame Vanille is waiting for you in the parlor." he stepped aside slightly, waiting for her to walk through the door.

Anne smiled and walked in, looking around. "Thank you, Mister..."

"My name is Walter Brandon, Miss. Please, the parlor is this way." With that he gave a crisp turn and began walking to the parlor with Anne-Marie trailing behind. As they arrived, he stood by the door and turned to her. "Miss Coccinelle, Dame Isla likes quiet. Whisper, and I do believe she'll take to you." Walter opened the door, ushered Anne inside, and then bustled off to his next duty.

Anne, however, stood near the doorway, unsure of how to introduce herself. Tentatively, she cleared her throat, hoping the Dame would possibly start the conversation. She did. "Oh, hello!" said a quiet voice that somehow spread across the room anyways. "Don't be afraid, love, just sit down here, across from me." Anne- Marie did as she was told, and carefully removed her shawl, placing it on the floor beside her suitcase. 

Dame Isla Vanille wasn't what Anne-Marie had expected. If the manor was a dollhouse, then surely Dame Isla would've been a doll. The Dame was rather petite, and somewhat dwarfed by the grandness of the chair upon which she sat. She didn't look like a mother, but not all mothers do. She had brown hair twisted in curls and a feather tucked in her hair. It may have been a swan's feather, though Anne couldn't tell, and to ask to have a closer look would most likely be considered impolite at this particular moment in time. 

Shifting herself into a comfortable position with her dress, Anne gave a small smile to the Dame. "Hello, Dame Isla. It's very nice to meet you. You look well today." As per instructions, Anne kept her voice soft as silk and light as air. The Dame smiled. "I suppose you're quiet because Walter told you to be?" Anne nodded. "That's very good, very good indeed. You seem to pay very good attention to manners and protocol, as well as advice." 

"I try, Dame Isla." 

The Dame gave a small nod. "Yes, yes, very polite. Miss Coccinelle, have you ever worked with children before?"

"Yes, Dame Isla. I've worked with children at the orphanage where I grew up. I-" She stopped suddenly, unable to remember what she did all of those thirteen years at the orphanage. Thirteen years? That didn't sound right, it had been much to quick for that... "I read them stories and helped them organize themselves," she finished meekly. It still didn't seem right. How old was she? So many confusing thoughts. Anne-Marie pushed them out of her mind. She had to focus on Dame Isla. 

The Dame was smiling. "Yes, that's very nice that you know how to read. Literature will be very important to my children, I am sure. You know how to write, I assume? Good, that's good." the Dame carried on before Anne had finished her nod. "Works well with children and is educated. Yes, I think you'll make a wonderful governess, Miss Coccinelle. You'll stay here now. Your rooms are upstairs to the right, with a small sitting room, a bathing room, and a bedroom. Walter will show you the way. Breakfast is at 8 o'clock every morning, and supper at six o'clock in the evening. Should you go to town and return, return through the back door. The children's rooms are across from yours, and you'll quite like them, I'm sure. The fair-haired one is Jaqueline Madaline Vanille, and the raven-haired one is Eleanor Rosette Vanille." She stood up, smiling at Anne. "I hope you like it here, dear. I'm sure you'll be a lovely governess."

Giving a small nod of the head, the Dame walked out of the room as Walter walked in. "Miss Coccinelle, this way, please." she said solemnly, leading her out the door, around a turn, and up a small staircase to the second level. He nodded her to a door on her right with a small golden knob. "Welcome to the House, Miss." he said politely before disappearing back down the stairs. 

Anne- Marie Coccinelle, orphanage child, former barmaid, and new-found governess slowly opened the door and stepped into her new sitting room. She could see a door to her bedroom, as well as a door to the bathing room. It was all very tidy, not a speck of dust in sight, but still Anne-Marie was trying quite hard to stifle a cough. It came out anyways, a choking, monster of a cough that she hoped no one could hear. Her lungs felt like they were working too hard, clouded with imaginary soot. Suddenly, just as soon as the sensation had come on, it stopped. Standing up straight, Anne entered her bedrooms to rest before supper.

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Rather quickly, it was time for sleep. Dusk had already passed, the children, whom she had met at dinner, were tucked away in their beds, and the Vanille Manor was nearly silent. Anne-Marie had just put on her nighties, and had lost track of time earlier in the night. The supper was long, but she was quite entertained with the meeting of the children, both of whom seemed very kind and smiling, very well educated in their supper etiquette. 

As Anne carefully stepped into her new bed, she wondered vaguely to herself in how many minutes the sun would rise. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Her dreams crowded her with fires and coughing, worse than her previous dreams. It was all around her, in her old childhood room. Her parents were already dead, she knew. Her sisters, too. Familiar names were everywhere.

When the morning came, and  Anne-Marie woke up, the world was at peace, and her dream faded as smoke on the wind.