Just Call Her Syndre

Chapter 6 | No Kindness in This Place

The dressmaker took the order and gave me a sympathetic look when I explained who the dresses were for. She pressed me, trying to convince me that they wouldn't notice the charge if I added dresses for myself, but I knew what would happen if I tried to slip it passed Madame. She'd beat me mercilessly for hours if I tried any funny business like that.

I grab a few items from the grocery store and made it back to the house for an earlier start on dinner. The roast sizzled in the oven as it cooked. The pasta cooked with no difficultly and I covered it in my special made six cheese sauce for macaroni. Knowing that there would be none left for me if I waited, I cut myself a healthy helping from the bottom of the roast and hid it along with a serving of mac and cheese in the pantry.

Slipping out of the kitchen with Timotheus in tow, we carried the roast and mac and cheese to the table in the dinner room. It had been completely set for the four of them, including napkins, silverware and plates. Madame sat at the head of the table with the girls on her right and her son to her left. I never sat and ate with the family, Madame suggested that I wait until everyone else was done years ago and now, I just hide in the pantry eating my food in the dark.

Her gaze landed squarely on me when I sat done the enormous roast, "hmmm... roast? That's a little risky, don't you think?"

"No, Madame. I don't." I waited patiently for her to take a bite after she dished out a healthy helping for herself, she bit down on the roast and moaned low in her throat. It was good. Damn good. 

"Good job, Syndre-Lynn. You may go." 

"Thank you, Madame." Sickeningly sweet I poured on the charm before I hightailed it to the kitchen and my hidden treasures. My roast was still hot when I pulled it from the hiding place and I squatted down on the underside of an old bucket to eat my meal. The warm meat and potatoes slid down my throat quickly and I followed it all down with a big glass of icy cold water.

I put the used dishes back into the hiding spot and stepped out of the pantry with a bundle of ingredients in my hands. Timotheus stood in the kitchen, his arms wrapped around a large stack of used china dishes. He stacked them carefully into the sink before he turned towards me.

"Madame would like to see you."

I raised an eyebrow at him in question, "me?"

"Yes." He clasped his big hands together. "actually both of us." Timotheus reached behind himself and pulled out a single long stemmed red rose. He had removed the thorns and covered it in a light sprinkle of what looked like glitter. I stared between him and the rose in confusion.

"Timotheus?" I began, my stomach rolling in nerves. "What's that?"

He blushed, "a rose, for you." My stomach rolled again, dropping  at the sound of his hesitant voice. I looked up at him again, forcing myself not to tear away at the sight of his teeth and halitosis. 

My mouth opened and closed, once, and then again. I furrowed my eyebrows and twisted my lips. Timotheus had never given me anything besides bruises, sprained wrists and headaches since he, his mother and his sisters had moved in. Using unsure fingers, I reached out and touched the silky petals on the rose and he rushed to push it into my palms. I weighed it, twisting it to admire the bright color and then smelling it. 

"Syndre-Lynn," I met his gaze again at the sound of my name. "Madame is waiting."

I cleared my blocked throat and nodded my head. He held out his hand and I proceeded him out of the door, jumping when I felt his large hand at the base of my spine. Trying to push it away was useless, his strength far outweighed my own. So I settled for the next best thing, walking ahead of him by three steps. 

Madame Jacqueline was standing at the door to her study. It was dimly lit by a single lamp in the corner on her desk. She pointed Timotheus away at the door and sat me down on the couch. There was material piled high on top of the ottoman in front of me. I stared at it in confusion.

"There." She pointed to it, before taking a seat at her desk again.

I sat down the rose Timotheus gave to me and I touched the fabric, running my fingers across the tule and satin. Glancing up, I met the slightly amused gaze of Madame. Even in her gown and thick robe her back was straight and her face stoic. My confusion must have been all over my face for when she spoke, her tone was soft.

"That material I promised." She pointed to it again. "You can make your own dresses and wear them to the ball."

"Thank you." She nodded her head, but a smirk wormed its way across her flat mouth. 

"But it looks like you may not need it."

I stopped gathering up the material, frozen in my hunched over stance. "What makes you say that?"

"It looks like Timotheus is interested." I scoffed, "even if he is, why on Earth would you let your son marry the likes of me? You hate me, Madame. You've said so yourself."

"You simple, naive child," she motioned to the room around us, "for this house, of course. You aren't of age to inherit it yet, but you will be and when you do, Timotheus will be your husband and we'll all get to stay here."

Her words brought the rolling of my stomach back, she expected me to marry her beast of a son? There was no way I would ever accept his hand. I fought to keep my obvious disgust from showing on my face and leaking between my sealed lips. It took what felt like minutes to firmly screw down the lid on top of my hysteria.

"Don't you inherit the house?" I asked.

"No, it goes to you. You are the child of his first marriage and the property goes to you." She adjusted her position in her chair, touching the back of her hair with light fingers. "Well, would have gone to you. With a husband it passes to him," I shook, barely able to breath. "And let me makes this clear, Syndre-Lynn." My gaze locked with hers, unable to look away. "You will marry Timotheus and you will give him children. I want no funny business at this ball. Is that understood?"

"You're taking away my choice to find love?" It was a dry heave of a whisper, broken and haunted. "I can't even leave this place when I fall in love?"

She stood and walked over to me, firmly grasping my chin between the thumb and index finger of her right hand. I blinked hard when she squeezed enough to make my jaw ache. The look in her eyes was cold and unforgiving.

"The only man you need to fall in love with is in this house. Timotheus is your future and a future king is the future of one of my daughters. You will not make yourself a spectacle and attract attention away from them. Is. That. Clear?"

My teeth ground with exertion and I fought down all the foul things that flew through my mind. I'd have to runaway. It would be easy, I could run to the nearest state and when I come of age, inherit the home and simply kick them out. I could tell by the look in her eyes that Madame thought she was victorious. 

I gave her a sarcastic smile, putting together the pieces needed to put my plan in motion. "I understand perfectly, Madame."