Popularity War

Another Ship Lost

Popularity War

 Chapter 2-- Another Ship Lost

                A knock at the door forced Eva out of the world of dreams and into reality. Although she had no idea about the position of the sun, she knew that it was much too early to be awake. “Go away, I’m still sleeping,” she barked when she heard the door open instead.

“I’m sorry miss, but your father is requesting an audience with you.” Clara whispered.

Uttering complaints under her breath, Eva forced herself to sit up. She rubbed her eyes as Clara closed the door and opened the curtains allowing the garish yellow light to paint the room.

“Why does he need to see me this early?” Eva hopped out of bed with a yawn; if it were anyone but her father, she would have gone right back to sleep. When Clara shrugged, she changed the subject. “Well, what would I wear today?”

Clara rummaged through the vast closest and picked out a pink silk dress with a lot of ruffles. “This is very pretty.”

Taking a quick glance at the dress, Eva crinkled her nose. “No thanks. I believe it is too early to wear something that decorative.”

Clara nodded and put the dress back. She thought for a moment and then picked out a green dress with lace cuffs. “What about this one?”Eva thought it was nicer than the first, but she still didn’t like it. “Goodness you are picky today,” Clara muttered.

“Perhaps that has to do with me waking up earlier than usual,” Eva said with another yawn. Clara was relieved when her mistress approved of the third dress. It was sky blue with short ruffled sleeves and on the right shoulder stood a ruffled bow that added a little flair to the simple gown.  More ruffles were at the bottom where the blue top skirt transitioned into the white underskirt.

An hour later, Clara finished dressing and fixing her mistresses hair, shooing the young girl out of the room. With no escort, Eva traversed the long hallway adorned with tapestries and paintings heading to her father’s study. At the oak door, she knocked. After receiving her father’s permission, she entered the medium-sized room that would have looked larger if not for all the furniture.

Straight ahead, and centered, was her father’s desk. On both the left and right side, book cases sat against the wall overflowing with books and scrolls. In front of his desk were two chairs for guests to sit. The rug on the floor was a deep red that looked like dried blood when the light shone upon it. Despite the dark tones to the room, Eva thought the room felt quite inviting, but that was probably due to the fact that her father was in the room with her.

She curtsied and asked, “You wanted to see me?”

Lord Whikim smiled upon seeing his beautiful daughter. “I did.” A brief silence pervaded the room until he spoke once more. “I apologize that I had to wake you so early, but you need to get used to it from now on.”

The smile Eva had upon her lips faded at the strange news. “Why is that?”

Her father gestured for her to take a seat. Despite the soft cushioning, the chair was still uncomfortable to her and it took her a few moments to adjust herself until she was satisfied. When she was completely settled, he began, “I lost another ship, Eva.”

Lord Whikim owned land and ships in several coastal cities where members of his family and hired help would operate his business. He rented his ships to poorer merchants, an idea that was very radical, but proved to be successful for many years. The merchants would pay him back, with interest, once they sold their goods.