My Dark Knight

Chapter 35

"Mama, my stomach aches. I'm hungry, mama." The small lad whispered after he had made sure the door to his mothers chambers was ajar.

His mother lay on the bed. He could hear noise coming from the bed, it sounded like she was hurt, but he dared not go to her, recalling all to well what had happened when he had come to her room last.

"Does it seem to you that I care? Go away from here. How many times have I told you I do not want to see your ugly face?" She snarled vehemently.
He repulsed her, infuriated her. Mumbling incoherently under her breath, she began to yell for the butler.

"Butler! Butler! Where is the bloody butler!"

"Yes, your ladyship." The man answered as he quickly came into her room. His eyes surreptitiously taking in his surroundings. He had left his lordship with his head in his cups, only to see his ladyship was in bed with another man. He didn't know which horror was worst for the child. Nor did he know how much longer he could stay silent.

"I pay you to take care of this boy, can you not do your job correctly?"

Anger sizzled like molten lava in the butlers veins, demanding to be unleashed, but he was helpless to obey. His anger would only cost the child, a child he had come to love as his own.
With tight, thinned lips, he gently took the boys hand and ushered him out the room.

"When ever ye are hungry, Tin-Tan, always come to me." He said kindly as he looked him in the eye.

"But, Tan is gone, there is no Tin without Tan." Tin said as hot tears rolled down his thin face, his small form beginning to shake.

"Nay, lad. Tan may have left the world, but he will always be here." He whispered softly as he touched Tins heart.

"He left because of me."

"Nay, don't ever say that. He left because it was his time to go. Not because of you, lad." He said fiercely as he clutched Tins smaller form, unbidden tears of anger and anguish trailed down his cheeks to fall into Tins bronzed locks.

"The nerve of that man! I can not believe him! He had the audacity to say that to me! Me! I will show him his place! Where is papa!......."

Sapphire listened to Isabella's rant with half a mind, too busy savoring the garlic cheese bread cook had made for her. It was heavenly.

Three days later, and she was still fuming with rage at Alexander. It didn't help that Alexander continued to remind her at every given opportunity how unladylike she was.

"Sapphire! Are you listening to me!"

"Of course I am." Sapphire said automatically, just noticing she had missed half of Isabella's angry opinions.

"Good," Isabella nodded, satisfied.

"So will you help me?"

Sapphire finished the last of her bread, stalling for time. How did Isabella need help? And how is she to answer her without giving away the fact she wasn't listening? She would have to be very cautious with her answers.

"What do you mean when you say help." Sapphire said evenly, hoping, and succeeding, in evading Isabella's temper.

"Remember when you and papa put dead rats under lord Glasgow's pillow." Isabella said with a shudder.