A mask of innocence *On hold*

A mask of innocence~8

***Sorry for the wait! But now i have all of my stories updated :D My "contest" still runs: 1st to comment= dedication. 2nd to comment= story read. God bless!****

Recap:

“I believe this is yours.” He held out a tan leather pouch; the one I’d hidden the jewels in. I could’ve collapsed in relief. I’d been so distracted that I didn’t even notice its absence.

            “Oh my, thank you! I now owe you two favors for your kindness.” Eagerly, I took the pouch from his grasp. The man only nodded, his eyes twinkling in the darkness. After I was safely inside, he closed the door behind me. Taking that as his queue, Richard started up the horses and we were rolling away, leaving the party, Elliot, and the strange man behind

STORY START:

As the carriage rumbled beneath me, I sat back against the plush seat and let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. I couldn’t believe it; my trip was a success. I grinned to myself. With what I’d taken, I could get my father back. Unbidden, childhood memories floated through my head; times I’d been genuinely happy. I had brief moments of contentment when I was with Tommy or when I played my mother’s old piano but I could never capture the unbridled joy I had felt when I was in my papa’s arms.

Tears slid down my cheeks and I hastily wiped them away. It was absurd to be crying! I would have my father back in no time. The jewels would make sure of that.

Thinking of my stolen prize, I eagerly took out my pouch and surveyed it. The jewels inside weighed a great deal and pushed out on the leather fabric. Slowly, almost reverently, I untied the strings and gently pried open the bag. Reaching my hand in, I closed my fingers around the stone. I froze, and then swiftly withdrew the hand that still clasped the stone. Holding it up to the window, I gasped. Even In the sparse moonlight, I could tell that the object in my hand was no prized jewel; all I held in my hand was a common rock

“How could this happen?” I muttered to myself for the millionth time. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t think of how the jewel had been switched for a rock. What scared me the most was the fact that someone knew what I was doing. The jewel hadn’t just spontaneously turned into a rock; someone had deliberately placed it there.

Was it a warning?

If someone knew I was a thief, why not just turn me into the police?

Suddenly, I grew thankful for whoever decided not to turn me in. As much as I hated my life with Delia, I knew it was nothing compared to prison life.

I turned on my heel, having reached the end of the hall, and began my march back up to the other end. At least a hundred times I’d marched up and down the long passageway but my thoughts prevented me from tiring.

The servants had long since retired to bed and Delia and the girls were still out so the large house lay in an eerie silence. The only noise that echoed through the hall was the scuffing of my feet and he rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

Suddenly, the peaceful quiet expired as the door burst open and Della pranced into the room. She wobbled slightly, from the amount of wine she’d consumed, no doubt.

            “Oh!” she cried, holding her hands to her chest and spinning in circles, “That was the most wonderful night! So magical and…magical.”

I snorted loudly, causing her clumsy spinning to halt. She leveled a glare at me but since she was so intoxicated, her steely gaze rested on the clock beside me.

            “What ado you want Cambridge?” she spat at the clock, “Are you so pathetic that you couldn’t finish the housework?” She giggled then, sounding like a strangled pig.

I struggled to contain a smile. “On the contrary, Della, I finished hours ago. I just wanted to stay up so I could hear all about your…magical night.” This time I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face but Della was too preoccupied to notice. Her glare instantly melted into a lazy smile and her eyes slipped shut.

            “Oh, it was the best night of my life! I might be marrying soon. The man was the best possible man that could ever exist!” She rambled

Her intelligent speech was interrupted by the entrance of Delia, Delilah, and Tommy.

            “Why are you still awake, Cambridge?” Delia snapped at me, her very sober and alert eyes raking over me.

            “I wanted to make sure you all arrived back safely,” I quipped, “And Della was just telling me how she will be getting married soon.”

Tommy let out a short laugh. “Yes, she’s getting married to the man with the black mask,” he mimicked Della’s voice, “Who, by the way, never spoke a word to her the whole night.”

His words triggered my memory.

The pouch hadn’t been in my grasp the whole night. There had been a brief moment when I had almost forgotten it. If it hadn’t been for Richard…

            “Was he wearing a black suit?”

Tommy nodded, confirming my suspicions.

            “How did you know that?” Delia questioned.

I hesitated, “it was a guess. He sounds like a man to wear a black suit.”

I was glad Tommy was positioned behind his mother because the face he made would’ve given me away. Delia narrowed her eyes at me. “I don’t have time for your antics. Go to bed so you can do all your housework in the morning.” With her parting words, she strode up the stairs, Della and Delilah in tow.

Waiting until they were safely out of hearing, Tommy strode over to me, excited.

            “So, did you get it Cam?” he asked eagerly.

His expression dropped when I shook my head.

            “I had it with me. It was safely in my pouch but somebody stole it from me.”

            “Who?”

            “I don’t know,” I admitted. But I had a pretty good idea…