Cold Lonely Nights

Confrontation

When Laurence has left the Bakers residence, Jennie decides to confront her parents about what she'd learnt at the surgery. She scans her room a few times, knowing that she had some kind of evidence but doesn't find anything.

"Good morning Jennie, did you sleep well last night." Theodore greets warmly.

If my parents were drugging me, would he have known about it?

"Hey Theo." She awkwardly starts. "Um, can I ask you something?"

"Sure go ahead." The butler politely smiles.

"At the surgery, the doctor told me something… am I being drugged?" She asks, partly wanting to doubt it herself.

Theodore gives her a surprised look, knowing that he can be in serious trouble for telling the truth. Another part of him also really doesn't care that he could be fired and cast out, since he always felt a soft spot for the young lady of the house.

"You know, I would never take part in such a thing, young mistress." He tells her truthfully.

"I know you wouldn't." Jennie sighs. "But my mother would."

His eyes widen. "That's a huge accusation, Jennie, are you absolutely sure that Mrs Baker is doing such a thing?" He asks, slightly worried that Jennie could be in a lot of trouble for asking these questions.

"I'm really sure. It must be in the water that she always insists that I drink. Can you go find what she's drugging me with, Theo please?" Jennie politely asks.

Theodore nods with a warm smile, leaving the room.

They've always been a great person, if only the Lords of the house had the patience to figure that out. Theodore softly thinks as he leaves.

Jennie is about to bite her nails to find the courage to face her parents. There is a part to her which usually does everything to avoid confrontations but the fact that things have gone so far means that she has to make some kind of stand.

Her eyes water up at everything going on, from Laurence's disappointment and threatening to leave her to the surgery that she doesn't know what it did to her and the idea of being drugged by her parents.

She shakes her head and forces herself to take deep breaths. This gradually calms her down until she can hear her mother impatiently calling her to breakfast.

Jennie takes another deep breath to try to give herself confidence before pulling on her clothes, hoping it will hide the marks Laurence left on her skin from her mother.

After checking herself in the mirror, she opens the door and begrudgingly heads downstairs.

Her mother is waiting at the table with a breakfast neatly laid out as well as the glass of water.

"You must be hungry after you walked out on dinner yesterday." Mrs Baker smiles.

Despite her stomach groaning in reply, fear that the food is also drugged makes her hesitate. "M-mum?" She shakily manages. "Can we eat at a restaurant this morning?"

"But the cooks have already made you breakfast. Isn't that a little rude to them?" Mrs Baker warns.

"It's not rude, it's more for them." Jennie replies.

"Come on, you love the breakfast they make you, what's wrong sweetie?" Mrs Baker asks her daughter.

"One of the doctors told me." Jennie mutters after a long pause. "I had a sedative in my system. I could've never woken up, mum so just tell me what's in the water! I might have not the best memory but I'm not stupid, not that you'd ever know that!" Jennie snaps.

"Where the hell is this coming from? Do you really think I'd put you in such a risk?" Mrs Baker replies.

"Dammit, can't you tell the truth for once? I know it was you! It's in that water you make me drink all the time, isn't it? You're just evil, you hear that? I can't believe you'd drug me like that! That's criminal and I am going to the police about it!" Jennie tells at her mother before receiving a slap and shrieking in shock at the pain.

"You will do no such thing!" Mrs Baker hisses. "If you go to the police about this they won't believe you and you will be charged for wasting police time. I'm not drugging you so get that absurd idea out of your head immediately, do you understand Jennie?"

"There's proof in my room, I won't be wasting police time because the police will find it and you won't." Jennie growls at her mother, still clinging onto her face where she was slapped.

"What evidence? Jennie, are you delusional?" Mrs Baker snaps. "If you don't go to your room right now I'll call William to try to get you to see the truth."

"The truth?" Jennie scoffs. "I'm being drugged! Why can't you acknowledge that?"

"Alright, I guess I'll have to get in contact with William." Mrs Baker mutters. "Theodore!" She calls.

Within seconds the butler arrives.

"Get Jennie to her room where she'll be grounded for next four months." Mrs Baker tells the butler. "Don't leave her with her phone, I'm confiscating that as well."

Jennie's eyes widen in shock. "You monster… you're actually drugging me, aren't you?" She works out as Theodore gently escorts her to her room.

"I'm really sorry Jennie, I thought you would wait until you had more evidence. I'll keep an eye on them for you to make sure that they don't have the chance to drug you." The old butler tells her.

Jennie just slumps her shoulders in defeat, resting her head in her hands and sobbing at her worst fears being confirmed.

"Theo, before you take my phone away, can you let me text Laurence, just so that he doesn't worry when I don't return his calls or messages." Jennie shakily asks.

The butler forces a reassuring smile. "That's fine, go ahead. If he does text you I'll pass on the message to you." He tells her softly.

"Thanks you Theo." She tries to smile until a frightened sob shakes through her. "They are drugging me. Why are they doing this to me?"

The butler gives her a sad look before handing her the phone. She instantly types out a message, sending it while it exchanges hands again.