Chapter 16:
If anyone touches her, I will personally break their necks. I will personally make sure they slowly die, begging to depart to God. For she does not deserve that, and I will protect her, it is my duty to do so.
December the twelfth 1795
The year of our lord
Diary of William Blake
William looked at Katherine, her head was bent down whilst she darned his shirt. She held it in one hand, the other hand weaving in and out slowly as she worked. She had not looked up for several minutes now, biting her lip in frustration if she made an error and humming gently to herself. "Katherine."
He was at his desk, writing a letter to his father- inviting him to his latest opening of Blake. He had been planning it for a while and now he had access to the funds to do so he would show his father he was a success. He looked at the architectural plans as he wrote the letter, it gave him the confidence to invite the old man in the first place.
"Yes, Master Blake," She looked up at William and hoped he wouldn't notice the bruise on her face.
"What happened to your face Katherine?" She touched the bruise on her face and shook her head. After her rest she had forgotten about the bruise. The ice had helped numb the pain and making a new friend made it seem all worthwhile, she hadn’t lost anything but gained something instead.
He continued writing, the scratchy sounds of the feather making contact with the paper he wrote on. He focused on the paper, looking at his curved handwriting but he had noticed Katherine rubbing her cheek. The room had been silent, only the scratchy sound of William’s quill and the click of the clock.
"Nothing sir, I hit my head on the door when I was working." She didn’t want to lie to him but she felt as if she couldn’t tell him the full truth, just yet.
William sensed the hesitation in her voice, he had gotten use to her submission to this life but this was further than that and it worried him. Even this morning as she talked about her parents she did not seem as forlorn as she did now. She seemed more distant.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded and he simply continued writing and looked out the window. The room was tense, the air was not thick-but it was a poisonous gas and their reactions to it were the same. William wanted freedom from the restrained room but continued writing his letter, and focusing on the door as he did so.
Smiling as the door was knocked and William answered with a firm enter, Julian entered the room. "Good evening Master Blake, I hope I am not disturbing you but I would like a word with you?"
Katherine hoped he wasn't going to talk about Lance; she bit her lip and drew blood but didn't speak. It was not her place to do so anyway; she just wanted to go back to bed." Forgive me, one moment." He spoke to Katherine.
William got up and looked at Katherine one more time, and then striding outside with Julian. "What is it?"
"Sir, Your maid Katherine has been assaulted by my brother."
William knew something was wrong. Stupid, stupid! What on Earth? He would solve this, and make sure she did not do it again. William gripped the boy's collar, he had lost his patience, he had left for one day and already she was being taken advantage of. "What happened?"
Julian choked as William's grip became tighter but coughed. "He wanted to seduce her sir and h-he decided since you and Master Byrne were a-"
William's grip became tighter. “No more." He spoke. "Katherine!"
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