Hidden in the Castle

Part 13

Chapter 12

Annabelle kept her eyes closed even as he entered the castle.  Her face was flaming with embarrassment, but it was the fear that kept her from demanding William put her on her feet.  Before she had plunged into that water, she had felt the hands push her.  It hadn’t made sense to Annabelle, why would anyone wish to harm her?  Even if it were a jest gone wrong, why hadn’t the person called for help?

She shivered at the thought, and William tightened his hold on her.  He probably thought she was chilled, which to be honest, she was.  The slight chill in neither the air, nor the wetness of her dress caused the chill running through her body; it was caused by what had happened.  Someone was out to harm her, something she should have realized when her paintings had caught fire.  Then, she had just thought a maid left a candle too close to her paintings, but now that she thought back on it, it could have been a threat. 

Who could it be, though?  In her time here, she had not angered anyone.  Before meeting William and his friends, she had not socialized much with people, other than her sister and father.  Could that be it?  Could someone be trying to punish her for being friends with these people?  Or was it these friends that were playing the horrible jests on her?  She shook her head, making her face rub against the smooth cloth of William’s shirt.  They would not do such a thing.  Even if they disliked her, they were honorable people.

A sigh escaped her mouth as she snuggled further into William.  Was it just she who was experiencing these things?  Or where there others in the castle who were experiencing the same?  The only way to find out the answers to her questions was to ask, and as soon as William satisfied his worry by taking her to Cassie, Annabelle planned to question anyone who may know the answers. 

She would start with the maids, mainly the one who had been standing outside of her door only days ago.  From there, she would ask her own maid if she had seen anything.  Annabelle frowned at the thought.  For the past few days, she had not seen her personal maid.  The woman usually slept with coverings in Annabelle’s chamber, but when the woman had not shown up a couple nights before, Annabelle had assumed she found other ways to amuse herself.  It wasn’t unheard of for Annabelle’s maid to sneak off in the middle of the night.  The woman had a certain reputation that Annabelle herself never spoke of towards her father or sister. 

“Cassie!” William yelled, making Annabelle let out a surprised squeak, which only made him begin laughing. 

Annabelle freed her face from the protection of William’s chest and glared at the man.  “That was rude.”

His smile simply widened, making a small smile of her own form.  He jostled her slightly, making her more comfortable in his arms.  “If you had not had your face pressed to my chest, you would have realized we are at her door and seeing as my hands are otherwise occupied…”

Her mouth opened, ready to throw back a witty comment, but the opening of the door interrupted her.  With her mouth opened, dress soaked, hair plastered to her face, and she was sure there were scratches on her face; Annabelle knew that she was a scary sight to see.  It still did not keep her from turning red as Cassie gasped at her. 

“What happened?” Cassie asked, while a muffled voice sounded from behind the woman.