Storm and Silence (FANFIC)

8. Working News.

"Where on earth were you young lady!?" Blast! And I had thought that I would have been able to get away from her quietly! I looked round towards my aunt, standing in front of the stairs, hands curled into fists and on her hips.

"Did Ella not tell you? I ventured back to the park, for I had forgotten something of importance to me." I flourished my fan out and waved in front of her face. Her hands fell limply from her face and she looked at me, surprised.

"So she had not been lying to me?"

"Lying!? Why on earth would she ever lie to you? You do realize that this is Ella we are speaking of, and not I?"

"Oh.. yes. You are quite right. Ahem, well then if you will excuse me.. I shall get to bed. And you should too!" With that she marched upstairs and disappeared. I walked up the stairs myself, opened the door to my room, closed it before throwing my fan off to the side. I fell onto my bed and groaned into my pillow. Thank goodness for the fan! Had I not found it in the folds of my dress earlier today, who knows what would have happened?

I shifted my thoughts about the events before I left. He had... Hugged me. It was almost as if he thought I were his favorite toy or something, one that he had lost but found again. Oh who am I joking with around here!? Mr. Ambrose doesn't do toys!

Stop thinking irrationally Lilly! Why did you hug him back like he were Ella!? You should have pushed him away! A little voice chastised me. It was right of course. I had been completely foolish and stupid. Hugging him like that! What had gotten into me!? It was as if a bug had bit me while I was walking towards the Empire House and made me go kooky!

But..

But...

He had felt so... Nice. Comfortable. Naturally, if someone knew him for a long time, they would think that someone like him would also feel cold. But surprise! He was warmer than I thought. And leaning into him and smelling him and...

"No! No, no, no! Nononononono and no yet again!" I said out loud and sat up, rubbing my eyes. Ella was sleeping soundly so she had not heard me, thank God. I got out of bed and changed into my nightdress, before jumping back into bed, curling up into a ball and covering myself with the covers.

He smells like too much money! And he is most certainly not comfortable! He's made of granite for Victoria's sake! I thought, angry with my irrational and foolish thoughts.

Something was being pushed harshly into my right palm. I unwrapped my arms from around my legs and surfaced from underneath the covers. In the faint moonlight I could make out a little bulge on my finger. Grabbing the ring, I made effort to pull it off. It took a while, and I did not know whether it was my imagination or not, but whilst I had tried to pull off the ring, it seemed to be tightening around my poor finger. Of course, only seconds later, that turned out to be false. The ring slipped off my finger and I studied it.

It was brand new. That much I already knew. But I hadn't looked at it and depicted every little fact. All I knew was that it was a ring, and it bound me to someone I hated. I turned it around and saw a faint engraving on it. "What the..." I said quietly and squinted to see what was written.

Auspicio Regis Et Senatus Angliae.

I let out a small gasp at the words. He... The Queen... Approved of something like this!? I stared at the ring and wanted to do nothing more than to chuck it out the window. Instead, I turned away from the window and put the ring in the drawer of my nightstand. I didn't want it in my sleep.

I passed out, dreaming of rings and a certain granite person that I should not have dreamt of otherwise. Ah well. I cannot control them.

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